Furry Little Beast

20/01/2025

This is definitely one of the coolest cases I have been involved with at work!

28/12/2024

Part 2 of Living My Dream Life: In November, I travelled to Canberra to present to my fellow veterinary colleagues on one of my favourite topics - guinea pigs!

I have been wanting to present at a conference for SUCH a long time, and I'm so proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone.

Hopeful for more opportunities to talk about guinea pigs in 2025!

12/12/2024

Shout out to Squirrel (!) for giving me a PANIC ATTACK this morning because he jumped in the hay tub and was almost squished by an ENTIRE bale. You can see how much I had to take out of the tub in the cage to the left to find him.

(Second photo is staged, but he was right down the bottom of the tub 🤦‍♀️)

23/11/2024

I'm literally living my dream life rn (except for the tension headache that took me out yesterday 😵)

This week, the pictured crew and I ran a workshop for a veterinary team on Everything Guinea Pig to help them expand their clinical skills. We covered basic handling and how to perform dental exams, practiced subcutaneous injections and syringe feeding, and discussed diet, sexing, and what's considered an emergency situation.

I'm actually so honoured to have been asked *blushes*

💛 Marigold, Byron and Meg
💛 Josie and Georgie (adoptable!!!)
💛 Murphy, Kristoff and Clifford

17/11/2024

It’s true guinea pigs can thrive from being housed with a friend, but who can be housed with who?
This chart offers some helpful guidance on housing different groups and combinations together.

Remember, there is always a chance guinea pigs will not get along when you introduce them. Similar to humans, they all have their own individual preferences when deciding who they would like to live with.

14/11/2024

Let's talk about desexing! 🍒✂

I've seen a lot of discussion recently on social media about desexing guinea pigs, specifically the risks versus benefits. I thought I'd address a few of the questions I've seen.

Q: Should I desex my male guinea pig to help avoid impaction?
A: If this is the only reason you want to desex your boy, honestly, probably not. It's definitely a nice bonus not having to clean out an impacted a**l sac but it's also not the end of the world. Astro (pictured) was desexed at such a young age that he has zero problems with impaction, but I do have a grooming client who's guinea pig was desexed after his testicles were "fully grown" and he already has mild impaction problems that weren't resolved from desexing.

Q: What complications can happen with surgery?
A: How long is a piece of string? There are so many things that can go wrong, and sometimes none of it is anyone's fault. Abscesses, blood clotting disorders, slow recovery time, post-operative gut stasis, infection, chewing at the wound, inexperienced staff (or even just simple human error) etc.
It is important to ensure that you use a vet team who is experienced with surgery in guinea pigs, and who you feel comfortable with so you can address any concerns you have with your piggie's recovery.

Q: I thought I had 2 (same gender), but now there's a baby in with them, what do I do? Should I get the male desexed?
A: Firstly, if you're not sure on gender, ask an experienced guinea pig person (e.g. your exotics veterinary nurse, a guinea pig rescue, an experienced owner) to confirm what sexes your guinea pigs are, including the baby (yes, babies can be sexed from birth!)
Secondly, separate adult males from adult females. Baby males can stay with females until about 3-4 weeks of age, and then can be placed with any adult males. If all babies are female, and you only have one adult male, consider having him desexed and then the group can be reunited once his post-surgery quarantine (4 weeks) is complete. S***m can stay active in the male's reproductive system for several weeks after surgery to remove the testicles, so it *is* possible he could father more babies if this quarantine period is not observed. Female guinea pigs also experience a post-birth oestrus, which means for up to 10 hours after giving birth, she can be impregnated again.

Q: Can I house two desexed males and a female together?
A: Very unlikely! Despite reduced testosterone from the absence of testicles, there will still be issues with the males with the presence of a female. Best to get them a girlfriend each, and have two separate pairs.

Q: Will my males stop fighting if I get them desexed?
A: Probably not. If it's only minor scuffles, then removing testosterone from the equation *might* help (personal experience), but you can always try it. And if it doesn't work out, then the boys can have girlfriends without the risk of babies!

08/11/2024

"I'm a strong, independent piggie, and I don't need no human!"
- Georgie

This cheeky girl, and her bestie, Josie, are available for adoption through Brisbane Southside Guinea Pig Sanctuary

05/11/2024

Guinea pig boarding and grooming available at D&L Pet Sitting - Ipswich

This is my main business page - bookings can be made through either page.

📍 Bundamba, Ipswich

29/10/2024

Be spooky, not stupid! 🦇

30/09/2024

Some handy information about lethal whites 🤍🤍🤍

Dumpling is an adorable two-month-old guinea pig who came in recently for radiographs and a dental procedure.

Dumpling is what's known as a 'lethal white' guinea pig. The 'lethal white' gene is a recessive gene. When two carriers of the gene breed, there is a 25% chance that the guinea pig baby will be born a lethal white. Guinea pigs that inherit both copies of the gene will be completely white with pink eyes. This also commonly causes the guinea pig to have small or even missing eyes, deafness, stunted growth, dental problems, and a shortened lifespan.

These piggies need a lot of extra care to ensure they live as comfortably and long as possible. This includes regular veterinary attention, careful monitoring and observations from owners, cage adaptations and more. Luckily for Dumpling, she has landed in the perfect home with one of our dedicated guinea pig owners and is having all of her needs met.

25/09/2024

Time to be horizontal!

17/09/2024

12/09/2024

Cliffy here to check in and ask R U OK? 💛

Ask R U OK? any day because life happens every day.

💛 Lifeline 13 11 14
💛 Beyond Blue 1300 224 636

07/09/2024

How's that Death Nap going for you, Astro? 🤣🤣🤣

04/09/2024

Tag yourself! I'm Pansy, with the Ellie Nap Queen 👑 crown 👑

12/08/2024

10/08/2024

I said what I said 💅

I recently read an infuriating comment (read: unsolicited advice) on a friend's post about the vet care they'd chosen for their guinea pig.

The comment was to the tune of "I've been breeding guinea pigs for x years, and I've never taken my pigs to the vets."

1. That tells me you don't actually care for the pigs you're breeding from. How do you know they don't have any genetic problems passed down to their litters? How do you know they are reproductively healthy before you force them to have babies?

2. I have 20+ guinea pigs. There is not a month, sometimes a week, that goes by, without someone developing a problem (or needing a revisit for an existing problem) where I need vet advice. I am an exotics vet nurse, AND I STILL NEED VET ADVICE. Either you don't care that your pigs aren't healthy (see point 1), or you don't know (educate yourself), or worse still, you are treating at home with limited knowledge which is DANGEROUS.

Guinea pigs should have at LEAST a once a year health check with a vet. It is not a money-making scheme from the vets; we actually CARE about our patients' health, and we love proactive treatment because it improves quality of life.

Bragging about not going to the vet with your pets is not the flex you think it is.

06/07/2024