Basic Guinea Pig Care
Courtesy of the Wilshire Small Animal Hospital
- Guinea pigs are gentle, often vocal pets that enjoy human contact.
Another name for guinea pigs is cavies. A male is known as a boar. A
female is known as a sow.
- Teeth: All teeth (incisors and molars) continually grow throughout
life. If the teeth do not "mesh" properly (malocclusion) they can
overgrow, leading to difficulty in eating.
- Reproduction: The average length of pregnancy is approximately
63-68 days. The babies are born with eyes open and teeth erupted.
Within a few hours they are walking unsteadily and eating/drinking
from pans. Male guinea pigs can reach puberty as early as 8 weeks,
while females can reach puberty at 5-6 weeks. Breeding should not be
considered until the male is at least 4 months and the female at
least 3 months.
- Life Expectancy: 4 to 7 years.
- Adult Weight: 1-4 pounds.
- Litter Size: 1-6.
- Weaning Age: 14-28 days.
- Diet: Guinea pigs are like people in that they cannot produce
their own Vitamin C. Therfore, it must be provided in their diet
for survival. The only (but most important) difference between guinea
pig food and rabbit food is the addition of Vitamin C.
The problem with Vitamin C is that it breaks down relatively quickly
in food. There is a marked loss in potency approximately 90 days after
manufacture. Therefore, Vitamin C should be supplemented in their diet.
Good sources of Vitamin C are kale, parsley, spinich, cabbage, green
peppers, mustard greens, collard greens and fresh alfalfa hay. Feed
these in small amounts. Iceberg lettuce and celery are not good
sources and should not be fed. Carrots are not a good source of
Vitamin C.
Make sure you purchase food that is fresh. This can be accomplished
by (1) making sure there is a rapid turnover of food in your store and
(2)if there is a lot of powdered or crumbled food, it is a lot more
likely to have been sitting around too long.
Unfortunately, there is presently no package dating that would allow
you to assess the age of the food. Guinea pigs eat approximately 5%
of their body weight in food daily.
- Abcesses: Lumps and bumps noted on guinea pigs are often abscesses
and typically require surgery. Guinea pigs uncommonly form tumors.
- Urine: Bloody urine is a serious sign and may indicate infection
or stones of the bladder.
- Skin: Guinea pigs are often found to be losing hair, sometimes
with itching and dandruff. This can be a result of many things
including mange, ringworm, fur mites and Vitamin C deficiency.
Ringworm is potentially contagious to people.
- Foot problems: An entirely wire mesh bottom cage may lead to
serious foot ulcerations, abscesses and even fractured legs.
Approximately 1/4 of the cage floor should be plywood that is
changed as it is soiled.
- Sanitation: Clean cage at least once a week. Poor cage sanitation
can lead to disease.
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