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Health

Guinea Pigs don't get sick often but when they do it is important that you treat it as soon as possible. You can help prevent your pet from getting sick by cleaning the cage regularaly, feeding your guinea pig only the freshest foods and making sure your guinea pig eats the right stuff. There are 4 things that you should check regularaly. The first one is the anal area. If their is clumped fecal matter by the anal than it could be diarrhea, which could have a number of problems. The next thing is teeth. To make sure that the upper and lower teeth touch each other at the tips and that the molars form a full bite, hold the animal under the belly and use two fingers to apply preasure to the cheeks, which should open the mouth. It is important that the hair of the animal has no missing spots. Hair loss could mean parasites. The last thing you should check is the ears. Use a flashlite to see if their is brown crusty stuff which would mean earmites. If yo check all these things regularaly and treat them right away, your pet should live about 8 years. The table below is full of information of symptoms and their sicknesses.

Symptoms	Treat At Home	Consult a Vetrinarian If...
Sits around listlessly, no sqeaky greeting.	Boredom, nedds more affection or companionship. Needs more exercise.	Weight loss, diarrhea, apathy, and loss of appetite.
Caked secretion by the lower jaw.	Not enough use of teeth, needs more chewing materials.	Irratation of the skin, hair loss, scabs by or on the mouth, refuses food.
Dosn't want to eat.	Wrong kinds or spoiled foods, not enough fresh water, soaked beddding, room is the wrong temperture.	Diarrhea aometimes with blood, hunched-up posture, apathy and dry nasal secretions.
Diarrhea	Diet has changed, food or water is to cold, habitat is too humid or cold.	Dosn't want food, sunken eyes, weakness, apathy and emaciation.
Constipation or trouble urinating.	Not enough exercise, defective drinkin bottle, sudden change from greens to dry foods.	Fever, dragging hind limbs, spasms and difficulties breathing.
Sneezing and coughing.	Drafts, reaction to bedding or cleaning agents, dusty or spoiled hay.	Apathy, lack of breath, nasal backup, weight loss.
Watery eyes, red or swollen lids.	Dust or other particles in eye, injury from scratching, irratation from hairs entering the eye.	Sensitive to bright light, conjunctivitis with swelling and reddening, bulging eyes.
Accelerated breathing.	Overheating, fear, stress.	Inflating of the cheeks, flank breathing, bluish gums.
Lots of scrathing.	Lack of sanitation, bad grooming habits	Skabs, ulcerations, cramping, head tilting.
Lameness, unwillingness to move.	Nails to long, wrong bedding.	Dragging hind feet, can't bear weight on back legs, can't balance very well.
Minor bleeding.	Superficial skin lesions	Spasms, bite injuries.
Areas of hair loss.	Not enough vitatmins, hair biting because of not enough fiber.	Round hairless spots, bilateral symmetrical hair loss.