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• About Guinea Pigs
• Getting Your Pet
• Breeds
• What is Home
• General Care
• Breeding
• Behavior
• Illness and Ailments
• Guinea Pig First Aid Kit
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GETTING YOUR GUINEA PIG

Aside from the fact that guinea pigs are incredibly cute, there are a variety of reasons why they make good pets.  In particular, the common guinea pig is a low-cost, low-maintenance animal; you will need to change their bedding once or twice a week, supply fresh water every day or two and provide them with food and hay on a daily basis.

 A good cage will cost you around $30 to $40 if bought from a pet store, and $15-30 worth of bedding can last up to a month or more, depending on what you choose.  

Pellets are also inexpensive, running anywhere from $6 to $9 a bag, and hay is extremely cheap if purchased from a feed and garden store in bulk. Fresh vegetables can be obtained from the grocery store or grown in your own back yard.
For children, the guinea pig is an ideal pet, assuming the child is not too young to understand the do’s and don’ts.  They are extremely docile, rarely bite and are very sociable.  They love to be petted, and will gurgle and grunt happily and nonstop when given this kind of attention.  They are larger than most other popular small mammals, such as mice, gerbils and hamsters making them easy to handle (and catch, should they happen to get away).  Although they aren't as intelligent as rats, the guinea pig is trainable and far livelier than the stereotypes may suggest.

Guinea Pigs As Companion Animals

Guinea Pigs are excellent companions for adults, supervised children over the age of five, and multi species families.  They are fairly delicate and so are prone to injury if handled roughly.  In addition, children under age five have problems with guinea pigs as they tend to disregard basic animal handling rules.  No rough play, throwing, poking etc.  As prey animals, guinea pigs have a tendency to be fearful of sudden movements and loud noises.  The normal life span is around six years, so one has to consider the long term care needs when allowing children, who are at an age when their interest and attention span is likely to change, to acquire them as companions.  Other animals in the family must be watched and trained to accept pigs as family members as opposed to potential meals.  Rabbits and guinea pigs do very well together.  Some believe that guinea pigs are at risk of being kicked by Rabbits but this has not been proved conclusively.  Like all new members of the household, they do need a bit of a safety net when they first arrive if they are to be housed with Rabbits.  The best way is to place them in a cage in the room that the rest of their new family shares for two to four weeks so that all can become familiar with one another before allowing them to be free roaming.

Another consideration when choosing a guinea pig as a family member is the time needed to provide care.  Guinea pigs are fairly easy to care for, easier than rabbits, a little harder than rats or mice. Feeding time is about 15 minutes a day with washing and distributing veggies, changing water, cage freshening and giving hay twice a day.  

Cages need to be cleaned once a week, which takes about half an hour.  Grooming and health checks take about 30 minutes a month for short haired pigs, 2 hours for long haired pigs if you opt to keep their hair long.  Long hair pigs can be clipped with clippers in lieu of brushing, which saves time, though the cost of the clippers needs to be added to your expected expences.
If all of the above fits within your lifestyle and budget, a guinea pig in the family can be a wonderful addition. Being wheeped at daily for carrots is one of life's delights.

Average Price

The average price of a Guinea Pig ranges from $5 for a non-exhibition pet and between $10 to $45 for pedigree and longhaired varieties.

One Guinea Pig Or More?

For most people, including young children, owning one guinea pig is probably enough.  The cavy will quickly adjust to being around humans, and will make an excellent playmate. Most commercially available guinea pig cages are designed to hold one cavy comfortably; people wishing to keep more than one guinea pig together are often times forced to custom-build a cage. And, of course, it is less expensive to care for one cavy than it is for two.
There are, however, several advantages to owning more than one guinea pig.  Unlike some rodents, guinea pigs get along very well if housed together, and if you aren't going to be spending a lot of time at home with your pet, it is advisable that you do get it a companion. Otherwise, your cavy will become very lonely and its health will suffer.

If you do opt for caging two or more guinea pigs together, you should be careful about their sex.  Two females will get along very well together in a cage, though they may "bicker" over food and other treats.  Two males may end up fighting, unless you give them considerable room – enough so that they can stake out their own territory.  If you ever introduce a female into a cage with two males, you are asking for trouble; they will fight mercilessly over the right to mate with her, and the weaker of the two will eventually be starved to death by the dominant male, being driven from both food and water.

 If you neuter one of the males, it may prevent this kind of fighting, as the neutered male will no longer be a rival to the other, but there are no guarantees.

Without a doubt, a male and a female make the best company.  The female will defer to the male, who is dominant, and the male will general act peacefully towards the female.  If you do opt to keep an opposite-sex pair of cavies together, you will end up having to have one of them fixed, or your female will constantly be manufacturing little baby guinea pigs. With an estrus cycle of 18 days, and a gestation cycle of only two months, it is quite possible for one pair of guinea pigs to produce dozens of offspring in a year.

Male Or Female

Although each guinea pig is different, as a general rule, males are more active than females, and are slightly larger when fully grown.  Males also give off a rather strong scent when they are sexually aroused; if the male is neutered, however, this odor becomes less prevalent.  Females tend to be smaller and more docile, but they do present some unique problems.  First of all, it is more expensive to spay a female than it is to neuter a male (this is true for animals of any type).  Second, your female may already be pregnant if you bring her home from a pet shop or a friend's home, especially if no care was taken to separate her from her siblings shortly after weaning.  And last, if a female does not have a litter before she is about 9 months old, you will need to spay her if there is ever any chance, no matter how remote, that she may become pregnant later.  

The hip bones of childless sows can start to fuse between 9 and 12 months of age, and future pregnancies can become life-threatening. Sows should be spayed to avoid health problems.

Choosing Your Guinea Pig

There are many different kinds of guinea pig, Abyssinian, shaggy shelties, silky satins and wavy rexes to name just a few.  Forget all that (unless it's very important to you - in which case look at the Breeds in Chapter 3).  What you need is a short haired guinea pig.  They are easy to look after and just as pretty as their long haired cousins.

Although for most one guinea pig is enough, you may consider getting two if you plan on leaving it home alone for extended periods of tim You must get guinea pigs of the same sex (two males or two females) or you will very quickly have more guinea pigs than you can handle.  If you are going to have more than two then you should get females as males tend to fight.  Choose your guinea pigs from a litter that is at least six weeks old.

The puppies (baby guinea pigs) that you choose should be plump and well fed, should have bright eyes and clear ears and nose, and should have shiny, silky fur all over including under the bottom.
When picking out your guinea pig, there are several factors for you to consider.  Not only must you select a breed, but you must also take care in choosing a healthy animal.  The breed you choose will, in some cases, impact the amount of care that your cavy will require, and there are several "warning signs" that can help you determine whether or not your potential pet is ill.  “The checking for signs of illness” section deals with this in detail.

Is a guinea pig, by any other name, still as sweet?  Guinea pigs are as diverse as people are, and they come in many sizes, colors and temperaments.  In fact, there are 12 different breeds of guinea pig and 23 separate color groups.  Each guinea pig will have a unique personality, but this distinction is lost on most people, including the vast majority of pet store clerks.  So, when shopping for a guinea pig for yourself or your children, you may just prefer to call it like you see it, a guinea pig is a guinea pig is a guinea pig. What's more important than the name is the personality of the guinea pig itself -- many are far from sweet.

Pet stores, especially those specializing in exotic pets, generally carry several different breeds of guinea pigs. However, you should know about the various other types of guinea pigs and what to expect if you bring home another variety – although their temperament and behavior will not drastically change according to breed, how much care is required -- mainly because of their coats -- will. Since not all guinea pigs are the same, consider your decision before you go to the store.  Ask yourself the following questions:

Do you want a long-haired guinea pig or a short-haired one?
Since this is the most distinguishing characteristic in guinea pigs, it is the most important question to answer.  Long-haired guinea pigs can take considerably more time to care for than short-haired breeds, especially if you are interested in showing your cavy.  In general, long-haired cavies need daily grooming care, while short-haired breeds are groomed once a week.

Do you want one guinea pig or more than one?
In the wild, guinea pigs live in large herds and prefer to have companionship.  If you are routinely away from home for long periods of time, you will want to provide plenty of other distractions to keep her from becoming bored, or consider purchasing two guinea pigs so they can amuse each other while you’re gone.
Your answers to these questions will be purely subjective. And, unfortunately, how you answer these questions may not necessarily help you since not every breed of guinea pig is available.  However, if you know what type of guinea pig you are looking for, it is easier to phone several stores and ask. More and more stores and breeders do offer several varieties.  A few of the possibilities are listed below:

Once you have decided on the type of guinea pig that fits your lifestyle, don’t hesitate to ask pet store employees what breeds of guinea pigs are available -- particularly if you don't see the kind you are interested in finding.  Make sure you get the right one for you and your family, which is most often simply the good ol’ American guinea pig.  Sometimes it's the most common animals that make the most uncommon pets!

Note: More descriptive details about various breeds and varieties of guinea pigs are discussed in the "Breeds" section of the site.

Tips On Buying Your Guinea Pig

There are generally four places where one can obtain a guinea pig: a pet shop, a breeder, an animal rescue organization or a friend whose guinea pigs recently had a litter.

Many pet stores mistreat their animals, or provide them with inadequate care, either out of negligence, ignorance or financial constraints.  Sometimes a pet store's guinea pigs will have lice or mites, be malnourished or even pregnant.  Not all pet stores are bad, however; use your judgment and your common sense, as well as word of mouth such as testimonials from other customers and owners before making your purchase.  In some cities, there may even be a local organization which volunteers to inspect pet store conditions, and provide certificates for those stores that meet up with their standards.  Although these ratings carry no legal weight, they can provide you with more information which you can use in making your selection. In general, if you do decide to purchase from a pet store, inspect the animal for obvious signs of illness and inquire about the animal's age (especially if female, as any sow over four weeks old may already be pregnant).

Breeders, as the name implies, breed guinea pigs, usually for showing. Any animals that aren't of show quality are typically sold as pets.  One advantage of going to a breeder is that you can typically find a breeder that either specializes in, or generally keeps, a specific breed that you may be wanting.  In general, most breeders treat their animals well, but you should always be on the lookout for bad breeding practices (such as excessive inbreeding or poor living conditions) before making your choice.  Once again, word of mouth and common sense are important.

The animal rescue organizations, which can encompass everything from the local animal shelter to private rescue groups, specialize in abandoned animals, as well as animals that were originally destined for scientific research, or even snake food in pet stores.  These outfits tend to treat their animals with the best of care, but there is an element of randomness in the age, overall health and personality of the animals, depending on where they came from.  However, it is these animals that are in the greatest need of finding a home.

If you have a friend whose guinea pig(s) recently had a litter, and they are selling them or giving them away, this is an excellent opportunity for you to inherit a pet.  There are several advantages to obtaining a guinea pig from a friend: generally, you have a pretty good idea of how the animals have been treated, you can view the entire family before making your choice, and it is likely to be less expensive than purchasing a pet from a breeder or a store.  As long as you are allowed to inspect the animals and their home, you can be reasonably certain that you are getting a healthy cavy.

Checking For Signs Of Illness

No matter where you decide to get your guinea pig from, you should always inspect your potential pet before taking him or her home.  

There is nothing more disheartening than to bring home a new cavy, only to have it die a few days or weeks later due to an illness that was present before you picked it out.  Examine both your guinea pig and any cavies it was housed with;

Here is what you should look for:

Guinea pigs don't need any vaccinations. However, you may want to get any new guinea pig that come to live with you treated with some Ivermectin by your vet, in case they are harboring mites / parasites which live in and under the skin and cause them no end of irritation.  Might be a precaution well worth taking.

A Place To Live

OK, so you're going to get guinea pigs. But you can't have them running loose around the house or garden so get their house ready first.

The first thing to decide is – are they going to live indoors or out?  If the answer is indoors then a small cage for sleeping is fine; maybe one foot (30cm) by one foot for each pig.  They will also need a play room for when they are awake.  This could be a flat wooden tray about 2 feet (60cm) wide by 3 feet (1m) long with a side all around at least 8 inches (20cm) high.  These can be either bought or made very easily. You can also buy a special, multi-layer, super stacking, wonder house, with tubes, wheels, bedrooms, and other exciting and very expensive stuff.  If they are going outside then you need a hutch and a wire run. You could also fence off a small patch of your lawn and let them have a play area for when they're not in their hutch.  You must also remember that guinea pigs tend to not do very well with constant temperature changes and this must be take into consideration when choosing and placing their home.

Stuff To Own

Getting Her Spayed Or Him Neutered

Guinea pigs can actually get sick and die because they are lonely, so you will want to consider getting a pair of guinea pigs - or be ready to play a lot with yours).  As a pet owner, you will also want to make sure that your pet does not have unwanted offspring, and guinea pigs can produce a lot of offspring! Unless you intend to breed, show and sell these animals, you should have your female spayed or your male neutered.  An experienced veterinarian can perform this important surgery.

Many vets recommend that you have your guinea pig spayed or neutered by three months of age, which is when guinea pigs become sexually mature.  Having your male guinea pig neutered is probably best because it is a very low-risk procedure, and the male will not be affected by it.  Having your male neutered will also prevent your guinea pig from developing an odor, which happens when the pet is sexually mature. Although recommended female guinea pigs sterilization is a little more complicated.

Female guinea pigs are sterilized in an operation.  The veterinarian puts the guinea pig under general anesthetic, shaves the fur from her abdomen, makes a small incision, and removes her ovaries.  After tying off the blood vessels where the ovaries were cut from, the veterinarian repairs the muscle and closes the skin with stitches.  Male guinea pigs are neutered in an operation also called castration.  Under general anesthetic, the veterinarian makes a small cut and removes both testicles.  Generally, no stitches or sutures are required to close the incision.

If you do not want to have your guinea pig spayed or neutered, find out what the sex of your guinea pig is at purchase and keep males and females in separate cages.

Exercise

Just as exercise is essential for us, so is it important for our pets too.
Daily exercise will help your cavy maintain good health.  Find an enclosed space with an easily cleaned floor such as a bathroom or kitchen and they will slowly begin to look forward to the freedom a larger space will give them.  They will especially enjoy this time if you hide favorite foods in the area.

A few hiding places provide a place to feel protected while they are getting used to the new space. Brown paper bags with the lip folded over for stability, a soda can or a tissue box with holes cut in the sides work well.  You can also include a few pieces of PVC pipe fittings for him/her to race through, as well as a brick or rock as obstacles to run over (useful for wearing down their long nails).  

Some cavies enjoy chewing on cardboard tubes (slit lengthwise for safety) from toilet paper or paper towel rolls.  Toilet paper rolls stuffed with hay make especially fun toys for cage or floor time.
A large cage which is laid out to encourage movement from one area to another through placement of food, water, and shelter can also help keep your cavy healthy.  Introducing a second level or moderate barrier that must be climbed over will help develop and maintain agility

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Not Recommended: Exercise wheels or balls are not good for guinea pigs and may injure their spines, legs or feet.