Guinea pigs can make a great pet if you know the correct way to care for them. I have heard several people and have read several articles that say a guinea pig is great for a Childs first pet, and this may be true if the parent understands that they will be the one doing a majority of the care. There is a lot of work involved in having a healthy and happy guinea pig. First even before you start to look for a guinea pig you will need to become familiar with the type of care required. They will need a cage, and the ones they sell at the pet store are not big enough. There are plenty of helpful websites that will explain how to build your own .The best one I would recommend is http://www.guineapigcages.com/. They explain how to build a cage out of storage cubes and coroplast. The cage needs to be at least 30″ by 36″ for one guinea pig. They need to have room to get exercise. I for one wouldn’t want to be in a place where all I could do is turn around. Our cage is the size of our dining room table.The cage needs to be protected from young children and other pets you may have, guinea pigs have no way of defending themselves. You also need to consider where you will place the cage, they need to be in a room where the temperature is maintained between 60°F and 85°F.They also need to be in a room where they will have interaction with people they would do well in a family room. Now your guinea pig will require a soft bedding to absorb their urine, Please whatever you do, Do Not use cedar, it can kill your pig. The oil from the cedar is toxic to guinea pigs and other small animals. You can find many choices of appropriate bedding such as, aspen, pine that has been kiln dried. It is recommended that pine be used in cages that are well ventilated as it contains some oils in it as well. You can use wood pellets but make sure they are 100% wood and have no accelerants added. You can also use ripped up newspaper but you will need to change this daily, maybe sometimes twice a day. Guinea pigs need a constant source of clean water, you can get water bottles that hang on the cage or bowls, I would recommend the bottles because guinea pigs will play in the water and spill it if its in a bowl. They need there water changed daily, and the bottle cleaned weekly or before if it needs it.
Next you will need to learn about the guinea pigs diet. Diet affects, coat, skin, growth, energy, appetite, teeth, reproduction, organ effectiveness, immunity and ability to fight off disease/infection. Fresh water, quality pellets and hay make up the backbone of a good diet. A variety of fresh vegetables supplement their requirements for vitamin C and other micronutrients. Guinea pigs need a quality pellet food daily avoid ones that have seeds or nuts, even though they sell food that say it for guinea pigs with these in it, they
Are not healthy and are to high in fat. Avoid food that has corn products in it, Corn is not a normal feed for cavies, may contribute to allergies, and can be high in fat and certain sugars/starch depending on the product. Additionally, some corn is contaminated with deadly aflatoxin, which can cause liver failure and death. You want a timothy based pellet that is fresh and doesn’t contain the ingredients I have spoke of or doesn’t include sweeteners .The best brand of guinea pig food is Oxbow which can be found in some pet stores, feed stores, and some vets carry it, you can also order online at www.oxbowhay.com.There are definitely other brands just make sure you check the ingredients. Here is a great site to do that http://guinealynx.com/pellets.html. Grass hay is a staple of the guinea pig diet. Providing unlimited grass hay is one of the best things you can do for the health of your cavy. Unlimited hay provides the necessary fiber required by herbivores’ digestive systems and keeps teeth properly ground. Because the back teeth are continually growing, cavies need to be constantly grazing and grinding to keep them a good length. Since hay is only a modest source of protein and nutrients it does not contribute significantly to obesity. Alfalfa hay is high in protein, calcium and carbohydrates and is primarily fed to young pups and pregnant or nursing cavies. While timothy hay is preferred for guinea pigs over a year old. Make sure your pigs have access to hay 24 hours a day. Your hay needs to be free of trash, weeds, dirt and other foreign material .It needs to be fresh, soft and pliable. You can purchase hay at many feed stores. You will need to have a hayrack in the cage to keep the hay up off the floor so it doesn’t get wet or dirty with their urine and droppings, hayracks can be bought at the pet store or homemade, you can find out how to do this by searching online. They are very simple to make and can be done out of a metal shower caddy.
Your guinea pigs will also require fruits and veggies on a daily basis. Here are some suggestions, Grass, green peppers, Romaine lettuce, Tomato, wedge of large tomato or small Roma tomato, Apple, thin wedge, no seeds, Apricot, dried, a couple raisin-sized pieces, Banana, 1/4″ round slice, Orange, one slice, they can have parsley and dandelions and young clover occasionally. Don’t feed anything you wouldn’t eat yourself (i.e. no spoiled food) and rinse food thoroughly. And if you choose to provide grass or other forages, avoid areas next to busy roadsides or those frequented by dogs or livestock. Select clean, pesticide-free plants that show no signs of mildew or disease the younger, the better. Your guinea pig will need something to do to keep entertained the best way to do thesis by having two. Guinea pigs are social, herd animals and are generally happier and healthier with another guinea pig. You see new behavior and a higher level of activity with two or more guinea pigs. If you get a friend for your guinea pig, MAKE SURE it is of the same sex or one in the pair is neutered or spayed. They say that two males will not get along but this isn’t always the case we have two males that get along just fine. I would recommend allowing them time to get adjusted to each other, give them floor time together. Allow them to be able to sniff each other and get acquainted just be sure to not leave them alone until you are sure they will get along. Guinea pigs need floor time, Even if you have a big cage, and especially if you don’t, it is very important to the health and happiness of your guinea pig to get daily exercise. Floor time is more than lap time. It is providing a safe environment large enough for your guinea pig in which to run around and explore. Safe means protecting areas that your guinea may get into that he can’t get out of, like behind refrigerators, inside chairs or sofas, behind immovable shelving, in walls, etc. It also means making sure wires are inaccessible, not just unplugged. Guinea pigs have been known to eat telephone cords and cause themselves major internal damage. Electrocution and fires from biting plugged in wires have also been known to happen.
In their cage they need to have a place to hide, they need to feel safe. Guinea pigs should have at least one wooden structure in their cage, either a wooden hidey house or a wooden tunnel. These are used for chewing (good for the incisors – the molars need lots of hay) much more often than most “chew” toys. With more than one pig and a large enough cage, you should have one extra hidey house for the number of pigs in a cage. For example, 3 pigs should have 4 hidey houses. That allows for a neutral ‘place’ and more peace in the group. Once you have at least one wooden house, you can get more creative with additional places to hide, like towel tents (Cut up or fold larger bath size towels. Be sure to cut off any hanging threads. Towel tents in the corner make a great hidey-hole that can be washed and don’t take up too much room. You can just loop the towel through cage wires on the corner and secure with a safety pin or two. We use binder clips to secure the towels. 3 work great securing the tent in a triangular fashion to the grids.) You can find lots of toys around the house for your guinea pig, items such as paper bags, cardboard boxes, and oatmeal containers can keep your pig entertained for hours. I would also suggest putting a brick in their cage this will help wear their nails down. We keep ours under the water bottle; this also helps to absorb any drips there might be. Do not use large exercise wheels or exercise balls, these are very bad for guinea pigs and can cause crippling injuries to them. You will need to clean your guinea pigs cage about once a week, or anytime it has a smell to it. After you scoop out all the bedding (I use my shop vac for this) you can clean the floor with a half vinegar half water mixture. This will cut right through urine and urine buildup. Then allow the cage to dry and refill with bedding and their accessories. You will need to find a vet that has experience dealing with guinea pigs, they need check ups just like any other pet, and should there be an emergency you don’t want to have to try to rush to find one. Any time you add another guinea pig to your family make sure to separate them for a few days until you have had a chance to get them looked at by your vet to make sure you wont be bringing anything harmful in to your other pigs. Having guinea pigs can be a great experience, there is nothing cuter then hearing them squeal when they see you go near the refrigerator, or crinkle a plastic bag. If you learn how to take care of them properly they can be a great addition to your home. They can be a great way to include the whole family in their care; the kids will love helping feed them their fruit and veggies. Just make sure before you get your guinea pig you know what is required to care for them.
