Pet Guinea Pig Care Tips

Hi there,

Meet my two favorite boys, Nathan and Sparky, my pet guinea pigs. These two are pretty much the center of attention in my family. They are lovable little creatures. Just look how cute they are!

Nathan	Sparky

Guinea pigs make great family pets. Kids love them. Nathan and Sparky provide hours of fun and entertainment for my son.  I thought I would share some care tips with you with through this blog I made.  It is my first very blog. It has been both a challenge and fun making it. I hope you like the pictures.

In there natural homelands wild guinea pigs eat leaves, stems and seeds of different kinds of grasses.  For my boys I  feed them fresh grass (from the backyard), hay, pellets and plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Guinea pigs are creatures of habit. They like to fed at a regular time twice a day. If you stick to a routine your pet guinea pig will probably come out of its hidey-hole to greet you with squeaks little grunting sounds when it is hungry.  My boys have  amazing ears and know when it is meal time, even before I do.

To stay healthy guinea pigs need food which contains the goodness of vitamin C.  Cavies do not store or produce vitamin C naturally so you need to provide foods high in vitamin C. Carrots, cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli are perfect.

Guinea pigs love vegetables, especially carrots. Watching piggies nibble their food is quite entertaining and funny. Children love it. Sometimes my piggies will carry a special treat, such a s a piece of carrot, away from the feeding dish and find a quiet corner to eat it in. So cute.

To stay healthy guinea pigs need food which contains the goodness of vitamin C.  Cavies do not store or produce vitamin C naturally so you need to provide foods high in vitamin C. Carrots, cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli are perfect.

Fresh hay is  important for their diet. They need it ,will nibble on grass and hey throughout the day and night. Not only is it healthy hteir digestive system and teeth, but nibbling hey keeps them entertained.

Cavies can be kept inside or outside, as long as the hutch is not in a draught. But I really believe you should keep them indoors. I would never house my pet piggies outdoors. Keeping them outdoors exposes them to predators such as snakes, foxes and bad weather, and the sun. Make your pet piggies real members of the family and house them indoors. You can get really creative and make a “fun house”. In the photo below you can see we have used a antique coffee table to make a split level home for our piggies. Only the best for Nathan and Sparky. Never ever keep a guinea pig in a garage. Car fumes will make it sick and can cause death.

For bedding you can use newspapers, old towels and blankets or a little cat bed. Bedding should be changed at least once a week if you are housing two or more. The food bowl and water bottle should be washed and dried at the same time. Check the cages water bottle to make sure the opening has not become clogged with bits of chewed food. Replace water daily

If one of guinea pigs is ever sick, the cage and everything in it should be scrubbed with hot water and an insecticidal wash.

I hope you found these tips useful. If you are going to get a guinea pig please adopt. Shelter managers work so hard to find good homes. Get you kids involved and house them indoors. If you want to learn more about caring for guinea pigs get this very helpful and informative guinea pig care guide.

I recommend you adopt from a shelter rather than buy from a pet store. Simply because pet stores are out for a profit while shelters are really only concerned about finding a good family or owner for the animal. If you do adopt you are pretty much guaranteed to get a healthy guinea pig with no surprises. Buying from a pet store is when you must pay due diligence.

When buying from a pet store or home breeder you need to ask about the sex of the piggie. If they are not sure then you need to check. You should also be a little suspicious if the staff  person does not know. Either way, check for yourself as every guinea pig can be sexed.

Next, find out the age of the piggies you intend to adopt. Guinea pigs need to be around their mothers for at least the six weeks of life. If they don’t they find it very hard to acclimatize to other environments.

You must make sure the cavy you are adopting is not pregnant. In order to know whether the guinea pig you are interested in is pregnant, you can do a bit of detective work. One way of doing this is to see whether the male and female piggies have been kept in different cages.

If the people in the pet store are not sure, then you need to avoid these ones. Look for stores that have a good environment set up. If the people cannot guarantee that they have been kept in different cages, you should not buy from them.

Checking The Health Of The Guinea Pig Before Buying

If you want to buy a female take a good look at her rear end. If she has a large rump then you know she is pregnant. This should be quite obvious in most cases. Don’t not buy a pregnant female. If you don’t know what you are doing within several months you could have a litter of up 30 piggies running around.

You can check for the health of a pig by looking at the droppings in the cage. They should be solid. If they are not, then it is possible that the pig has diarrhea. This is a bad sign and shows that the animal is unhealthy.

Observe the one you want to adopt or buy for several minutes  and see how it interacts with the other animals and people. You need to ensure that the cavy you take home will be happy to play with you and your family. If it is not joining in with the others then this might mean it is too unhealthy to interact and play. Be sure to check this.

You should als check the fur and skin. It should have an even coating of fur all over the skin. If there are patches missing then this is another sign of bad health.

To learn more about guinea pig health issues take a look at this guinea pig care guide.