My Trouble with Tribble

Last week we got a guinea pig. She looks more like a ball of hair that purrs and squeaks, hence her name, Tribble. What I didn't know when bringing her home, was that she was not alone. She had, unbeknown to me, brought hundreds of microscopic friends along. Lice. The Guinea Pig Louse to be exact. Thank God these lice are species specific and will not infect humans or other animals. Although this should be comforting, it still gives me the heebie-jeebies. Well, I took her into the vet to have these unwanted guests evicted from my little friend only to find out that it may take 6 weeks and two more vet visits during this time to rid her of all parasites. She has to have a series of Ivermectin injections to get rid of the damn little buggers! All of this for the bargain price of about $100.00 give or take. Our free guinea pig suddenly has become quite expensive.