Guinea Pig Care Guide
This Guinea Pig Care Guide is designed to help you understand the requirements of guinea pigs and help them adjust to a new home environment.Life Expectancy:
5 - 7 years
General
Most Guinea Pigs love to be petted once they are on your lap but are cautious about being picked up. Children must be supervised when holding a guinea pig and taught not to hug it tightly or allow it to fall or jump.
Guinea pigs are easily injured and may nip if not treated kindly. Regular exercise outside the cage is essential. A guinea pig's claws should be trimmed every 8 - 12 weeks, if not, their nails will begin to curl and twist. This can become quite painful for your guinea pig to walk on.
Housing:
Guinea pigs should be kept safe indoors and need a ls large a cage as possible, with lots of room to exercise. Guinea pigs are not able to use an exercise wheel or balls because they could injure the spine; so it is important they spend time outside their cage.
Make sure you use a bedding that doesn't contain a lot of dust such as Care-Fresh, Fresh and Comfy or Aspen. Pine and Cedar shavings can be toxic.
Diet:
A healthy diet is based on quality of grass hay (Timothy) and guinea pig pellets freely available daily at all times. Look for plain pellets containing Vitamin C without seeds, nuts or coloured treats. Make sure to provide a cupful of mixed fresh fruits and vegetables rich in Vitamin C. Safe treats for your guinea pig are:
- Parsley
- Romaine lettuce
- bell peppers
- Carrot tops
- apples
- oranges
- Spinach
- Turnip
- Broccoli
Guinea pigs require lots of stuff for chewing such as:
- apple tree sticks
- Dried corn cob
- Cardboard
Cleaning:
Spot clean any soiled area 2 - 3 times a week and scrub out the entire cage at least once weekly as well as the food and water dishes. You may use specific soap made for cleaning cages or even diluted dish soap in warm water. Always rinse and dry the cage well before adding the new bedding.
We hope this Guinea Pig Care Guide has been useful. If you have any further questions, please feel free to visit the small animal experts at the Centre d'Animaux NATURE Pet stores closest to you. There are six convenient locations in the greater Montreal area.
