Cavy Care: Is A Guinea Pig Right For You

January 30th, 2010 by Johnson

If you are considering obtaining a pet for your home, you would possibly want to think about a guinea pig. Guinea pigs, additionally known as cavies, are lovable furry little critters that will bring you a large number of joy.  Additionally, guinea pigs will be a good first pet for kids as a result of they’re easy to worry for and a lot of cuddly than a hamster and or fish. Here is a few a lot of info to help you establish whether or not a guinea pig is the right pet for you.

If you are considering obtaining a pet for your home, you may a initial consider a dog or cat. These animals are perfect for homes if you have got a lot of time to dedicate to owning a pet. Dogs and cats want a ton of attention and a ton of space.  Guinea pigs on the opposite hand are simply as cute as dog, cats, and they do not need close to as a lot of area or care. Several people love the thought of guinea pigs as initial pets for children as a result of they live a heap longer than hamsters or gerbils. After all, a well cared for guinea pig can live up to eight or nine years. Once you own a guinea pig, you’ll be hooked by these cute, sweet natured critters.

Once you head to the store to get a guinea pig, it’s always a sensible plan to seem at them carefully and choose them by their personality. Every guinea pig has their own personality.  Some are more reserved in nature, whereas others are a lot of outgoing.  If you are selecting a guinea pig for your kid, you wish to make sure that your guinea pig can tolerate being held and petted. Guinea pigs don’t seem to be known to be aggressive or to bite, but your child will haven’t any fun with a keep guinea pig.

Guinea pigs are ought to social animals, and that they enjoy the company of alternative guinea pigs.  If you’re planning to urge a guinea pig, you might need to contemplate getting two guinea pigs at the identical time. Male guinea pigs get along quite well with each alternative once you get them once they are babies. Male guinea pigs will fight with every other.  If you introduce them after they are grown. Feminine guinea pigs will also get along well with each other. It is not suggested that you simply get a male and a female, unless you would like to breed guinea pigs.

When looking at guinea pig cages, you need to seek out one that will enable enough room for movement and play. Guinea pigs like to stay hidden when they sleep, therefore create sure that your cage has a place where they can hide. A plastic or wooden structure within the cage is usually a good idea. You’ll additionally want to add some type of betting to the underside of your guinea pig cage for straightforward cleanup. Cedar chips aren’t recommended. You furthermore may need to incorporate a massive water bottle for your guinea pig. If you’ve got, 2 guinea pigs consider getting 2 water bottles. Guinea pigs love to drink water, thus build positive that you just offer them lots of recent water every day.

Some specialists suggest adding vitamin C drops to their water. This works well for a few guinea pigs. However, some guinea pigs do not just like the style and will not drink the water. If you are doing decide to add vitamin C drops to their water, create sure they’re staying hydrated throughout the day. If you select not to incorporate vitamin C drops with their water.  You can supplement their diet with fresh fruits and vegetables.  Guinea pigs love fresh vegetables and fruits of all kinds. Just build certain that you are not overfeeding your guinea pigs and use fruits and vegetables as treats. As far as food is worried, you will wish to feed your guinea pigs specially formulated guinea pig pellets available at pet stores. Guinea pigs also required daily supply of Timothy hay to help aid in digestion.

Guinea pigs are great pets for all types of homes. When you get your guinea pig young, you’ll be able to work with it to social it. You and your youngsters can get pleasure from these adorable pets for many years to come.

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How do I Care for a Guinea Pig?

August 25th, 2009 by Johnson

As in any pet care, the wild origins dictate a lot of what is important in Guinea Pig care. The guinea pig is a species of rodent that is also known as the Cacy. They are not in fact pigs, as their name would have suggested.  They come from the Andes, and studies have shown they have been breed from closely related species such as Cavia aperea, C. fulgida, or C. tschudii, and do not exist naturally in the wild.
They play an important role in both the folk culture of many Indigenous South American tribes and more importantly as a food source (how could they?). It was domesticated 5000 years ago for food and have appeared in many folk stories and are often used in metaphors.
They came to Europe in the 16th century by European traders and since then has seen common popularity as a household pet.  In the early days they were seen as an exotic pet and even Queen Elisabeth I had one. They were widely used for biological experimentation since the 17th century, giving way to the metaphor “guinea pig” for a test subject, though more recently they have been replaced by mice and rats.
They are very gentle easy to look after and are easy to handle and feed and are therefore popular with pet sitters. They are timid explorers and rarely attempt to escape. They will often make a noise like a whistle when interested, like for when the owner comes – or they hear the food container opening.
There are several breeds of domesticated guinea pigs, which differ in hair and color differences. The most normal varieties are the shorthair (or American shorthair), the Abyssinian with a ruffled coat. More specialist long hair types include the Peruvian and the Sheltie (or Silkie) and the curly long hair Texel.

So is a Guinea Pig the right pet for me?

Guinea Pigs are very companionable pets – so you need to be able to dedicate enough time for them, or else they will become lonesome and this might cause them to be stressed and go ill. This could be important if you are acquiring one for children, on the basis that the children will look after the guinea pig. Consider carefully that they typically live for four or five years, but may live for 8 years and the Guinness Book of Records has the record age for a guinea pig at 14 years.
Guinea pigs are relatively big for rodents, weighing between 700 and 1200g (1.5-2.5 pounds), and measuring between 20 and 25 cm (8–10 inches) in length. So they need quite a large cage. Though as a robust animal, this could be located in an outbuilding or a sheltered spot outside. They put up with cold better than excessive heat. Avoid wire mesh floored cages, as this can damage their feet and potentially lead to infection.
As for many pets you do not want to put two males together as they will fightfor domination when they are mature at 6 months or so. Females can however be grouped together. Obviously you do not want to add a male to the group as they breed very easily.

They are grass eaters, which they digest with the help of their long colon. Hay is an alternative to the grass in a domestic situation. Like humans they cannot produce vitamin C and will need to acquire obtrain this through their diet,   the guinea pig version of scurvy is deadly. Scurvy is often identified by sluggishness.  So feed them often fresh, raw fruits and vegetables (such as broccoli, apple, cabbage, carrot, celery, and spinach). Alternatively, but not a preferred option through dietary vitamins. They are fussy eaters when older, so with a young guinea pig feed a wide variety of foods. They feed continuously, so make sure there is hay available for them to eat.
Guinea pigs, as well as scurvy, can also suffer from respiratory tract infections, diarrhea,  abscesses due to infection (often in the neck, due to hay embedded in the throat, or from external scratches), and infections by lice, mites or fungus.

They are active throughout the day and will sleep on and off, waking for some activity. They like to groom themselves and will groom others.

 

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