East Peckham Guinea Pig Rescue

07/10/2026

The importance of weighing your piggies perfectly explained by Karen.

When did you last weigh your Guinea pig?

Guinea pigs are prey animals which means they are experts at hiding when they aren't feeling well.

Sadly, by the time us humans notice something is wrong it can be too late to be able to help them.

So how can we know what is going on inside? One easy trick is to weigh them regularly.

If you have a normal weight for your piggies, you can quickly see if they have lost (or gained) weight rapidly. I weigh my adult piggies monthly and my senior pigs every two weeks.
If your piggy is (hopefully) living with at least one other piggy it can be tricky to notice if they aren't eating normally.

Rapid weight loss could be a sign of numerous issues that could include
-Dental issues such as over grown teeth, tooth spurs or tongue entrapment.
-Bladder Issues such as sediment, UTI or stones.
-Abdominal masses.
-Respiritory problems.

The list goes on but ultimately, the sooner an issue is recognised and vet attention is sought, the better the outcome could be.


🐹

06/10/2026

We have been invited to take part in the annual The Guinea Pig Secret Santa Project 🎅🏻 🌲 😄

If you’re thinking about supporting a rescue this Christmas please do check out this wonderful scheme. The gifts that piggies receive in December helps to keep them going over the worst of the winter months, a time which can be very challenging for rescues.

Check out the link below to register your interest. Request to support your local rescue or the guys at the Project will be happy to allocate one to you. On behalf of everyone taking part, a huge thank you.

https://www.facebook.com/share/14syfTH2h9x/?mibextid=wwXIfr

04/10/2026

Don’t forget Karen at Gate House Guinea Pig Hotel and Grooming is offering Christmas piggy photo shoots again this year. She’s very kindly making a donation to the rescue from the funds raised 🥰

30/09/2026

I just wanted to do a little post about recognising potential health issues in older Guinea Pigs 🐹

When a piggy hits 4+ years they are really hitting the senior part of life and with that comes all the things that senior dogs or people or anything else can struggle with.

ARTHRITIS is one of those things. Anything with a bone can get Arthritis and I can categorically say that every single piggy I've owned has had Arthritis by the time they have reached 4 years old. This has been diagnosed by a vet through examinations and/or X-rays.

Most of the time I have noticed subtle changes in movement but the most obvious sign is reluctance to move around and sleeping/resting in an awkward position.
Some have been because they are getting urine staining or wet bums because they aren't moving around enough. Some have been squeaking when toiletting.

In addition to lack of movement you may see your piggy ‘bunny hopping’, sitting back on their hocks or being unable to relax fully when lying down. You might see them nibbling at their back end or even at the inside of their legs, these are all signs that a piggy is in discomfort. Check rear feet for signs of redness, a pig’s feet should be a healthy pink colour not red, that can be another sign that they aren’t weight bearing properly.

If I get an ache or pain I take something for it but so many piggies are just left to get on with it when a quick vet check and some Meloxicam (Metacam) which is an antiinflammatory pain relief can completely change their life.

If I only lived 6 or 7 years I wouldn't want to spend 2 or 3 of those years in constant pain. Would you?

Picture of my old man Reggie who is probably around 6+ years and has been on a high dose of Metacam since he arrived with me.

03/08/2026

From sadness comes love ❤️

19/07/2026

Enid is thankfully a little brighter today. Losing Ingrid has really hit her hard, more so than I expected as she’s always been the independent, sassy one.

She has never been a piggy who wants to be part of a group, she was quite happy having just Ingrid for a friend. Over the coming days I shall be thinking about which sanctuary group to try her in - watch this space 🤞🏼

19/07/2026

I’m afraid I come bearing some sad news. On Friday we had to unexpectedly say goodbye to our gorgeous girl Ingrid.

Ingrid and Enid came to us from our friends at This Little Piggy. Little did I know the laughter, love and heartbreak that would follow these little girls. They are some of the funniest and most opinionated piggies I think I’ve ever had the pleasure of caring for.

In the last year Ingrid has had to deal with jaw/chin abscesses and dental issues, she was such a stoical little piggy, a real trouper who just bounced back after each setback.

She recently went for her regular four weekly dental check and much to our surprise a mass was found in her tummy, it seemed to come out of nowhere, so she was booked in for a detailed scan. Sadly before we could do that she started to drop weight, lost interest in her biscuits, although she still tucked into her hay and veggies, but the real tell tale sign that something was amiss was that she turned her nose up at her beloved top up syringe food - not something she needed, but she just loved her ‘slops’ and the special time we had together. It’s then that I knew we were in trouble.

My vet very kindly squeezed us in Friday evening and sadly the mass had grown in her intestines. After much discussion and soul searching I decided to let her go whilst she was still bright eyed and happily pottering about. Ingrid had been through so much I couldn’t bear the thought of her suffering and even with steroids she would have had a very limited time left with us and her sister, and the same decision would ultimately still have had to be made.

I can’t thank the team at Little Hoppers vets enough for their kindness, in particular Sara who has gone above and beyond to help Ingrid during her time with us. Sleep well precious girl, as Sara so rightly pointed out, I’m sure Woodrow will be waiting for you with a big bowl of critical care and just maybe he’ll be happy to share it with you now 🥰

29/06/2026

Ingrid is delighted that it’s not quite so hot this week as it means the girls can have their beloved beds back 😊

Ladies who love to lounge….

30/05/2026

Official Naming
So a week after they arrived with us everyone has now been officially named, photos taken, record cards made up and weights taken again today.

I’m convinced this little group is one family, mummy Dilys, eldest daughter Mari, next eldest girls Bethan & Ffion, and tiny babies Cerys, Idris and Rhys.

The girls will all be on statutory pregnancy watch as they were running with boys. Worryingly Mari, Bethan and Ffion have all gained between almost 70-80g in the first week. Mummy Dilys has only gained 1g but she’s feeding three hungry youngsters, is in very poor condition and if she is pregnant again it’s very early days. We will be weighing weekly to keep a close eye on things.

Please keep your fingers crossed for these youngsters.

30/05/2026

You guys are absolutely wonderful, mummy piggy Dilys would like to thank you so much for today’s deliveries 🥰

First thanks go to our friend Michelle graleym for the sack of Science Selective nuggets, to Liesha McNamara and hubby Martin for the two huge boxes of Natures Own Pets Ltd
hay and finally to the kind person who sent the Oxbow hay, sadly no note with this one. you really are an amazing bunch of people ❤️