hoe do you care for ginniea pigs?

Question

we got our kids ginniea pigs and i am looking for any info about them that is easy for kids to understand and fellow.

Answer 1

I have had guinea pigs for years so I have some experiance in this area. You have to be careful with them because they get sick very easily, and also have no natural defence to defend themselfs so be carful if you have other pets. Make sure you get bedding to line the cage with. I wouldnt suggest wood chips because it can cause respitory problems (one of thier biggest problems). Also make sure you give them frst water everyday, they drink alot of it and it might go empty very quickly. Also give them alot of fruits and vegitables, but be careful because some can make them sick. If you go to pet co, or even any book store pick up some books on guinea pigs, thats where I got alot of my info and it helped me alot. On more thing, feed them alot of oranges, they are full of vitamin C and guinea pigs need alot of this because they do not naturally produce their own.

Answer 2

I have kept guinea-pigs all my life, and work at a rescue where we have over one hundred in our care at the moment.

Guinea-pigs are sociable creatures and get very depressed on their own. Male guinea-pigs should be neutered to stop breeding, fighting and reduce the risks of testicular cancer. Their bodies cannot retain the vitamin D, which comes from the sun, so they need to spend at least four hours a day with some sunlight. Building a good sized run (6ftx7ft) is handy, as long as you make sure that they have got some shelter from the sun and rain. They will get far too hot if left in direct sunlight, even for half an hour.

80%-90% of their diet should be grass. You need to make sure that they get this every day. By putting their run on grass can ensure that they get sunlight and grass at the same time.

They also like, iceberg lettuce, cabbage, carrot, apple, tomato, banana, cucmber and celery. Also a high quality dried food such as Supa Guinea-pig Excel or Science Guinea-pig. It looks boring as it is all the same, but all the nutrients is in one pellet, so they can't pick and choose all the good bits, and leave behind essential nutrients as they don't like the taste.

Answer 3

Just for future reference you may want to research them before you get the animal because people can make big mistakes if they haven't done their research first.
Make sure you buy them blocks of wood to chew on, they enjoy carrots and lettuce. I had one when I was very young but unfortunately don't remember too much about him other than that. The blocks are essential as they need something to help keep their teeth at a normal length.

Answer 4

They usually have books at petsmart or petco ; well pretty much any sort of petsore specially written for certain types of animals . They have them at stores like wal mart too . Here is a website that I just found though :

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/rabbit_horse_and_other_pet_care/how_to_care_for_guinea_pigs.html

& well this one has something for you to sign up for a free guinea pig newsletter if you want it haha .

http://www.smileypets.com/GuineaPigCare.htm

just check google; it's really helpful :]

Answer 5

Here's some great guinea pig websites
www.cavyspirit.com
www.cavies.com
www.cavymadness.com
www.oginet.com/pgurney/ (Peter Gurney's site-great stuff)
www.cavycages.com (really neat cages)
www.caviesgalore.com

Answer 6

http://www.spca.bc.ca/Kids/animalcare/guineapigcare.asp

Answer 7

http://www.petsmart.com/global/articles/article_detail.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=10134198673332920&bmUID=1159130256293

Great pet care guide!!

Answer 8

I ain't no ho!