How to choose guinea pig food

Friendly. Cute. Adorable. Social. Affordable. This list can go on and on because we are talking guinea pigs. These small creatures have stolen the hearts of pet owners from around 847,000 households across the US. So, what do you need to consider to find the best guinea pig for you?

I came up with a set of questions you can ask yourself before heading to a pet store or a shelter.

Question Number 1 – Are you going to be around your pet?

As I have already mentioned, guinea pigs are very social animals and they need a good company. So, ask yourself if you are going to be around for a sufficient amount of time? The same is relevant when you are purchasing a pet for a kid. You can go for one pet if your child is going to spend a lot of time with a pet. Alternatively, you need to get two guinea pigs.

Question Number 2 – What age guinea pig is best for me?

It’s unlikely that you are going to find a baby guinea pig at the shelter. If you want a baby guinea pig, the best place to go is a breeder. Bear in mind that the best age to take a guinea pig from a mum is 6 weeks old and above. The average life span of a guinea pig is between 4 to 6 years, however with a good care they can live for up to ten years. Therefore, I wouldn’t exclude the option of adopting an older guinea pig from the rescue shelter.

Question Number 3 – Male of Female Guinea Pig?

There is a little bit of a debate around this topic. The opinions vary with some breeders believing that male guinea pigs tend to be friendlier and generally more sociable in comparison to females. Also, some breeders recommend to choose male guinea pigs due to their curious and outgoing personality. However, most of the time the difference in personality is not related to a gender.

What you have to pay extra attention to when deciding between male or female guinea pig, is that health problems are different. For example, the most common health problem in male guinea pigs is impaction. This stands for inability to expel feces properly. The disorder usually affects older males. Moreover, male guinea pigs can fight and bite each other or spray urine with a strong odor in the cage.

On the other hand, female guinea pigs have slightly different health concerns. As female guinea pigs get older, there is a higher chance of struggling from the ovarian cysts or uterine infections. Female guinea pigs can, also, be moody due to hormonal swings.

However, the discussed problems can be resolved if the female guinea pig is spayed and male guinea pig is neutered.

Question Number 4 – Any Ideas on Which Breed is the Best?

There are, approximately, 20 breeds of guinea pigs you can choose from including short-haired, long-haired and hairless types. The most important consideration here is care. As you can probably guess by now, short-haired piggies require less attention in comparison to the long-haired beauties. So, it is entirely up to you which breed you personally like and if you are ready to take care of them properly. The personalities in some extent depend on the breed, for example, American guinea pig is known for its outgoing character whilst Abyssinian guinea pig is a massive attention seeker.

Question Number 5 – Are you planning to show a guinea pig?

Today, guinea pig show rings are quite popular, so your pet should fit into the set of rules. First, only 13 guinea pig breeds recognized by ACBA can take part in the competition. These breeds are:

• Abyssinian
• Abyssinian Satin
• American
• American Satin
• Coronet
• Peruvian
• Peruvian Satin
• Silkie
• Silkie Satin
• Teddy
• Teddy Satin
• Texel
• White Crested

The Peruvian, Silkie and Teddy can be in a Satin breed. Breeds with the sheen or the shininess of the fur are referred to Satin breeds. Bare in mind that ACBA’s rule is to have a brilliant coat.

Apart from the extensive care you have to make sure that your guinea pig is capable of standing still during the show. So, when choosing a piggy go for a calmer personality and assess how pet is reacting to taming.

As with most other pets, especially rodents, you’ll need to buy a cage for guinea pigs. But every animal is different and has different needs, so choosing a cage for a hamster won’t be the same as choosing a cage for your new guinea pig. You need to take other facts into consideration. So read on to find out how to choose the right guinea pig cage.

How To Choose The Right Guinea Pig Cage

When choosing a cage for guinea pigs, there are several important factors that will shape your decision. And no, color is not one of them. Guinea pigs don’t care about color. It’s more about the size and the type of cage, the bedding and hiding place, so be sure to check these facts before spending money on one.

The Size

Most people used to believe that a small cage, enough to fit the guinea pig and a little bit of additional space would be enough and the general rule of thumb was to choose a cage of 2 square feet. What those people didn’t know or didn’t take into account is that guinea pigs are social creatures and they live their life better when in pairs or larger groups.

And having two or three guinea pigs changes everything when it comes to the size of the cage. Even for a single guinea pig, the recommended size nowadays is a good 7 or 8 square feet, and for a pair of them, the size of the cage should exceed 10 square feet for things to be in order. In general, the larger, the better, so if you have the means to provide your guinea pigs with a larger cage, go for it.

The Type

You may stumble upon cages that are marketed as guinea pig cages, but they’re way too small, so stay away from them. As we mentioned earlier, your pigs will need some extra space.

Apart from that, avoid buying cages that have wire floors or wire ramps because those will be uncomfortable for your little furry friends. Also, the space between the bars can be up to one inch for adult pigs. Besides these considerations, there isn’t anything else that’s very important, so feel free to get creative. Ramps and plastic shelves will add some fun and interest to the guinea pig, but make sure you don’t cut their space for running around.

The Bedding

With bedding, try to keep away from pine and cedar shavings. It’s best to use hay, aspen shavings or even recycled paper bedding. There are also tons of other options out there which are safe to use.

The Nest

Guinea pigs are known for their need for hiding, so providing their cage with a good hiding place is a good idea. Tunnels and boxes don’t need to be bought to be good enough, so look for anything like cardboard boxes or large PVC pipes that you may have laying around your house and transform them into hiding spots for your furry friends. Also, instead of buying something specially built for that purpose, go for cheaper alternatives that can be used for the same thing.

Good Physical Attributes, Temperament, and Selection Tips

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Guinea pigs make great pets. They’re cute balls of fluffy fur that are amusing to watch and fun to play with and care for. When choosing a guinea pig to adopt, there are a few things you’ll want to look for to help you determine if the animal is healthy.

Good Physical Attributes

Look at the guinea pig’s overall body condition. A guinea pig should be neither fat nor skinny, with no swelling, lumps, or bumps.

The guinea pig’s coat should be well-groomed (full, fluffy, and smooth looking), with no bare patches. Avoid guinea pigs with bald patches or red patches of skin. Also check for soiling around the rear end, as this may indicate a problem with diarrhea.

The eyes, nose, and ears should be clean and free from discharge. Check the fur around the eyes and nose for signs of wetness, staining, or crusts.

Try to get a look at the teeth as well. They should not be overgrown and should be well-aligned. Also, check for wet or matted fur on the chin.

Observe the guinea pig’s breathing. It should be quiet and not labored, with no wheezing, clicking, or gurgling noises.

Temperament

Guinea pigs should be bright and curious in attitude and never lethargic. You want an active and alert guinea pig. Take as long as you need to watch the guinea pig move around. It should have no signs of lameness, stiffness, or reluctance to move around.

Observe how the guinea pig reacts to people. Many tend to be skittish at first, which is understandable in a pet store, breeder, or animal shelter situation. Ideally, try to pick a guinea pig that is relatively calm when it’s approached and who is relatively okay with being handled.

Look at the guinea pig’s surroundings. The cage should be clean, with good access to fresh food and water, and not overcrowded. Guinea pigs kept under good conditions will be less stressed and have less exposure to disease.

Guinea Pigs to Pass On

If any of the guinea pigs in the same cage, shelter, breeder, or store seem ill, resist the temptation to adopt from that place. If there is a contagious illness, your guinea pig may be next and there may be possible heartbreak ahead.

Familiarize yourself with the differences between male and female guinea pigs. Make sure that wherever you get your guinea pig, they house the males and females separately. If the place does not separate them or seems unsure about the gender of the guinea pigs, then move on. It is best to avoid the possibility of a surprise litter after you get home. This is especially true in very young piglets. Guinea pigs can become pregnant by about 4 weeks old, but this would be extremely dangerous for a very young mom-to-be.

Do not get a piglet younger than 6 weeks old. Female piglets should remain with their mothers until at least 4 weeks old. Male piglets should be separated at 3 weeks old since they can get their mother and sisters pregnant by 4 weeks of age. You want to add a few weeks after mother separation to make sure the piglet can thrive on its own.

Where to Get Your Guinea Pig

Before you try a store or breeder, look to a shelter or your local guinea pig rescue. There are many guinea pigs who need a second chance at a forever home. Quite often, these pets are given up because their previous owner simply could not care for them or they didn’t get along with another pet in the household. There are typically very few behavior problems to worry about when adopting a rescue guinea pig.

If you go to a breeder, make sure they are breeding for specific goals such as temperament and health. And, if you go to a store, make sure you can handle the guinea pig before you buy it. Do a quick health check and assess its temperament.

As much as you may really want a guinea pig right away, feel free to walk away if something doesn’t feel right. There are many excellent breeders and pet stores out there, but you may also come across ones that are less than reputable or keep their animals in unhealthy situations.

Pets are adorable as the part and parcel of our lives. They give us companionship and reduce our loneliness. They live with us as family members.

There are different kinds of pets, although small pets are most precious to nurture. Hamster, Guinea pig, Rabbit, Gerbil, and Chinchilla are popular pets. All of them look beautiful with their distinct traits and have numerous advantages.

So, do you want to choose your pet among them and confused about which one should you choose? Surely, you are in a wavering mind. Because there are considerable similarities and dissimilarities among pets which leave you in a puzzle to choose a particular one.

So, here in this article, we are going to give you some common information about hamsters, guinea pig, rabbit and chinchilla by comparing them to each other. We hope that you can choose your desired pet from the comparison we are going to make.

Hamster vs Guinea pig

Hamster and Guinea pig have different characteristics. According to the environment, their fostering systems vary. They have particular advantages and disadvantages. Let’s know about them.

The characteristics of hamsterare:

As a pet, Hamster is really delicate and it is a small pet. Its weight is almost 0.8 to 3.5 ounces. As a little animal, it does not need a huge cage. A 12 to 18-inch cage is suitable for it.

Hamster is an unsocial animal. It loves living in a solitary space. It makes little noise and moves soundly. So, its cage should be housed in a quiet place of indoors.

As a peaceful creature, hamster leads a very sober life. It doesn’t mess its cage shortly. So, it is enough to clean its cage once or twice a week.

Hamster is an omnivorous animal. It likes to eat both animal materials and fresh vegetables. Moreover, it eats dry foods and fruits. To know more about hamsters food, go here.

Though it is restful, it is swift. Even, sometimes it can be quite aggressive. It may bite when it feels itself unsafe.

The lifespan of the hamster is very short. It lives for two or three years. So, it needs subtle attention. Proper care can make it quite tame.

Hamster is a nocturnal animal. It awakes in the morning and most of the time during night. At that time, it squeaks.

The characteristics of Guinea pigare:

Guinea pig is larger than a hamster. It weighs 2 to 4 pounds. It can live both in the indoors and outdoors if the weather suits it.

Unlike hamsters, Guinea pig is very social in nature. It likes to live in pairs. Even it can live in a cage with other animals. For its activities, a larger cage is needed for it.

Pellets, vegetables, and hay are the fundamental foods for Guinea pig. You should give it vitamin-C. It eats so many times in a day. For more foods, it makes the place dirty. So, the guinea pig cage needs to be cleaned up several times.

Guinea pig lives a long life than a hamster lives. Its lifespan is almost 5 to 8 years. For this reason, it needs regular care. You have to interact with it. If you are in a limited time, the Guinea pig is not favorable for you.

Since, it is known for its courteous temperament, it bites rarely.

From the characteristics mentioned above it is clear that there are various dissimilarities between a hamster and a guinea pig, now, it is your time to choose your preferred pet.

There are several things to consider when choosing the right guinea pig, and one of the first is deciding which breed of guinea pig you’d like to own. Unlike cats and dogs, there’s not much difference in temperament or innate instinct between guinea pig breeds, so for the most part all that should be thought about is which one you like the look of best!

Next up, the thing to think about is where you’d like to get your guinea pig from, as shelters and breeders come with different pros and cons. Shelters are fantastic and you can really help a guinea pig in need, but if you’re absolutely set on a particular breed then adopting from a shelter may mean that you’ll have to wait a little while until guinea pigs of the breed you’re after come up for adoption. Whilst you’re more likely to quickly find the type you want from a breeder, you’ll need to make sure you’re purchasing a healthy animal from someone who’s not running an immoral guinea pig farm.

There are many different types of guinea pig to choose from

To sum up, if you’re after an especially rare or new guinea pig breed, then expect to put in a bit of work – and money – into finding some, but if you just want some guinea pigs that appeal to you then you don’t have to wait long at all. Just pop into a shelter and you’re likely to fall in love with one very quickly.

Which one do you choose if you are given the choices of hamster vs guinea pig vs gerbil? All these small animals are cut and very lovable so it is only normal if you find it hard to choose which one you will have as your pet. Each of them has certain characteristics and it is necessary to consider these aspects before adopting it.

Similarities of Hamster, Guinea Pigs and Gerbils

Before we discuss what makes them different to each other, perhaps we should discuss their similarities. All of them are mammals and furry animals that make them very cuddly. They have overload cuteness especially when they do certain things. They are small animals that are considerably smaller than cats and dogs. Given the fact they are herbivores, they only eat fruit, grains, vegetables, and other natural foods. Since they are considered small animals, they can get stressed quite easily especially if they live near bigger animals like cats and dogs except they have grown together with other animals.

Therefore, it is important to provide particular space for them far from other animals. Inside their cages, they love many bedding materials as they tend to make their own bedding areas and treat it like their nest. As for the food, all of them need both regular fresh food and dry food for balance. It is important to make sure they get the necessary minerals and vitamins in good amount.

Differences of Hamster, Guinea Pigs and Gerbils

They have many similarities and differences at once. Their size for instance is different. Of all three of them, the guinea pigs are the biggest with hefty size especially over the smallest of them, the hamster. In average, guinea pigs grow between 8 inches to 12 inches long while the hamsters only grow between 2 inches to 4 inches long and gerbils grow from 5 inches to 6 inches long. So, you can say that the hamsters are the dwarfs.

Their life expectancy is also different. Guinea pigs require long term commitment as they can live up to 7 years. Hamster has the shortest life expectancy while the gerbils also have shorter life expectancy compared to guinea pigs. Make sure they live a stress-free life so they can live longer and happily being your pet.

If you choose hamster then you should be ready to not be really enjoying sleeping at night because hamster is a nocturnal animal. Meanwhile, guinea pigs are different because they usually choose to be awake at daylight. But be ready because guinea pigs tend to make lots of noises while awake like making assorted noises, screams and lots of chirps. They may be noise but they are still very cute.

Human Interaction

All of them including hamster, gerbils and guinea pigs love regular human interaction. At least, spend 15 minutes every day to let them being outside the cage and socialize. It is a way to keep them happy and healthy. If you choose guinea pigs, you will have jolly and sociable small animals.

Transcript

Guinea pigs. I have two of them in my house now. My daughters wanted them for pets. And they’re OK with me. They’re cute. They make funny noises. And more importantly, they make my girls happy. Indeed, guinea pigs are popular pets for many children.

Guinea pigs are also well known for their role in biological research, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries. In fact, we often use the term “guinea pig” to refer to a test subject. For example, if my friend just learned a new massage technique, she might be looking for someone to practice it on. So I might say to her, “I’ll be your guinea pig!”

So, you might think of guinea pigs as pets or research animals, but have you ever thought of them as a food source? Yeah, that’s right. You can eat them! In fact, guinea pigs are a traditional food source for people in the Andes mountains, in the area around Peru and Bolivia.

But here is the really interesting thing about guinea pigs as food: the meat is high in protein and very, very cheap to produce. Guinea pigs reproduce very quickly, they don’t need much space, and they can survive off of leftover scraps of food from the kitchen of their human owners. This is perfect for people living in rural regions in developing countries, who cannot afford to raise pigs or cows for meat.

Knowing how economically sensible guinea pigs are as a food source, a university in Peru began a program to breed larger guinea pigs for export to other countries. Maybe efforts like this will help poorer people around the world supplement their diet with much needed protein at much cheaper costs.

So the real question is: would you eat a guinea pig? I suppose I would try it if someone served me one. Just don’t tell my daughters. The idea of their father eating a cousin of one of their cute little pet guinea pigs wouldn’t make them happy at all.

If you have any stories about eating guinea pigs, or other uncommon food sources, please post them in the comments section below.

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Want to know if you should get a male or female guinea pig? It is an important consideration, and one worth taking your time on. In this article, we are looking at how you should choose the sex of your guinea pig and why it matters. We also give you advice on sexing guinea pigs (with the help of a video) as well as the importance of neutering your pets.

Is It Better To Get a Male or Female Guinea Pig?

On their own, both female and male guinea pigs make the best pocket pets. As long as it is healthy, happy and friendly, you won’t go wrong choosing either a boy or a girl guinea pig. But, if you are thinking about getting a pair, or adding a new piggie to your existing herd, choosing a boar or a sow is a significant decision.

Remember, though, cavies are social animals. No matter how much time you spend with your pet, it still needs the company of one or more guinea pigs. We suggest, even if you are only buying one piggy, for now, you need to think about you want to pair them down the line.

Pairing Your Guinea Pigs From The Start

If you are becoming a guinea pig parent for the first time, our recommendation is to get two young females or sows. This is because they generally get on well and are less inclined to fight. While two young boars might get along in the beginning, as they reach sexual maturity, they could end up fighting quite a lot.

If you want to pair a male and female together, it is essential that the boar has been neutered. Otherwise, you will have a guinea pig baby-making machine on your hands. Sows can start reproducing from as young as 6 weeks old. Males, on the other hand, take a little longer, albeit only 4 weeks later. A female’s cycle lasts between 14 and 18 days, where she can become pregnant, and she can have up to 3 babies at a time.

We are pretty sure you will agree that that’s a lot of guinea pig babies.

How to Tell the Difference Between a Male and Female Guinea Pig

There are a few ways to tell the difference between male and female guinea pigs. Let’s take a look at these in a bit more detail, shall we?

Size

Boars are usually a little bulkier than sows. They are also longer; however, this isn’t the best way to determine a guinea pig’s sex.

Lifespan

Another way to differentiate between males and females is that boars live longer. Of course, this depends very much on their diets, and how well they are cared for.

Smell

Female guinea pigs tend to be less smelly compared to boars. This is because of the grease gland, which is more active in males. Again, this isn’t a definitive way of determining a guinea pig’s gender, as some sows can also have active grease glands.

Cleanliness

Yes, you guessed it, sows are cleaner than boars. Female guinea pigs keep their living space as clean as possible, while boars aren’t too fussed by the mess around them. Boars are more likely to spread food around and tip water bowls over.

Personality

Although it depends very much on your guinea pig’s personality, boars are usually more outgoing than sows, especially when you first get them. A female guinea pig will take a little longer to get to know you, whereas it’s quite easy to establish a connection with a male.

Aggression

Of the two, males are generally more aggressive than females. This is because they are more territorial and feel the need to protect their space a lot more. Female guinea pigs are more laid back. Having said this, some females are feisty and will get into a scrap if they feel it’s necessary.

Noise

Boars tend to be louder than sows, and they can get noisy.

Activity levels

Boars are usually more active and will need a larger enclosure. Having more space to run around and do their own thing will also go a long way in preventing fights from breaking out. Females require less space for two reasons. Firstly, they aren’t as busy as males, and they tend to get on much better with their hutch mates.

Genitals

If you take a closer look, you will notice that a male guinea pig has smaller nipples than a sow. There is also a difference with their genitals. Males have a little bulge just above their anus. It almost looks like the letter ‘i’. A female’s genitals look more like a ‘y’ with no noticeable protruding bit.

Sexing a Guinea Pig

On that note, the best way to determine whether you have a female or male guinea pig is to look at its reproductive organs. A female guinea pig’s nipples are bigger than a male’s, but there are more noticeable differences when you look at their genitals.

As already mentioned, a female’s genitals are shaped liked a ‘y’ whereas a male’s looks more like an ‘i’ or upside-down exclamation mark (!). The video clip below explains it a lot better

If you are still not sure, your vet will be able to confirm the sex of your guinea pig. Rescue centres will also be able to help in this regard.

Male or Female?

For the first time guinea pig parent, it doesn’t matter whether you get a male or female guinea pig. What is important, however, is how you choose to pair them going forward. Male guinea pigs are as sociable as females, as long as they are neutered and not vying for the attention from sows. And as long as there’s plenty of space for them in their hutch, males will be less inclined to wage turf wars.

Buying or Adopting a Guinea Pig – Which is Better?

Not sure if you should buy a guinea pig or adopt one from a rescue centre? Here is our take on it. Because cavies are such prolific reproducers, there are always thousands needing a new home. For us, adopting is best, and there will be a rescue centre near you. If you prefer to buy a piggy, we recommend that it’s from a reputable store or breeder.

Did you find this article helpful? We hope so. And if you are new to the Home and Roost blog, we would love to see a photo of your boy or girl piggy. Just leave a comment, with a picture below.

And for more cavy facts and information visit our guinea pig library here.

How much to feed

Guinea pigs don’t usually overeat, but it’s important to provide the proper balance of pellets, hay and fresh vegetables. Like human beings, guinea pigs cannot make their own vitamin C, so they require vitamin C-rich foods in their daily diet.

Commercial food: Choose vitamin C-fortified pellets with no seeds or dried fruit added. Because vitamin C usually degrades rather quickly, it is crucial to also offer your guinea pig vitamin C-rich vegetables and fruit on a daily basis. About 1/8 cup of pellets once a day—supplemented by hay and fresh vegetables as described below—will be enough.

Timothy hay: Provide an unlimited quantity of fresh timothy hay every day. Guinea pigs need continuous access to hay to aid their digestion and limit the growth of their teeth.

Fruit and vegetables: Fresh vegetables can be offered once a day and should be equivalent to about one cup total per guinea pig per day. Leafy greens like romaine lettuce, kale, cilantro or parsley should comprise the bulk of your pig’s fresh produce. Vegetables like red or green pepper, broccoli and tomatoes have high levels of vitamin C in them and are great daily options. Add carrots, zucchini and sweet potato once or twice a week.

Fruit works well as an occasional treat that is offered once a day or several times a week. Keep the portion size small since fruit is high in sugar; a small wedge of orange or apple, several blueberries or a thin slice of banana is perfectly adequate. Kiwis, strawberries and citrus have high levels of vitamin C.

Introduce new fruits and veggies gradually to avoid diarrhea. If your guinea pig develops loose stool, reduce the amount of fresh produce for several days, then reintroduce it in smaller portions.

Time for treats

There are a variety of commercial treats marketed for guinea pigs and other small animals. Loaded with artificial sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup, fructose or sucrose, they provide little nutritional value and lots of empty calories.

Commercial treats are unnecessary and a waste of money. Your pig will be perfectly happy with high quality pellets and hay and treats of fruits and vegetables. For a special snack, try mixing some rolled oats into your guinea pig’s pellets or stuff a small cardboard tube with fresh hay.

Multivitamins and mineral wheels

Mulitvitamins and mineral or salt wheels are marketed as supplements to your guinea pig’s diet, and the wheels are also advertised as outlets for gnawing. But if you’re feeding your guinea pig a varied and well-balanced diet, these products shouldn’t be necessary.

The glues and adhesives that hold mineral and salt wheels together may be harmful. Furthermore, the bleaching process for salt wheels introduces unnecessary chemicals into your pig’s diet. Although there isn’t consensus on these products, they should be considered a low priority when considering how best to spend your pet supply budget.

A delish dish

Opt for a ceramic food dish rather than a plastic one. Ceramic dishes are sturdy, chew-resistant and difficult to overturn. They’re also durable and shouldn’t need to be replaced unless they become cracked or chipped.

Look for a wide, shallow bowl. Many guinea pigs like to place their front feet on the rim of their food bowl when they eat and this design will lessen the chances that the bowl (and your pig!) could be upended.

Place the food bowl in an area of the cage that’s far away from your guinea pig’s bathroom area.

Spot clean your guinea pig’s food bowl as needed throughout the week if they kick bedding or droppings into it. Wash the bowl with soapy water and rinse and dry thoroughly during the weekly cage cleaning.

Keep it fresh

The steady amount of produce in your guinea pig’s diet means that you need to be conscientious about removing uneaten fruits, veggies and other perishable foods before they spoil.

• Check for untouched or unfinished treats an hour or so after they’ve been offered to your guinea pig.
• Replace pellets on a daily basis. Guinea pigs often kick bedding material or droppings into their food bowls and stale pellets will have little, if any, vitamin C.
• If there are many pellets left in the food bowl every day, you’re probably giving your pig too much. An eighth of a cup is all that’s needed.

Join the Community

Before shopping for guinea pig cages, research the basic requirements for housing. You can inquire at the pet store, but reading a book or two on guinea pig care would also be a good idea. Guinea pig cages come in a few sizes, but if your pet will be confined most of the day, or you don’t plan on buying a large run for exercise, choose the largest size cage available. Exotic pets such as guinea pigs also will need accessories, so you might want to choose a cage that comes fully equipped. Also, choose a guinea pig cage that is easy to clean, as you will need to disinfect it weekly.

Guinea pigs are typically kept in a spacious cage.

Depending upon how many pets require housing, you might opt for two or more guinea pig cages. If you plan on housing multiple guinea pigs in the same cage, choose a large cage suitable for more than one rodent. In any case, you’ll need a cage that has ample room for your pet to play and exercise.

One guinea pig should not be housed in a cage smaller than 32 inches (81 cm) by 37 inches (94 cm). This size will allow the animal enough space to play. If you house two guinea pigs together, choose a cage twice as large.

Consider what type of materials are used to make the cage. Guinea pig cages constructed of all glass are not appropriate because they will become too hot, especially in warm weather. You’ll want a cage that offers proper ventilation. Stainless steel and plastic will probably be a good combination. Avoid cages made from wood, as your pet’s teeth can be destructive.

Some guinea pig cages are made with a wire floor. These are not suitable for your pet, as the wire may cause sore feet. If the wire tray on the cage bottom is removable, take it out. If not, either cushion the cage bottom with a soft padding or choose another model that does not have wire flooring.

Also consider security when shopping for guinea pig cages. You’ll want to be sure the cage has some type of safety bolt or clamp to prevent escape. This will also prevent small children from easily opening the cage door and freeing your pet.

Consider a cage with a built-in slope for your pet to climb and exercise on. Some of the large guinea pig cages also have accessories such as special toys or ladders that can provide exercise and stimulation to prevent boredom. A cage that comes equipped with some type of tunnel is also beneficial as rodents enjoy a secure hiding place.

If your guinea pig cage comes with a lightweight feeding dish, replace it with something sturdier. Choose some type of ceramic dish that the animal cannot tip over. A water bottle for your pet guinea pig can be made of high-quality plastic, although glass is easier to clean and disinfect.

Your guinea pigs are family, so you want them to be happy and healthy. Sometimes, simple care mistakes lead to disaster. A review of these common guinea pig care no-nos helps you avoid them so your guinea pig buddies live the good life.

Guinea Pig Feeding Mistakes To Avoid

1. No skimping on plentiful grass hay, fresh water, and vitamin C. The guinea pig diet is mainly hay; we’re talking about 80% hay. Hay is necessary because of its high-fiber content, which helps maintain the guinea pig digestive tract and also wears down constantly growing teeth. Water is vital for life. It must be fresh and clean daily. Guinea pigs need vitamin C from their food because they can’t make it themselves. Many guinea pig pellets include added vitamin C, and you can also offer guinea pig-safe fresh veggies and small amounts of fruits rich in vitamin C. Without this vitamin, guinea pigs develop scurvy and could die.

2. No bad foods or overfeeding of good foods. What are bad foods? Processed, sugary, salty, and fatty foods top the list. Other no-nos include meat, alcohol, caffeine, dairy, or foods that cause gas. When in doubt about a food, ask your guinea-pig savvy veterinarian. Keep in mind that guinea pigs are herbivores. Guinea pigs can eat as much grass hay as they wish, but portion control is needed for pellets, and even healthy treats likes veggies, fruits, and Hey!Berries. Fruit should be offered most sparingly because of its sugar content.

Guinea Pig Housing Or Environment Mistakes To Avoid

3. No free-roaming in unsafe areas. An unsafe area is any space you haven’t guinea pig-proofed. This means any area with toxins, accessible power cords, bite-sized items on the floor, sharp objects, other free-roaming pets, unsupervised small children, and more. Use common sense before allowing your guinea pigs to roam a room. Some rooms should always be off-limits, such as kitchens, garages, and laundry rooms. The outdoors presents new problems, including birds of prey swooping down, disease from scat, insect bites, or standing water, and unknown pesticides.

Make sure an area is guinea pig-safe before you allow your pets to roam freely in it. summa/Pixabay.com

4. No warm environment. Heatstroke is a major concern for guinea pigs. Temperatures above 80 degrees Fahrenheit bring the possibility of heatstroke; with high humidity, it could happen at lower temperatures. If you’re uncomfortable, so is your guinea pig. Provide cooling options in the cage, such as frozen bottles of water or a guinea pig-safe pet cool plate. And don’t aim a fan directly at your guinea pigs.

5. No exercise balls. The safety of exercise balls for guinea pigs is under debate. Manufacturers of such products believe in their safety, but some guinea pig owners speak against them. The Guinea Lynx website, which focuses on guinea pig health, and visitors to guinea pig forums recommend against them. Avoid them until you discuss with your guinea pigs’ veterinarian about what is best for your pets.

6. No sharing a habitat with other species, even rabbits. Guinea pigs need a fairly large habitat/cage that has space to run around after accessories like food dishes, water bottles, toys, hideaways, and litter boxes are added. For people with more than one pet, the temptation might be to have guinea pigs share their living space with other nonpredator pets. Don’t do it. While different species often can share the same home, they can’t share the same living space. Guinea pigs should only live with other guinea pigs. In addition to possible inter-species aggression, diseases like Bordetella bronchiseptica can be passed between species. This most often occurs with carrier rabbits who look healthy but infect guinea pigs.

7. No poorly ventilated, small, or all wire-floored housing. Guinea pigs need well-ventilated habitats; this means no aquarium-types. The enclosure should allow guinea pigs to move around freely with all cage accessories in place. Hard or all wire-floors might cause painful bumblefoot, so provide an enclosure that has solid sections and bedding or blankets in sections so guinea pigs can rest on solid or soft areas as they wish.

8. No skimping on cleaning. A clean habitat promotes better health and minimizes any odors. If the enclosure has an odor, this means it’s time to increase the frequency of cleaning. Ammonia buildup from urine could cause respiratory disease.

Guinea Pig Interaction Mistakes To Avoid

9. No poor handling. This includes chasing a guinea pig around the habitat with your hands, not supporting a guinea pig’s abdomen and feet while holding, and allowing young children unsupervised playtime with guinea pigs. It’s best if guinea pigs come to you to be lifted out of their habitat; excessive chasing with your hands causes stress. Get your guinea pigs used to your hands by laying them in the habitat for several minutes without doing anything and offering treats on your hand. Guinea pigs always need to be supported when held to prevent injury and to prevent squirming that could lead to being dropped. Young children of about 7 years old or less won’t know how to interact with guinea pigs or have the coordination or ability to know their own strength.

10. No ignoring. Guinea pigs are social and want to be in on your family action. A guinea pig pair or group that has a clean habitat, great food, plentiful water, and lots of toys still won’t enjoy the best life if they spend all their time alone in their habitat. They need the enrichment of time interacting with you and exploring areas other than their habitat.

Guinea Pig Health Mistakes To Avoid

11. No waiting if you suspect illness. Guinea pigs are prey animals who hide any illness as long as possible. This means that by the time you might notice something is “off” with your guinea pig, your furry friend might be hours, days, or weeks into suffering. Outside of obvious signs of illness, changes to the norm are your first clues of possible guinea pig health problems.

12. No under grooming. For guinea pigs, this mainly means keeping current on nail trims and fur brushing. If nails grow too long, they can split, break, get ripped out, or make walking painful. Save your guinea pig from such agonies. Baths are only needed if guinea pigs get into something dirty or are heading for the show ring.

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Yes. Keep an eye on your guinea pigs when they’re out of the cage! They can get into so many things!!

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Give your little furry one a nutritionally complete meal with Oxbow Garden Select Young Guinea Pig Food. It features garden-inspired ingredients with an optimal blend of Timothy hay and alfalfa to provide your furry friend with complete and balanced nutrition. This food is designed to promote your paw-tner’s growth, energy, pregnancy and nursing needs with three varieties of grass hay for variety and meal enrichment. This non-GMO formula also contains no soy or wheat for those companions with sensitivities. With an enticing herbal aroma, Oxbow Garden Select Food will appeal to even the pickiest of guinea pigs.

Key Benefits

• Young guinea pig food designed to give your little furry one complete and balanced nutrition.
• Features garden-inspired ingredients with an optimal blend of Timothy hay and alfalfa.
• Includes 3 varieties of grass hay for variety and meal enrichment.
• Non-GMO formula contains no soy or wheat for those companions with sensitivities.
• Appeals to the pickiest of furry friends with an enticing herbal aroma.

Timothy Grass, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Sunflower Meal, Whole Barley, Tomato Pomace (Dehydrated), Flaxseed, Whole Yellow Pea, Calcium Sulfate, L-Lysine, Dl-Methionine, Salt, L-Ascorbyl-2-Monophosphate (Vitamin C), Sodium Bentonite , Lignin Sulfonate, Rosemary, Thyme, Hydrolyzed Yeast, Inulin, Choline Chloride, Vitamin E Supplement, Zinc Sulfate, Yeast Culture (Dehydrated), Zinc Proteinate, Niacin, Copper Sulfate, D-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Manganous Oxide, Riboflavin Supplement, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Magnesium Sulfate, Copper Proteinate, Sodium Selenite, Manganese Proteinate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Cobalt Carbonate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Calcium Iodate.

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein	18.0% min
Crude Fat	2.50% min
Crude Fiber	20.0% min
Crude Fiber	23.0% max
Moisture	10.0% max
Calcium	0.6% min
Calcium	1.1% max
Phosphorus	0.25% min
Vitamin A	10,000 IU/kg min
Vitamin D3	900 IU/kg min
Vitamin E	190 IU/kg min
Vitamin C	400 mg/kg min

Young (Under Six Months), Pregnant/Nursing: Unlimited Feed In Addition To Unlimited Grass Hay. Alfalfa Hay May Be Given In Small Quantities.

Week 1, Mix 3 Parts Current Food With 1 Part New Food. Week 2, Mix 2 Parts Current Food With 2 Parts New Food. Week 3, Mix 1 Part Current Food With 3 Parts New Food. Week Four, Feed Garden Select Young Guinea Pig Food Exclusively.

You’re definitely thinking outside the norm if you’re planning on getting a guinea pig as a pet. The idea of taming a guinea pig won’t be outside mainstream for long since many people are taking interest in fondling these cute furry little creatures.

People keep them for a number of reasons. While it’s not much difficult to find out why they’re gaining so much popularity, a list of pros and cons can also be presented. This popular global rodent is found in almost every part of the world. So, do guinea pigs make good pets? Let’s find out.

Owning a Guinea Pig Pros Cons

In this article, we’ve sorted out some pros and cons in a mainstream way, so it becomes easier to comprehend the idea of having guinea pigs as pets.

Pros: Why Are Guinea Pigs Good Pets?

They’re furry and adorable: This is undoubtedly the prime reason why guinea pigs are so much talk about. The cute furry little creature makes its owner feel better whenever they have them around. And you can’t really help staring at the delightful sight of their continuous chewing.

They live long enough: Talking about its lifespan, guinea pigs live up to 7-8 years on average. It’s surely a great thing, isn’t it? The can make great buddies for little kids while teaching them the sense of matured responsibility over time. They outlive hamsters or mice, which is a fact you can easily relax on.

Strong: Guinea pigs don’t fall victim to major diseases easily, and this fact is quite established. They hardly give the owners troubles concerning its health, thanks to its strong immune system. You’ll rarely see them falling sick, making them safer around little kids or toddlers.

They are gentle: Being gentle is one of the most noticeable characteristics of guinea pigs. This basic trait makes them an easy choice for us to have them as pets. They are extremely mellow, gentle, and benign towards the family, and these animals never cause havoc like dogs or cats. Moreover, most of them tend to be tied into a routine. This fact makes them the ideal choice of a pet for the people who can hardly maintain a pet due to massive workloads.

They are affectionate: These adorable creatures are also excellent greeters to their owners. And they greet them pretty frequently. You might be surprised by the fact that guinea pigs are always eager to build a loving relationship with the members of the family. They tend to do it in a way that makes them the core attraction in your house. They’ll never let you feel bored when around you.

Easy to move around: The small creatures easily move around the house without any help. Besides, they do not require bigger spaces for running about, playing, or exercising. And you won’t have to take them out so often. But you can always carry them around easily because of the small size they have.

They’re on a vegetarian diet: The fluffy pets maintain a routine vegetarian diet. They follow a nice vegan diet too with much ease. So quite understandably, their trash bins smell much less than those of dogs or cats. Feeding them also becomes pretty easier due to their vegan diet which is also feasible and cost-efficient.

They are easily manageable: The guinea pigs adapt faster than most other pets and easily adjust with the surroundings. It surely makes them the pet for every house.

They require lesser attention: Generally, a guinea pig tends to retain the same mood. No matter you pay much attention to it or not, there’ll hardly be any mood swings.

Cons: What Makes Guinea Pigs Bad as Pets?

Till now, we’ve covered all the positives of these lovely little animals which are catchy enough to interest a person to adopt them as pets. But before you decide to adopt one, check out their negative aspects as well. Have a look at our list down below.

​Possible space issues: Rather than exploring the outdoors, these little animals prefer remaining indoors. It’s also the reason behind them needing a bigger space that keeps them upbeat. Running around is also their hobby which requires a larger space as well. Besides, they might even get aggressive within short space.

Sensitiveness: Every breed of guinea pigs are of sensitive nature. They are sensitive towards worms, mites, and other pests. You must take care of them properly when something like this happens. Otherwise, infections can cause them to lose their fur.

They often smell bad: Like rabbit owners, the complaint is common among the guinea pig owners that their pet smells bad. This occurrence happens when the cage is not cleaned up on a regular basis. So you somehow have to maintain the tedious cleaning thing. However, the bad smell may also emit when the male ones mark their territory. So, guinea pigs are not the kind of pet you’d like if you cannot tolerate this.

Shyness: Guinea pigs are naturally shy, and they don’t accept a new owner easily like a cat or a dog. It’s an issue when someone wants to adopt one for quick elation and mental boost.

They are noisy: These little animals can be super noisy at times and may not let you have a sound sleep.

Costs: Yes, guinea pigs cost you less than your dog or cat does. But with the course of time when they grow up, you’ll have to count your bucks on cages, vet charges, hay, and veggies.

They destroy: If left alone, guinea pigs may destroy a handful of your stuff. Especially, they’ll hardly spare the chewable.

They’ll leave you sad: As we’ve mentioned before, they live 7-8 years on average. So when they pass away, they leave you with a sad story for the longer term.

Have you noticed that your guinea pig smells bad? Or maybe your living room stinks because the guinea pig cage smells like ammonia? You can resolve this issue by following a cage cleaning routine. However, I would strongly recommend to litter train a guinea pig. It will make taking care of a guinea pig a less stressful chore.

Is it possible to litter train a guinea pig?

Yes, it is possible to litter train guinea pigs but it takes time. Unlike cats and dogs, small animals go to the toilet where they eat, sleep or stand. Most of the time, guinea pigs feel comfortable to go to the toilet where they eat.

To litter train a guinea pig you need time, effort and understanding of your pet’s behavior. How quick a guinea pig will learn depends on the character of your pet.

Can you use cat litter for guinea pigs?

No, you can’t use cat litter for guinea pigs. Please, avoid it at all costs because it is dangerous for guinea pigs. Pelleted cat litter is rough and can damage their feet. Moreover, a clay-based, dusty and fragranced cat litter can be toxic to small animals.

Also, it is not a good idea to use a cat litter which is clumping. Guinea pigs can eat the clumps and choke on them. Furthermore, the pee will get clumped up and end up with unpleasant odor. However, many owners opt for cat litters which are made of the recycled paper and are not hard to walk on.

Best litter for guinea pigs?

Whereas you opt for a litter tray or set up a potty corner, the best option is an organic paper based bedding. Stay away from the wood litters like sawdust and wood shaving as they can lead to respiratory problems.

Some owners recommend to lay a puppy pad underneath the toilet area to eliminate the smell. Also, it is a good idea to use old newspaper in the litter box. You can use a fleece and towels in the litter tray, but do make sure to change and wash them regularly.

To help with the litter training,on top of the bedding a litter box should be lined with the hay. Make sure that the toilet area is not different from the rest of the cage, so your pet feels comfortable.

A step-by-step guide to guinea pig potty training:

Step 1 – Choose a toilet area for a guinea pig;

Observe your guinea pig for a few days and figure out where it eliminates more often. When cleaning the cage you will see where the bedding is soiled and has the most of droppings.

Guinea pigs are prey animals. Their natural instinct is to find a dark area where they feel safe. Moreover, they try to stay in one location for as long as possible because they don’t like amendments to their environment.

Step 2 – Choose a guinea pig litter tray or a litter box;

Choose a litter box or a tray that a guinea pig can easily get in and climb out of. It should be spacious enough for your pet to not only fit the entire body but to move around too. Pay attention to the sides – these shouldn’t be too high. Guinea pig should be comfortable to enter the box.

The box should be made of the heavy material, so it doesn’t tip over. Alternatively, you can get a litter box which clips to the cage.

Step 3 – Organize a guinea pig toilet area;

Once you found where your guinea pig does its business, you can organize the toilet area. Go for a dark spot which is covered on all sides. To create a dark and quite place, you can just throw a blanket or towel over the litter box.

If you have a cage with a ramp to a second floor, then you can organize a toilet area in the space under the second floor next to the ramp.

Step 4 – Litter Train a Guinea Pig

Please bear in mind that there is no guarantee that your guinea pig will be litter trained. It is highly depended on the individual pet, but you can always give it a go.

1. Organize the toilet area and place a litter box (read above) and let your pet in. Take a note if a guinea pig approaches the box. Some of the pets will understand that they need to eliminate into the box.
2. Put the hay inside the litter tray or place a hay rack next to the toilet area. It will encourage a guinea pig to enter the box. Hay will keep your guinea pig coming back to the toilet area.
3. Lure a guinea pig to the litter box and reward any successful attempt with a treat. Try it a few times and reward your guinea pig with a treat for staying in the box. It will create an association that it is good to pee and poop in the box.
4. Make sure to clean the litter box every day. Otherwise a guinea pig won’t do its business in the dirty place.
5. Try to put any droppings in the litter box, so your pet can see that it is a dedicated area.
6. Some pet owners recommend to put food inside the litter box. However, it depends on your guinea pig. If it pees when eating, then it is a good idea. But, if your guinea pig doesn’t do that, then keep the food bowl and a water bowl separately from the litter area.
7. You can also put a hideout house or an igloo inside the litter tray to add extra privacy. Make sure to deep clean the accessories weekly.

Is it too late to potty train guinea pigs?

You can still give it a go, potty training more depends on the character of the pet. Although, if you have a 4 year old guinea pig who is used to pee everywhere, then it will be harder to break this habit.

Guinea pigs are animals that love socializing. So, if having them as a pet is what you’re planning on, do adopt two of them at least. Now, if your mind is set, quite relatively, building a suitable house for those cute furry ones is something you cannot avoid.

Having spent a large share of my teenage days with half a dozen guinea pigs in my backyard, I found wooden homes as the perfect shelter for them. So in this article, I’m going to show you how to build a guinea pig cage out of wood.

Here, I’ll show you making a unit for a single one. In general, 7.5 sq. ft. space is needed for a guinea pig. So, you need bigger arrangements for more than one. No worries, the process will be same anyways. So, without further ado, let’s dive in.

How to Build a Guinea Pig Cage from Scratch?

​Guinea pigs love to explore, and therefore, they need bigger spaces for living or exercising. The furry tiny fun-loving creatures are also fond of burrowing into wood or cardboard shavings. Seeing them moving and ramping up and down the ladders is a fun thing.

As I’ve said before, they like to be in a pack of two, three or more. But for now, I’ll show you a project making a wooden cage for only one. You can later use the same technique for a bigger project.

The Necessary Materials at a Glance

• Solid pieces of wood.
• Wire netting.
• Wood staples.
• Nails or screws.
• Galvanized clamp locks.
• Electric drill.
• Screwdriver.
• Hammer.
• Measure tape.
• Saw.
• Wire-cutters.

You can also revamp a large, old cabinet or cupboard.

The Preparation

Arrange the project layout or setup. Naturally, a bigger hutch is better for any type of creature. If you’re planning for more than one guinea pig, you’ll have to add approximately 2-4 sq ft for each of them. And of course, apart from making a one-story cage, you can also build a two or three-story cage. The next thing you’ll require is a ramp to let your pet move between the floors.

In general, guinea pigs are not animals with athletic nature. But they enjoy moving and exploring when they feel. Always remember not to keep your guinea pigs outdoors. The cute little furry creatures need an indoor ambiance having a temperature of 18–27 °C (65–80 °F).

Now follow the instructions step by step.

Step-1: Sketch the Cabinet

​Before beginning with the tools, it’s necessary for you to prepare a sketch of your project with proper details. This should include the measurement of the living space, the height, the width, and the levels you might want to adjoin to the cage. When you prepare a blueprint of your project, your works run more smoothly. Also, you can prevent unnecessary mistakes that may cost you time and big bucks.

Step-2: Measure and Sand Wood

​Now that you have your blueprint ready, build the frame of your cage by cutting the materials taking proper measurements. You will require having three lengths for the wooden parts separately. One for the length, one for the width, and the other for the height. You must have four pieces to the least of each size. They’ll serve as the walls of your hutch. Also, you’ll have to measure a piece of wood for the opening doors of the cage and the various panels of the hutch interior.

Measure wood while double-checking your measurement before you advance to the cutting process. Use a hand saw and an electric drill for making the cuts with precision.

Once you are done and all of the wooden parts are ready, smudge the edges with sandpaper. Smooth edges will help your pet avoid accidental injuries. You can use sandpaper of large grit to finish off the pieces.

​Step-3: Assembling the Pieces

​Well, by now you’ve readied all the required wooden pieces and you’re ready for the final step. You guessed it right; it’s time for assembling the pieces.

Start with installing the walls, the floors, and the roof. You can use a wood stapler to put the pieces together. The floor and the roof of your hutch must be solid enough. It’s ideal for the floor to be plastic made, so it doesn’t get easily ruined by water or urine. But it’s better for the roof to be made of sturdy wood.

Do not use any wire netting for the cage floor. Some pet owners suggest using a wire netting so it becomes easier to clear away the feces of your guinea pig. However, it’s a kind of flooring that may lead your pet to unwanted injuries. Breaking a leg of your favorite pet might be the worst case scenario.

You may want to use chicken wire instead as the cage walls and it’s simple. Just fix the chicken wire netting to the cage sides and finish it off stapling with a wood stapler. Remember to cut off the excess.

Few Additional Things to Think About

Some people may still want to have wooden floors. If this happens to be you, place a thick plastic or a tarp on the floor. This way, you can prevent it to be soaked and littered with urine. You can also place thick layers of bedding like newspaper, wood shavings, shredded cardboard and such. This will help absorb any type of liquid from your cage.

Some of the guinea pigs might be fond of gnawing on wood. I suggest not allowing it to do so. If you notice this behavior in your pet, go for a plastic or steel cage instead of a wooden cage.

To feed guinea pigs with good food is easier and much cheaper as aspected. We tell you how to feed your cavies with the best fodder.

Good food in right quantity is the best way to ensure long-life of your guinea pigs. We’ll give you an idea what fodder is really liked by your cavies.

Loud colorful painted packages from the pet shop contains almost junk food – so leave it for a proper diet! Guinea Pigs really love cheap and healthy natural finish food.

Natural food is always the best choice you can offer for your cavies. It isn’t quite ambitious or expensive to feed them responsible. Far from it, a good diet might be much cheaper at some seasons if vetgetables are cheap and grass is rising high. The nourishment of cavies stands on the ground of grass and other ground based dibbles / shrubs. A diet must not contain any animal products like animal fat or industrial fall-out like molasses.

And Guinea Pigs are not your trash can for kitchen waste! Ask yourself: Would you prefer to eat it? If not, don’t give it to them as well.

How to feed Guinea Pigs correctly:

Hay, hay, hay!

Hay is the primary food for your cavies and has to be provided fresh consistently. The first meat at morning should be hay exclusive. Hay is rich in crude fiber / fibre which is essential for the cavies eupepsia. Hay is elemental to keep their gut working on.

Water for Guinea Pigs

It might be a platitude but this is a really often asked question whether Guinea Pigs needs water or not. The short answer is: Yes, of course they need water! Cavies are mammals and all mammals needs fresh water every day for their water balance.

Guinea Pig food list

There is a huge variety of plant you can feed your Guinea Pigs with. They are really vegans and like nearly everything which grows on ground. We provide an detailed list of food your Guinea Pigs might really like – and also a blacklist which food should not be provided to your cavies for some reason. This might help you to build up a proper diet for your cavies.

Hand feeding of Guinea Pigs

Feeding your Guinea Pig by hand is important if it doesn’t eat anymore as a result of sickness (mostly malocclusion). Sometimes it could be very difficult to feed a cavy by hand and in other cases it will eat by hand feeding without any problems. We tell you how and what to feed by hand.

Fresh fodder

Fresh fodder is separated in two different kinds which have to be provided in different kind: fresh fodder like herbage and water based fresh fodder like vegetables. Let’s have a look at the difference.

Dry food / pellets for Guinea Pigs

To feed Guinea Pigs with dry food / pellets or to do not is always a bone of contention. Why? In fact this pellets belongs to industrial fattening rabbits and has never been a healthy food for pets such like Guinea Pigs. You’re doing your best if you provide it rarely only like sweets for your child’s and should not be part of its diet.

Snacks for Guinea Pigs

Most kind of snacks for Guinea Pigs like crackers, nibble / crispy sticks or anything like that should be leaved untouched in pet shops regardless how nicely the packages are designed and promising healthy. These products are fattening and could be a serious risk for many diseases in the long run.

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Dominance is typical behavior in animals, and guinea pigs are no different. But why do guinea pigs show dominance? What are the signs of guinea pig dominance, and what should you do? As a curious guinea pig owner, I did some research, and here is what I found out.

When kept in a small enclosure, guinea pigs will compete for limited resources, including food, water, etc. The competition is sorted out when one guinea pig proves their dominance. The dominant guinea pig will mark his territory and always show dominance to subordinate guinea pigs.

Guinea pig showing dominance is a natural phenomenon whenever they share a living space.

While sometimes it happens peacefully as one guinea pig shows dominance, the subordinate one gives up pretty quickly and accepts the other one as the leader.

Sometimes, things can go differently as both guinea pigs don’t want to give up, and hence a battle for the throne of leadership starts.

But are all guinea pigs dominant or is it a problem with some of them only? Let’s learn more about it in detail.

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Do all guinea pigs show dominance?

No, not all guinea pigs are dominant. Dominance can vastly differ from one guinea pig to another depending upon their behavior, living environment, and their cage mates.

While some guinea pigs are more dominant than others, we must understand that it is their natural process of bonding, and we must not intervene in the same.

Male guinea pigs are more likely to show dominance behavior than female ones and usually last for a more extended period as well.

Guinea pig’s dominance usually ends with one guinea pig giving up and accepting their defeat, thus lowering their head and producing a rumbling or chuttering noise. The dominant guinea pigs then mark off their territory and stand as a leader.

So, now that we have learned some basic things about guinea pig’s dominance, let us move ahead and learn what are the signs of dominance in guinea pigs, and do the signs differ from one to another?

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Guinea pig dominance behavior

Sometimes the dominance phase passes quickly, and hardly you will see the sign of it as one guinea pigs give up immediately.

Usually, you will hear a loud squeal followed by running away, indicating I am no match for you; hence I give up!

However, sometimes the faceoff lasts long as none of them wants to give up. The faceoff usually starts with a verbal confrontation, and if both of them still remain dominant, then it may lead to physical confrontation.

Guinea pig dominance sound: Verbal Confrontation

Whenever the guinea pigs decide to prove dominance, they usually first start with a verbal confrontation.

Mild teeth chattering is typical behavior that guinea pigs begin with. purring or low rumbling are some other noises that can be commonly noticed during this phase.

These are the signs usually seen during their initial dominance behavior and indicates that the guinea pigs do not like the situation they are in.

If the situation continues and none of them backs out, then the vocal sounds start to intensify in this phase.

Sounds of guinea pigs snorting(it’s like hissing or sneezing you can say) followed by stressed squeaking & loud teeth chattering are some noises you can notice during this phase.

If you notice such behavior, then you can expect to see some physical dominance coming in soon.

Guinea pig dominance behavior: Chasing and mounting

If both of the guinea pigs don’t back up during the verbal confrontation, then one starts to show some physical dominance behavior.

It usually begins with raising the chin high, wiggling their bottom(moving bottom side to side) accompanied by a rumbling or chuttering noise.

Then one of the guinea pigs might start rubbing their bottom in the area marking their territory. If the other guinea pigs don’t back off by now, then the dominance escalates to chasing and mounting behavior.

Usually, the more dominant guinea pig chases the other one around the cage, nipping at their back and rumbling loudly.

Once the guinea pig chases and corners the other one, they start mounting and humping the other guinea pig.

They will stop and drop down for a few seconds in between for rumbling and starts back again for some more humping.

Usually, this dominance behavior lasts until the other one gives up and accepts its new role in the cage as a subordinate guinea pig.

In most cases, one guinea pig will take the lead, and the peace in the cage will return as usual.

However, sometimes there is a possibility for a serious fight. If none of them decides to give up, then the dominance behavior can take some severe turn.

Usually, at this phase, the struggle can get dangerous, tackling each other, loud rumbling and biting each other off can be some sign of serious dominance.

If the dominance behavior takes the dangerous turn, then you might need to intervene to stop the same as both guinea pigs can harm each other severely, which can be fatal for them.

Stopping them and moving them to a separate cage or adding a divider in the cage can help in such a situation.

and that’s Guinea Pigs, of course

Gerty Guinea Pig Muesli

This is a slight rant about dried food mixes, and in particular Gerty Guinea Pig Muesli.

I would like to point out that I don’t usually choose to feed this to my pigs, but a combination of very bad planning (me), a sad lack of choice in the local shops and an uncontrollable urge to put something, anything in the dried food bowls (me again) led to me feeding this for about a week.

Feeding this muesli made me consider how ruddy irritating this stuff is.

I’ve been onto the Supreme Petfoods website to get the ingredients, and a list of what is in the muesli is as follows:

Alfalfa, flaked peas, flaked maize, wheat, flaked wheat, oats, soya flakes, extruded locust beans, anise and fenugreek oil, soya oil, oranges, bananas, minerals, salt.

I was a bit confused by this as the bag I had definitely seemed to contain seeds of some sorts. Possibly this was the unprocessed wheat, I’m not sure.

Anyway, let’s overlook for the moment that the largest ingredient is Alfalfa, (not something recommended to be fed to pigs other than pregnant sows and babies due to its high calcium content and the link to causing bladder stones), and shift straight onto how flipping wasteful it is to feed this stuff.

My pigs are not insanely picky eaters but I immediately noticed that they would only eat about a quarter of whatever was put in the bowl. They completely ignored the pellets, weird red-and-green dog biscuity type things and the light green bits that looked like cornflakes. We had a bit of a stand-off on the dried food while I determinedly waited for them to eat the rest and they just stuffed themselves on hay, ‘wheeked‘ angrily at me for more food and completely ignored what they clearly considered to be the inedible component of the meal. In the end I caved, emptied the unwanted stuff and refilled the bowl. I kept a bag of the unwanted ‘bits’ and come the end of the week when their usual pellet feed had arrived I had an enormous bag of these bits which wasn’t so very much smaller than the original bag of Gerty I’d bought at the shop.

It seems to me that a complete mix is all very well, but if the pigs are eating it selectively then they aren’t getting a complete feed at all. Mueslis like Gerty Guinea Pig seem to be formulated much more for the pig owner than the pig themselves. I had a non-piggy friend comment on how ‘boring’ the usual pellets look. Yes, they’re uniform, brown and frankly don’t look that dissimilar to pig poos but they eat them all up, there’s zero wastage and I don’t have to worry they’re getting an overdose of one particular nutrient.

This has resulted in me giving Gerty Guinea Pig Muesli my Black Paw of Doom. Oh, and I’m going to make doubly sure I don’t run out of the usual feed in the future!

Guinea pig (Cuy) is a delicacy that is very typically associated with typical Peruvian cuisine but it is also eaten throughout other countries of South America such as Ecuador, Colombia and Bolivia.

The Peruvian guinea pig dish, cuy, is mostly served on special occasions rather than as a meal eaten regularly but is readily available for adventurous tourists to try in restaurants or at different food stalls.

There are different methods of cooking guinea pig Cuy meat, the main ones are Cuy al horno (sometimes also called Cuy al palo or Picante de cuy), and Cuy Chactado.

Cuy al horno is baked or spit-roasted whilst Cuy chactado is fried in spices.

The following guinea pig (Cuy) recipes are based on the traditional authentic Peruvian national dish, Cuy, named so because of the noise a guinea pig makes (pronounced ‘kwee’).

How To Eat Cuy

Your best bet for eating cuy is to really get your hands dirty!

It can be a little messy and when you are in a restaurant you may feel it is a little unusual, but trust us, no-one will bat an eyelid. In fact, it’s very much to be expected.

Eating cuy is a little like eating chicken wings, in that you essentially use your teeth to get the most meat off the bone.

But Isn’t It Weird To Eat Guinea Pig?

To some of us it may seem weird to eat guinea pig, since many cultures around the world consider guinea pigs to be pets. However, in Peru guinea pigs are seen as more of a rodent and the Incas have traditionally eaten cuy for centuries.

What’s more, guinea pigs are really easy to farm for meat due to the rate at which they reproduce, making them a very cheap and effective source of protein.

In fact, according to the BBC, the rest of the world is now coming to accept the value of eating guinea pigs over keeping them as pets, with America deemed to be a big potential market.

What Does Cuy Taste Like?

Most people agree that cuy is actually delicious and tastes a little like chicken. This is probably why it’s such a popular dish throughout South America.

According to Eatperu.com Cuy has a deeper, fattier flavor than chicken, with a gamier taste.

Interested in trying cuy yourself? We have two real authentic recipes for cuy: Cuy Al Horno and Cuy Chactado. Have a go and let us know what you think!

Cuy Al Horno Recipe

The Peruvian guinea pig dish is mostly served on special occasions rather than as a meal eaten regularly but is readily available for adventurous tourists to try in restaurants or at different food stalls.

Mary Grace has taught first grade for 8 years and has a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and is licensed in ESL.

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The Guinea Pig

Hooray! Your parents tell you that you’re old enough to get your first pet! You can’t decide between a rabbit, a fish, and a guinea pig, so you decide to do some research to help you choose. This lesson will teach you all about guinea pigs so you have lots of information to help you make your choice.

A guinea pig

Guinea pigs are small, furry rodents that humans have domesticated to keep as pets. Rodents are a type of mammal that all have large, sharp front teeth that never stop growing. While rodents come in all sizes, Guinea pigs are very small! They weigh between two and three pounds and are less than one foot long. They can be lots of different colors like brown, black, white, and grey. They can have short or long hair. They usually live for 4-5 years but can live to be as old as 8 years.

Guinea Pig Food

Guinea pigs eat some of the same food as people! They like to eat hay and grass as their main food sources, but they love to eat fruits and vegetables as a special treat. Pet guinea pigs will often eat a type of food made especially for them called pellets. You can buy pellets at the pet food store and this food has all of the vitamins and minerals that guinea pigs need to keep them healthy. There are some foods that cause guinea pigs to get sick, such as candy, chocolate, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes.

Caring for a Guinea Pig

Guinea pigs are really popular pets. They were domesticated almost 500 years ago when European traders brought them to America. To be a responsible pet owner, make sure you give your pet food and water every day. You should keep your guinea pig in a cage to make sure it is safe, but you need to clean the cage every week. Guinea pigs love people and need lots of exercise, so make sure you take it out of its cage to play and be held every day!

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SMALL FURRY PET CARE

Based on Owners Experiences and Expert Recommendations

1 Comment Victor J. Guinea Pig Cages Bedding & ACCs, Guinea Pig/ Cavie 7010 View

Alternative Guinea Pig Cages To Choose From

Many Guinea Pig owners have tried different cages and resulted to two options:

OPTION #1. Guinea Habitat” Guinea Pig Cage & Accessories by MidWest

OPTION #2. DIY cages (your creativity will be needed here)

Let’s look at these options.

OPTION #1. Guinea Habitat Guinea Pig Cage & Accessories by MidWest

You will find that most guinea pig owners use this cage. It is very easy to assembly and maintain.

One of this cage can house a maximum of two (2) guinea pigs. If You have more guinea pigs(3+), you will have to get a second one and join them. The image will be shown below to indicate what we mean.

See some helpful set up clips.

Video 1 Midwest Guinea Pig Cage

video 2 setting up guinea habitat plus

This is just an idea of how you can join 2 Guinea Habitat Plus Cages

Joining Guinea Habitat Plus Cages

How Will This Cage Actually Look In Your House?

Where Do You Get This Cage?

OPTION #2. DIY cages (your creativity will be needed here)

When it comes to DIY for guinea pigs cages, you will have 3 options. Hoowever, you will need to know the proper dimensions required for the specific number of guinea pigs you have. See this site for the dimensions.

Make sure to go through all the options to know what works best for you.

OPTION 1: Buy the Pet Playpen Bunny Cage Fence – Tespo DIY Small Animal Exercise Pen Crate Kennel Hutch for Guinea Pigs & Rabbits, Upgrade Version and put coroplast. The Tespo mentioned above has grids (instead of buying grids separate you can go for this 12 panel or 36 panel playpen). Option 2 will make this clear for you.

Where Can I get this?

OPTION 2. Buy Coroplast (corrugated plastic) and Whitmor 6-Cube Wire StorageShelves or Grid Wire Modular Shelving and Storage Cubes to make cages.

See tutorial videos on building C&C cages:

How to build a C&C Cage

Building a C&C cage for 2 Cavies

How Do You Go About Cutting and Scoring Coroplast:

Cutting & Scoring Coroplast

If you find that cutting coroplast for your grids to be too much work, there are already cut coroplast and pre-prepared grids that are sold for around $70-$90 and all you have to do is set up. Here is a video.

Setting up the C&C cage

How Will These Grid Cages (also known as C&C Cages) Actually Look in Your House?

These grid cages have different designs and your creativity will be highly needed.

Where Do You Get The Grids?

Where Do You Get Coroplast and Tools You Need To Prepare It?

OPTION 3. Some people build creative wooden and glass cages. Since the wood can become dirty over time, you can get waterproof paint that is pet safe.

See video on an example of a DIY wooden guinea pig cage:

How to Build Your Own Wooden Guinea Pig Cage DIY Cage

How do these wooden cages Actually Look In Your House?

(These are just a few ideas of how you can DIY Your guinea pig wooden home)

DIY Guinea Pig Hutch you can make Inspiration of diy guinea pig house

Like many other rodents, guinea pigs’ teeth grow continually throughout their lives. While both their front and back teeth can become overgrown at the same time, it’s more common for it to happen to their front teeth. Their front teeth should meet evenly in the middle, and you should check regularly to ensure they do so. When their teeth become overgrown, they’re likely to stop eating and drinking, so it’s important to give your guinea pig what he needs to keep his teeth worn down.

Hard Food

If your guinea pig eats the right kind of food, he may naturally keep dental problems at bay. He needs the right nutrition in crunchy packages instead of soft food. Ensure that he eats plenty of fresh hay and hay cubes, as this kind of roughage is good for his teeth, helping keep them evenly worn. Compressed pellet foods, specially designed for guinea pigs, could also help keep his teeth worn down. However, a good diet won’t guarantee that his teeth won’t become overgrown, so be sure to inspect them regularly.

Having something besides food to gnaw on will help your guinea pig to keep his teeth worn down. Wood is an ideal gnawing substance, as it’s hard and natural. Tree branches are the best choice, as long as they haven’t been treated with pesticides or other chemicals. Choose a hardwood such as as apple, hickory, maple or oak.

Mineral Block

Giving mineral blocks or salt licks is another effective way to keep your guinea pig’s teeth short and neat. He should gnaw on these kinds of blocks, which will help grind his teeth down. What’s more, they contain beneficial vitamins and minerals. Make sure you choose a type that’s suitable for use by guinea pigs, and ask your vet for advice about how often to provide the mineral blocks.

Trimming or Filing

Even if you feed your guinea pig the right food and give him things to gnaw on, there’s still a chance his teeth could become overgrown. Look out for signs of this happening, such as ceasing eating and drinking. If this occurs, take him to see a veterinarian right away. Your vet will be able to trim or file down your pet’s teeth to a comfortable length, and he should get his appetite back right away.

A top-selling guinea pig food that is highly nutritious and appealing to most pets. Chances are one of the brand’s specialized diets will fit your pet’s needs.

Top-quality ingredients including fiber-rich grass hay make these pellets nutritious and highly-digestible. Contains an appropriate balance of vitamin C and protein to promote health. Available in different varieties, including young, adult, and organic recipes.

Some picky pigs may not like it, but most are attracted to the flavor. A few customers received ripped bags or product that seemed stale.

Hartz is a brand that has been trusted for decades for providing quality pet products that are also affordable, so you can feel confident feeding your pet this wholesome guinea pig diet.

Nutritionally-fortified pellets that are made with omega 3 and 6 fatty acids and antioxidants. Most piggies like the crunchy texture, and many owners report that their pets “clean their bowls.” Comes in a generously-sized bag for an affordable price.

Pellets vary in size, and some guinea pigs tend to avoid the larger pieces. Some bags may contain more dust than others due to broken pieces.

An excellent choice for pets that love variety, as it’s packed with lots of pieces that appeal to many piggies. However, some prefer classic pellets.

Most guinea pigs love the variety of this mixed diet that includes hay, grains, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and miniature crunchy biscuits. Contains probiotics to aid digestion and extra vitamin C to boost immunity. Can be given as part of a complete diet or as an occasional treat.

Not ideal for very young pets. Some guinea pigs picked around some of the pieces.

A nutritious and tasty food source for guinea pigs that most can’t resist. Excellent addition to a well-rounded diet that also includes pellets and fresh greens.

All natural Timothy hay that doesn’t contain any artificial additives. Low protein and high fiber promote urinary tract and digestive health. Customers rave about the fresh, pleasant aroma.

Quality can be inconsistent, as some bags contained a lot of small, hard stem pieces while others consisted of more leafy hay. Somewhat dusty.

Convenient, compressed alfalfa cubes that can provide a boost in oral and digestive health to the guinea pigs that will eat them.

These alfalfa cubes are great for digestion, as they are packed with fiber. They come in compressed form that is easy to feed and is great for teeth. Also fulfills guinea pigs’ urge to chew; perfect to give as treats. Other small pets like bunnies also enjoy them.

Some guinea pigs don’t like them. Rare reports of stale cubes upon delivery.

We purchase every product we review with our own funds — we never accept anything from product manufacturers.

We purchase every product we review with our own funds — we never accept anything from product manufacturers.

For pet lovers who prefer small animals, guinea pigs make excellent little companions. These pint-sized rodents will give their owners years of enjoyment when fed healthful diets filled with essential nutrients. In addition to fresh leafy greens, you should supplement your pet’s diet with quality food that’s made especially for guinea pigs. These packaged foods are made with vitamins, probiotics, and antioxidants, as well as vitamin A that is vital to guinea pig health. Guinea pig food is available in different forms, including dried alfalfa and Timothy hay, fortified pellets, and mixes that include a combination of pellets, seeds, grains, dried fruits and vegetables, and other treats.

If you’re looking for information on how to care for pet guinea pigs and are the proud new owner of a Cavia porcellus, you’re in store for lots of fun!

For these small furry creatures, properly called the cavy, guinea pig care is not too difficult.

You’ll find your new family member to be gentle, sociable, and cheerful.

They are not, however, recommended as pets for children under the age of six.

The first thing is to choose a suitable name – check out our mega list of guinea pig names.

He or she is a soft, furry creature who will enjoy receiving your attention and being in your company.

He will make happy noises or whistles to show his good mood and wheeeeek every time the fridge is opened, that’s of course if veggies are being delivered.

Guinea pigs are pretty smart, so the two of you will be learning some tricks together.

He will also enjoy sleeping… lots! Check out a very tired Fluffball the guinea pig having a snooze…

Guinea pigs live up to nine years, although they average somewhere between five and seven years. He’ll grow to a weight of about 2.5 pounds (Approx 1.2 Kgs), or maybe a little less if you have a female, and maybe ten to twelve inches long.

You’ll notice when you gently hold him that his heart beats very rapidly, and his ideal body temperature ranges between 99 and 103 degrees Fahrenheit (Approx 37 degrees Celsius).

Top Guinea Pig Care Will Keep Your Piggy Happy!

Guinea Pig Care

It’s important to give your pet a good step up in life so that he starts out healthy and stays that way.

Guinea pig care begins with proper food, and these pets eat hays, forage grasses, and pellets.

You can look for packaged mixes that contain sun-cured Timothy hay plus extra goodies like oat hulls and ground wheat.

There are also pellet mixtures available on the market, but they are not a substitute for hay. You need to be certain he gets enough vitamin C, phosphorus and a little calcium.

One of the reasons for the calcium is that he has open-rooted teeth, which means they never stop growing.

However too much calcium can cause bladder stones… so a balance needs to be found.

Grooming

His nails also need to be trimmed about every four to six weeks.

In fact, some experts recommend to cut just a little every week; this causes the vein that runs in his nails-the “quick”-to recede a little.

If you don’t trim his nails, they’ll develop a retro-curl that digs painfully into their pads and can cause twisting of the paw bones.

Guinea pigs groom themselves, and sometimes they groom each other.

You can join in with a greyhound comb-most of the teeth are widely spaced, and about one-fifth of them at the end are for fine combing. It helps to remove loose hair on a daily basis.

And if you like, you can bath them occasionally in shallow water using a small animal shampoo.

Good guinea pig care includes learning about some common mistakes made by well-meaning owners.

For example, they do not do well with giant wheels and exercise balls.

These toys can cause injury.

Drinking Water

The drinking water you provide daily should be fresh & clear with no additives.

Many guinea pigs hate the taste of the vitamins added to water, so they’ll avoid their water and become dehydrated.

A Companion is a Must

As much as your guinea pig is going to bond with you, he’ll be even happier if he has a companion.

He’ll do well with a male buddy as long as there’s no female around. You can also put a baby in with an adult, as long as both of them are the same sex.

Keep an eye on them for a couple hours to be certain they don’t fight.

Large Cage

If you want to provide a great home to guarantee a happy guinea pig, care should be taken to choose a large cage.

You need 7.5 square feet for one guinea pig, and allow three feet more for every additional pet.

Small Animal Vet Care

This is also the time to line up an exotic veterinarian-one who treats creatures beyond the routine cats and dogs. You’ll want to know where one is when you need him.

Make sure to bookmark the ultimate Guinea Pig Care Sheet which has the top information on guinea pig care and read on for more piggy tips!

Now that you’ve decided to acquire one of these wonderful little guys or gals, give some thought to locating one.

Rather than just visiting your neighborhood pet store, call your area’s humane shelter / guinea pig rescue first and ask if they have any available for adoption.

You might have to give your pet some extra treatment if he’s been neglected, but providing the good guinea pig care that he needs to become healthy and happy will allow you to take pride in and enjoy your pet even more.

New University of Otago research sheds light on guinea pig domestication and how and why the small, furry animals became distributed around the world.

Just published in the international science journal, Scientific Reports, the researchers use ancient DNA from archaeological guinea pig remains which reveals the transition from the animals being used as a wild food source 10,000 years ago to their domestication and later role as beloved pets and medical animal models.

It builds on previous research over many years by Professor of Biological Anthropology, Lisa Matisoo-Smith, tracing the DNA from plants and animals that Pacific settlers carried in their canoes and using that as a proxy for identifying human population origins and tracking their movement around the Pacific.

As part of her Otago Master’s thesis research in Professor Matisoo-Smith’s lab, Edana Lord, now at Stockholm University, Sweden and Dr Catherine Collins from Otago’s Department of Anatomy and other international researchers, set about finding out where the guinea pigs that were introduced to the islands of the Caribbean came from.

Professor Matisoo-Smith explains it is generally accepted that modern guinea pigs were domesticated in the Andes region of what is now Peru. As an important food item that was also included in religious ceremonies, they were transported and traded around South America.

Sometime around AD500, guinea pigs were taken out to the islands of the Caribbean, through at least one of several established trade networks. The researchers expected that the guinea pigs found in the Caribbean would came from Colombia, one of the closer locations in South America to the Caribbean.

Using ancient DNA of guinea pigs remains excavated from several sites in the Caribbean, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Europe and North America, they found the guinea pigs on the islands did not originate in Colombia, but most likely originated in Peru.

What was a bigger surprise to the team was that the guinea pig remains found in the Colombian Highlands appeared to be from a totally different species. This suggests that guinea pig domestication likely took place independently in both Peru and Colombia.

The genetic information, along with archaeological contexts, also shows how the guinea pigs had different roles through time.

“They were and still are important food item in many parts of South America and cultures that derived from South America — people took them live to introduce to new islands where they were not native or they traded them for other goods,” Professor Matisoo-Smith explains.

“The guinea pig was brought to Europe in the late 1500s or early 1600s by the Spanish and to North America in the early 1800s as part of the exotic pet trade. In the 18th century guinea pigs began to be used by medical researchers as laboratory animals because they have many biological similarities to humans, thus the origin of the phrase ‘being a guinea pig’ in research.

“All guinea pigs today — pets, those that are sold for meat in South America and Puerto Rico, and those used in medical research — are derived from the Peruvian domesticated guinea pigs.”

Why the guinea pig was viewed as a pet in some cultures and a food source in others can likely be attributed to long-established cultural notions of what is acceptable as food.

Professor Matisoo-Smith says the research demonstrates that the history of guinea pigs is more complex than previously known and has implications for other studies regarding mammal domestication, translocation and distribution.

“Identifying the origins of the guinea pig remains from the Caribbean helps us to understand how the human trade networks in the region moved in the past 1000 years or so.

“Through this analysis of ancient guinea pig DNA, we better understand the history of human social interactions over thousands of years and across three continents. It also provides a critical historical perspective of the genetic diversity in guinea pigs and the relationship humans have had with this important domestic animals.”

We use the word nut for a large variety of seeds and love them for their taste and properties but can guinea pigs eat nuts? They have many calories and thus are a great source of energy. Plus, we see rodents eat all types of nuts in popular culture so does this mean that they should be a part of your pet’s diet? Let us find out!

Nutritional Value

Nuts come with many health benefits for us as they have essential unsaturated and monosaturated fats like linoleic acid along with vitamins like E or B2. The fibers they contain are also good and they have minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper or selenium.

When roasted, the amount of antioxidants and fats in nuts is greatly reduced and this means that their beneficial properties are also lowered but they won’t be as fattening as when they are raw.

Nuts of any kind lower the rate of coronary heart disease, cancer, strokes and lower the chances of death in general for us but our small pets have organisms that are quite different in their requirements.

How Good Are They For Guinea Pigs

Nuts aren’t poisonous for guinea pigs, except maybe for almonds but they come with a different kind of problem. The high quantity of fats that they are packed with will be too much for a pet as small as a guinea pig. This means that they will grow obese if continually fed with nuts of any kind and if this process continues they will also lack most of the essential nutrients they require to live.

Even if they are amazing for humans and give us so many health benefits, our pets have much smaller organisms and this means that the amount of unessential food they can take is also lower. You should focus on the things that ensure their survival and well-being first and only think of treats after going over that.

The main diet of a guinea pig should consist of high quality Timothy hay, fresh water that is clean and also guinea pig pellets that have been fortified with vitamin C. Providing these elements will mean that you will have a pet that has improved immunity and is taken care of. Peanuts won’t hurt if given in small amounts but they won’t help them in any significant way.

Derivatives

The peanut butter is very popular but it is way too sweet for your guinea pig and it is also sticky so it can pose a choking hazard. It only adds more problems to the ones discussed already so it should never be fed to a guinea pig. The shells of the peanuts won’t provide any nutritional value and can also injure them and if you think of roasted nuts those will be empty calories as well which might also contain too much salt so steer clear of any derivatives for your pet.

Short answer

Due to their high amount of fats they aren’t recommended for a guinea pig either raw or roasted and shouldn’t be intentionally fed to them.

Guinea pigs require a good quality dried food as part of their daily diet. When supplemented with plenty of fresh vegetables, hay, and water, they will be getting all the calories, vitamins and nutrients they need. Specially-formulated guinea pig pellets are the best form of dry food, but you can also buy various types of food mix which are also very nutritionally balanced.

Pellets

These are based on either Alfalfa or Timothy hay, which is ground up and mixed with various other ingredients and supplements, before being formed into easily-digestible pellets. You need to be careful that you buy pellets which are suitable for your cavies. Alfalfa hay is high in calcium, making it perfect for young (under 12 months) and pregnant pigs. However, this high calcium content can cause bladder stones in adults, and so they need to be fed a Timothy-based pellet.

Pellet food might look bland, but it contains all the nutrients your pets need.

Dry Food Mix

You can choose from a range of different food mixes, which are made from various different dried vegetables. Although these look more colourful and appealing than pellets, they allow your pets to pick and choose the bits that they like, and leave the rest. This means that they won’t get such a well-balanced diet as they will from pellets.

Food mixes look more appetising than pellets, but can sometimes leave your guinea pigs lacking in certain nutrients if they don’t eat it all.

Also, some mixes contain nuts and seeds, which are unsuitable for guinea pigs as they can get stuck in between their teeth and cut the roof of their mouth.

Vitamin C

Guinea pigs cannot produce their own vitamin C, and need to get it from their diet; as a result, many foods have added vitamin C. This is great, but you should not rely on it as your animals’ only source of vitamins. Instead, you need to make sure their diet contains plenty of fresh vegetables, and the occasional piece of fruit. Vitamin C degrades quickly in the presence of sunlight, so be sure to store these foods in a cool, dark, dry place such as a pantry or cupboard.

Where to Buy

You can put guinea pig pellets and dry food mixes in most pet stores, and these do the job perfectly. Be sure to buy pre-packaged foods as these are fresher and more nutritious than the mixes you tend to find loose in large tubs. Respected brand names include Oxbox, Wagg, Gerty, and Burgess Excel.

Food Bowls

You will need a bowl to put your guinea pigs’ food in. Look for a heavy ceramic one, as these are much less likely to get be tipped over by hungry cavies. You should wash and dry the bowl thoroughly each day when replacing the food.

A heavy ceramic food bowl is easy to clean, and won’t tip over.

It can be tempting to choose a bowl which looks nice, but remember that the best bowl is the one that your pets can use easily. As such, try to find one that has quite low sides, as higher rims can be difficult to reach over, particularly for young guinea pigs.

Feeding Time

It is best to spread out your pets’ feeding rather than giving them all of their food at once. Doing this can encourage them to binge, and may also result in certain foods being left in favour of others that they prefer. A good way to prevent this is to give your guinea pigs their dry food and fresh food at different times of the day. For example, you might give them pellets in the morning and vegetables in the evening.

Quantity

Between half and one handful of dry food per pig per day is considered about right, but each cavy will have different needs. Use this as a starting point and then adjust the amounts to suit your pets. If you find that they are eating it all up, add a little extra. If there is a lot of food left, give them a bit less. Obviously young guinea pigs require less food, but their needs will grow as they do.

You should also track your guinea pigs’ weight to make sure they are not gaining or losing it too quickly. If they start to get fat, try giving them a bit less dry food, and make up for it with more fresh vegetables and hay.

Foods Meant for Other Animals

Many stores stock food which says it is suitable for more than one type of animal, such as guinea pigs and rabbits. You should avoid these foods as the claims simply aren’t true – different animals have different nutritional requirements, and so need their food to be formulated differently. For example, guinea pigs require more vitamin C than rabbits, and feeding them rabbit food could result in a deficiency.

Making Your Own

It is possible to make your own guinea pig food by mixing bran, barley, crushed cooked peas, flakes of maize, oats, grass pellets, crushed lotus beans, and linseed oil. However, this mixture won’t contain any vitamin C supplements, and it can often be cheaper and easier to buy food from a store, so think careful about whether you really want to do this.

Introducing New Food

Guinea pigs can take time to adapt to changes in their diet, so be sure to make them gradually. If you are introducing guinea pig pellets for the first time, do so by giving them a few pellets alongside their normal diet. Slowly increase the amount of pellets and decrease the amount of their other food until they have been successfully weaned onto their new diet.

1. Animals
2. Animals A-Z
3. Guinea pig

Fun Facts

1. Guinea pigs have no tails.
2. Only about 4% of their day is spent sleeping, and they only sleep for about 6 minutes at a time.

Conservation Status

• Least Concern
• Near Threatened
• Vulnerable
• Endangered
• Critically Endangered
• Extinct in the Wild
• Extinct
• Data Deficient
• Not Evaluated

Guinea pig News

The domesticated guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) does not live in the wild but is most likely derived from the Andean montane guinea pig (Cavia tschudii) found in Peru, highland Bolivia, northwestern Argentina and northeastern Chile. Guinea pigs were first domesticated in 5,000 B.C. and are now globally distributed as pets and for their meat.

Guinea pigs have no tails. The length, texture and color of their fur varies by breed. There are now 13 different breeds of domestic guinea pigs: American, American satin, Abyssinian, Abyssinian satin, Peruvian, Peruvian satin, silkie, silkie satin, teddy, teddy satin, Texel, coronet and white-crested. Through selective breeding, 20 different fur color phenotypes and 13 different coat length and texture phenotypes exist among these guinea pig breeds.

These rodents have two defensive responses: the immobility response and the scatter response. The immobility response occurs when a single guinea pig perceives danger. During this response, the guinea pig becomes completely immobile until the threat has passed. The scatter response involves a group of guinea pigs. When the group perceives a threat, they scatter and split up to confuse a predator.

Guinea pigs have spread across the globe as popular laboratory animals and pets but were first domesticated and used as a traditional food source in South America. Their wild ancestors (Cavia tschudii) are native to the Andes mountains, from Peru to Argentina, and live at altitudes of more than 14,000 feet.

Guinea pigs produce six main vocalizations: chutts, squeaks, whines, whistles, purrs and chirps. Each vocalization conveys a different meaning. A chutt is used during predatory pursuit and whines after predatory pursuit. Squeals, squeaks and tweets indicate the presence of danger or injury. And finally, whistles and chirps convey the presence of food and are used for long-distance communication.

Guinea pigs are adapted to a diet of the herbs and grasses of montane (or mountain) meadows. As pets, they are commonly fed lettuce, cabbage, grasses, barley and Timothy hay. They are also fed pellets that are made of compressed plant material (usually alfalfa or barley). These pellets are enhanced with different vitamins and minerals vital to guinea pig health.

At the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, guinea pigs eat greens, carrots, peppers, oranges, kiwis and grains.

Guinea pigs are typically considered gregarious, or social, animals. They often huddle for warmth and protection, and prefer to be in close contact with other individuals.

They are polygynous. Males form social hierarchies over food and mates, typically resulting in an alpha male within the group. For this reason, females are not typically housed with more than one male.

Guinea pigs can live up to 14 years in human care but live an average of 8 years. Female guinea pigs that reproduce have shortened lifespans and tend to live approximately 3.5 years.

This shortened lifespan is caused by the stiffening of a joint called the symphysis, which is located between the guinea pig’s two pelvic bones. Pregnancy causes this stiffening and results in an inability to birth young naturally, which usually results in death due to birthing complications.