Guinea Pigs as Pets

Cavies or Guinea Pigs as they are better known is originally from South America and believe it or not has been a popular pet for over 400 years. They can be found in natural settings in several South American countries including Peru and Brazil. While there may be more than 60 breeds, most domestic pet Guinea Pigs are either Peruvian, Abyssinian and English. Each breed has unique characteristics based mostly on hair length (short or long), The animals can also be differentiated by coloring or rosettes, which are round swirls of hair. Many Guinea Pigs are cross-bred making for even more color variations. They eat easy to prepare foodstuffs and are a great pet.

Your Pet Guinea Pig

The pet lives a median of 5 years and make glorious pets. They"re delicate non-aggressive creatures that rarely 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 do not leap or jump, so no cage lids or tops are needed.

Guinea Pig Bedding and Cages

Any cage needs to be about 4 feet x 4 feet. The animals can be untidy since they like to shred any bedding material. Bedding can berecycled paper or shredded newspaper. Cage walls should be at least 10 inches in height. The cage should be cleaned everyday since the animals often pee and defecate.

The Guinea Pig Diet

Guinea pigs are easy to care for and need an easy to prepare diet. The most basic requirement is a sipper water bottle. Water should be supplied every day and the bottle should be thoroughly cleaned each week. Vitamin C enriched Timothy Food pellets formulated for Cavies should be provided. Also purchase green, not brown or tan, Timothy, grass or oat hay. Avoid Alfalfa since it contains too much calcium. Also provide your Guinea Pig green leafy vegetables in small portions.

As soon as you bring a Cavy home, get him or her used to eating a wide variety of foods. The patterns you set while they\’re young will stay the same for the lifetime of the pet. It is tough to introduce new foods later in life. Recommended veggies that are full of needed vitamin c incude:

– Turnip greens
– ,Mustard greens
– Dandelion greens
– Kale
– Brussell sprouts

Only provide fruits as an occasional treat. Fruits such as grapes, apples and orange slices can be provided. Fruit should not comprise more than 5% of a Guinea Pig\’s diet. Cavies require 10-30 mg of vitamin C daily. There are capsules available for sale that may be sprinkled onto fresh vegetables. Don"t add vitamin c in a liquid form to water since the potency of the supplement diminishes after adding it to water.

Health Care

Like cats and dogs, Guinea Pigs should be examined by a Vet each year. Catching problems early is key to helping your pet live a long and active life.

Cathy Doggins is the author of tons of Cavy articles like this one. In addition to her work with Cavies, Cathy is a frequent speaker on small animal health. When not talking about pets, Cathy can be found at home caring for her dogs, cats and of course, Guinea Pigs.

Guinea Pigs as Pets