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Guinea Pigs as Pets
Friday, December 14, 2012
The guinea pig or Cavy is originally from South America and remains one of the most popular pets for hundreds of years. They can be found in natural habitats in a few South American nations including Argentina and Brazil. While there are over 60 breeds, most domestic pet Guinea Pigs are either English, Peruvian and Abyssinian. Each breed has unique traits based mostly on hair length (short or long), The animals may also be differentiated by color or rosettes, which are round swirls of hair. Many Cavies are cross-bred creating for even more color ccmbinations. They eat easy to prepare Guinea Pig diets and are an easy to care for pet.
Your Pet Guinea Pig
The pet lives a mean of 5 years and make excellent pets. They're gentle non-aggressive creatures that seldom bite. The animals are very social with other Guinea Pigs. They'll make some noise, although not so loud as to be a problem. Cavies don't leap or jump, so no cage tops or lids are required.
Guinea Pig Bedding and Cages
Any cage should be about 200 square inches. The animals can be untidy since they like to shred any bedding material. Bedding can be shredded newspaper or recycled paper. Cage walls should be at least 10 inches high. The cage should be cleaned everyday since the animals often pee and defecate.
Feeding and Supplements
Cavies are easy to care for and need an easy to prepare and maintain diet. The most basic accessory is a sipper type water bottle. Water should be provided every day and the water bottle should be washed every 7 days. Vitamin C enriched Timothy Food pellets formulated for Guinea Pigs should be supplied. Also provide green Timothy, grass or oat hay. Avoid Alfalfa since it contains too much calcium. Also provide your Cavy a small portion of green vegetables.
As soon as you bring a Guinea Pig home, get him or her used to eating a many types of foods. The patterns you set while they're young will stay tfamiliar for the life of your pet. It is hard to introduce new foods later in life. Suggested veggies that are full of the required vitamin c incude:
- Turnip greens
- ,Mustard greens
- Dandelion greens
- Kale
- Brussell sprouts
Do not give your Guinea Pig too much fruit. Fruits like grapes, apples and orange slices (one per day for vitamin c is ok) can be provided. Fruit must not comprise more than 5% of a Cavies diet. Cavies require 10-30 mg of vitamin C daily. There are capsules available for purchase that may be crushed into fresh vegetables. Don't add a vitamin c supplement to water since the value of the supplement reduces after adding it to water.
Health Care
Like cats and dogs, cavies should be examined by a Veterinarian each year. Catching illnesses early is key to helping your pet live a long and healthy life.
Your Pet Guinea Pig
The pet lives a mean of 5 years and make excellent pets. They're gentle non-aggressive creatures that seldom bite. The animals are very social with other Guinea Pigs. They'll make some noise, although not so loud as to be a problem. Cavies don't leap or jump, so no cage tops or lids are required.
Guinea Pig Bedding and Cages
Any cage should be about 200 square inches. The animals can be untidy since they like to shred any bedding material. Bedding can be shredded newspaper or recycled paper. Cage walls should be at least 10 inches high. The cage should be cleaned everyday since the animals often pee and defecate.
Feeding and Supplements
Cavies are easy to care for and need an easy to prepare and maintain diet. The most basic accessory is a sipper type water bottle. Water should be provided every day and the water bottle should be washed every 7 days. Vitamin C enriched Timothy Food pellets formulated for Guinea Pigs should be supplied. Also provide green Timothy, grass or oat hay. Avoid Alfalfa since it contains too much calcium. Also provide your Cavy a small portion of green vegetables.
As soon as you bring a Guinea Pig home, get him or her used to eating a many types of foods. The patterns you set while they're young will stay tfamiliar for the life of your pet. It is hard to introduce new foods later in life. Suggested veggies that are full of the required vitamin c incude:
- Turnip greens
- ,Mustard greens
- Dandelion greens
- Kale
- Brussell sprouts
Do not give your Guinea Pig too much fruit. Fruits like grapes, apples and orange slices (one per day for vitamin c is ok) can be provided. Fruit must not comprise more than 5% of a Cavies diet. Cavies require 10-30 mg of vitamin C daily. There are capsules available for purchase that may be crushed into fresh vegetables. Don't add a vitamin c supplement to water since the value of the supplement reduces after adding it to water.
Health Care
Like cats and dogs, cavies should be examined by a Veterinarian each year. Catching illnesses early is key to helping your pet live a long and healthy life.
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