Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading guinea pig care secrets. Before you decide, check out our care guides for guinea pig facts and info. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Keeping to a regular schedule really isnt too difficult, even for the most novice, and possibly undisciplined, guinea pig keepers. A guinea pig sometimes eats its own poop to sustain nutrition. Below are a few fun and interesting facts about guinea pigs you may not already know. Guinea pig pellets are the basis of your pets diet.
Their food also needs to focus on tooth wear and vitamin c supplementation. Wire cage bottoms are not recommended as they can easily injure your pets toesfeet. The care of guinea pigs handbook is an essential primer for the newcomer to. My documentszoe fileseducationguinea pig info introduction congratulations on the adoption of your guinea pig. Guinea pigs are generally very healthy animals but the proper care of guinea pigs comprehensively mentions a wide array of health conditions that may potentially arise and clearly discusses how to diagnose and treat these problems. Guinea pigs can live on paper bedding, wood shavings, and fleece. This is a one stop resource for smart guinea pig owners to give you everything you need to know about basic guinea pig care. A healthy guinea pig diet is about 20% vegetables and 5% fruit. It has everything i need to know on caring for my buddies and is good to have in a pinch when something comes up. Compiling a guinea pig coloring worksheet will give your child the added advantage to know more about them. Providing a mixture of foods is the best way to make sure your guinea pig is getting a good range of nutrients. The other name for a guinea pig is cavy which is the short version of their official name cavia porcellus. This concise brochure is available to anyone to download and distribute without cost pending email notification see bottom of page. Rescues, pet stores, and new pet owners will find great advice for getting a guinea pig off to a good start.
This web page contains basic information for the care of guinea pigs. Little critters need checkups just like any other family pets. Guinea pigs cannot store or manufacture their own vitamin c. Weve put together a quick guide below on the best guinea pig care you can offer them, including top tips. My personal guinea pig care, health, and nutrition booklet. This book discusses important and often neglected issues of guinea pig health and care. This book has a wealth of good info about the basics of guinea pig care.
From the different breeds of guinea pig to consider, like the american, silkie, peruvian or teddy guinea pig, to their proper care and maintenance, theres a lot to know before adding one to your family. Research to have been done into the feeding and care of rabbits and guinea pigs. Let us know about your childs reaction by commenting below. Keeping and caring for a pet guinea pig the spruce. Guinea pigs are complicated little animals and keeping an eye on their health can be difficult.
Includes 12 care sheets, checklists and health record sheets to make your daily guinea pig routine easier. Guinea pigs are small pets, but they require plenty of space, time, effort, and human interaction. It is up to you how you look after your guinea pig, but you must take reasonable steps to ensure that you meet all their needs. How to care for guinea pigs with pictures wikihow pet. The guinea pig handbook the information you need to keep your guinea pig happy and healthy from the time of their domestication thousands of years ago in south america, cavies have made their way into the hearts and homes of people of all ages and from around the world. Whether youre taking a guinea pig home for your kids or for yourself, the act of bringing one into your life requires the same due diligence that taking any other pet home would. I think anyone with a guinea pig should have one of these books.
We have a lot of useful information about guinea pigs care,diseases and other useful guides. Caring for your guinea pig involves providing the proper diet, housing, and toys, and having the right supplies to clean up after your small pet. Make sure never use cedar chips as it can cause respiratory problems. This books lays out all the basics youll need about guinea pig care and maintenance in a fun kind of way. Here at the animal welfare league qld, we are very proud of our guinea pig adoption program and the way in which our piggies are cared. Information about guinea pig care, sounds, cages, eating, health, allergies, behaviour, handling, and much more. Males are known as boars and females are called sows. Check your local petsmart banfield pet hospital to see if a small pet vet is on staff. They can eat fresh hay and fresh, leafy vegetables, which can make up the bulk of their diet. On first arriving home, your pet will appreciate being left alone for a day to adjust to the new environment.
Illustrated on every page with fullcolor photography, guinea pigs is packed with practical information on every aspect of feline care. What every new pet owner needs is a source of instant knowledge, immediate answers to a range of vital questions. Your pet will depend on you for food, water, medical care, and companionship. If youre thinking of adopting a guinea pig it is definitely worth while having a read through before you bring your new piggy home.
Top 10 best guinea pig care guide for beginners updated 2020. Highquality guinea pig food, timothy hay and limited amounts of vegetables and fruits. Learn what to feed your guinea pigs, and when, and how to keep your guinea pigs happy and healthy. Require 30 to 50 mg of vitamin c daily from highquality food, vitamin supplements or fruits and vegetables high in vitamin c. This new series of guides provides answers to all those common questions in a brilliantly accessible form. They are affectionate and gentle animals and will bond well with their owners when handled often. Guinea pig care, ellenbrook, western australia, australia.
If you are willing to give your guinea pig a good home with proper food, attention, living space, grooming, and. Guinea pigs are herbivores, so you should focus on a fresh diet. Find guinea pigs available for rehoming and adoption. Your guinea pig will love all the food you offer, but if sits in their bowl for more than four hours, its time to take it away. Heres a surprisingly simple way to keep to regular daily care routine.
Timothy haybased pellets are recommended for adults, and avoid those made with nuts, seeds, dried fruits and corn products. Guinea pigs belong to the rodent family histricomorphs. It is the sort of thing that should accompany all pigs when they are adopted. Some signs that a guinea pig is sick are loss of appetite, weight loss, hunched posture, an abnormal walk or a limp, a belly that is unusually skinny or abnormally large, a change in the consistency of the hair coat, or difficulty breathing. Read on to find out how to care for your pocketful of sunshine. These provide essential vitamin c, which is destroyed over time and quickly with exposure to air. There are some people love to have a guinea pig as a pet to take care. Ensuring your guinea pig is well looked after is vital to making sure they live a long time, and so at online guinea pig care you will find a wealth of articles and information about how to care for your guinea pig. Guinea pigs can live for 5 6 years so be sure that you can care for them over this long. Provide your guinea pig with a few inches of bedding. Sick guinea pigs may have decreased energy or may not respond to noises or touch. Color the adorable guinea pig in this coloring page while teaching your kids about his. However we strongly recommend that you have your new rabbit or guinea pig examined. The best guinea pig cages are usually wire cages with a solid bottom metal or plastic that are easily removed for cleaning.
Like rabbits, ferrets, and other small domesticated mammals, guinea pigs require an environment and treatment distinct from dogs and cats. Hamster care guide pet ownership has many benefits for children, from teaching them responsibility, to developing language skills and providing support in times of stress. Guinea pigs are wonderful animals to raise, whether as pets or as livestock. The ultimate guinea pig care schedule the guinea pig. This comprehensive guinea pig care book is authored by julie mancini and published by t. Grass hay and fresh, clean water should be available to your pet at all times. Guinea pigs is one of an exciting new series of pet care books designed to help young animal owners learn about and care for their pets.
Top tips for cavy care this is a copy of the information booklet ive put together as part of my guinea pig adoption package. Its also good to have around if and when you go on vacation and have to leave your cavies with someone else who isnt as experienced with guinea pigs. Guinea pig care a quick guide from farm and pet place. Pack of 12 care sheets with useful information, checklists to help you keep organised.
A cage for a single guinea pig should be at least 24 wide x 24 long and at minimum 15 high. We discuss how to keep your guinea pig outside in the winter and the summer, the best temperatures for your guinea pig, and what else you should be thinking about. Guinea pigs live for around four to eight years, so their care is a longterm commitment. Guinea pig booklet little critters veterinary hospital. They also include useful information for making sure your guinea pigs are happy and healthy. Petcos resource center is filled with information compiled from animal care experts and veterinarians to help you find the answers you need to support your pets overall wellness. Guinea pig care sheets for beginners to help you get organized. Online community of guinea pig owners the homepage of guinea pig owners with a lot of useful information. Guinea pigs guinea pigs welfare tips, advice, health. We hope that your kid loved free printable guinea pig coloring pages online. Guinea pigs are also well known for the wide range of cute noises they make which help them communicate. Before you embark on owning one of these lovable creatures, theres a lot you need to know. There are also advantages for the family as a whole. They can be housed in pairs or small groups but i do recommend neutering the males.
Guinea pig owner is the biggest community of guinea pigs owners. Cage itself is sturdy and the latch is secure so that was most important. Ideally you should try and keep some fresh grass in the cage so your guinea pig can graze on it over time. Line the bottom of their cage with newspaper or puppy pads and add your bedding. Guinea pigs can make excellent pets for both adults and children.
Many guinea pig health problems are preventable with proper diet and care. Print and fold our little guinea pig booklet and use it to store interesting facts, or make notes on how to care for a pet guinea pig. Guinea pigs are sociable pocket pets, are easily tamed, and can live for up to ten years. If youve been browsing the animal shelter or pet websites and cant resist the adorable furry face of those guinea pigs youve seen, read this book before you. By modifying what you already have in your shelter, adding a few extras, and following the steps below, you can help guinea pigs feel comfortable in your facility.
They are naturally clean, hardy, and are excel lent first pets for. This text is also published in our on the hop booklet. Top 25 free printable guinea pig coloring pages online. Guinea pigs are tailless rodents with stout bodies and are kept as. Getting a new pet is exciting, but also a little daunting.
This outline of how to care for your cavy the proper name for a guinea pig will help your pet have a healthy long life. Owning and caring for guinea pigs can be very rewarding, but its a big. As they are a prey, animal it is in their nature to. Take your guinea pig to a vet a few days after coming home, then schedule checkups once a year. Ask a store partner about petcos selection of books on guinea pigs and the variety of private.