Guinea Pig Care Guide
Guinea pigs make fantastic pets, and are relatively easy to look after. However, you must still take your guinea pig care very seriously, to give your pets a happy, healthy, and long life.
The first thing to bear in mind is that these are very sociable creatures, and like to live with other pigs. On their own they can become lonely or depressed, and this can affect their health and wellbeing. To avoid this, make sure you always buy guinea pigs in groups of two or more.
In the wild, guinea pigs care for themselves by living in underground burrows. This provides them with protection from the wind, rain, and sunlight. In captivity, you will need to provide this protection for them. You can do this by giving yours a large cage or hutch to live in, positioned in a sheltered area out of direct sunlight.
Guinea pigs can live outside when the weather is warm, provided that their home is not exposed to the wind and rain. Also make sure that their cage is lifted off the floor, as this can cause moisture to seep through. During the colder winter months, you should move them indoors for warmth.
One guinea pig care tip that few people follow is to give each animal a separate sleeping area. This can be achieved by using a house with dividers, or several smaller houses. This allows each guinea pig to prepare its sleeping area how it wants, so that it can get an excellent night's sleep without being disturbed.
You should make sure that your pigs' cage is kept clean - change the wood chip flooring daily, particularly in the areas that they use as a toilet. Also, make sure that they have fresh bedding at least once a week, or whenever it becomes damn or dirty.
Good guinea pig care also involves taking care of your pets' nutritional requirements. You should feed them twice a day, with a mixture of guinea pig food mix, fresh fruit and vegetables, pellets, and hay. Also ensure that their water bottle is always topped up with plenty of fresh, clean water, and check that the nozzle is working correctly so that they can drink whenever they feel thirsty.
You should provide your fluffy friends with a gnawing block. Guinea pigs' teeth are constantly growing, and they need to be able to chomp on something solid to keep them short and usable. A gnawing block is perfect for this.
Make sure that your guinea pigs get plenty of exercise. This involves letting them run around on a large grassy area at least once a day. During cold or wet weather, you should allow them to scamper about indoors, on a soft surface such as carpet. Providing this daily exercise can sometimes seem inconvenient, but it is one of the most important aspects of guinea pig care.
While they are exercising, it is important that you protect your guinea pigs from predators. The perfect way to do this is with a guinea pig run, which is simply a large cage which gives them plenty of space to run around, but without letting them escape.
Some types of guinea pigs, such as long-haired guinea pigs, require special care. Your vet will be able to provide further information - for example, if your animal has particularly rough or long hair, you will need to brush it daily to keep it clean and tangle-free, and cut it from time to time.
Guinea pig care doesn't have to be difficult or time consuming, but it is essential that you get it right every day. Doing so will give your animals a much happier life, and will make them more enjoyable, rewarding pets to own as well.