Guinea Pigs   A 101

CCI suggests a once a year check up with a veterinarian who has a track record of caring for exotics like guinea pigs. Have an after hours emergency vets number handy incase of emergencies.

FACTS:

Life Spans: 5 to 8 years

Males typically weigh 3-3 ½ lbs

Females typically weigh 2-2 ½ lbs.

Neuter/Spay:

Males can be neutered if you have a veterinarian who has exotic experience. Neutering of guinea pigs is considered microsurgery.  Cost will vary between $60 & $200 dollars.

Females have a very low survival rate when attempting to spay and so spaying is not recommended at this time unless they are already undergoing another abdominal procedure.

Boys verses Girls:

Boys tend to be out going and personable. They can be paired if you are able to strike on a pairing that works.  Females are highly social creatures and do best paired, though there are exceptions to this rule. There will be alpha males who do not want a friend and Diva females who like not having to compete with a cage mate for attention.

Do Boys Smell?

Boys do produce an odor when females are present. It is their way of saying, Howdy!

Guinea pigs are not nocturnal?

No, they are up when you are up and sleep when you sleep. They tend to nap in the afternoons…but should complement your schedule very readily.

What is a good temperature for guinea pigs?

Guinea pigs like temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees. Temperatures above 75 may result in heat stroke. To cold can result in upper respiratory infections.  

Nose to nose with other pets.

Guinea Pigs Biology:

The reason guinea pigs are used in research is they are biologically similar to humans, suffering many of the same aliments like diabetes sinus, colds, asthma, and allergies.

Do Guinea Pigs Need Shots?

No, but a once a year check up with a veterinarian who is sees exotics is recommended.

Do Guinea Pigs Need Baths?

About every three months a bath is recommended. Human Shampoo, Squeaky Clean, or Kitten shampoos are the recommended shampoos for guinea pigs. When bathing be sure that before returning the guinea pig to his/her cage that they are dry so to prevent chilling. 

Do they need Nail Trims?

Yes, about every three months or so a guinea pig will require a nail trim. Using people, cat or bird nail clippers, are recommended. The nail should be cut above the quick. If the guinea pig has black toenails, then taking off the tips will insure that they are not cut in the quick. To stop bleeding use baking powder, flour or Kwik stop. Nails that are left unattended will have crippling effects on the guinea pigs feet, including but not limited to growing into the pads of the feet. 

Guinea pigs Teeth:

Guinea pig teeth are open rooted, meaning that they are constantly growing. To prevent malocclusion in a guinea pig, always provide a guinea pig with something hard to chew on. Guinea pigs tend to chew what they can swallow then to just chew. Unlike other rodents who have the ability to chew and then spit out what they are chewing, guinea pigs tend to have to swallow it.  Hay cubes help to control teeth growth..

 click on the picture for a listing of fresh fruits and veggies and their Vitamin C content.  

FOOD:

·        Hard Hay Cubes, Timothy or Alfalfa cubes will help to keep teeth worn down. Guinea pigs like to eat what they can chew rather then just chew for chewing's sake. Try hay cubes!

·        Vitamin C Supplements, be sure your guinea pig gets enough vitamin C. Guinea pigs like humans do not manufacture their own vitamin C, so must have it supplemented to them in some form or they will get scurvy. A painful condition that will lead to death.

·        Fresh Fruits and Vegetables are a very important component of your guinea pigs diet, variety is best:

Trying The Following Food Items:

Apples (remove the seeds) , Oranges, Grapes, Bananas, Plums, Peaches, Nectarines, Plums ~(remove pits), Grapes, Tomatoes, Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Honey Dew Melons Mustard Greens, Collard Greens, Parsley, Cilantro, (our number one pick)  Green Peppers, Yellow Peppers, Red Peppers, Romaine Lettuce, Butter Leaf Lettuce, Red Leaf Lettuce.

Do Not Feed:  Ice Berg Lettuce, Raw potatoes, Dried beans, or Shelled Nuts.

Remember Guinea pigs are vegetarians.

 Rabbits require a mineral lick, salt licks are important to guinea pigs.

A listing of poisonous plants for your pets

 Bedding  We have about tried them all. Want to save a bit of money, then check out our suggestion or if you have tried something new

Aspen, Kiln Dried Pine, Compressed Pine pellets, Organic Wheat grass pellets, any wood based bedding will last longer then paper or wood fiber based bedding like Carefresh, but Carefresh is great if you are dealing with allergies.

NO CEDAR please! Cedar is toxic to small animals.

 WATER BOTTLES:

Guinea pigs have a tendency to play with their water bottles when they are bored. CCI recommends the OASIS double balled, water bottle. This bottle will only permit a measured amount of water each time the spout is used. Guinea pigs bore, having to work the bottle constantly to get the same desire effect.

 Cages Not all cages are alike, the trick is finding what works best for you. Let us take some of the guess work out of it.

This is a great site for coraplast cages! YOU MUST check them out!

Cages should be smooth bottom, wire tops. Guinea pig will learn to use single ramps if they are solid. Aquariums do not permit proper ventilation, overheat easily and permit guinea pigs to eat the sealant out of corners, which is toxic.  Wire floors cause bumble foot in guinea pigs, which is a very pain full condition to the animal. It can also cause broken legs as well if they do not know how to walk on the wirer. Cleaning should be done weekly. Any animal will smell if they are not cleaned out often enough. The size of the cage, number of animals, and type of bedding will be determining factors as to how often a cage will require cleaning. Animals that smell are not being cleaned out often enough. Any animal will smell including humans if they are not kept clean. Vinegar is very effective and user friendly in keeping a guinea pigs cage clean. Simple Green is another recommended user-friendly product. Other cleaners tend to leave a film.

 Treats! here are a few suggested treats that have proven to have universal appeal.  

TOYS:

Guinea pigs like toys. Bells, mirrors, and hanging bird toys are popular toys for guinea pigs. Bird toys are manufactured to a higher standard then most animal toys and so are safe for guinea pigs. Avoid toys made of animal hide, strings, or latex.

Shopping List here is a list of what you will need to get started! Tried and tested we are going to only suggest what we have used and found to work the best!

    MYTHS:

Not so, there are guinea pigs that do not want roommates. These are Alpha males. There are also females who do not want roommates and we call these little gals “Diva’s”. Most guinea pigs if they are not paired by the time they are a year old may be difficult to pair after that point especially males. It is important to remember that every guinea pig has his or her own personality and that is why it is important that the person who will be the primary person to interact with the animal be the one who picks that animal out.

Not so, guinea pigs will bond at any age. Unlike dogs and cats they do not carry with them a lot of baggage from their former owner. There are rare cases when they can, but again it is rare. Guinea pigs live very much in the “now”, and take up very nicely with a new owner usually very quickly, again depending on the guinea pig.

Not so, it will prevent him from reproducing, but it will not change his character or his behavior if he is an Alpha male.

"We are not the sum of what we make but the sum of what we give!' 

 Even if you did not adopt from us we are here to answer your questions about guinea pigs.

“Making a Difference One Guinea Pig at a Time.”