Guinea Pigs As Pets

How To Take Care Of A Guinea Pig

 Following these guidelines will help insure that your guinea pig lives a long and healthy life that the both of you will be able to enjoy.  avoiding stress and obesity and reducing boredom through environmental enrichment are effective ways to prevent dietary illness, and of course increase the happiness and fulfillment of keeping pets.

Guinea pigs are strict herbivores and require specific amounts of calcium, phosphorus magnesium and potassium, it is therefore imperative to feed them correctly and not to feed your Guinea  pig table scraps, or another animals feed.

 

They should receive a freshly milled, properly stored, pelleted complete guinea pig diet.  Perhaps supplemented with hay as they really like hay.  The guinea pig can be a finicky eater, turning its nose up because of changes in taste or texture of it’s diet.  Soiled or dirty food or water will also be avoided, so it is necessary to change food and water daily. 

The most important factor of a guinea pig’s diet is the need for vitamin C.  Guinea pigs like humans, lack an enzyme in the glucose to vitamin C pathway, and it is therefore crucial that they receive a vitamin C supplement.  There are a variety of ways to supplement vitamin C, the most popular being a liquid form that is added to water every day.  Another way to provide vitamin C is through formulated pellets, however even under optimum, dry, cool storage conditions the vitamin C levels remain sufficient for only three months from the date of milling, making it difficult to guarantee the potency of the pellets.  A handful of cabbage, kale or carrot daily is also a good way to insure vitamin C in incorporated into the diet.

Guinea pigs are clean and social in nature, they are easily hosed, they can not jump or climb so it is possible to house them in am open-topped enclosure at least 10 inches high.  Flooring can be either wire bottom or solid, wired flooring provides a cleaner environment and easy maintenance, but not as comfortable on their feet.  Solid floors with bedding require more effort to keep sanitary, and are most commonly used.

Many types of  bedding are acceptable, for example wood shavings, shredded paper, commercial pellets, and hay.  How often the bedding is changed depends on the number of animals and the type of food fed.

Remember that guinea pigs have a sensitive nature they have a tendency to panic when frightened, so your pet would probably prefer to be housed in a quite spot away from excitement and noise.  Since they are nocturnal, they require periods of light for rest and do poorly it housed for long periods in dark rooms. 

 The guinea pigs toenails will require regular trimming to avoid problems associated with over growth.  Chew sticks or a chewing block needs to be in the cage at all times as their constantly growing front teeth have to be constantly warn down with chewing action.

 

 

Piggie can’t swallow!? - Guinea Pig Cages 

I’d not feed banana or spinach at all right now. Banana is known to cause bloat in guinea pigs. Spinach just isn’t an overall good veggie as it’s very high in A and through the roof in oxalic acid. 

Building Trust - Guinea Pig Cages 

If you would give your guinea pig fruits like apple slices by hand would it begin to trust you more? i just wondered im going to be getting a guinea. … Piglet making the cute face - by PigWooBus in Guinea Pigs … But, other than feeding/ fresh water, I would leave him alone for like the first twoish days so he gets use to where he is before you start getting him use to you. Hand feeding also helps, but I wouldn’t use fruit. 

Guinea Pig Care and feeding

Some guinea pig owners are tempted to feed rabbit pellets, assuming that they are roughly equivalent to guinea pig pellets, but this is not so. Unlike most mammals (including rabbits), guinea pigs require a high level of  vitamin C.

Sources of Vitamin C for Your Guinea Pig | Pet Herbal Info Blog

One serious drawback to feeding your guinea pig fresh fruits and vegetables is that you have to purchase foods that have not been treated with pesticides. Always look for organic foods when shopping for your guinea pig. 

How To Care For Guinea Pigs

Guinea pigs are like humans in that they do not produce their own Vitamin C and must have a steady supply to remain healthy. When feeding your Guinea Pig grasses and flowers from your garden be sure that they are not harmful.

Guinea Pig Food | Guinea Pig Health, Guinea Pig Care, Guinea Pig Help

Feeding and diet for Guinea Pigs. … Written by admin in: Guinea Pig Care | Tags: food for guinea pigs, Guinea Pig Food, guinea pigs eat. 

How can I make my guinea pig gain weight?

Alfalfa pellets are pretty much the most calorie-dense thing that you can feed a guinea pig to keep his weight up - that’s why so many people have fat guinea pigs! Unlimited access to pellets can make pigs gain weight like crazy. 

Feeding Guinea Pigs

When feeding guinea pigs, one of the most important things to consider is that guinea pigs need vitamin C in their diet to prevent scurvy. They, like us, are unable to manufacture their own vitamin C — most other animals have this ability. 

Nugget Food for Guinea Pigs 2kg by Pets at Home

Your guinea pig’s diet should be supplemented with additional roughage, which can be provided through feeding hay like the Timothy Hay by Pets at Home. This not only aids your guinea pig’s digestion, but the gnawing action.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 24th, 2009 at 6:27 am and is filed under Guinea Pig Care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.