How to Raise a Healthy Guinea Pig

Guinea Pigs make great little pets. Even though they aren't able to express their needs like a dog or cat, their needs are plenty none-the-less.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Guinea Pigs love human contact. They show their pleasure at being held or petted by making little "purring" sounds. It's a boring life for the guinea pig who receives no interaction or stimulation. If your schedule doesn't allow you to give attention daily to your pet, consider getting a second guinea pig to keep her company. Of course, you want to be sure the second pig is the same sex as the first.

2. A guinea pig diet should not only be their pellets, but vegetables and fruits too. Raw carrots, celery, broccoli, and green beans are good vegetable choices. Lettuce should be fed to them no more than once a week. They love lettuce, but too much of it will cause them to have diarrhea. Fruits high in vitamin C are so important for them. Guinea pigs will succumb to phenomena if vitamin C isn't part of their diet. Each day give her a strawberry, small segment of a peeled orange or an apple slice. They also appreciate a couple raisins now and then or a piece of banana. For roughage, they require a handful of hay. My guinea pig loves Timothy hay but sticks her nose up at Alfalfa hay. I guess they have preferences, just as we do! If you provide your guinea pig with vegetables, fruits and roughage, you will add years to her life!

3. Always have chew sticks for gnawing, as guinea pig's teeth continually grow. Their nails grow fast too; keep them short by using clippers made especially for this purpose. I got mine at Petco. I keep my guinea pig still by feeding her a strawberry while sitting on my lap. If she isn't eating something she loves to keep her occupied, clipping is out of the question!

4. Clean your guinea pig's cage every few days. The ammonia, if not kept to a minimum will cause her to be sick. Line the bottom of the cage with newspaper, topped with a healthy layer of packaged bedding.

5. Attention, a healthy diet, proper grooming and a clean cage are all important steps to raising a happy, healthy guinea pig!

[Tiferet]

on 5/7/2009 Great ideas regarding how to raise a guinea pig..mine was always so nervous we couldn't pick him up...we occasionally put him on the lawn outside and covered him up, but occasionally he escaped..