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Old 11-28-2015, 11:09 AM   #11
Jenibelle
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Default Re: Guinea pigs!

Ahh! Guinea pig talk, yay!

I had six all at once, so here are some tips. I haven't read through the thread though, so I apologize if I'm repeating some things.

1) Get two! They need friends, they're extremely social and do better in groups. Human love and affection is important, but guinea pigs need other piggies. I can type out the introduction process if you decide to get an unmatched pair, BUT for your first pair I really suggest adopting an already bonded pair. It will just make it that much easier.

2) They need a lot of space! 8 sq. feet is the absolute bare minimum for a pair, but this is honestly still very small. You will not find a pet-store cage large enough. The one that comes closes is the MidWest Canvas bottom cage. I really suggest building a C&C cage or making your own in another way. For example, a used a 16 square foot dog play-pen for my female group. There are lots of ways to get the space needed!

3) Never, ever use cedar bedding. Pine is okay as long as it's kiln dried. I really suggest using a mixture of fleece (with an absorbent layer) and kiln dried pine. I tried a lot of different combos before finally settling on that, and I think it works best.

4) Do NOT use a mixed feed. Get a good high quality basic pellet, that is timothy hay based (NOT alfalfa hay based). Oxbow is a good example. The mixed feeds are junk for guinea pigs. They're too high in fat and sugar, the colored bits are just food dye, and guinea pigs can actually joke on seeds.... which brings us to 4.5) Don't use ANY seeds. Treats with seeds are dangerous, as are those yogurt drops because piggies are lactose intolerant.

5) EACH pig needs a cup of piggy safe vegetables every day. Remember that you should have at least two, so you're going to be going through 14 cups of vegetables every week. The vegetables should be high in vitamin C.... bell peppers are a great source of C! Get the green ones, they're the lowest in sugar

6) They also need a long strand grass hay available at all times in unlimited amounts. They need hay to keep their digestive tracts moving constantly and to keep their teeth worn down. This can be timothy hay, meadow grass high, orchard grass hay, etc. It can NOT be alfalfa hay. Alfalfa is a legume, so it does nothing for their needs, and it's way too high in fat.

7) Guinea pigs need an exotic vet. Normal cat and dog vets are not very knowledgable in their needs, and some are not even allowed to legally see them because they're classified as exotic (which I learned the hard way when one of mine needed emergency vet care and was almost turned away completely).


Other tips:
-Use a kitchen area! Guinea pigs can't really be potty trained but a kitchen will help with cleaning. They poop most where they eat, so get a large litter tray to keep their hay, food dish, and water bottle. You can clean out the kitchen area more often

-Don't worry about them being over weight. As long as they have the proper cage space and are given floor time every day, and are fed in proper amounts, they will not become over weight. 1/8 cup of pellets per pig, 1 cup of vegetables per pig, and unlimited hay every day is the proper feeding amounts.
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Old 11-28-2015, 02:28 PM   #12
Baby Grrr
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Default Re: Guinea pigs!

Thanks again and I have two more questions:

1. What illnesses can they get?

2. What is the min. cage size and what is the max. cage size?
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Old 11-28-2015, 02:31 PM   #13
Baby Grrr
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Default Re: Guinea pigs!

Oh yeah and can someone post a list saying what are safe and dangerous foods for Guineas? Thanks
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Old 11-28-2015, 03:21 PM   #14
Jenibelle
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Default Re: Guinea pigs!

Like I mentioned before, the absolute smallest, bare minimum cage size is 8 square feet. I'll quote that section of my post here IF you decided to only get one, which I do not at all suggest (they really are happier in pairs), the minimum space is STILL 8 square feet. They need the space to run about freely.
Quote:
2) They need a lot of space! 8 sq. feet is the absolute bare minimum for a pair, but this is honestly still very small. You will not find a pet-store cage large enough. The one that comes closes is the MidWest Canvas bottom cage. I really suggest building a C&C cage or making your own in another way. For example, a used a 16 square foot dog play-pen for my female group. There are lots of ways to get the space needed!
There is no max size... you can never go too big! Bigger is always better, and your imagination is the limit

Here is a handy feeding chart as well;
Guinea pig care information in Essex | Care Resource & Guinea Pig Forum | Rodents With Attitude

It's color coated to show how many times, weekly, a piggy can eat a specific fruit/vegetable. At the bottom of the page is a forbidden foods list too.

As for illness, they're prone to respiratory problems if the wrong type of bedding is used (for example, cedar or uncured pine). They can also get bloat if they're given too many gassy vegetables (broccoli, brussle sprouts, etc). They're not supposed to have too much sugar or they can become ill, which is why fresh fruits are a rare treat, and why pet-store treats and mixed food are bad for them. And they can fall ill if they do not have a constant supply of hay to keep their digestive tracts moving. The most important thing is getting your pig to an exotic vet ASAP if they appear sick at all! Do not wait! They are prey animals, and because of that they hide their illnesses for as long as possible... so once you start noticing their symptoms, they're already very unhealthy and need vet attention ASAP.

ETA:
I've read through the thread now and just to add some comments to others posts;
ABSOLUTELY have a vet fund saved up! Like I said, they need exotic cavy-savvy vets, and those aren't cheap! One of mine suffered from a spinal injury and raked up over $600 in vet bills in 2 days. That was by seeing an emergency vet (the accident happened after hours), seeing the exotic vet the next day, and a months worth of Metacam (steroid + pain medication). Thankfully his doctor was amazing and he is a normal little pig now. If you saw him now you wouldn't even know he was injured!

Also, from everything I've been told, piggies do not really need salt licks. I've even been toldt hat they can be harmful. When their diets are properly balanced, they're just fine.

Last edited by Jenibelle; 11-28-2015 at 03:35 PM.
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Old 11-30-2015, 10:23 PM   #15
Thin Lizzy
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Default Re: Guinea pigs!

Hi Baby Grr,
Are you sure you're ready and able to look after a guinea pig?
A few months ago you sold your hamster Mocha.
Getting a guinea pig is going to need more work and respobsinility and they live a lot longer. Also, you've got to think about any vet visits it might need.
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