help me its about a guinea pig ???

Question

ok i am getting a baby short haired guinea pig i no some information but is there any really important infomation i should no just incase i dont no?

by baby i mean like 6weeks old

Answer 1

First you need love.
Cage - large cage, barred, opened aired at least 4 square feet. Do not use glass aquariums for cages. Do not use wire bottom floored cages, pigs feet are not designed for it and can often break toes and pull off nails, becareful with mulit floored cages the ramps should be non slippery and partially inclosed so as not to fall off or slip on the accent or decent to cause back or head injuries or broken teeth.

Bedding - Pine (Kiln dried and dust free) Aspen (Kiln dried), or Recycled paper bedding is good and pretty dust free, do not use ceder shavings or corn cob bedding. Ceder is harmful to breathing and respitory and the oils can cause liver damage, corn cob bedding will get stuck in the intestines and cause bowel blockage. Towels and rags are messy, newspaper (any other than black and white non waxy) has inks and chemicles that are harmful if swallowed. Shredded newspaper is dusty and bad for lungs.

Food - Feed only formulated guinea pig diet, do not feed rabbit food, Guinea pigs are the only rodent to not make there own Vitamin C and needs to have this in the diet, Rabbit or other Rodent food does not have this added into the diet. They also need high quality, mold free hay, and fruits and veggies to snack on for extra nutrients and fun to eat and keep there mind busy. Stay away from Hard shelled seeds and nuts the shells can splinter and cause digestion issues.

Toys - they like to chew so give them the wood toys that most rodents like, dont give too many plastic things they like to chew plastic and cardboard, cardboard can cause digestion blockage so be carefull on that. DO NOT buy that stupid ball for them to run around in and no exercise wheels. Guinea pigs do not need them and they are harmful to there backs. Guinea pigs are not flexable enough to use these.

Bathing & Grooming- get a rodent based shampoo, and since you have a short haired pig you only need to bath it sometimes, maybe once a month not more, if you keep its cage clean once a week or bi-weekly it really doesnt need a bath. Brush it with a soft bristle brush every other day to remove dead hair, clip nails when needed or they tend to get long and curly and can give him foot problems. Watch his front teeth besure they are even and not jagged or too long, get him to a vet to have them filed or clipped down if you notice them growing unevenly or jagged. Also many Piggers coming from pet stores unknowingly have mites and fleas, if you see and white critters crawling in the hair he has mites, and need to get a special shampoo. Fleas will be black, and they will tend to congragate to the white hair or white patches if your piggy has any white spots. Another way to check for fleas is take a damp white paper towel and wipe down in the hair next to the skin if you get some brownish red spots or reddish spots on the napkin that is flea poo and hes got some fleas.

Health - Pigs are generally hardy and dont get sick too easily, Watch for labored breathing, goopy eyes, sniffles, sneezing, green mucous near the nose and mouth. Tired and sleeping alot, not eating properly, loose poops or dirty but. These are all signs of illness. Guinea pigs once sick dont fight very well, they need to be taken care of immediately, by a professional vet. Be sure your vet is Knowledgable about guinea pigs tehy need diffrent medications and antibiotics than other rodents and some antibiotics can kill pigs.

Since you are only getting one I wont talk about breeding, but be sure you have someone who knows what they are doing tell you if its male or female, in case you get another one later.
This is just generaly basics that i am telling you i can get into very detailed ones if you want to email me.
I have raised show, rescue and rehabed Guinea Pigs for 17+ years there is little i havent seen or done with a guinea pig.

Answer 2

Your baby is going to need Alpha instead of timothy hay until he/she is about 6 months old. As this is softer and it provides the nutrition need for a baby. Start feeding fresh greens to him/her first in the way of fresh food and not a lot as he/she won't be eating a lot. After he/she gets use to the greens introduce some some veggies. Hold off on the fruit until he/she is about 3 or 4 months old.
The baby is going to need a lot of your time. That means a lot of handling, talking to him/her, playing and even training. Your going to need to pay close attention to him/her for the first few days, as he/she won't be use to the new place or you.
Also make sure the cage is big enough, I know the baby will be small at first but he/she will start growing by about 4 months and be full length by a year. So he/she is going to need plenty of room. The recommended size is 7.5 sq ft (30" x 36" 2x3 grids 27" x 41") for one. Also make sure you either use Aspen or a dust free litter, no pine or cider as these cause upper respiratory problems. When it comes to toys no paper or cardboard as these both contain chemicals that harm Guinea Pigs.
There is a great book that can help you out. I've a copy at home and we also have a copy at the Guinea Pig rescue center I volunteer at. The book is........ The Guinea Pig Handbook by Sharon L. Vanderlip.
Hope this helps.

Answer 3

I only had one for a short while (2 days) I fostered it. But I have found these sites that tell you all about their care, food requirements, illnesses and more. The second site tells you about their history too. I do know they need vitamin C enriched food for they can't manufacture their own and must have an outside source.

Good luck with the litte one.

Answer 4

DO NOT use a pine or cedar bedding it is toxic to them

Answer 5

Please join the guinea_pigs_society on yahoo groups! They can help you find the answers you need.

#1 - CEDAR is BAD! :-) (use pine or aspen wood chips instead)