The guinea pig care are relatively simple, however, if you have just adopted one you may have some doubts regarding their maintenance, feeding or he alth Wondering how to care for a guinea pig? Do you want to know what a guinea pig needs to be happy? This small rodent is currently one of the most popular pets, mainly due to its great social and cognitive abilities. Likewise, it requires little care to be happy.
In this article on our site we will make a general review of how to care for your guinea pig so that your new companion will be with you for a long time, always in the best conditions. Learn all about guinea pigs below!
The guinea pig as a pet
The guinea pig, known by its scientific name as Cavia porcellus, is a diurnal rodent native to South America. We are talking about a gregarious mammal, that is, an animal that lives with other members of its species, in colonies made up of different individuals. This translates into the need for companionship and socialization that these animals require.
Precisely for this reason it is always advisable to have two guinea pigs, females for example, to ensure the welfare of the animal and its social enrichment. However, if this is not possible, we recommend that you dedicate daily time and a lot of affection to your guinea pig, since it is a sociable and sweet animal that he will greatly appreciate all those moments you can offer him.
It is advisable that, during the guinea pig's first days at home, you offer him space and a lot of tranquility It is important to avoid stress and the anxiety caused by a change in routine. Later you can try to gain his trust by offering him vegetable bits as a reward. As your relationship progresses, you'll learn more about these adorable rodents, such as the fact that they don't usually bite, but they do squeak.
Guinea pigs - Care and maintenance
After adopting this rodent, you probably want to know everything about guinea pigs, right? Now that you know a little about keeping a pet guinea pig, you should know what it needs to be happy. We will start with the cage, a very important factor when trying to offer the best guinea pig care:
The guinea pig cage
What does a guinea pig need when it comes to space? According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, guinea pigs must have adequate space, according to the number of inhabitants, we are talking about a cage of minimum 120 x 60 x 45 cmper individual. If we have several guinea pigs, the space should be larger. Inside the cage itself, the guinea pig must have a shed to sleep, wood shavings (as a floor), a bowl for food and a drinker or water dispenser.
It is important that we place the cage in a place where the temperature ranges between 18 ºC and 24 ºC and that we preferably always keep the cage indoors, since guinea pigs are extremelycold sensitive.
The water should be renewed every day and it is recommended that the cage be cleaned once a week and thoroughly disinfected once a month. We must also make sure that their environment is clean, avoid extreme temperatures as well as drafts or direct sunlight. Discover on our site how to prepare a guinea pig cage step by step.
Guinea pig care
It is important that from time to time, and especially if it is very dirty, you wash your guinea pig with warm water and specific soap to guinea pigs Dry it with a towel, never with a hair dryer, and make sure that during the bath the environment is warm and that it ends up completely dry.
Also, in the short-haired guinea pig and the long-haired guinea pig it will be important to follow a brushing routine with the help of a small, soft brush, thus removing dead hair and giving it extra shine. In the case of the hairless guinea pig we must be much more careful. We will ensure a room temperature of between 20 ºC and 22 ºC and, when sanitizing it, we will bet on wiping it with a damp cloth, to prevent it from getting too cold.
During the gestation stage we must offer certain care to pregnant guinea pigs. In addition to increasing the consumption of water and food, it will also be essential to modify your environment and follow certain precautions in terms of he alth to avoid causing harm to unborn children.
To finish, we would like to point out that the guinea pig needs to exercise often to avoid problems such as obesity, for this, you can provide a series of routes through which you can exercise. If it is not possible for you, you can leave it loose around the house or the garden as long as it is under supervision. As far as possible, we will offer you toys and varied activities that encourage the stimulation of your body and mind.
What do guinea pigs eat?
Another very important aspect of guinea pig care is feeding, which should be based on the consumption of certain foods. The guinea pig is a 100% herbivorous rodent so the guinea pig's diet should be based on fruits and vegetables. It is very important to provide fodder in the form of hay, always in unlimited quantities, as this will guarantee an adequate supply of fiber, which is very important in this animal.
With fruits and vegetables it will always be necessary to choose those that are rich in vitamin C since this nutrient is essential for the guinea pig (it can only obtain it through food). If we choose to feed it with guinea pig feed, it already contains the recommended amounts of vitamin C.
For proper guinea pig feeding, don't forget to follow these tips:
- Fresh, clean water should always be available.
- You must always have unlimited fresh hay.
- We will control the rations of feed or pellets, to prevent obesity.
- We will provide a variety of vegetables and fruit daily.
What vegetables and fruits can guinea pigs eat?
Because it contains a high amount of sugar, fruit should be considered a prize or a one-time ration. For this reason, we will bet on vegetables We can offer you salad preparations, a varied portion of vegetables… If you want to know more, do not hesitate to visit our post on vegetables and fruits recommended for guinea pigs.
We recommend that you try different foods and find out which ones you like best. Dandelion, lamb's lettuce, escarole, arugula or peppers tend to please them especially, but we can surprise ourselves with other vegetables.
Guinea pig diseases
To finish with guinea pig care we must talk about the more than common diseases that affect the species. We must know that the state of he alth of a guinea pig will depend directly on the care offered, preventive medicine and the speed with which we act when detecting and treating any disease that may develop. Ideally, go to the vet every 6 or 12 months for routine follow-up.
Symptoms of a sick guinea pig
How do you know if a guinea pig is sick? We must know that guinea pigs do not show signs of pain or weakness, therefore, if you suspect that something is wrong, you should visit a veterinarian. The first thing we might notice is that the guinea pig is hiding in a corner, apathetic and sad
Some of the symptoms of a sick guinea pig are:
- Skin wounds
- Leg Wounds
- Diarrhea
- Excessive scratching
- Presence of parasites
- Loss of hair
- Overweight
- Does not eat, does not drink…
In this situation you should explore your guinea pig calmly and manipulate it to see if any specific area of the body hurts. Although we are talking about docile animals, they get stressed easily and shriek shrilly.
Food is another important factor to consider. A guinea pig that has stopped eating for 12 hours has a poor prognosis, but those that have gone more than 24 hours without eating are in critical condition.
