RIP Amber

Unfortunately on the morning of 11th January 2011, I went to check on Amber and found she had passed away during the night. I do not know what caused her death, although I think bad breeding was part of it, as I got her from a pet shop. She was only just 1 year old and was taken way too early. RIP beautiful Amber, at least you are with Spicy now.

Trio and update on Amber

Amber was 7 months old on the 16th July and she's now filled out and stopped looking like a little hamster lol :)
I got another guinea-pig about a month ago named Edie

Here they are all together (L-R: Marmalade, Edie, Amber)


This was taken about a month ago so Amber has grown a bit since then.

1st May 2010 - Meet Marmalade

Amber now has a new friend! Since Spicy died 2 weeks ago she's been alone and very lonely so I heard of someone not to far from me who had guinea-pigs looking for homes and I went to see them and brought Marmalade home. She's so sweet and tame. Her feet are a bit red so I put a bit of sudocrem on them and they're getting better. Amber seems much happier with a new friend, they popcorn in the run together :)

Here she is:


And with Amber:



They are getting on really well, I have space for one more sow who I'm picking up in a few weeks time :D She will live with Amber and Marmalade if they all get along.
Amber now weighs just over 400g, and her fungal has gone her hair is just growing back now :D

23rd April 2010

I repeated the melt and shampoo bath tonight and I remembered to put the foam on her ear (I forgot last time oops) and I wrapped her in a towel and sat with her for a while, she was wheeking and breathing strangely and shaking, which worried me a bit. When she was dry I put her back in her hutch (which again, I'd cleaned out and disenfected to get rid of any traces of the fungal that might be in there) I put lots of hay in, a big bowl of food, clean water and a big block of cucumber because I would easily be able to tell if she'd eaten any of it that way. She just sat shaking in her hay and I checked on her an hour later and there was no change. Well, about an hour ago I went to check on her for the last time tonight and she was moving around totally normally, she'd eaten almost all of the cucumber, lots of hay and a bit of her main food (she doesn't normally eat a lot of it anyway) Anyway I think she was maybe just cold or not completly dry when I put her back out so that was why she was sitting still for so long. I hope this was the last time I have to do the melt and shampoo because apart from a few small scabs I'm now only waiting for the fur to regrow on that bald patch. I saw an advert in the newspaper today for guinea-pigs looking for new homes, I tried ringing the number they gave but no-one answered, I'm going to try and ring tommorow to see if they are still available and if they have any females. If they do I might get one to keep Amber company, because guinea-pigs need company and she seems quite lonely.

Some photos I've taken of Amber over the past few days:

18th April 2010 - Fugal Infection Improvement

The shampoo and melt arrived on Thursday and I tested the melt on the back of her ear before starting. I left it on her ear for about 30 minutes whilst she was in the run and then I checked it and it didn't irritate her skin, so I put the melt on all over her body (just a thin layer otherwise it's difficult to get off) and then I left it for 20 minutes and used the shampoo to wash it off. She didn't enjoy the bath at all and wheeked a lot in protest lol, but she seemed fine. As revenge for me giving her a bath she peed in my shoe haha. I towel dried her then let her walk round the Utility room to finish drying off whilst I cleaned up all the stuff I'd used. I then put her out in the run in the sunshine with her hutchmate, Spicy. I cleaned out and disenfected their hutch and then put them back. Two days later there is an improvement, though it's very slight improvement. The scab has fallen off and it's left some dry skin, and its' not as white as it was. I have to repeat the melt and shampoo after a week so next Friday.

Unfortunately Amber's hutchmate, Spicy, died this evening after what I've been told is a stroke, so Amber is now alone for the time being. I've put her new bed in for her and filled her hutch with hay and given her a lot of grass and dandelions.

15th April 2010 - The Shampoo & Melt have arrived :)

The shampoo and melt have got here this morning but I'm more worried about her ear and I think I'm going to take her to the vet to get it checked before I do anything else. I'm going to try to get her in on Friday, so fingers crossed the vet can treat it ok. After Amber went and sat in the cats bed in my room a few weeks ago I started making her a guinea-pig sized bed. It's nearly finished and I'll give it to her this weekend.
Here it is (not a very good photo sorry!)


It is sturdier than that but I'd just trod on it by accident so it was kind of flat haha

9th April 2010 - Amber's ill :(

Yesterday I noticed Amber had a scab round her ear and it was white just inside her ear. I had a look on a bunch of forums and a member from told me about a shampoo and melt from Gorgeous Guineas, I've ordered them tonight and hopefully they'll arrive next week so I can make Amber better. I don't know whether Amber has mites or a fungal infection but the shampoo and melt treat both so either way it will get treated. Here are photos of Amber's ear (you can't really see the white bit)