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Guinea Pigs Like a Routine
Guinea pigs get used to a routine, and will reward you with welcoming squeaks when they hear you coming. It is important to look in on your guinea pigs at least twice a day. Guinea pigs love human company and the more time you can spend with them the better.
Feeding
Guinea pigs absolutely love eating, and when you feed them you will be rewarded with lots of squeaks. In the morning you should give them a bowl of dry guinea pig mix, and a variety of fresh vegetables. If you put them in their run during the day they will graze grass, and then later they can be given some hay (not straw) for nightime. Piggies don't eat our junk food or anything out the freezer, everything you give them should be fresh.
Fresh water
Water is very important, and you should give them fresh water every day. If it is cold their water can freeze, and it may need to be thawed out and you may have to refill it more regularly.
Keep their hutch clean
It is very important that you keep your guinea pigs hutch clean, and their bedding needs to be changed regularly.
Vitamin C
An important fact to know about guinea pigs is that, like us humans, they need a daily intake of Vitamin C. You can provide this by providing a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Most good guinea pig foods now contain vitamin C. Carrots and Broccoli are a great source of vitamin C.
Dry food
Guinea pigs like to have a bowl of dry food every day. Make sure you look for food that is specifically for guinea pigs, as it will have vitamin C in it. Make sure that you do not keep the food longer than 4 weeks as it will go stale and the vitamin content will decrease. The first 6 months of a babies life is most important as it is their window of opportunity - this is the time that they grow into gorgeous piggies and it's very important to feed them as much as they will eat to fatten them up. Bran is a good fattener because it is high in carbs, along with greens, carrots, etc. Excel is good because there is no waste, unlike other brands which they can pick out what they personally like and the rest is wasted, peed and pood on.
Fresh food
Guinea pigs will eat virtually anything! They can eat grass in the summer when they are in their run, they can be given different wild plants such as plantains, dandelions, chickweed and milk thistle. If wild plants are not available you can give them vegetables, herbs and fruit. You need to introduce as many different fresh foods when they are little, as they may not want to try anything new as they get older. You should not give them potato peelings, or frozen food, only fresh.
Grass
In the summer when they are in their run, grass will provide the main part of their diet. They will love to sit and eat your grass for hours. They make brilliant lawnmowers! In the springtime, when the first growth of grass occurs, they should not spend more than 1-2 hours outside, as this grass can be very rich and cause upset stomachs. By the summertime they can be outside all day. A towel or some kind of shelter from the sun is necessary - pigs hate the sun, but love to graze in the shade, they get sunburnt and can die too.
Hay - not straw
Hay is the other most important part of their diet. You should only feed them the best quality hay. If you have somewhere to store it, it is worth to buying a bale of good quality hay. As well as eating it they need it to snuggle under for warmth. Do not use straw it has no nutritional value, and the sharpness of it can cause eye injuries as the guinea pigs burrow in it.
Water
Water is very important, and their water bottle should be refilled daily. If they eat a lot of grass and fresh food it will be full of moisture and they might not drink much from their bottle, but you should still provide water at all times. In the winter monthc soluble vitamin C can be added to the water to make sure they are getting enough of this vitamin.
Treats
There are lots of varietys of treats available from pet shops, many based on carbohydrates, or sweets like yogurt drops. These are all gimmicks, and your guinea pig will be much happier with just an extra carrot.
Caecotrophs
Your guinea pig will prepare and eat these by himself. Caecotrophs are the soft droppings that the guinea pig produces and they are full of protein and vitamins. There are formed during the process of digestion, and are designed to be eaten as soon as they are passed. So dont worry if you catch him eating his own poo he is doing it to stay healthy!
How to hold your guinea pig
Guinea pigs love to be picked up and cuddled. They must be picked up and carried very carefully so that they do not fall and hurt themselves.
If your guinea pig is a bit skittish then just try spending some time just stroking them when you feed them, so that they get used to you first. Guinea pigs are very friendly and do not bite when you try to pick them up.
It is usually best to support them with one hand under their chest, and one under their bottom, and then transfer them so that you are holding them supported against your chest as you move around. Only ever pick up one guinea pig at a time.
Guinea pigs will sit on your lap for ages with you. It is always a good idea to sit them on a towel though, to catch any accidents!
Trimming your Guinea Pigs Nails
Guinea pigs should be kept on a soft surface because they have no hair on the bottom of their feet and hard surfaces will cause them to develop foot sores. Because of this though, their toenails will grow, and need trimming.
Guinea pigs have four toes on their front feet, and three on their back feet, so there are 14 toenails to manicure. Each nail has a blood vessel or quick running down its centre. If your guinea pig has white nails this will be easy to see, and you can trim just the tip of the nail, avoiding the quick. The quick is harder to see if the nail is dark. If you accidently cut the quick just hold some tissue on the end and the pressure will stop the bleeding.
If you are worried about trimming your guinea pigs nails, then a vet or breeder would be happy to do it for you for a small fee.
Looking after your Guinea Pigs teeth
Like rabbits, guinea pigs have teeth that grow all the time, but thankfully they are usually worn down by all the gnawing and chewing they do. If you look at your guinea pigs front teeth (there are 2 at the top and 2 bottom) you may be surprised by how long they are. Each tooth may be 1-1.5cm long, but they should meet evenly, and then they will wear down evenly. However, sometimes a tooth may break, as the result of a fall, or from chewing on the cage wires, and if this happens the other teeth may need to be trimmed to make them all even again.
As the guinea pig gets older the back teeth may become overgrown, although this is not very common. Any guinea pig that stops eating should be taken to see a vet straight away.
Grooming your guinea pig
Some breeds will need more grooming than others, however even the short coated breeds like the attention, and regular grooming is the best way to keep a close look out for any skin problems. A soft brush is best for these guinea pigs.
The longer haired breeds such as the Sheltie and Peruvian need a lot more attention, and a comb, as well as a brush, is needed in the hairdressing kit. Daily grooming is best, and Peruvians that enter shows often have their flowing locks kept in wrappers to keep then clean and tidy. Long haired guinea pigs that are kept as pets benefit from having the hair around their bottoms trimmed short, otherwise they are forever weeing down their trousers!
The Abyssinians, those are the ones with so many rosettes that their hair grows in many different directions, are groomed most easily with an old toothbrush!
It shouldnt really be necessary to bath your guinea pig, unless you want it to look extra smart before a pet show. However, all guinea pigs have a grease gland where their tail should be, and in the older ones, especially males, their coat can become covered in dark grease. This grease can be loosened with a lubricant such as swarfega, and then the whole guinea pig can be shampooed and rinsed well afterwards.
