Dangers Of Ringworm In Guinea Pigs
*Due to legal reasons, I won’t be incorporating the specific store I worked at*
One day at work, I was in charge of deep cleaning the guinea pig's habitats. We only had a couple of guinea pigs on the floor so I didn’t take very long to clean them. As I was emptying one of the pig's habitat, I noticed a little bald spot on her nose. I asked my co-worker if she thought the pig had ringworm and she told me she does. I had touched other guinea pigs before I noticed the bald spot so I freaked out because I wasn’t wearing any gloves.
I didn’t know where to put the guinea pig with ringworm to make sure she doesn’t infect anything else. My manager informed me to put her in a small pet carrier which didn’t allow her to move around much. We put paper towels in the carrier just in case she had to do her business in there. I was informed that she was going to stay in there for 15 minutes tops but she ended up staying in that carrier for over an hour.
I was put at the front of the store so I couldn’t quarantine the guinea pig. My manager later came into work and ordered me to make a new space for her to quarantine in. When I went to go check on the pig, her paper towel was drenched in her own pee and her feces was scattered around the towel. I felt absolutely guilty leaving her alone in such a small space and gave her some vegetables to keep her hydrated and some fruit as a snack.
My manager got very upset with me that I wasn’t wearing the proper equipment but I was never informed that I had to wear gloves when handling the animals that were out on the floor.
I never got the proper training when accepting this job. When it comes to handling animals, training your employees is so important so they don’t have to encounter situations like this. The lack of training at this place led to events like this happening pretty much every week with different employees.
Some guinea pigs are born with bald spots especially behind their ears, when they are growing abnormal bald spots, It’s important to get an appointment with the vet or treat it at home. Guinea pigs can get very ill if it’s not properly treated and not caught on time which can lead to losing their life.
Below is a great website to help new guinea pig owners learn more details about ringworm!
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