Have and Take Care of your Guinea Pig

5 Parts:

About Guinea Pigs

Caring for you Guinea Pig

Tips Tricks & Warnings

Questions and Answers

Comments

So you want to buy a Guinea pig do you? These little fellows are a lot of fun! Guinea Pigs belong to the rodent family, and come from South America where they live in the grasslands. They come in different breeds and colors.

Contents

1 About Guinea Pigs
2 Caring for you Guinea Pig
3 Tips Tricks & Warnings
4 Questions and Answers
5 Comments

Guinea Pigs are bigger than hamsters, and enjoy making "squeaking" sounds when they are hungry, or when you enter the room!

They are very social animals and like to have buddies. You can put 2 females together and they should get along well.

If you have small children, a word of caution: Teach them how to pick up and hold the guinea pig the proper way. Children should not pick a guinea pig up by the neck obviously, since guinea pigs are fragile and can get hurt easily. You should pick them up by sliding one hand under their belly, and the other hand gently on top of his back. Guinea pigs enjoy sitting on your lap while you pet them gently. They also like to run around a lot! Many people let their Guinea Pigs out of their cages to run around for a while, but don't be surprised if you're running after them with a paper towel, picking up their distinctive trail of pellet-like Guinea Pig poop.

Guinea Pigs are fun, quirky pets, but they do need specific care. Read on to find out how to care properly for your Guinea Pig.

What to Feed Them

The suggestions below are excellent foods for Guinea Pigs, but do not overfeed the, as that gives them loose stools - not so fun to clean up after.

1
Vegetables
.
Guinea Pigs enjoy leafy greens, and other vegetables.
1. Romaine lettuce.
2. Cucumbers.
3. Green beans.
4. Parsley
5. Peppers.
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2
Fruit
.
They also enjoy fruit, but they should only be given fruit once in a while as a treat, because fruits contain sugar. Too much sugar is not good for them. Some of the fruits they like are:
1. Apples.
2. Grapes.
3. Bananas.
4. Oranges.
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3
You can buy pellets for them too, just make sure they contain enough protein and vitamin C.
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4
Guinea pigs need "hay" in their diets to help digest their food
.
It is called "Timothy Hay" or "Alfalfa Hay", and you can buy it at pet stores. It also helps keep their teeth short, because their teeth grow just like our nails!

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Guinea Pigs love to eat. As soon as I would go to the refrigerator at home, my guinea pig knew it! I would open the door, and he would start "whistling for his food"! Very funny!

What Not to Feed Your Guinea Pig

There are foods that you DO NOT want to feed your Guinea Pigs, as it can make him sick, or worse. Feeds you should not feed your Guinea Pig include:

No chocolate.
No popcorn, or corn kernels, as these could cause choking.
No spicy foods.
No cabbage or iceberg lettuce.
Potatoes are a NO NO too.

Home for Guinea Pigs

1
Buy a nice size cage
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The bigger the better. They love to run around and get exercise.
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2
DO NOT buy an aquarium
.
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3
Make sure the bottom of the cage has a smooth floor, not wires because this will hurt your little guy's sensitive feet
.
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4
You will need to buy wood shavings to line the bottom of the cage
.
"Aspen" wood chips are the best.

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5
Do not buy pine or cedar shavings because they have toxic chemicals in them
.
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6
I suggest about 2-3 inches of bedding
.
They like to bury themselves in it! A good tip is to line the bottom of the floor with newspaper. This makes it possible to just grab it, roll it up very easily, and dispose of it.

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7
You will need a nice size food bowl, one heavy enough that they cannot tip it over and spill
.
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8
Also, you will need a water bottle to hook on the side of the cage
.
This is a better choice as not only can they knock over a water bowl, but they might pee in it, make it very unsanitary.

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Play, Exercise & Grooming

Here are some other tips and ideas that can make your piggy friend happy!

1
Chew Toys
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These are very important to have because guinea pigs' teeth are always growing, and need to be trimmed down. You can buy wood blocks or toys for them to chew at your local pet store.
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2
Exercise
.
These little guys need lots of exercise, just as you and I do. You can buy little tunnels for them to run and crawl through. They also like to crawl around and hide in boxes.
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3
Grooming
.
Guinea pigs like to groom themselves, but it is a good idea to bath them at least once every 3 months. Get a small basin of lukewarm water. Wet your guinea pig and lather his fur with a little shampoo. Rinse the shampoo thoroughly, and towel-dry him well.
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4
Trim Their Nails
.
This is very important, because they can grow to be very long and can get snagged on things. You will need a friend or someone to help hold him while you trim. Just trim the tips of the nails.

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Don't Keep your Guinea Pig in Cold, drafty places, or places that get too hot.
Don't overfeed your little friend.
Love your Guinea Pig!

Is it possible to overfeed a guinea pig?

Yes, it is possible to overfeed a guinea pig. There is a required amount of food per guinea pig and you need to see to it that you are feeding them proper foods. A cup of vegetables is required to feed a guinea pig per day. You also need to give them fruits but limit their intake because they may get diabetes.

An overfed guinea pig will become overweight or obese just like humans. So, you need to weigh them about twice a month to see if they are still within the normal weight range for young or adult guinea pigs. An adult guinea pig's weight is normally between 900g and 1,800g. If your guinea pig is outside of this range, it is possible that they are overfed or underfed.

Aside from fruit and vegetables, you can feed your guinea pig some hay and dry food but also in moderation because they can also be overfed with these foods.

I have a paper plate feeding bowl?

I have a paper plate to feed him a small one I'm not sure if he eats or not cause when ever I get home I always see the food still there I'm scared he might not be able to eat because he will spill the food in the cage.