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Category Archives: BLOG

Senior Pet Project: Mr Darcy

Mr Darcy the senior Maltese arrived at the Home as a stray with an affliction on almost every inch of his body. Immediately, our vet team noticed he was underweight with gunky eyes, dirty ears, chipped teeth and matted fur. To make things even more challenging for Mr Darcy, he also appeared to be hard of hearing and vision impaired. Despite this, he was a very friendly boy.

It was clear My Darcy needed a great deal of attention to give him a much-deserved second chance at a comfortable life, so our vet team set some appointments and sent samples to pathology to help diagnose and resolve Mr Darcy’s long list of ailments.

These issues would have been causing Mr Darcy a great deal of pain, so our team got straight to work, administering anti-parasitic treatments, cleaning and clipping his fur and nails, flushing out his infected ears, doing a scale and polish on his few remaining teeth and prescribing medications to resolve his eye, ear, anal and skin conditions.

Scans and pathology results showed Mr Darcy suffered from:

  • chronic skin disease (dermatitis)
  • dry eye (inability to produce tears)
  • chronic otitis (long-lasting ear infection)
  • severe dental disease
  • active chronic inflammation of his anal glands
  • anaemia
  • papillomas on his face (benign warts caused by canine papillomavirus)
  • B1 Mitral Valve Disease (heart disease).

While in the Home’s care, Mr Darcy was given a Hill’s Science Diet consisting of wet food, which within a month had helped him gain much-needed weight, and recover from his anaemia.

Thanks to the help of his foster carer, who assisted with regular eye drops, ear medication, antibiotics and pain relief, Mr Darcy looked like new man just weeks after his arrival. While he still has some chronic conditions that sadly can’t be completely resolved, with proper care, he’s now enjoying a great quality of pain-free life. 

In foster care, Mr Darcy proved to be a very sweet dog with a love of food and human company, so combined with his friendly face and personality, he was a popular boy when he went up for adoption. But Mr Darcy also needed a very special home, with a very special family who could commit to monitoring and responding to his chronic health issues.

Luckily, it wasn’t long before the right family came along. Mr Darcy was adopted in December 2020 as a bright and comfortable senior, completely unrecognisable from the dirty Maltese who had arrived just six weeks prior.

As Sydney’s only charity pound and community facility, we rely on donations to give senior pets a second chance in life. Donate today to the Senior Pet Project to give pets like Mr Darcy the care and treatment they need to thrive in their twilight years.

ABOUT THE SENIOR PET PROJECT

In its third year, our Senior Pet Project was started as an initiative not only to put a spotlight on golden oldies to help with their rehoming, but also to raise the funds required for their much needed veterinary care and often prolonged stay at the Home.

With your support we are looking to raise $50,000 to help fund the Senior Pet Project in the months ahead, enabling us to give the seniors entering our care a new leash on life.

Obi’s Story: From Agony to Adventure

When Obi (previously Yogi Bear) was brought into the Home in August 2020, it was clear he required immediate vet attention. The young Staffy cross’ collar was deeply imbedded into the flesh of his neck, suggesting his collar had been fitted when he was a young puppy and hadn’t been loosened as he grew.

After an exam, our vet team determined Obi needed urgent surgery under anaesthesia to remove his collar. He immediately went into surgery, the collar was cut off and his wounds were cleaned, alleviating what could have been months of pain. 

Over the next five weeks, Obi’s wounds were managed with regular cleaning and bandage changes under anaesthesia. Slowly, his wounds began to heal and contract, leaving him with the beautiful battle scars that today give Obi so much character.

As he settled into the Home, Obi began to show us his sweet, confident personality. While he proved very trainable, he also had a few behavioural traits including hyperactivity and mouthing, which often make it difficult for dogs to find a home.

But this wasn’t the case for Obi. After just two months in our care, Obi found a home with James. Building on Obi’s initial training at the Home, James has helped transform him into a well-mannered, much-loved dog who gets to go on lots of adventures.

During the early stages of adoption, James was with Obi almost 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We’re told Obi was house trained in two days, and within the first week, had mastered stop, sit, lie down, shake hands and to stop pulling on his leash. To this day, Obi practices his cues every night. James tells us, “it has not been easy, but worth every minute. We are both better off.”

Since being adopted, Obi has overcome his separation anxiety and been exposed to lots of new people, dogs and places, including bush trails and the beach. He’s also now comfortable with other dogs, noises, people and traffic. As James puts it, “he is an amazing dog!”

As Sydney’s only charity pound, it’s only thanks to the generous support of our community that we can give dogs like Obi – who had such a rough past – the future they deserve. Thank you to all our wonderful donors, and thank you James, for giving Obi a wonderful new home. 

If you’d like to help pets like Obi receive the care they desperately deserve, make a donation today.

 

Caring for A Deaf Cat

Have you ever encountered a deaf cat? It’s possible you may have met one without knowing it! Deaf cats can be just as alert and vibrant as their hearing counterparts, and our kitten Eddie is living proof. Eddie arrived in late November as an 8-week old stray, and following health checks, it became clear he was deaf. Eddie is now available for adoption with his hearing sibling and assistance cat Malcolm. They can’t wait to find a new home together, but first, their new family will need to learn a few things about caring for a deaf cat.

What causes deafness in cats?

Like with humans, cat can lose their hearing as they age, or due to medication side effects or physical illness. However, in Eddie’s case, he has congenital deafness, meaning he has a genetic defect that caused him to be born deaf. Cats with a predominately white coat have the highest rate of congenital deafness.

What type of home is suitable for a deaf cat?

It’s important to provide a deaf cat with a protected indoor environment where they feel safe.

As SDCH Animal Care Manager & Vet Dr Renae Jackson notes, “the outside world is a very dangerous place for a deaf cat, as they can’t hear noises such as dogs, other cats and traffic.” To keep them safe, deaf cat must be kept indoors. They can have a great quality of life indoors, but if you would like to give them the opportunity to explore the outside world, an outdoor cat enclosure can be a great source of enrichment. Most cats can also be trained to use a harness and leash.

Deaf cats can be easily startled, so it’s important to provide safe places where they can survey their surroundings and minimise the risk of surprises. Dr Jackson notes, “high up places are the best, where no one can sneak up on them or accidentally step on them.” As such, it’s a good idea to provide lookout spots such as cat trees around the home.

It can be very scary for a deaf cat to have little hands touching them by surprise, so any children in the household must be mature enough to learn how to communicate effectively with the cat.

How do I communicate with a deaf cat?

Even without the ability to hear, deaf cats tend to be very alert and aware of their surroundings, using their other senses to take in information.

A few methods of communicating with a deaf cat include:

  1. Light cues – Light is a great way to get the attention of a deaf cat. Try flashing the overhead lights when entering the room, or using a laser pointer or penlight to catch their eye and redirect their attention.
  2. Hand signals – Sign language isn’t just for humans! Instead of aural cues, you can teach a deaf cat hand signals instead (see ‘How to train a deaf cat’).
  3. Vibrations – Cats can often feel low frequency vibrations, such as the vibrations you make when you flush a toilet or walk around the house. Try walking with a heavier stride or tapping the ground near a deaf cat to let them know you’re around. This works best on timber floors.
  4. Touch – Some deaf cats will still enjoy pets and cuddles, but they can startle easily without warning. Always come into their visual field before touching a deaf cat.

How to train a deaf cat

Training a deaf cat is all about communication, with a touch of patience, persistence and creativity.

A great place to start is by teaching hand signals for basic cues, such as ‘come’ or ‘meal time’. There are no set hand signals for training deaf cats, but many people use ASL, Auslan or make up their own basic signs.

Dr Renae Jackson recommends using positive reinforcement to pair a signal with a reward, so the cat knows what is being asked of them and that they will be rewarded for doing the right thing.

Begin by getting the cat’s attention through light, vibration, etc. Once they are looking at you, use your hand signal. If the cat displays the desired behaviour, reward them with a stroke along the torso, a tasty treat, or whatever reward they prefer. Over time, your cat will learn to associate the signal with the behaviour.

It’s important to teach your signals to everyone who lives in or visits your household, so they can communicate with your cat too.

Does a deaf cat need an assistance cat?

While deaf cats don’t necessarily need a hearing kitty companion to get by, it can be beneficial to have one in the home. These ‘assistance cats’ can communicate with deaf cats using visual indicators, helping them to learn routines. For example, Malcolm the assistance cat helps Eddie wake up when it’s time for dinner.

In multi-cat households, it’s important to set up plenty of opportunities for solo playtime with the deaf cat, so they don’t have to worry about being pounced on unexpectedly by their feline friends.

 

Adopting a deaf cat like Eddie and his helper cat Malcolm does require a little extra time and training, but once everyone in the household learns to communicate effectively, the experience can be very rewarding. In fact, we’ve had a volunteer who’s rescued one deaf cat from SDCH and come back for two more (see Paul’s Three White Deaf Cats)!

Interested in adopting Eddie and Malcolm? See their adoption profile to learn more and send an enquiry: https://sydneydogsandcatshome.org/adopt/

 

Published 18 Dec 2020

Transforming Lives 365 Days of the Year

Miracles aren’t just for Christmas, with our team working tirelessly throughout the year to transform the lives of the stray and neglected pets who frequently arrive on the doorstep of Sydney Dogs & Cats Home.

Munroe, a little Kelpie puppy, was picked up and brought in by the council ranger in mid-November 2020. A shy, timid boy, Munroe was extremely underweight and suffered from hair loss, likely the result of flea allergy dermatitis. The team estimated Munroe was about 10 weeks of age, and they immediately developed and implemented a treatment plan to help this weak little nugget turn into a thriving puppy.

Munroe was immediately treated with Advocate to kill any fleas and mites – the probable cause of his poor skin condition and hair loss. He was also put on a regime of twice-weekly colloidal oatmeal shampoos. Our vet Michelle also prescribed a special Hill’s Pet Nutrition diet to help with his weight and resolution of his skin issues.

The transformation was amazing. In as little as two weeks, Munroe’s skin condition resolved and we saw a healthy, shiny coat of fur emerging. He also began to grow, not only putting on much-needed weight but also shooting up several inches in size.

After just one month in our care, Munroe (now named Sunny) was adopted by Robert and his family, just in time for Christmas. Munroe now has a canine companion named Rosie, and we’re told they’re very happy together, especially when they’re exploring the bush. Robert said, “He is such a sweet boy, putting on weight, growing and [has] a really shiny coat.”

Sydney Dogs & Cats Home is only able to help transform the lives of abandoned and neglected pets like Munroe thanks to the generous support of our community and our partners.

Taking in nearly 3,000 pets each year, the Home needs the community’s support to continue its important, often life-saving work.

We invested well over $300 in Munroe’s treatment which included vet checks and vaccinations. Please donate now for pets like Munroe – every little bit helps.

Donate here: https://sydneydogsandcatshome.org/donate/

Paul’s Three White Deaf Cats

Paul had always loved cats. All his life, he had a cat in the family. He found himself drawn to them, enthralled by their ability to make you earn their trust.

Paul’s first cat was a rescue. When he was 13, his family took on a sick abandoned cat, who went on to become a much-loved member of the family for 24 years. To Paul, that cat was his best friend. So when he moved out of home, he needed a cat. His first came from a pet store after he saw the black beauty looking alone and unhappy in her enclosure. She went home with Paul, and a few months later, he was back for a second – the runt of the litter who hid in the back of the enclosure, trampled by her siblings. 

16 years later, Paul had to say goodbye to his special runt. Having had surgery a week earlier, he was in a bad place and felt incomplete with only one cat. His black beauty was also on the sad side, missing her sibling. 

A few months later in June 2019, Paul’s parents, who had been without a cat for a few years, were feeling it was time to get a new pet. Paul suggested looking at Sydney Dogs & Cats Home, as we’d recently helped reunite his daughter with her lost dog. His parents looked at our website and noticed Basil the cat, who they adopted that day.

Paul went with his mum to collect Basil. He always felt a need to take less-loved and under-appreciated animals under his wing, so seeing all the beautiful animals needing a home broke his heart. He asked if he could stay in the cattery and show the cats some love, where he noticed a gorgeous white cat watching his every move.

When Paul took his mother and her new cat home, he couldn’t keep the white cat out of his head, convinced he needed a second cat in his life. Paul’s mother asked what was wrong, and when he explained, his mother laughed. “Go get him,” she said.

Half an hour later, Paul was back at Sydney Dogs & Cats Home learning more about the curious white cat. The staff surprised him when they said he was deaf. But that didn’t matter. Paul took Hunter the cat home and he and his two children were blessed again with two cats. Hunter adjusted quickly to adopted life and soon became a valued member of the family. 

Some months later, Paul’s black beauty reached 18 years and her health declined, so the family had to say goodbye. Though Hunter had only known his adopted sibling for a few months, Paul noticed he felt the loss.

But with time, Hunter recovered and his true colours began to shine. He was cheeky, full or life and very affectionate, when he felt like it.

Shortly after he’d lost his black beauty, Paul received an unexpected phone call from Sydney Dogs & Cats Home. We had a gorgeous white female cat ready to be adopted into an indoor home. This cat was something special – just like Hunter, she was deaf. 

Paul grabbed the kids and whisked into the shelter. Before they knew it, they had a second white deaf cat. Already having Hunter, the family decided on the name Holly, and so the joke became that Paul had Holly Hunter at home.

Hunter was happy to have a friend again. Him and Holly were a great pair and very quickly made Paul’s life feel full again.

Having rescued two amazing cats from Sydney Dogs & Cats Home, Paul volunteered his IT services to help the Home and our furry residents. In October 2019, the internet went out for a few days, so he took a backup service to keep us up and running.

The internet was fixed and for a while, Paul forgot to pick up his loan equipment. So we gave him a call with an incentive. “It will be worth your while,” we said.

So Paul came into the Home, expecting to be rewarded with some playtime in the cattery. Instead, he was shown a dazzling white deaf cat named Nimbus with striking blue eyes. So as tradition told, cat number three was welcomed into Paul’s family. 

Nimbus ruined the Holly Hunter joke, so the family made clever use of alliteration to rename the new addition. So Nimbus became Hettie, and she settled in well with her new siblings.

While Paul notes that the cats’ inability to react to sound is challenging, they know hand gestures and body language, and each has their own quirky thing they respond to.

Paul said his experience with Holly, Hunter and Hettie has made his family appreciate the importance of adopting pets who need a loving home. 

“Even my children who are 14 and 8 understand that #AdoptDontShop is the right thing to do as it means that an animal who has lost all hope is given a chance again at being a loved family member,” he said.

 “I cannot recommend Sydney Dog & Cats home enough to everyone I know, and I encourage everyone to Adopt Not Shop with them.

If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have my three fur babies who mean the world to me and have made not only our lives – but our home – complete.”

Want to see more of Hunter, Hollie and Hettie? Follow their Instagram @hunter_holly_and_hettie.

Resolving Motley’s Ringworm

When cats arrive at the Home, they go through routine health checks and procedures to ensure they’re happy and healthy before going to their new homes. This is so we can identify issues like ringworm, which was affecting Motley when she came into our care in August.

Ringworm is a common fungal infection in cats that can cause hair loss and adverse reactions such as dermatitis. It’s also contagious and can be passed onto humans, which we thought would make it difficult to find a foster carer for Motley.

Fortunately, we have a community of foster carers who consistently go above and beyond for our cats, and Motley was in foster care within days of her diagnosis.

Not only did Motley’s foster carer commit to consistent ringworm treatment, personal protective equipment and all, she also helped Motley come out of her shell. Motley has started to approach her human for pats and playtime, and show her affectionate personality.

Motley will soon come back into the Home to check the progress of her treatment. If resolved, she’ll soon be desexed and become available for adoption!

Narla’s Year in Care Comes to a Happy End

After over one year in our care, we’re pleased to announce our gorgeous Narla has found her forever home! 

Narla arrived in August 2019 with a council ranger as a very curious young girl. It was clear she was very intelligent and friendly and would make a beautiful companion, but with a few behavioural quirks and such an active personality, it proved difficult to find her a suitable home.

While Narla waited for the right family to come along, she went into wonderful foster homes with our volunteers Robert, Sam and Stef, who went above and beyond to give Narla an exciting and active lifestyle, and help with her training.

As time went by, it became clear Narla just wasn’t meant to be a city girl, so we started investigating rescue options in more regional areas. 

Stef was integral in finding a rescue for Narla and got in touch with Albury Wodonga Animal Rescue (AWAR), who agreed to take Narla into their care. Both Stef and our volunteer Sandra drove her all the way to her new temporary home.

Just a few months on, Narla has already attracted a new family out in Albury and is on a trial adoption in what will hopefully be her forever home!

Thank you to Robert, Stef, Sam, Sandra, AWAR and all the committed volunteers who supported Narla’s long journey to find her happily ever after.

Congrats Narla! 👏 

The Stars Align for Aries

Aries appeared to be a happy, healthy cat when she was surrendered into our care in June. She passed standard health checks with ease and was sent to our adoption partner PETstock, where she could meet potential adopters and find a forever home.

Then, shortly after Aries left the Home, the PETstock team noticed changes in her urine. It was showing blood. We promptly organised to bring Aries back to the Home for an extra health check, when our vet noticed she’d developed a large, fluid-filled swelling on her neck. We tested the fluid and the results suggested she had a growth called a follicular cyst. This is a benign mass that wouldn’t normally cause harm, but given its size and location, we knew it could potentially interfere with important structures in the neck if it were to continue growing. Our vet team moved quickly to get Aries into surgery and remove the cyst, making sure not to damage important structures of the neck.

Lab tests confirmed the cyst was gone for good and Aries got the all clear. She recovered with ease at the Home, sporting the most majestic mullet, which had been skilfully shaved for her surgery.

With such a slick hairdo, it didn’t take Aries long to find a forever home. She was adopted in early August by Priyanka and Kishore and has taken very well to her new family.

Priyanka tells us:

“Aries is my husband’s first pet. I can’t even believe that he is taking care of Aries more than me. 

She was bit shy and scared at first, but she started becoming friendly after two weeks. When she wakes up, she needs cuddling. She starts rolling on carpet and asking me to pat her.

Aries loves tuna… Before feeding she starts rubbing her face against my hand (sometime it’s hard to give food!). She wants to play after her breakfast and it’s a must. She loves her birdie dongle & mouse.

She loves to chill with us on the sofa (but she prefers to keep some distance!). When I am taking a shower, she will sit outside near the bathroom door and start missing me. Sometimes she loves to play by herself.

Aries has her kneading pillow. She loves to do kneading on our body too! I wonder if she can make some donuts for us.”

Sounds like the stars have truly aligned for Aries!

Tips and Tricks for Fleas and Ticks

The weather is warming up and you know what that means, pet owners! Ticks and fleas… While they can be found all year round, these pesky and potentially deadly parasites thrive in the warm, humid weather of Spring and Summer, preying on all sorts of animals, including dogs, cats and humans.

Luckily, there are some simple steps you can take to ensure your dog or cat is protected during the warmer months and throughout the year. Read on to learn more about ticks and fleas, how to identify them and how to prevent and treat a bite or infestation.

What are fleas?

Fleas are 1-2mm long, reddish brown insects that jump from one animal to another, living on their skin and feeding on their blood.

Fleas can pose all sorts of dangers to you and your pet, including:

  • irritation, ranging from mild discomfort to intense scratching, biting and restlessness
  • flea allergy dermatitis, an allergic reaction that can cause severe skin reactions and infection in pets
  • anaemia, especially in very young or old pets
  • spread of fatal myxomatosis to rabbits
  • transmission of a tapeworm infection to pets and humans
  • transmission of a bacteria that causes a potentially serious disease called ‘bartonellosis’ in humans.

How to tell if your pet has fleas

As behavioural responses to fleas can vary from pet to pet, the best way to recognise fleas is through regular grooming. As fleas can be difficult to see, it’s best to look for the presence of flea dirt on the surface of your pet’s skin. Flea dirt is flea faeces, and it looks just like tiny specks of dirt. To properly identify flea dirt, carefully remove some of the specks from your pet and place them on a wet paper towel. If after a few minutes they spread out like a bloodstain, you’ve got fleas. You should always wear gloves when checking your pet for flea dirt. Flea dirt coming into contact with small breaks in the skin is the most common route of infection for cat scratch disease in people.

Other symptoms that may indicate a flea infestation include itching, redness of the skin, scabs and bald patches.

What are ticks?

Ticks feed on the blood of your dog or cat for days at a time, with adult ticks engorging to become approximately pea-sized. There are several species of ticks in NSW that use cats and/or dogs as hosts, including bush tick, brown dog tick and paralysis tick. Paralysis ticks are generally found in bushland and high grass along the east coast of Australia, whereas brown dog ticks don’t stray far from dogs.

Ticks can be extremely dangerous for domestic pets, causing everything from irritation to severe illness and death. They can also carry diseases that pose a serious threat to pets and humans.

How to tell if your pet has a tick

It’s important to check your pet regularly for ticks, especially if they have ventured into bushland. We recommend checking your pet for ticks every day, by running your fingers through your pet’s fur to feel for small bumps. Ticks particularly like to hide around the ears, eyelids, tail, under the collar, under the front legs, between the back legs and between the toes.

If your pet has been bitten by a tick, their symptoms may include:

  • redness and swelling at the site of the bite
  • weakness or loss of coordination in the hind legs
  • changes in their voice
  • retching, coughing or vomiting
  • excessive salivation/drooling
  • loss of appetite
  • progressive paralysis
  • difficulty breathing or rapid breathing
  • other unusual behaviours/symptoms.

Flea and Tick Prevention

Unfortunately, fleas and ticks can be very difficult to avoid, so the best way to manage them is through prevention.

We recommend using Seresto Flea and Tick Collar, which is available for both dogs and cats*. The collars are a hassle-free, low maintenance way to kill and prevent fleas and ticks.

On dogs, the collar protects against fleas for up to 8 months, and repels and kills ticks and prevents the transmission of tick-born diseases for 4 months. On cats, the collar protects against fleas and flea-borne diseases, and repels and kills paralysis ticks for up to 8 months. Seresto repels ticks – to prevent them from attaching and biting, and kills fleas fast and on contact alone, so that there is no need for these parasites to bite your pet to be killed. This makes Seresto a good choice for controlling flea allergy dermatitis, and for preventing the transmission of fleas and tick-borne diseases. Seresto is odourless, water-resistant, and safe for pets and families.

Flea and Tick Treatment

If your pet has fleas, fitting a Seresto collar will kill them within 24-hours. After this time, fleas that jump onto a Seresto-treated pet will be killed within 2 hours.

If your pet has a tick, remove it as soon as possible. The best way to remove a tick is with a tick remover. Advantage Petcare has a great article that lists the steps for tick removal here.

Once you have removed a tick from your pet, we recommend taking the tick and your pet to the vet to identify whether it was a deadly paralysis tick and ensure your pet gets appropriate treatment.

Once you’ve checked and treated all household pets for fleas or ticks, it’s important to treat your home. Make sure to clean your pet’s bedding by washing it in hot water, and to vacuum any furniture/surfaces your pet has been in contact with. Some products, including Seresto, also help with this by killing flea larvae in your pet’s environment.

* Before starting any new flea/tick treatments, have a chat to your vet to ensure they are suitable for your pet.

Nemo and Dory: How to Care for Guinea Pigs

Nemo and Dory the female guinea pigs were brought to us in April after being abandoned on the side of the road. The poor girls were in a terrible state, living in a small, dirty cage.

The pair were both suffering from a major mite infestation, causing Dory to chew her back raw, so we swiftly gave them mite treatment. Nemo also had a fungal infection and dandruff, and both guinea pigs had cracked, dry and swollen skin on their feet.

The girls needed specialist care, so we reached out to Porsche from Porsches Rescue to see if she could help rehabilitate and rehome Nemo and Dory. Porsche’s Rescue always does an amazing job with pocket pets and has a great success rate of rehoming guinea pigs.

Porsche took Nemo and Dory on with open arms and was quick to get them back in good health. In her care, Nemo’s fungal infection and dandruff cleared up and Dory’s wounds healed, allowing her fur to grow out.

Before going up for adoption, Nemo and Dory were placed in quarantine to heal and ensure they weren’t pregnant. Turns out they’re just a bit chunky…

The girls both have the most calm and placid nature, so after a little bit of patience, they were adopted into their forever home!

Nemo and Dory’s situation highlights how important it is to provide guinea pigs with appropriate living conditions, to avoid stress and vulnerability to all sorts of illness. With the help of our Animal Care Manager & Veterinarian Dr Renae Jackson and a few tips from Porsches Rescue, we’ve put together a guide to guinea pig housing and enrichment, feeding, and health and veterinary care.

Housing and Enrichment 

A hutch/cage serves as the basis for guinea pig housing, but they are temporary enclosures only. It is important that guinea pigs are given an opportunity to exercise outside of their hutch/cage for a few hours every day in unfiltered natural sunlight. The hutch/cage needs to be safe and secure and provide protection from the elements and predators. For one guinea pig, the cage should be at least 7.5 square feet. For two guinea pigs, 10.5 square foot is recommended. 

Indoor enclosures should be secure and kept in a sun-free, low traffic area. Keeping them permanently outdoors is not recommended as they get hot in the warmer months. Guinea pigs can tolerate temperatures between 18C – 20C, anything more than 25C can lead to heat stroke. To help keep them cool in the warmer months, you can:

  • house them indoors
  • provide lots of fresh water, ice packs/frozen water bottles, damp towels, frozen ice treats
  • provide tiles inside the hutch/cage, fan or air conditioner, ice/gel packs.  

A hutch/cage needs to be easy to clean so that soiled bedding can be removed daily. As Porsche notes, keeping bedding fresh is important to keep your guinea pigs’ bums dry and clean. The entire hutch should be cleaned at least once or twice a week. Guinea pigs should be given suitable bedding such as hay, straw or shredded paper, which should be changed regularly. 

Porsche adds that surfaces like wire or hard flooring can lead to a condition called bumble foot, a very painful infection of the foot pad.

Naturally, guinea pigs live in groups and in burrows underground either dug by themselves or other animals. It’s a good idea to provide your guinea pig with a similar form of ‘safe’ place, so they can hide in their ‘burrow’ if they feel frightened. A burrow can be simulated in the form of an upturned box or a covered corner of the room. These safe holes help the guinea pig to feel more secure in their environment. Guinea pigs will also love some toys to play with; wooden toys, tunnels and balls can be great! 

Guinea pigs can be trained to use a litter tray or a particular toilet area. Suitable litter material includes hay, straw and some cat litters (avoid clay types). This will have to be changed regularly.

If your guinea pig is having a free play, ensure your home is guinea pig-proofed; they can chew electrical cords and hide well!

Feeding 

It is vital that your guinea pig has adequate nutrition that is high in fibre. Providing a good quality grass hay (timothy or oaten), and fruit and vegetables (one cup per day) will ensure your guinea pig is provided with enough minerals and nutrients. They like capsicum, coriander, kale, cos lettuce and leafy greens. Always check the nutritional content of any pellet/mixes.

Health and Disease Prevention 

While they don’t need regular vaccinations, routine veterinary examinations are a must for guinea pigs. Even if your guinea pig isn’t exhibiting signs of malaise or pain, it’s crucial to take them in for a veterinary examination at least once every 12 months. It’s also important to take your guinea pig to the vet if it’s injured or if anything else seems different in terms of behaviour or health. Some signs that may indicate illness or pain in your guinea pig include:

  • runny discharge of the nose or eyes
  • abnormal bleeding
  • changes in water consumption patterns
  • bloody urine
  • problems breathing
  • diarrhoea
  • rapid weight gain or loss
  • decreased body temperature
  • contact sensitivity
  • lethargy
  • decreased energy
  • irregularities with the skin
  • difficulty walking 
  • swelling.

It is recommended you take your guinea pig to a specialist vet for desexing and microchipping. Desexing reduces aggression, urine spraying and mammary cancers. It will prevent also prevent unwanted pregnancies as guinea pigs can start to breed at 4 weeks old.  

If you intend to keep more than one guinea pig (they are very social animals and love having companions), suitable mixes include:

  • one male and one female (only if they are desexed)
  • two desexed males or females. 

It is not advisable to mix guinea pigs with rabbits as they can bully each other and transfer diseases to each other. You should make an effort to bond your guinea pigs through slow introductions. Further research on this subject will start you off on the right track. 

As with any pet, owning a guinea pig is a commitment of love, energy, time and resources, and that involves everything from regular interaction, veterinary care and beyond. But as any guinea pig owner would know, when you give them the care they need, they pay you back tenfold with their fun, loveable personalities!

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