How To Care For a Pet Guinea Pig

  • February 10, 2009
  • 33,444 Views
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Guinea pigs often squeak with joy when their owners enter a room. How can you resist such welcoming pets?

You Will Need

  • A companion guinea pig or two
  • A guinea pig pen that's at least 4 sq. ft. in size
  • Newspaper & bedding, such as aspen shavings, shredded paper, or pellet-type
  • Guinea pig food, such as hay, pellets, greens, and vegetables
  • A one-qt. animal water bottle
  • Hiding places, such as empty coffee cans, shoeboxes, and flowerpots
  • A small pet brush
  • A hard-sided wading pool
  • Guinea pig vitamin C tablets
How To Care For a Pet Guinea Pig: Do research

Step 1: Do research

Before you actually bring your guinea pig home, do a little research online and in magazines and books. Guinea pigs need more care and attention than you might expect.

How To Care For a Pet Guinea Pig: Get company

Step 2: Get company

Guinea pigs are social animals—they’d much rather live with another guinea pig or two than by themselves. If you want your little squeaker to be the happiest, get her a friend.

How To Care For a Pet Guinea Pig: Consider roommates

Step 3: Consider roommates

Female guinea pigs can usually live comfortably together. Male guinea pigs should be from the same litter to reduce grumpiness and fighting. And since guinea pig neutering isn’t widely available, don’t keep males and females in the same pen.

How To Care For a Pet Guinea Pig: Give them room

Step 4: Give them room

Guinea pigs need plenty of space to run around. One guinea pig needs at least four square feet of space—but the roomier, the better.

How To Care For a Pet Guinea Pig: Line the cage

Step 5: Line the cage

Guinea pigs’ feet are delicate. Don’t keep them in wire-bottomed cages. Instead, use cages with solid bottoms, and line the cage or pen with newspaper topped with plenty of hay, shredded paper, or recycled pellet-type bedding.

A hard-sided children’s wading pool makes a good guinea pig pen.

How To Care For a Pet Guinea Pig: Provide lots of hay

Step 6: Provide lots of hay

A guinea pig’s main food source should be fresh, high-quality timothy hay. Feed your piggies as much hay as they’ll eat—they need the fiber, and munching on hay is the best way to keep their teeth from growing too long.

How To Care For a Pet Guinea Pig: Give them vitamin C

Step 7: Give them vitamin C

Guinea pigs depend on their owners to provide them with vitamin C. Commercial guinea pig pellets contain the necessary amount of C. Generally, one adult guinea pig needs a ¼ cup of pellets per day. Use fresh pellets, as vitamin C breaks down, and don’t substitute rabbit pellets, which aren’t the same thing.

Many guinea pigs think Vitamin C tablets are a treat. Give your piggies a quarter of a tablet once a week, or sprinkle a crushed tablet over their food.

How To Care For a Pet Guinea Pig: Give them greens

Step 8: Give them greens

Guinea pigs should also have a handful of varied greens and vegetables each day. Provide those high in vitamin C like kale, dandelion greens, and strips of red pepper.

How To Care For a Pet Guinea Pig: Give them water

Step 9: Give them water

Guinea pigs drink tons of water. Make sure yours have clean, fresh water available at all times.

How To Care For a Pet Guinea Pig: Provide hiding places

Step 10: Provide hiding places

Guinea pigs love having hiding places to play and sleep in. Try empty coffee cans, shoeboxes with holes cut in them, and overturned flowerpots. While guinea pigs like to play, they’re not particularly nimble—offer them balls and low ramps for exercise.

How To Care For a Pet Guinea Pig: Let them run free

Step 11: Let them run free

Give your guinea pigs plenty of “floor time” each day. Let them run around in a space that’s free of wires and other dangers—you don’t want them nibbling on your computer cords!

How To Care For a Pet Guinea Pig: Groom your piggies

Step 12: Groom your piggies

Many guinea pigs love to be brushed. Longhaired guinea pigs should be brushed every day.

How To Care For a Pet Guinea Pig: Watch their health

Step 13: Watch their health

Call a small-animal veterinarian if your guinea pigs are sneezing or coughing, have diarrhea, or seem lethargic. A happy, healthy guinea pig can live for up to 10 years, so with good care your little friend will be around for a nice long time.

Excited guinea pigs sometimes jump up and down—a behavior called “popcorning.”

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Comments (9)

makwana

nice video

about 1 year ago by makwana

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Emma_Louise_Hutchinson

Guinea pigs can live happily alongside rabbits

about 1 year ago by Emma_Louise_Hutchinson

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Parakeet

I love animals so having such an informational video is nice

about 1 year ago by Parakeet

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tabi

Yes i agree:)

12 months ago by tabi

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tabi

Yes i agree:)

12 months ago by tabi

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tabi

thankyou for taking the time to share your knowledge! Just something to think about, maybe some tips on how to wash your guinea pig, still very good though:)

12 months ago by tabi

Reply
tabi

thankyou for taking the time to share your knowledge! Just something to think about, maybe some tips on how to wash your guinea pig, still very good though:)

12 months ago by tabi

Reply
Drivemysoul

I've always liked animals, but I'm slowly starting to fall in love with them. You're video was great and very informative.

3 months ago by Drivemysoul

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xxcutiecutiexx

your video great i've got two myself there so cute

about 1 month ago by xxcutiecutiexx

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