Guinea Pig Info
BRINGING GUINEA PIG HOME
When you bring your Guinea Pig home *same with the hamster* you should leave him or her alone for a couple hours. Before you bring your Guinea Pig you'll want to have all the supplies ready. I know from personal experience when you buy your Guinea Pig when you get the cage, bedding food, etc. Your excitement might cause you to forget some of the supplies. Before putting your pig in his new home be sure to have food and water already in the cage. Okay now you have your Guinea Pig he's fed has water and you've left him alone for a couple of hours what do I do now ?
FEEDING GUINEA PIG
Guinea pigs cannot produce their own Vitamin C so it's very important you supply your Guinea Pig with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables every day and also Vitamin C drops to add to their water bottles. Guinea Pigs are relatively easy to take care of. But "what" to feed your guinea pig might be kind of tricky.
Fresh Foods Guinea Pigs can eat (have common sense and don't feed all of these to your Guinea pig at once):
-Kale
-Romaine Lettuce (Ice Burg is toxic to them)
-Dandelions
-Carrot Tops
-Basil
-Sage
-Collard Greens
-Mustard Greens
-Parsley
some other types of fresh foods your guinea pig can be fed are (these should only be fed weekly)
-Red Pepper
-Green Pepper
-Yellow and Orange Pepper
-Oranges
-Carrots (don't feed too much or they could become constipated)
*Note* Vitamin C drops are not necessary, "only" if your guinea pig food pellets have vitamin c in them *and* you are feeding your guinea pigs veggies everyday. My guinea pigs only get vitamin c drops *only* if I have run out of veggies and need to go to the store to get more.
Guinea Pigs also love hay and this should be fed to them daily as they help with digestion for your guinea pig. The best type of hay for guinea pigs is timothy. Store the timothy hay in a cool dry place so it will not get moldy. Use a hay rack or ball for the hay.
*Btw* Alfalfa Hay is okay for pregnant, nursing or guinea pigs 6 months and younger.
*Btw* Hay balls are okay for larger and older guinea pigs, but not for small or young guinea pigs. Sometimes younger pigs can get stuck inside the hay ball.
*Also Btw* Guinea Pigs should get most of their Vitamin C from vegetables NOT the drops. Vitamin C drops do not replace vegetables.
*Also* Try to choose a Guinea Pig pellet that has Vitamin C.
*Also* Try to find a Guinea Pig Diet with not a lot of preservatives. Usually a pellet that will crunch or break easily, usually doesn't have as many preservatives.
*IDEAL GUINEA PIG FOOD INGREDIENTS**Timothy* Grass Meal, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Meal, Cane Molasses, Salt, L-ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Vitamin C), Limestone, Yeast Culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement (tocopherol), Ascorbic Acid, Colloidal Silica, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Riboflavin, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, Thiamine, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Pyrodoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Magnesium Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Manganese Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Mineral Oil, Calcium Idodate, Potassium Chloride.
*NOT RECOMMENDED*Wheat, Oats, *Alfalfa* Meal, Barley, Corn, Dehydrated Pea Flakes, Milo, Corn Flakes, Oat Bran, Oat Flakes, Coarse Sunflower Seed Meal, Wheat Bran, Dehydrated Carrots, Corn Gluten, Sugar Beet Molasses, Calcium Carbonate, Coarse Rape Seed Meal, Coarse Soybean Meal, *Artificial* and Natural Colorings, Vitamin A Acetate, Cholecalciferol, A-Tocopherol Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin-5-Phosphate, Pyridoxine, Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Folic Acid, D-Calcium-Pantothenate, Choline Chloride, D-Biotin, Niacin, Iron Oxide, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, and Cobalt Sulfate. *NO VITAMIN C MENTIONED*
GUINEA PIG BEHAVIOR
Guinea pigs are social animals and should be kept with a partner. (Boars with Boars(male) and Sows with Sows (female). Unaltered males should not be kept together as they may fight(this depends on your Guinea Pig(s). It is very important you do not keep a female in the same room as two boars as they will fight for the female. Guinea Pigs are very affectionate little animals.They rarely bite. There are some rare Guinea Pigs who do bite and are unsocial. Some Guinea pigs are happy to be left alone while others love the attention. Be sure to hold your guinea pig once a day so they don't get lonely.
GUINEA PIG CAGE
Guinea pigs require a lot of space especially when you have two or more guinea pigs together. Guinea Pigs come from the Andes Mountains so as you can imagine they would have a lot of space to roam free. A 2x3 size cage is good for a single Guinea pig but the bigger the better. Have you ever heard of a C&C cage. C&C stands for Cubes and Corrugated Plastic. The cubes are wire grids that are snapped together with connectors not all Walmarts, Zellers or Targets have these so you may have to buy online or at cavycages.com. Corrugated Plastic can be found at most sign shops this is also pretty hard to find it all depends on the area you live in. There are good sides and bad sides to all cages. Example: A store bought cage may be easier to get but the bigger the cage the HIGHER the price. C&C cages are great they are pretty inexpensive and you can make the size. But some times the materials are hard to find and you may have to use fleece instead of bedding. Fleece is pretty easy to find you might find them at Michaels Craft Store,Jo-Ann, and other craft stores too it can also be bought at Walmart also. (BEDDING OR FLEECE ???)
Bedding is nice and you only have to change it about once a week. But it can also get really messy.
Fleece is good and easy to clean up. But you have to wash the fleece everyday. Or you could 7 different fleece for each day of the week and add them to your regular laundry.
*btw* Fleece should be swept with a small broom and pan. Everyday...
GUINEA PIG CAGE CLEANING
Instead of explaining this.. which would be very long I'll put this into steps instead. There are two ways to clean the cage First Type: C&C Second Type: Regular Store Bought
First Type:
STEP ONE: Remove your guinea pig and all accessories.
STEP TWO: Remove all bedding or Fleece
STEP THREE: Remove newspaper and towels from bottom of cage and throw out. (WASH TOWELS)
STEP FOUR: Disinfect bottom of cage with non- toxic cleaner (specifically made for cage cleaning cleaners are best)
STEP FIVE: Put back Guinea pig(s), and all accessories (this would be a good time to refill food bowl and clean and refill water bottles)
Second Type:
STEP ONE: Remove your guinea pig and all accessories.
STEP TWO: Remove all bedding and throw out.
STEP THREE: Disinfect the bottom of cage
STEP FOUR: Refill and clean water bottles and bowls
STEP FIVE: Put back Guinea Pig (s), and all accessories.
GUINEA PIG CLEANLINESS
Guinea pigs clean themselves or so I've heard. If you feel you must absolutely give them a bath then do this. Fill your sink with about an inch or less of warm water and place your guinea pig in the sink. (Make sure you have your hand on the guinea pigs back at all time as he might escape). And gently lather on about the size of your thumb baby shampoo or special guinea pig shampoo (do not use human soap as this could irritate their skin and become toxic to them). Please be sure your guinea pig is all dry before returning him or her to his cage. You can dry them with either a towel or medium or low heat hair dryer
HANDLING A GUINEA PIG
There is by far too many ways to hold a guinea pig for me to explain it. So instead I'll give you a few tips on holding your guinea pig. What you'll want to do is support all their legs so he or she is fully supported always try to hold your guinea pig with two hands that way the guinea pig doesn't have as much of a chance to jump. Some people will say guinea pigs cant jump because the way their body is made. This is false in fact guinea pigs can jump and wiggle and from personal experience I know they have very strong back legs so it can be quite a struggle to hold onto a very skiddish guinea pig. If its your first time holding your new guinea pig. Sit on the floor so if you did drop them they would drop too far down. If you do drop your guinea pig be sure to take him to a vet to make sure he did not get any injuries. When holding your guinea pig bring him up to your chest or neck and hold him. Some baby guinea pigs love to hide in your neck and will feel safe there. Very few guinea pigs bite and if they ever do its usually not a hard hurting bite its more of a warning.
MY GUINEA PIGS:
Norbit (Black and White American Male Guinea Pig)
Gingy (Brown and Ginger American Male Guinea Pig)
When you bring your Guinea Pig home *same with the hamster* you should leave him or her alone for a couple hours. Before you bring your Guinea Pig you'll want to have all the supplies ready. I know from personal experience when you buy your Guinea Pig when you get the cage, bedding food, etc. Your excitement might cause you to forget some of the supplies. Before putting your pig in his new home be sure to have food and water already in the cage. Okay now you have your Guinea Pig he's fed has water and you've left him alone for a couple of hours what do I do now ?
FEEDING GUINEA PIG
Guinea pigs cannot produce their own Vitamin C so it's very important you supply your Guinea Pig with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables every day and also Vitamin C drops to add to their water bottles. Guinea Pigs are relatively easy to take care of. But "what" to feed your guinea pig might be kind of tricky.
Fresh Foods Guinea Pigs can eat (have common sense and don't feed all of these to your Guinea pig at once):
-Kale
-Romaine Lettuce (Ice Burg is toxic to them)
-Dandelions
-Carrot Tops
-Basil
-Sage
-Collard Greens
-Mustard Greens
-Parsley
some other types of fresh foods your guinea pig can be fed are (these should only be fed weekly)
-Red Pepper
-Green Pepper
-Yellow and Orange Pepper
-Oranges
-Carrots (don't feed too much or they could become constipated)
*Note* Vitamin C drops are not necessary, "only" if your guinea pig food pellets have vitamin c in them *and* you are feeding your guinea pigs veggies everyday. My guinea pigs only get vitamin c drops *only* if I have run out of veggies and need to go to the store to get more.
Guinea Pigs also love hay and this should be fed to them daily as they help with digestion for your guinea pig. The best type of hay for guinea pigs is timothy. Store the timothy hay in a cool dry place so it will not get moldy. Use a hay rack or ball for the hay.
*Btw* Alfalfa Hay is okay for pregnant, nursing or guinea pigs 6 months and younger.
*Btw* Hay balls are okay for larger and older guinea pigs, but not for small or young guinea pigs. Sometimes younger pigs can get stuck inside the hay ball.
*Also Btw* Guinea Pigs should get most of their Vitamin C from vegetables NOT the drops. Vitamin C drops do not replace vegetables.
*Also* Try to choose a Guinea Pig pellet that has Vitamin C.
*Also* Try to find a Guinea Pig Diet with not a lot of preservatives. Usually a pellet that will crunch or break easily, usually doesn't have as many preservatives.
*IDEAL GUINEA PIG FOOD INGREDIENTS**Timothy* Grass Meal, Soybean Hulls, Wheat Middlings, Soybean Meal, Cane Molasses, Salt, L-ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Vitamin C), Limestone, Yeast Culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement (tocopherol), Ascorbic Acid, Colloidal Silica, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Vitamin K), Riboflavin, Niacin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pantothenic Acid, Biotin, Thiamine, Choline Chloride, DL-Methionine, Pyrodoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Sodium Selenite, Magnesium Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Manganese Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Mineral Oil, Calcium Idodate, Potassium Chloride.
*NOT RECOMMENDED*Wheat, Oats, *Alfalfa* Meal, Barley, Corn, Dehydrated Pea Flakes, Milo, Corn Flakes, Oat Bran, Oat Flakes, Coarse Sunflower Seed Meal, Wheat Bran, Dehydrated Carrots, Corn Gluten, Sugar Beet Molasses, Calcium Carbonate, Coarse Rape Seed Meal, Coarse Soybean Meal, *Artificial* and Natural Colorings, Vitamin A Acetate, Cholecalciferol, A-Tocopherol Acetate, Ascorbic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin-5-Phosphate, Pyridoxine, Hydrochloride, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Folic Acid, D-Calcium-Pantothenate, Choline Chloride, D-Biotin, Niacin, Iron Oxide, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Sulfate, Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite, and Cobalt Sulfate. *NO VITAMIN C MENTIONED*
GUINEA PIG BEHAVIOR
Guinea pigs are social animals and should be kept with a partner. (Boars with Boars(male) and Sows with Sows (female). Unaltered males should not be kept together as they may fight(this depends on your Guinea Pig(s). It is very important you do not keep a female in the same room as two boars as they will fight for the female. Guinea Pigs are very affectionate little animals.They rarely bite. There are some rare Guinea Pigs who do bite and are unsocial. Some Guinea pigs are happy to be left alone while others love the attention. Be sure to hold your guinea pig once a day so they don't get lonely.
GUINEA PIG CAGE
Guinea pigs require a lot of space especially when you have two or more guinea pigs together. Guinea Pigs come from the Andes Mountains so as you can imagine they would have a lot of space to roam free. A 2x3 size cage is good for a single Guinea pig but the bigger the better. Have you ever heard of a C&C cage. C&C stands for Cubes and Corrugated Plastic. The cubes are wire grids that are snapped together with connectors not all Walmarts, Zellers or Targets have these so you may have to buy online or at cavycages.com. Corrugated Plastic can be found at most sign shops this is also pretty hard to find it all depends on the area you live in. There are good sides and bad sides to all cages. Example: A store bought cage may be easier to get but the bigger the cage the HIGHER the price. C&C cages are great they are pretty inexpensive and you can make the size. But some times the materials are hard to find and you may have to use fleece instead of bedding. Fleece is pretty easy to find you might find them at Michaels Craft Store,Jo-Ann, and other craft stores too it can also be bought at Walmart also. (BEDDING OR FLEECE ???)
Bedding is nice and you only have to change it about once a week. But it can also get really messy.
Fleece is good and easy to clean up. But you have to wash the fleece everyday. Or you could 7 different fleece for each day of the week and add them to your regular laundry.
*btw* Fleece should be swept with a small broom and pan. Everyday...
GUINEA PIG CAGE CLEANING
Instead of explaining this.. which would be very long I'll put this into steps instead. There are two ways to clean the cage First Type: C&C Second Type: Regular Store Bought
First Type:
STEP ONE: Remove your guinea pig and all accessories.
STEP TWO: Remove all bedding or Fleece
STEP THREE: Remove newspaper and towels from bottom of cage and throw out. (WASH TOWELS)
STEP FOUR: Disinfect bottom of cage with non- toxic cleaner (specifically made for cage cleaning cleaners are best)
STEP FIVE: Put back Guinea pig(s), and all accessories (this would be a good time to refill food bowl and clean and refill water bottles)
Second Type:
STEP ONE: Remove your guinea pig and all accessories.
STEP TWO: Remove all bedding and throw out.
STEP THREE: Disinfect the bottom of cage
STEP FOUR: Refill and clean water bottles and bowls
STEP FIVE: Put back Guinea Pig (s), and all accessories.
GUINEA PIG CLEANLINESS
Guinea pigs clean themselves or so I've heard. If you feel you must absolutely give them a bath then do this. Fill your sink with about an inch or less of warm water and place your guinea pig in the sink. (Make sure you have your hand on the guinea pigs back at all time as he might escape). And gently lather on about the size of your thumb baby shampoo or special guinea pig shampoo (do not use human soap as this could irritate their skin and become toxic to them). Please be sure your guinea pig is all dry before returning him or her to his cage. You can dry them with either a towel or medium or low heat hair dryer
HANDLING A GUINEA PIG
There is by far too many ways to hold a guinea pig for me to explain it. So instead I'll give you a few tips on holding your guinea pig. What you'll want to do is support all their legs so he or she is fully supported always try to hold your guinea pig with two hands that way the guinea pig doesn't have as much of a chance to jump. Some people will say guinea pigs cant jump because the way their body is made. This is false in fact guinea pigs can jump and wiggle and from personal experience I know they have very strong back legs so it can be quite a struggle to hold onto a very skiddish guinea pig. If its your first time holding your new guinea pig. Sit on the floor so if you did drop them they would drop too far down. If you do drop your guinea pig be sure to take him to a vet to make sure he did not get any injuries. When holding your guinea pig bring him up to your chest or neck and hold him. Some baby guinea pigs love to hide in your neck and will feel safe there. Very few guinea pigs bite and if they ever do its usually not a hard hurting bite its more of a warning.
MY GUINEA PIGS:
Norbit (Black and White American Male Guinea Pig)
Gingy (Brown and Ginger American Male Guinea Pig)