OK I'm thinking about getting a guinea pig whats the basic care guide for them i only want one?

Question

and i have oh about 80 or so bucks to spend i want to know the cost of all the stuff please

Answer 1

Food and Water

Vitamin C - Guinea Pigs are like humans they need vitamin C. You can get some brands of Guinea Pig food that have it added however this should not be considered a reasonable substitute for feeding your Guinea Pig fresh food. I will cover feeding your Cavy in more depth on the page Feeding

If your Guinea Pig is not eating or drinking this is very serious. You must take them to a vet immediately.

Eyes, Nose and Ears

Checking your Guinea Pigs eyes, nose and ears daily will alert you to any infections they may have picked up. They should always be clean and clear. Eyes should look bright and open fully. Ears should be warm to the touch. If your Guinea Pig has any sores or any signs of an infection you must take the Cavy to the vet. A Guinea Pigs natural defence it to hide illness. A Guinea Pig can be close to dying by the time you may notice. Always act quickly if you feel concerned. A vet would like to see you 5 times to say "your Guinea Pig is fine" rather than see him once when it's too late because you hadn't noticed.

Nail Cutting

Guinea Pigs nails need regular trimming so they do not grow excessively. I would write a piece about it here. However a web site I have used in the past to find information when I was new to caring for cavies has a really clear concise diagram. How to cut a Guinea Pigs Nails

Teeth

Guinea Pigs must have hay to grind their teeth down with. There must always been fresh unsoiled hay for them to eat. A hay rack is perfect for the purpose of keeping the hay off the bottom of the pen.

Signs that your Guinea Pigs teeth may be over grown are they may have salvia around their mouth, or it could possibly show by a lack of interest in food. It would be painful to eat if the teeth are over grown.

Bathing

I have read many different views on how often you should bath a Guinea Pig. I just bath them when I think they are getting smelly. I have bathed Kornage 3 times in nearly a year of owning him. The first time was to clear his fur of mites that he had picked up from the pet store I had brought him from. The second time was when I introduced Nutmeg to him and Millie because Millie was not accepting her. I bathed all 3 piggie's and it made no difference at all!

Fur

If you have a long haired Guinea Pig you are going to have to groom them daily. Also in the summer you may wish to cut their fur for them.
I have done this for Millie Moozer. She was laid out in her cage looking all tired on a hot day so I decided to take the clippers to her and cut her fur about an inch all over (avoiding her face area and whiskers) When I acquired her I didn't realise she was long haired. Her fur has grown slowly over the 6 months I have had her and when I cut it off, her fur was roughly 3inches long. However I had kept it trimmed up around her bottom area to avoid matting of her fur in this area.

Answer 2

If 80$ for the supplies than thats ok, if $80 for everything including the guinea pig and vet bills, than dont get a guinea pig.

Please get 2 guinea pigs because a guinea pig wouldnt be happy all alone, and would be a lot of stressful with no one. It will cost more money but u will see happy results!

Food -

. Timothy Hay (NOT ALFAFA)
. Veggies and Fruit
. Dry Food Pellets
. Water (in water bottle or bowl)

Cage Supplies -

. Cage ofcourse (guineapigcages.com)
. Pigloo or something for them to go under
. Food bowls and water bottle
. Toys (can be simple like a small stuffed animal, a sock, even a paper bag)
. Chewing Blocks (Probably wont chew on them)
. Aspen or Carefresh bedding (most reccommended)

What to do to keep them healthy -

. Everyday they should be let out for about 45 - 1 hour or free floor time
. Dont put a male and female together or will mate
. Need Vitamen C from food, make sure they have enough
. Keep them away from dogs, cats, ect.
. Do not put the cage by loud sounds such as by a tv

Answer 3

Laughter P gave you good advice.

You can find out everything you ever wanted to know by reading these three sites:
http://www.guinealynx.info/
http://www.cavyspirit.com/
http://www.guineapigcages.com/

The cost of a guinea pig set up is more than $80. You need to take into consideration the fact that they need fresh veggies every day, hay every day, pellets every day, etc. Then figure in the cost of vet bills.

Also please take into consideration that you really should have a PAIR of pigs. They get very lonely and depressed when kept alone.

Answer 4

CAGE: ( about $40) The best cage is (at the very least) a 20 gallon LONG (it means that it is long and short, rather than squarer and taller, allowing for more floor room) aquarium. It cleans easily and thoroughly (just dump the old stuff out, wash it out, and put new bedding in). DO NOT get a wire bottomed cage (It can wreck their feet) and I don't recommend a wire sided cage (they kick their bedding all over the place, and make a huge mess with them).

BEDDING: Ideally, you should use this virgin paper shredded bedding which is quite expensive ($20 a bag and will not last you much more than a month), but I use pine and aspen ($5 at Walmart for a huge bag that lasts me many months) because my guineas would eat the other stuff and seem to do okay with pine. The aromatic oils can upset some guineas respiratory tracks though, so be wary of sniffling, sneezing, etc. AVOID cedar, newspaper, or anything with inks.

FOOD: ($3 at Walmart a bale) The best food is actually TIMOTHY HAY (NOT alfalfa, so be careful). This should be its main food. You can line its cage with it (as bedding, but make sure you freshen it daily) or you can put it in a corner of the cage (which is what I do daily). PELLETS are a supplement, and should be fed sparingly (I give mine 1/8 C daily). Too much makes them fat, as well as keeps them from eating more hay. DO NOT buy the "gourmet" blends with the nuts, seeds, etc. It looks pretty (I made the mistake myself), but it is actually hard for them to eat, can actually hurt them/get stuck in their teeth, and is fattening as well. If you wish to spruce up its diet, give it some fresh veggies (stay away from iceberg lettuce, the usual light green stuff) like dark leafy greens (not spinach though) and carrots. Give fruits sparingly, and if you don't give fresh veggies often, also give sparing portions or it may get diarrhea.

WATER BOTTLE: ($5) get a large one. They drink A LOT.

VIT C: ($5) Guinea pigs need Vit.C, and are prone to scurvy, so make sure to get some (human) chewable vit. C supplements and just give it a little piece (like 1/10) of it once a week (NOT the whole thing--overdoing vit. C can give them them kidney stones).

ACCESSORIES: ($7-10) They need a place to hide, be it a box or a plastic little house of sorts. Guineas are shy and a place to hide makes them feel safe. Make sure it is well ventilated. Plastic is nice because it can be thoroughly washed. Wood items soak up urine and stink in time.

TOYS: Guineas do enjoy some fun. I gave mine toilet paper rolls ripped along the diagonal seam (she loves to toss them straight up in the air for some reason), a bird toy (one she couldn't chew parts off of because it is strong metal) bell, which she loves to ring, and another toy of plastic chain links, which she loves to bang against the side of her cage from time to time.

PSYCHOLOGY: They are a very delicate animal; they scare easily and they don't like to be alone. If you won't have a lot of time for him/her, consider getting two. (But keep in mind, you will need a bigger cage then. I myself have an 60 gallon terrarium "aquarium" and it is plenty large enough for my two. It cost me $80 a while ago, so it may be more now, but it was well worth it.)

I realize you only have $80, and to that, I would suggest waiting a little longer until your funds are greater. The animal itself will cost you around $25, and the startup supplies will take more than what's left if you do it right.

Answer 5

cage 30$
bedding 10$
food bowl 3$
Water bottle 5$
food 5$
pigloo or tube 5$
salt wheel+clip 2$
toys/treats 5$
guinea pigs range from 5-40 $ for some super cheap ones check craigslist.org and for some others check breeders and pet stores or shelters.
Veggies/fruits are needed everyday oranges apples carrotts kale all are ok.7$
Grand Total===about 87$$$

Answer 6

Guinea pigs are expensive to care for especially if you just start caring for them. Their cage would cost about $60. You have to have hay EVERYDAY and EVERYNIGHT for them. They need pellets to eat. They needed to be weighted weekly. They need a large space. They need about 2 cups of veggies DAILY. And they are social, meaning they should be kept in pairs or groups. I honestly don't think that $80 will be enough.

Answer 7

10 gallon tank 10.00
cover 7.00
hot glue gun-4.00
1000 popsicle sticks 3.00
toys 10-15.00
misc(food water bowl) 8.00


you u can buy a habatrail for 59.99 but hey what fun is that? you dont get to make them little houses and stuff!