Guinea pig care

Guinea pig Cage Requirements

The best cage for guinea pig is either a c&c cage or midwest. Store bought cages are not an appropriate cage. They do not provide enough space. Guinea pigs cannot live in aquariums or plastic bins. This is due to the poor air circulation. Ammonia is naturally produced when bacteria breaks down urine. Ammonia can cause irritation and inflammation to the airways and lungs. This is a recipe for an URI and brain damage as well as retinal atrophy (guinea pig will go blind!) Cages with wire bottom floors are also dangerous. Cages with wire bottoms cause bumble foot. Bumble foot is a painful infection if the foot that can extend to the legs and into the body. This can cause death. Wire bottom cages can also cause injury as feet and toes can get stuck. Guinea pigs utilize floor space rather than vertical space and always remember any cage with a ramp needs to have railings and not be too steep. Guinea pigs have very short legs that are not designed for climbing. I find it best to just have the floor space. 

Types of bedding: 

 There are so many different types of bedding out there and really it comes down to personal choice. I will go over each and give you the pros and cons. You may want to experiment a bit and find what you prefer. Never ever use cedar bedding your piggie will get an upper respiratory infection. Never use cat litter or sand. 

Kiln dried pine: Kiln dried means no phenols. Phenols are bad for guinea pigs. The premium pine shavings can be brought at tractor supply for $4.69 for 226.5 liters. It is very cheap. It is personally what I use. It hold smells pretty well and very easy to clean which with so many piggies is always a bonus. 

Carefresh bedding: Carefresh bedding is soft and comfy for the piggies. It holds smell so well! I love it, it is my favorite and it is my go to for sick or injured piggies. Sadly it is very expensive. You can find it pretty easily and for 60 liters it is $16.49. 

Fleece bedding: Fleece bedding is a one time buy. It does save money. They can be washed and reused over and over again. The fleece is soft and comfy for the pigs as well. Sadly the fleece is smelly. It does not absorb smell very well at all and the smell is bad. You do have a bit more daily upkeep as well, twice a day you have to sweep the poop from cage washing it once or twice a week. Hay does stick to the fleece so you’ll have to get it off before washing. I learned the hard way that hay and washing machines do not mix. If you do want to go fleece I recommend Forbes embroidery. They can be easily found on Facebook :)

Guinea Pig Diet

Guinea pigs should be fed a varying diet of hay, fresh fruits and vegetables and guinea pig pellets. Water should be provided in a water bottle as they will quickly soil a bowl. Food dishes and water bottles should be cleaned daily to prevent bacteria build up.

***Human foods such as chocolate, cookies, crackers, pasta, and other sugary or starchy items should never be fed. Research shows that these types of food can cause an overgrowth of bad bacteria in the digestive tract called enterotoxaemia. This can be fatal!

Hay:

New Guinea pig parents are often left overwhelmed with all the different types of hay. Unsure which one to give. In this article I am going to explain why your guinea pigs need hay and go over each type of hay in detail. 

 Hay should be the largest contribution to your guinea pigs diet. Grass hays need to be available at all times. A mix of hays should be offered, with Timothy hay as a constant staple. Guinea pigs of all ages need to have constant access to grass hay. There are many reasons why hay should be 80% of your guinea pigs diet. Guinea pigs are strict herbivores and are hind gut fermentors which is a digestive process seen in herbivores with single-chambered stomachs. Guinea pigs need fiber from grass hays for bacteria and protoza to keep their GI tract in balance, as well as helping the GI tract to move properly. Without fiber the GI tract slows down which can lead to a condition called gastrointestinal ileus. Gastrointestinal ileus is caused by a gut slow down. The fiber in grass hay prevents this. 

Types of hay: 

Timothy hay:

 Timothy hay consists of the stem, leaf, and seed head of Timothy grass. Timothy hay has the right amount of fiber, fat, and protein. Guinea pigs can benefit from lots of vitamins and minerals from the leaves while munching on the stem helps wear down guinea pigs teeth evenly. 

Orchard hay: 

 Orchard hay as a sweet smell and softer texture than Timothy hay. Orchard hay is a great substitute for piggie owners who have allergies to Timothy hay. The nutrition value of orchard hay is similar to Timothy, only being slightly lower in protein. Orchard hay has a higher calorie content which is a result of higher fiber digestibility compared to Timothy grass. 

Meadow hay: It is made from long strands of grass, leaves, flowers, and seed heads from the meadow. Contains more leaf than Timothy. Meadow hay has a better range of minerals and trace elements than single grass hays. It is a great hay to mix into Timothy hay. 

Oat hay: Oat hay has long stems with oats attached at the end and tends to be a yellower color than other types of hay. It contains a higher amount of fiber, fat, and protein. This hay is great to feed if your guinea pig needs to gain. Oat hay should not be fed or mixed in daily. 

Alfalfa hay: Alfalfa hay is a low- calorie, nutrient-dense hay. Alfalfa hay is high in calcium and protein to support healthy growth.  Calcium will help with bone growth and milk supply for lactating mothers. Alfalfa hay is too high in calcium for adult guinea pigs. Guinea pigs 6 months and under and pregnant/lactating mothers should be fed alfalfa. In normal healthy adults alfalfa hay can cause bladder stones which are extremely painful and often require a surgical fix. 

Pellets

In adult guinea pig pellets, the first ingredient should be timothy hay. The majority of timothy hay-based foods are safe for your pigs. Guinea pigs that are less then 6 months of age or are pregnant or lactating, should be offered alfalfa hay-based pellets if they are being given grass hay. Food with added colorful bits, seeds and dried fruits should not be fed. These are too high in sugar and can cause your piggie to become overweight and have various health problems. Any treats with “yogurt” should not be fed as guinea pigs cannot process diary. 

At Savvy Cavy, we feed and recommend Mazuri Guinea Pig Diet and Sherwood 50/50 mix. Mazuri has the probiotic while Sherwood has the more stable vitamin C. 

Other suggested foods for adult pigs are: Oxbow Essentials Adult Guinea Pig Food, Oxbow Garden Select Adult Guinea Pig Food, Sunseed Vita Sunscription Guinea Pig Natural Timothy Diet, ZuPreem Nature’s Promise Timothy Naturals Guinea Pig Food

For pigs under 6 months and pregnant/lactating mothers, suggestions are: Oxbow Essentials Young Guinea Pig Food, Oxbow Garden Select Young Guinea Pig Food

Fresh Fruit and Vegetables

Fresh vegetables should be offered daily, making sure at least one veggie is a leafy green. Fruit should be offered 2 to 3 times a week. Fruit is high in sugar and should be offered 2 or 3 times a week.

These websites have wonderful listings of safe veggies and fruits and offer suggestions on the frequency of feeding:

https://www.guineapiggles.co.uk/guinea-pig-food-chart

http://www.guineapigcages.com/food/Veggie-and-Fruit-Charts.pdf

A Word about Vitamin C

Like humans, guinea pigs are unable to manufacture vitamin C. Without supplementation, this leads to scurvy. The vast majority of commercially available diets are enriched with enough vitamin C to prevent this, especially with the addition of fresh veggies. Please do not use the drops that are sold to go in the water bottles. These alter the taste of the water and often pigs will not drink it or will not drink enough if they are in the water. 

Treats

 The best treats for your pigs are fresh fruit or veggies. If you chose to provide commercially available treats, Small pet select really provides the best selection. Treats are helpful in the bonding process between you and your piggie.

***Do not feed your pigs grapes or raisins. They have a high sugar content and the seeds are toxic.

Food bowls, water bottles & hay bins: 

Never use a bowl for water as Guinea pigs will quickly soil or dump the bowl. I get this question a lot “what water bottle doesn’t leak” I personally like lixit wide mouth small animals water bottles. Do they leak? Sometimes but not nearly as much as others. The reason is because it’s wide mouth making it harder for guinea pigs to hold the ball in and drain it. As for food bowls I recommend Kaytee gravity bins with the mounting bracket. Most food bowls are easily dumped so food is wasted or they sit in the food bowl and so much food is wasted from peeing and pooping in the bowl. The gravity bins are out of the way, they can’t be spilled and they can’t be sat in. As for hay bins you have to be very careful many hay bins and racks are very dangerous (below is a picture of hay racks to stay away from). My suggestion is to get a square food storage container fill it with hay. The guinea pigs can sit in there, graze on hay and be happy. You will have to clean the bin out once a day as they do sit in there and graze which mean they poop in there.

Floor time and Toys:

    Many toys labeled and advertised for guinea pigs are not safe. Yes. I am aware when you walk into a pet store their toy selection is filled. 98% of the toys are no good! 

Wheels and Balls: 

Wheels and balls are terrible for guinea pigs. Can even be deadly. Guinea pigs have different anatomy than other rodents. Guinea pigs can easily injury their backs on wheels or balls. They cannot and should not bend in that way. Most pigs will not even attempt to use a wheel. Another big thing is the lack of air flow in a ball, can definitely lead to heat stroke.

Snak shak logs: 

Made from sawdust and honey. They are fine until your guinea pig begins to eat it. Sawdust and honey is not something they should consume. There are many other hide and tunnel options. It is best to stay clear of this one. 

Leash and harnesses: 

Leashes and harnesses are a huge no. A leash and harness causes injury to their spine. They also can easily slip out of it as their legs are extremely short. 

Salt licks: 

They do not need these and too much salt is bad for them, they get everything they need from their food, hay and veggies. 

Chew sticks and chew toy:

They do not need chew sticks. The hay is the only thing they need to wear down their teeth evenly. 

Fun things you can do with your guinea pig:

Huge floor space: 

Watch them run and popcorn. It is fantastic exercise and the piggies love it!!

Cardboard boxes: 

They love to hide, run thru them, etc. You can even make a maze out of them! You can really get creative!

Paper towel rolls of toilet paper rolls: 

They love to chew them and play with them. You can even stuff them with hay or veggies!

Oxbow toys: Oxbow offers a lot of safe toy options!

Guinea pig socialization

Baby guinea pigs from the moment they are born are like sponges soaking up the world and learning what is and isn’t safe. Like every animals and humans alike undergo fear periods during their development. A guinea pigs fear period are evolutionarily programmed and are essential to guinea pigs survival in the wild. Even though guinea pigs have been domesticated for 3,000 years these genetically determined instincts are still present. Proper socialization is the key to having a well-prepared and confident piggie when they go off into the world. The socialization or lack of will permanently shape the guinea pigs personality and how he/she will react to their environment as an adult. Socialization begins with the breeder and continues with you. Many people believe socialization is the act of exposing their guinea pig to as many new things as possible without realizing that it’s is possible to over do it. Socialization is all about balance. Under stimulation can leave guinea pigs feeling anxious and unsafe, while overdoing it can make the guinea pig feel overwhelmed. Overwhelming a young guinea pig with a bunch of new experiences can result in a fearful withdrawn behavior. Everything is new so every encounter is an opportunity to make a positive association. I do slow introductions to different stimulants teaching how to deal with the situation. Always taking baby steps and avoiding doing too much at once. You need to know how much is enough, knowing each babies limits. Any fear or stress I remove from situation. Adopting a baby from a knowledgeable breeder who encourages a positive experience with people and other stimuli will help shape the guinea pigs behavior. Good breeders set them up for a happy confident life without fear. 

What about older guinea pigs?

If you have adopted an older piggie you can still help them associate new or fearful situations with a positive experience. Patience is key to helping an adult piggie overcome fears. Everything introduced is taken extra slow. Unlike babies these piggies have already built in fear, the guinea pig has already deemed things to be scary. Routine helps put the guinea pig at ease, they know what is coming and they know what is coming is okay. What I do with rescues that come in is keep on a very strict routine. Guinea pigs can’t read a clock but they know the time. Keep things very routined and introduce everything at a very slow pace much slower than if your dealing with a baby guinea pig. You may never get them super social or outgoing but you can at least keep them feeling slightly at ease always knowing what to expect. 

*If you have any questions on socializing a guinea pig or need help please reach out! Each one is unique and if your new to guinea pig behavior and/or this is your first go at socializing/desensitizing guinea pigs I can help. Remember this is much more in-depth than just picking up and holding a guinea pig. It’s tedious, you can make or break the socialization process if your not careful.