Guinea Pigs

Guinea Pigs make great family pets. They are one of my favorite small mammals.

They are friendly, very social, talkative and easy to care for. They typically live 5-7 years when cared for properly. Guinea pigs do best when kept in pairs, ideally same sex pairs to avoid breeding. Females kept in pairs rarely fight if introduced young.

An ideal environment is a cage that allows the guinea pig adequate space to move around and hide. Approximately 4-6 square feet is best with a wire top cage that allows adequate ventilation. An aquarium fish tank type cage is inappropriate, these cages do not allow adequate ventilation. If the cage has a wire bottom, a portion of the cage floor should be covered with soft bedding or a towel to avoid pressure sores on the feet. The safest bedding is a recycled paper called carefresh bedding. This has minimal dust and is unlikely to contain parasites like wood shaving type bedding. This will help avoid respiratory diseases and parasitic skin infections. Guinea pigs also like to hide, they should be supplied with houses or hollow logs to hide in.

The most important part of guinea pig care is the diet they are fed. If the diet is incorrect it leads to many health problems. Guinea pigs require 50 mg of vitamin C daily. Most animals can make vitamin C inside their body, guinea pigs cannot. The best way to supplement is to give a 50 mg tablet daily as a treat. Oxbow pet company makes a tasty chewable supplement. Vitamin C is added to most foods but is quickly destroyed when the food is exposed to air and light. Vitamin C can be added to the drinking water, but it is sensitive to light so if added to water it should be changed daily. Also, some guinea pigs do not like the taste of the vitamin c in the water and therefore will not drink enough water. Water can be fed in a water bottle or in a heavy ceramic bowl so it cannot be tipped over. Water should be changed frequently and plastic bowls should not be used because guinea pigs like to chew the plastic and bacteria will live on plastic bowls.

Hay is the second most important part of caring for a guinea pig. They should be offered timothy, oat or grass hay in unlimited amounts daily. Alfalfa hay can be fed in small amounts. Feeding hay will help keep their back teeth evenly worn. Guinea pig teeth grow continuously and need to be worn down by chewing or the teeth can become overgrown and cause sores in the mouth. This eventually causes pain and infection.

Pelleted food should be fed sparingly at approximately 1 tablespoon daily. Young guinea pigs can be fed alfalfa pellets and once they are fully grown adults they should be switched to timothy pellets. Only small bags of food and hay should be purchased at a time to preserve freshness of the food and vitamins inside the food.

When buying or adopting a guinea pig be sure to handle them and look closely at the eyes, nose, skin and coat. If you notice discharge from the eyes or nose, hair loss, scaly skin or extreme itchiness do not purchase or adopt that pet or be sure to have it examined by a veterinarian immediately. Also, do not purchase/adopt a guinea pig that is very nervous or attempts to bite when handled.

Guinea pigs should be examined by a veterinarian soon after purchase to be sure there is no sign of illness. They also should be examined as soon as you notice a problem. Guinea pigs become sick and get worse very quickly. If you notice that your guinea pig is not eating, drooling, has a runny nose or eyes, labored breathing, diarrhea, hair loss or appears very itchy please have them seen as soon as possible.

Kelly Ross, DVM


Websites for further information about guinea pigs
http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/
http://www.carefresh.com/
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/