Tuesday, November 6, 2007

PA-Wheek Care Guinea Pig Rescue

It is only because of the sheer amount of homeless guinea pigs out there that I have not yet featured this rescue. They're awesome and very important to animal care, safety, and homing. They save hundreds of guinea pigs each year. They are the Wheek Care Guinea Pig Rescue! A home based rescue near Pittsburgh. Go Steelers! Go guinea pigs!

ADOPTED! Hangin' with Mr. Cooper's photo is definitely an "after" shot. When Cooper was brought to the rescue he was suffering from mites so badly that he barely had any fur. He was also suffering from scurvy. But the rescue took care of that, with treatment and a good diet. Now he has a gorgeous black and white roan coat. He is a very personable and inquisitive guinea pig looking for a forever home. He can be adopted as a mate for another single boar, or be neutered and then paired with a girl piggie.

An Aside About Mites: Read all about them here. Not enough guinea pig owners know how common mites are and how easily treated they can be. But if you leave them untreated, they can be deadly. Pet store guinea pigs almost invariably have them. It is not necessary for a veterinarian to do a scraping to diagnose mites. This is an expensive, painful, and often inaccurate procedure. It is safe to treat for mites in adults solely on the chance they exist, with Ivermectin. Read the mites page to learn the symptoms in full, but some of them include scratching, thinning or balding fur, irritability, and biting. Note: I did not write these links, I only learn from them.

ADOPTED! Reese is a poor boy who is paired with Twitch. Reese needs a loving home, because it is suspected he was abused in a previous "home." He can be very shy and afraid...how lucky for Reese that Wheek Care exists. He's a bit more afraid of men, but the rescue doesn't know why that is. My guinea pig Sophie is the same way, though she's coming around. Reese's foster family is teaching him how to love humans, and Twitch is helping him learn how to be a happy pig. Adopting these two would be a very special act.


ADOPTED! Twitch is just a baby--only ten weeks old! He has soft red, white, and golden fur. He and Reese are best friends. It's wonderful that they were able to find each other in their foster home.

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