Today I went to feed my guinea pig and found a large fungus mushroom shaped growth near the water bottle. The bottle had leaked and the large growth appeared in under 24 hours. I took the fungus out already and cleaned the cage again, but Im worried about the effects it may have taken on my guinea pigs! What should I do to make the cage fungus free and if there is a negative effect on the guinea pigs, what signs should I look for?
Answers:
I would clean the cage with a diluted solution of water and vinegar. is the cage kept inside or outside? Humidity may cause a role if the cage is kept outdoors. i would clean the entire cage and wipe it down with the solution I mentioned above. maybe put a wash cloth under the water bottle where it is leaking and change that 2 times a day. What are you using for bedding? I use towels sewn together with fleece. That may help because the fleece will allow the wetness to pass through to the towel.
there are a billion spores in the air you breathe regularly -- its kind of weird that one grew in a pig cage but weirder things happened -- i had them grow in my bathroom once.
most are completely harmless and you don't have much to worry about. you can make a nice salad with them. the toxic ones would have to be eaten in quantity and the results would be apparent already. toxic mushrooms also need more specialized growth medium -- i don't think a pig cage would supply their needs.
Try cleaning the cage with a high-proof alcohol (70% by volume or higher), like Bacardi 151 or Everclear. Put some in a little spray bottle and spray the empty cage. Let the alcohol evaporate. Repeat once. Rinse off the cage so it doesn't smell like your guinea pig is an alcoholic. The high concentration of alcohol will immediately dehydrate all the fungus and mold in the cage. Its a great way to get rid of those guys (and to clean fridges after a hurricane). Just do this outside given that the alcohol is flammable and all.
For all the thumbs down, alcohol kills fungus and mold and isn't going to leave any harmful residue to hurt the animal. *rolling eyes* I use the stuff every day at work for the same purposes.
" The peak of the disinfecting power occurs around 70% ethanol; stronger and weaker solutions of ethanol have a lessened ability to disinfect.[citation needed] Solutions of this strength are used in laboratories for disinfecting work surfaces. Ethanol kills organisms by denaturing their proteins and dissolving their lipids and is effective against most bacteria and fungi, and many viruses..."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ethanol...
I agree with Dbfarris1, use a solution of 50% vinegar and 50% water, not only is this solution safe but it is very effective. You then need to put a small bowl, or cloth underneath the water bottle to try to prevent this from happening again. I have no problems what so ever, and I am using aspen, if you are not using an absorbent material like aspen or fleece (which wicks the urine through to the absorbent material; mattress pads, puppy pads or towels), then I suggest you change. It won't hurt to take your guinea pig(s) to an exotic vet, if they have eaten the fungi (mushroom) they could be sick, guinea pigs are notorious for hiding their illnesses and they go downhill fast, please seek medical treatment for your guinea pig(s).
I agree, vinegar solution to clean. I would put a brick down under the water bottle. It will also help with your pig's nails while keeping water off the bedding.
Since there is so much humidity in the room your pigs are in, you will need to scoop wet spots daily.
I don't think it will do anything. Just observe their observe for a while and see if they seem to act weird or sick.
Well take the guinea pigs to the vet or call to see what you can do make sure you clean the cage as much as possible!!
hoped I helped!
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