How to Buy a Healthy Guinea Pig

Guinea pigs are loveable creatures full of personality. When picking out a guinea pig, it is important to distinguish if you are picking out a show cavy (guinea pig) or a pet. If purchasing a pet, you don’t have to necessarily pay attention to lineage or breed; however, health is a crucial factor. Regardless of desiring a show guinea pig or pet, here is a general guideline for how to buy a healthy guinea pig.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• General knowledge of a guinea pig

1. Find a reputable breeder or pet store. Some larger chain pet stores buy guinea pigs in bulk from breeders that may not breed ethically. By not separating family, some guinea pigs are inbred, causing serious health defects later in life. In addition to unknown breeding standards, pet stores generally keep guinea pigs in large cages where disease can spread easily from one pig to another.

2. Analyze their behavior. Although guinea pigs can be sleepy like any animal, they shouldn’t appear overly lethargic. If woken up, they will usually scurry around or chirp. A guinea pig hiding does not necessarily equate a sick pig. Guinea pigs are often skittish around new people.

3. Look at the guinea pig's movement. A guinea pig should run around freely. It shouldn’t limp. A guinea pig should run in a straight line. If they are veering to the side or moving in circles there could be something wrong.

4. Inspect the guinea pig's body. A guinea pig should have smooth skin and hair. It shouldn’t be covered in urine or have feces matted in it’s fur. When guinea pigs are ill, they may sit in waste, however guinea pigs are generally very clean animals. Its skin shouldn’t be flaking, bleeding or irritated. The guinea pig's body should not have any abscesses or lumps.

5. Look at the guinea pig's teeth. Overgrown teeth or misaligned teeth are fairly common in guinea pigs. Gently pull back the guinea pig's lips to ensure that the teeth are aligned properly. The top teeth should fall over the bottom teeth. If they are growing inward toward each other this could cause serious discomfort for your guinea pig, and large veterinary bills for you down the line. Misaligned teeth signify years of clipping and shaving your guinea pig's teeth. This can be costly.

6. Check your guinea pig's ears. The ears should be clean. Check the genital area. Since many guinea pigs are assigned the wrong gender, it is important to ensure you are purchasing the appropriate sex, especially if you plan to house guinea pigs together. Although the genitalia can look very similar, by pressing gently, a male’s penis will protrude. As a guinea pig matures, their genitalia are more identifiable.

7. Keep possible cage mates separate. If you do buy a guinea pig, keep him away from all other guinea pigs for at least a week. House him separately. If you notice any change in behavior, do not introduce the guinea pigs since they can pass sickness. Guinea pigs are generally very resilient, however once their immune systems are weakened, their health can deteriorate quickly.

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on 9/13/2008 Please remember that you can adopt guinea pigs. There are many shelters over run with guinea pigs. Most of these guinea pigs came from pet store purchases and breeder busts.