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Guinea Pig Care 101 - Part 6: Finding a Good Guinea Pig Vet

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Finding a Guinea Pig Vet

 

Hello and welcome! This lens is about finding a veterinarian that will best suit your needs as a guinea pig parent. If you're like me, you may have called a few vets and asked "Hi do you treat guinea pigs?" and got a big fat "no". Here are some resources for finding a great vet that will know how to do more than just clip your piggie's nails.

This is just one in a series of lenses about proper guinea pig care. If you'd like to learn more about the many different factors that contribute to guinea pig parenthood, or if you're a guinea pig enthusiast just looking to learn more, this is for you! Please have a look at the other lenses, and soon you may be calling yourself a cavy expert!

Please let others know about these lenses and give it a star rank under the title, and feel free to leave comments or questions in the feedback section. I'd love to hear from you!

Questions to ask your local Vet 

Maybe you've had a cat or dog that you've taken to a local vet, or have a friend who can recommend a veterinarian to you in your area. Unfortunately, not all veterinarians know how to treat guinea pigs. Most emergency animal hospitals have exotic specialists available, but you may not live near one, or you may want a smaller, more personal and quiet office to take your cavy for a checkup!

The good news is, there are many veterinarians out there that not only treat guinea pigs but consider themselves exotic animal specialists! Generally you probably think of an exotic animal being an iguana or a hybrid wild cat or something, but guinea pigs are a unique pet that take some special training to be able to treat, so they're in the same category as geckos and hedgehogs.

Sometimes you may even come across a "small animal clinic", in which you're in luck!

If you're not sure whether your local veterinarian handles guinea pigs, here are some questions to ask:

1. The obvious question: do you treat guinea pigs? Some vets may be able to clip your guinea pig's nails, but they may not feel comfortable treating your piggie without sending you to a specialist for better care.

2. Do you have a list of referrals I can have that might treat guinea pigs?

If your vet does in fact treat guinea pigs, some good questions to have ready are:

1. What food or hay supplies do you carry in the office?

2. Do you have a clinic available here or do you know of one that's open 24 hours that will treat guinea pigs nearby in case there is an emergency?

3. How often should I bring my guinea pig in?

4. Do you have any other informational packets or could you talk with me some more about nutrition and other guinea pig health topics?

Where Do I Look For A Vet? 

If you haven't had prior pets or have moved to a new area and aren't sure where to find a veterinarian, there are some great resources right at your fingertips online.

You can use websites like yellowpages.com to find businesses, or even typing "veterinarian" or "exotic pet veterinarian" into Google with your zip code should yield some results.

Some other websites you may want to look at are:
Guinea Pig Vet Finder
This vet finder allows you to search for vets that treat guinea pigs!
FAQ: How to Find a Good Guinea Pig Vet
This website gives some great further information on how to find a vet and what action you should take once you find one.
Guinea Lynx :: Finding a Veterinarian
Guinea Lynx is a wonderful site full of information for your guinea pig questions and concerns. This part of their site gives great advice for finding the right vet to treat your piggie.
Guinea Pig or Cavy Vets
Another great info site for finding the proper veterinarian for your cavies.
VetLocator
Search for vets in your area.
Find A Vet / Veterinarian / Vet Services Directory
This website allows you to search for veterinarians by state, and then you can see what vets treat what breeds/animals!

Guinea Pig Videos on YouTube 

I love this video a little bit too much... so cute!

Our three Guinea pigs fighting for a cucumber

You can see our three guinea pigs: Whitie, Grizzley (brown) and Puma (black). Don't worry, we give them enough to eat!

Runtime: 1:17 | 647758 views | 1966 Comments

powered by YouTube

Guinea Pig Photos on Flickr! 

Valentine by hebdromadaires

Valentine

Valentine by hebdromadaires

Valentine

Domino by hebdromadaires

Domino

Domino et Valentine by hebdromadaires

Domino et Valentine

Neska's day nap by ginger.kitten

Neska's day nap

Norman's day nap by ginger.kitten

Norman's day nap

Thirsty by ginger.kitten

Thirsty

Lazy...butt! by ginger.kitten

Lazy...butt!

Neska + hay by ginger.kitten

Neska + hay

Norm by ginger.kitten

Norm

Other Lenses in the Guinea Pig Care 101 Series 

Check out the other lenses in this series to be on your way to becoming a guinea pig expert!
Guinea Pig Care 101 - Part 1: Are you Ready to Adopt a Guinea Pig?
This is the first lens to help you decide if you're ready to adopt a guinea pig.
Guinea Pig Care 101 - Part 2: Preparing Your Home
In this lens, you will learn the steps you should take in preparing your home for your new fuzzy arrival(s).
Guinea Pig Care 101 - Part 3: Company or a Crowd? When to Have More Than One Piggie
In this lens, you will learn about your options when adopting a guinea pig in terms of deciding whether to adopt more than one.
Guinea Pig Care 101 - Part 4: What Guinea Pigs Can and Cannot Eat
This lens is all about the dietary dos and don'ts of guinea pig care! If you're thinking of adopting a guinea pig and want to know what to stock up on to prepare, or if you already have a piggie or two and are wondering if you should feed them something you have in your fridge, this lens is for you!
Guinea Pig Care 101 - Part 5: To Adopt or Buy - Where to Find your new Guinea Pig Friend
This lens is all about the adoption process for bringing a new guinea pig into your home, and where you should look to find your furry friend.

Guinea Pig Items on Amazon.com 

Raising Better Rabbits & Cavies

Amazon Price: (as of 07/25/2008)

OXBOW PET PRODUCTS CAVY CUISINE GUINEA PIG 10 LBS

Amazon Price: $13.94 (as of 07/25/2008)

Cavy Comments 

Was this information useful to you? Feel free to leave a comment with your feedback or any suggestions you have to add about guinea pig vets in your area!

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southpaw23

About southpaw23

Hi everyone! I'm Lesley, proud guinea pig mommy and overall animal enthusiast looking to spread the word about proper guinea pig care!

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