Guinea pigs are affectionate social pets that will sit on your lap and enjoy being petted. They make a wide variety of entertaining sounds, including whistles, purrs, chortles, chuckles, and clucks.
Guinea pigs are a lot like little horses and play chasing games with each other. They come in a wide variety of colors and coat types, including fuzzy hair, long curly hair, and straight hair long enough to braid!
Guinea pigs make great lap pets for people of all ages.
One Guinea Pig? Or More?
Guinea pigs are social, herd animals. They can live by themselves with regular attention from its owner. If you are unable to socialize with your Guinea pig at least 4-5 times a week then it is recommended that you keep at least two or more together. Females typically live together more peacefully than two males. Although it is possible for males to live together, but there is a chance that they may become territorial. When introducing unfamiliar guinea pigs, we recommend that you do it on neutral territory. Do not just put a new pig in the cage with an existing one. Put the two pigs in a separate temporary enclosure, while they are getting familiar with each other, clean and rearrange the cage that you plan to use for the both of them.
Feeding
Guinea pigs are strict herbivores and need special guinea pig pellets that contain vitamin C. Guinea Pigs and humans are the only animals that do not produce enough vitamin C on their own to survive. They also need timothy hay for roughage and leafy greens such as dandelion leaves, kale, parsley and dark leaf lettuce every day. For treats, they can have carrots, celery, cucumber, very small amounts of oranges, and small amounts of commercial guinea pig treats. Guinea pigs love carrots so much they will learn to sit up to get them. Vitamins for guinea pigs are also recommended, especially for young ones. There are a variety of vitamins sold at pet stores that you can put in their water or sprinkle on their food. Follow the directions on the bottle!
Housing
Guinea pigs need a cage at least 36"L X 24"W X 12"H, and the bigger the better to provide room for them to run around. The floor of the cage must be solid, not wire, to protect their feet, and covered with aspen shavings or soft paper bedding. DO NOT use cat litter or cedar shavings.
Accessories
Guinea pigs need a large water bottle, a non-tip food dish or hopper, a hayrack and a mineral salt wheel. They also need a house to sleep in. They also appreciate a bed made of artificial sheepskin.
Sanitation
Clean the cage, accessories and bedding weekly. Urine deposits can be removed with vinegar. Be sure to scrub all parts of the water bottle and replace bottle every six months. You can run them through the dishwasher to sanitize.
Maintenance
Provide fresh food and water daily. Guinea pigs need their toenails trimmed regularly and may occasionally need a bath. All guinea pigs benefit from an occasional brushing and longhaired guinea pigs need to be groomed often. Like most Small mammals, guinea pig’s teeth constantly grow their entire life. It is important that you offer things for your pig to chew on to file their teeth down. There are a number of health issues that will happen if their teeth grow too large. They can cut into their mouths, causing ulcers and infections. Or even worse, they could starve to death because they can not chew their food. Offer them a variety of wood chews. There are a number of items on the market that are specifically for small animals. You can offer them cardboard rolls from the inside of your toilet paper/paper towel rolls. If you give them wood from your home or garage, be sure that it is not treated with any toxic paint, stain, lacquer, or water seal treated.
Special Needs
It’s important for guinea pigs to be socialized the day they are born. Those that aren’t can be flighty, so try to choose a pig that isn’t afraid of people. Because guinea pigs are passive and tend not to bite or scratch, young children need to be taught not to squeeze their pet too hard. Care should also be taken not to drop a guinea pig, as they are easily injured.
Life Cycle
Guinea pigs live an average of 4 to 6 years but can live up to 10 years. They can breed as young as 8 weeks but should not until 4-6 months. The gestation period is 65-70 days and the average litter size is 2-3. The piglets are born fully furred with their eyes open and can be weaned at 4 weeks.
Expert Help
If you have questions about your guinea pig, do not hesitate to contact us. We will be happy to help you choose a guinea pig care book for more complete information.
Supplies Checklist
-Large cage-Bedding
-Water bottle
-Non-tip food dish or hopper
-Guinea pig food
-Hay rack
-Shampoo
-Timothy hay
-Treats
-Mineral salt wheel
-House
-Nail clippers
-Brush
-Chews