Possible new owner of a guinea pig!?

Question

Hi all,

After alot of hard work trying to convince my parents to get me a guinea pig, adoption of course, I need to know some information before proceeding!

1. Cage size: How big for one?

2. Food: What, and how much/how many times a day?

3. Bedding: What kind is good?

4. Affection/Attention: Do they like being handeld?

5. Grooming/cleanliness: How often should I bathe it, and how often should I clean the cage?

Well thanks and any additional information is appreciated!

thanks

Answer 1

This was from the Humane Society of the united States:

A descendant of the wild guinea pigs of South America, today's domesticated guinea pig is viewed by many as an "easy" pet for children. Many parents select a guinea pig as a first pet for their child, believing a small pet needs only a small amount of care. It is important to understand that these little guys have lots of requirements, including a roomy cage, specialized diet, daily cleanup, and gentle handling, and that an adult should be the primary caretaker.

1. Make Room at the Inn

They may be small, but guinea pigs require ample space to move about. Make sure their living quarters are at least 18 inches wide, 14 inches high, and 25 inches deep. Guinea pigs housed in larger cages are more likely to be active. Do not use aquariums, as they provide poor ventilation, and mesh or wire-floor cages hurt guinea pigs' tender feet.

When choosing floor linings and cage furnishings, keep in mind that guinea pigs will chew on just about anything to wear down their constantly growing teeth, so everything placed in the cage must be nontoxic. Use plenty of lining material—shredded ink-free paper or commercial nesting materials available at pet-supply stores, for example—because guinea pigs will use the material as both bedding and bathroom.

Remember also to provide plenty of high-quality hay, which these rodents use for nesting and snacking. Do not use materials such as sawdust, pine or cedar chips, or fabrics that may cause respiratory or other health problems. Finally, provide your guinea pig with a gnawing log (such as an untreated fruit tree branch), tunnels to crawl through, and platforms to climb on. Add a heavy food bowl resistant to tipping and gnawing and a water bottle with a sipper tube.

2. Get a Little Closer

Guinea pigs are easily stressed, so they require careful handling. To pick up a guinea pig, slowly place one hand under his chest just behind the front legs, and gently cup your other hand under his hindquarters. Once you have a firm but gentle grip on the animal, lift him. Then immediately pull him close to your chest or lap so he feels safe and doesn't thrash around.

3. Give 'Em Their Greens

Feed your guinea pig a commercial guinea pig food, formulated especially for the species. These herbivores require a lot of vitamin C, so provide veggies such as kale and cabbage and ask your veterinarian about vitamin supplements. Treat guinea pigs to fruits, including melon slices and apples (but remove the seeds, which are toxic).

4. Help with the Cleanup

Guinea pigs try their best to keep clean, fastidiously grooming themselves with their front teeth, tongue, and back claws. But pigs—particularly the long-haired breeds—require frequent brushing and combing to stay clean and tangle-free.

Also, because their cage lining doubles as bedding and toilet, guinea pigs require daily housekeeping assistance. Scrub and disinfect the cage, then let it dry before lining the floor with fresh bedding and replacing the cage furnishings. Also clean the water bottle and sipper tube daily to prevent buildup of food, algae, and bacteria.

5. Pair Them Off

Guinea pigs are happiest when with other guinea pigs, so many pet care books urge owners to keep two or more together. Choose pairs that are the same s*x and compatible. (For example, more than two male pigs together are likely to fight.)

Answer 2

It's absolutely fantastic that you are going to adopt and that you are researching before getting a guinea pig.  So many people don't take the time to do so, so definite kudos for you:-)

1.  Well, first off guinea pigs are happiest with a same s*x companion.  Just something to consider.  The minimum size for a cage for one guinea pig is 7.5 sq ft.  You can build a huge, cheap cage that is easy to clean out of cubes and coroplast.  I have one and my guinea pig is thrilled with it.

http://www.guineapigcages.com

2.  Unlimited grassy hay all day, every day.  So, hay like timothy, bluegrass or orchard grass is appropriate.  Alfalfa hay can be given to young or pregnant pigs.  You'll want a high quality pellet as well (about 1/4 cup per day), alfalfa based for young pigs and timothy hay based for adults.  Great sources for both:

http://www.kmshayloft.com

http://www.oxbowhay.com

Plenty of leafy greens and other veggies.  At least a cup a day chosen for vitamin C content.  Lots of greens should be the base so things like lettuce (not iceberg), parsley, cilantro and kale.  Mine love bell peppers, the occasional baby carrot and small pieces of fruit.  I feed greens once a day.

3.  There are many types of bedding that can be used.  Never use cedar or pine as they can be damaging to the respiratory tract.  Carefresh, yesterdays news, aspen and fleece and blankets can all be used.  I prefer to use fleece with a thick layer of blankets but people's experiences differ.

http://www.guinealynx.info/bedding.html

4.  Some guinea pigs like to be handled, and some don't.  I've had pigs that love to be held and that will cuddle for hours.  I've also had pigs that could care less if I ever come near them, unless of course I have food.

5.  I only bathe mine when they need it, so usually no more than once every couple of months.  Some people bathe monthly, I wouldn't do it any more frequently than that.  I clean my cage anywhere from every 4-6 days.  It varies depending on the temperature in my house, I need to change more frequently in the summer than the winter.

The guinea lynx care guide will give you more in depth answers to all these questions, and will answer ones you didn't even know you had yet.  This is the web site that I wish I had known about when I first started, and my pigs have been so much happier since I found GL.  Wander over the forums and ask questions, there are tons of people there with years of experience.

http://www.guinealynx.info/healthycavy.h...

Answer 3

Alissha's answer is perfect. I'm not going to retype all that. You should listen to her advice. Good Luck!

Answer 4

I just got a baby guinea pig named Mickey.

Buy a starter kit from petsmart

2 bowls a day

grassy chunky bedding

YES!!!

both 1 time per week

Answer 5

1. Make a c&c cage. www.guineapigcages.com

that's the best way to go to insure a happy piggy!

2. Give them unlimited timothy hay, i'd say oxbow or kaytee if you can't get oxbow. Also unlimited food pellets, with the first ingredient being timothy hay. Once again, I'd go with kaytee because it has vitamin c in it, which your guinea pig needs. Don't give them any meat, dairy, seeds, and try to avoid cabbage, cauliflower, and too much fruit. You can give them veggies and some fruit, just all in moderation and variety.

3. I would say the best bedding is either carefresh or fleece with towels or puppy pads under it. Wood shavings are less expensive then carefresh, but I don't like them as much. I like fleece most, because all you have to do is vaccuum off the poops on top and then throw it in the wash.

4. They don't like being picked up, but love being held. Isn't that weird? So once they're in your hand their happy, but they will run and hide when you try to pick them up. Then you can pt them and they'll be squeaking with joy! They need a LOT of attention though, and should have a same-s*x cage mate. If you get 2 boys, they need a lot of space and 2 of everything. With girls it's the same thing, but there is a much less chance of two gils fighting then two boys. Try to get brothers if you get boys. Then they're already bonded.

5. Bathe it once or twice a year, or if they get really dirty a bit more. But still not often. And I would reccomend a short haired cavy so you don't have to brush it and get it's hair cut. Also, you have to trim their nails about once a month. You can use regular clippers or animal clippers. Hold them with their tummy in your hand and a paw in between your fingers. thn use the clippers and cut off the very tip, not through the line in their nails. That's called the quick and will bleed a bit. If it does, put it in syptic powder to stop it quicker.

Cleaning of the cage is depending on what you use and your guinea pig. For pine shavings, spot clean as often as you can by taking it out of the places your piggy pees most and putting in some new shavings.Then do a full cage clean once or twice a week. For Carefresh, about the same thing. With fleece, possibly switch out the towels or puppy pads in the bad areas as often as needed and wash the whole thing once or twice a week. If your piggy has one place it likes to pee, try either putting extra fluff/towels there or even try putting a litter pan there and you may get a potty trained guinea pig!

I hope this helped!