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ABOUT | VETS | CAGES & RUNS | BEDDING | TOYS | FOOD | BATH TIME | TOILET TRAINING | LINKS
ABOUT
I got my first guinea pigs - sisters Maggie and Gerti (both girls) on Sunday 11th October 2008, when they were both 8 weeks old,
and below is some information or knowledge on guinea pigs, i have picked up on along the way, in case you are thinking about getting a piggie too!
If you are buying a guinea pig, please get them a friend... piggies don't like to be left all on their own!
and GUINEA PIGS ARE A LOT OF WORK - please remember this, before adding to your family!
VETS
When I first got my two piggies, I took them to a VET and got them registered and checked out.
It's wise to do this, just to give you peace of mind that they are both ok!
One of my piggies - Gerti, had a bit of the snuffles, so I was given "Baytril" to clear it up. This was a syringe which I was to insert the medicene orally in Gerti's mouth!
I found the easiest way to do this was to wrap her in a towel and lay her back, that way I got pretty much most of the medicene in, without spilling any!
*Note: it is also wise to keep a pet carrier handy, with newspaper and woodshavings already lined, all ready, in case you need to go to the vets quickly.
CAGES & RUNS
Guinea pigs like a lot of space, not that they do much running around, but if you work during the day, it's better that they have some room.
During the day while I am at work, the guinea pigs are kept in a Cage Robin 120 cage which I purchased from Zooplus.co.uk
I love this cage as its nice and big (Dimensions: 118cm x 58cm x 51cm) with 2 levels and lots of storage space underneath for hay and newspapers.
It also came completely furnished with easy to clean plastic removable accessories.
The cage is raised up so the guinea pigs are less skiddish than when the cage sits on the ground
because people does not approach from above (flight as a natural prey-reflex).
It also comes with a NON-Leaking water bottle, which is amazing as most bottles do leak, i have found!
In the evenings and at weekends, my guinea pigs are free to run around the living room (if i can keep an I on them, or if not, I put them in a run
(guinea pigs will chew wires - so never leave them unatended!)
The run also goes outside when we have nice weather (with a net over the top to protect the piggies from cats)
BEDDING
I always lay down newspaper for the bedding and line the "litter trays" with it aswell before putting putting "safe, dust free" woodshavings over the top.
Pets at Home stock this.
Guinea pigs also love "meadow hay" (the greener it looks - the better) - so I always shove loads of it in their cage aswell as their food bowl.
To make their home more comfortable, i bought them a couple of hammocks (as below).
Mainly these are sold for pet rats, but my guinea pigs love them and would stay in them all day, if alowd!
TOYS
I have found that my piggies aren't really interested that much in a lot of the toys you can buy for piggies these days.
They tend to much prefer anything they can eat or chew or hide in.
I buy mine a lot of wood toys that you can hide food in, such as baby corn on the cobs, which helps keep their teeth strong and their minds activated.
They also really love cardboard boxes and cardboard tubes. Anything they can chew and hide in!
FOOD
A guinea pigs favouritist thing in the whole world, is to eat. It's when they are their most happiest!
My piggies really love: meadow hay, premium nuggets (from pets at home), fresh greens, dandilion leaves, cucumber, baby corns, parsley, kale and honey sticks
I also always put carrots in the cage, but they rarely ever touch these!
I have also tried them on various other foods such as peppers, courgettes, and apples, but again they wern't very keen!
I first bought the piggies guinea pig musili, but i found that they were only eating bits of it (and it's important they get lots of vitamin C),
so i swapped to premium guinea pig nuggets, and they now eat ALL of it!
BATH TIME
Contrary to belief, guinea pigs can actually swim!
I bath my piggies every now and then, especially if i've let them outside and they are covered in dirt!
(and obviously in very shallow luke warm clean water with no bath soaps in it)
You can buy special guinea pig shampoos from places such as Pets at Home with added Aloe Vera - for that extra shiny pig!
My piggies don't seem to mind the water, but especially enjoy being pampered after bath time!
I use a hairdryer on the lowest setting to get them dry. Don't put piggies back in the cage wet as they will catch a cold!
TOILET TRAINING
Guinea pigs will generally let you know when they need to go to the loo when you are holding them!
Mine will lick my arm or hand, and i take that as a sign to put them straight back in the cage, even if they have only been out of it for 2 minutes!
Try to get in the habbit of this when they are young, so the amount of "accidents" is reduced later!
LINKS
Below is some links, of guinea pig sites that I have found helpful, please click on them and take a look:
kornage.co.uk for general information
Equine Canine Feline Online Shop
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