History and Biology:
Guinea pigs (cavies) make enjoyable pets. They have lively personalities with a gentle disposition. Our pet guinea pigs come from a species of wild cavy found in Central and South America, which subsists mostly on grass and other vegetation. Domestic cavies are still raised by the people of the Altiplano and are often left uncaged to forage around the dwellings.
Guinea pigs are rodents with compact stocky bodies and short limbs. They lack a tail and come in a variety of breeds with varying hair types, though some lack hair altogether. Males are generally larger than females. With good care, guinea pigs can live anywhere from 4-8 years in captivity.
Anatomy and Physiology:
Housing:
Bedding:
Diet:
Example of Daily diet for a Guinea Pig:
Daily food per piggy:
*If a guinea pig stops eating, even if it is only for 24 hours, this is a medical emergency, and he/she should be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Socialization and Behavior:
Floortime –
Floortime is the term for allowing the piggies to explore and have exercise outside their cage. It is usually done in a playpen area or area that is partitioned off so there is no chance the piggy can nibble on something they shouldn’t, get stuck in a spot, hide in a spot where they cannot be reached without moving furniture, encounter another pet who can harm them, etc. Online you will see lots of people just letting their pigs wander around parts of the house but this isn’t common or recommended as they are a prey animal and startle easy. It is never to be done if there are other animals in the house. Floortime should be limited to 20 minutes so they are not away from food/water and they go to the bathroom about every 20 minutes as well.
Also, they cannot be left alone for floor time, someone has to be sitting with them at all times they are out. We have had people call because their guinea pig got stuck under a dishwasher, in a cabinet where the toe kick had a gap, etc.
Veterinary Care:
Southwest Animal Hospital
2425 SW Cedar Hills Blvd. Beaverton, OR 97005 | 503-643-2137
Hillsboro Veterinary Clinic
142 S.W. Baseline St. Hillsboro, OR 97123
503-505-7577
Guinea pigs (cavies) make enjoyable pets. They have lively personalities with a gentle disposition. Our pet guinea pigs come from a species of wild cavy found in Central and South America, which subsists mostly on grass and other vegetation. Domestic cavies are still raised by the people of the Altiplano and are often left uncaged to forage around the dwellings.
Guinea pigs are rodents with compact stocky bodies and short limbs. They lack a tail and come in a variety of breeds with varying hair types, though some lack hair altogether. Males are generally larger than females. With good care, guinea pigs can live anywhere from 4-8 years in captivity.
Anatomy and Physiology:
- Like rabbits, guinea pigs have a cecum, which is a large, thin-walled organ connected to the small intestine and colon. The cecum houses bacteria and protozoa that help digest food material. In a healthy guinea pig, food may take 20 hours to pass through the digestive tract.
- All of a guinea pig’s teeth grow continuously. The main way the teeth are kept at their proper length, is through feeding hay, which forces the cheek teeth to grind/occlude against each other. Wood chews are not safe and should not be used.
Housing:
- Cage size should be spacious as healthy guinea pigs will produce a large amount of feces and urine. Additionally, a larger cage will promote exercise and enrichment.
- Minimum cage size – 1 guinea pig = 7.5 sq ft (2.5’ x 3’for example), 2 guinea pigs = 10 sq ft (2.5’x4’)
- The cage should have a solid bottom cage and appropriate bedding should be used to help soak up urine and feces. Avoid pine, cedar or any clay-based bedding or litter. Hard wood shavings or paper are appropriate. Whatever is selected, be sure the bedding is as dust free as possible.
- Glass or plexi-glass aquariums are not suitable as they do not allow for enough ventilation.
- Cages should be changed frequently to prevent the build-up of ammonia.
- The cage should have a hidey house that the guinea pig can escape to since they are need to seek shelter to feel safe.
Bedding:
- Fleece - You have to have at least 2 sets of fleece so when you change it every week you have a new set ready to put in with pigs. You have to first wick the fabric so the urine runs through it and does not puddle on top. This means washing the fleece with vinegar and free from detergent several times till the waterproofing washes off.
- With fleece bedding you will have to sweep or vacuum it twice a day – morning and night – every day. And when you vacation, someone else will have to clean it twice a day. The fleece, towels or whatever you have under the fleece to wick away the urine will have to be completely cleaned and laundered once a week. Is that something you think you will be able to do before work every day and again before bed?
- Even if you get a litter pan for the pigs - they will never be fully potty trained and still go to the bathroom all over the fleece which is why you must sweep / vacuum twice a day, every day.
- Aspen or Carefresh bedding which you change once a week and spot clean once during the week – I can give you an inexpensive source online – it is easier and not expensive. You cannot use Pine or Cedar bedding as both can cause very serious upper respiratory infections in guinea pigs.
Diet:
- Clean, fresh water should always be available. Using a water bottle with a ball-valve is recommended. The bottles should be cleaned regularly. Brushes are available at most pet stores to clean water bottles.
- A high-quality guinea pig pellet should be fed. Seed mixes are not appropriate, and may cause gastrointestinal upset, obesity and other disease. A high quality grass hay should be available at all times. Leafy greens can account for up to 5 percent of the diet.
- If on a well-balanced diet, guinea pigs do not need supplements or salt licks, other than vitamin C. These may cause an imbalance of certain minerals and nutrients which may lead to health problems.
- Guinea pigs require supplemental vitamin C as they lack a special enzyme to convert vitamin C from glucose. Healthy guinea pigs require 25 mg per day; however, sick, pregnant or lactating guinea pigs may require much higher levels. There are chewable vitamin C tabs for humans that can be used but must be dairy free and sugar free. Because of their unique gastrointestinal anatomy, guinea pigs are very sensitive to foods high in sugar.
- *Fruit is not appropriate and cause intestinal distress. High sugar vegetables, such as baby carrots, bell pepper, tomatoes and corn should also be avoided. Yogurt drops and seed treats are not appropriate either.
- Vegetables - Also avoid the cruciferous vegetable family and greens high in calcium, oxalic acid such as kale, collard greens, swiss chard, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. Easy and safe ways to get you pig healthy greens:
- ¼ cup per piggy per day
- Feed them pre-mixed baby greens
- Buy whole heads of
- Red or green leaf lettuce or romaine and chop it yourself.
- You can mix these greens with fresh chopped parsley and/or cilantro
- Ratio should be about 75% lettuces, 25% or less parsley / cilantro as a guide
- Treats – treats are acceptable on a limited basis, once a week for example, and treats should be primary made of alfalfa or timothy hay. Treats should not contain nuts, seeds, or dried fruit and a guinea pig cannot digest these things.
Example of Daily diet for a Guinea Pig:
Daily food per piggy:
- Fresh water
- 25 mg vitamin c either hand fed or crushed and sprinkled over greens – recommended are Oxbow Vit C tabs for guinea pigs or Thompson’s Children's Vitamin C Chewable 100 mg (piggy gets ¼ pill / day)
- ¼ cup greens
- Unlimited timothy hay or orchard grass
- 1/8 - 1/4 cup high quality guinea pig pellets like Oxbow
*If a guinea pig stops eating, even if it is only for 24 hours, this is a medical emergency, and he/she should be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Socialization and Behavior:
- Guinea pigs are social animals who enjoy the company of others. If possible, they should be housed with others.
- Though guinea pigs have small vocal folds, they are able to vocalize and make a wide range of calls. These can include whistles, purrs, chirps, grunts and chatters.
- In guinea pig groups, hair pulling is a sign of aggression. Over grooming or hair chewing and/or ear biting a subordinate can be a sign of overcrowding or stressful conditions.
Floortime –
Floortime is the term for allowing the piggies to explore and have exercise outside their cage. It is usually done in a playpen area or area that is partitioned off so there is no chance the piggy can nibble on something they shouldn’t, get stuck in a spot, hide in a spot where they cannot be reached without moving furniture, encounter another pet who can harm them, etc. Online you will see lots of people just letting their pigs wander around parts of the house but this isn’t common or recommended as they are a prey animal and startle easy. It is never to be done if there are other animals in the house. Floortime should be limited to 20 minutes so they are not away from food/water and they go to the bathroom about every 20 minutes as well.
Also, they cannot be left alone for floor time, someone has to be sitting with them at all times they are out. We have had people call because their guinea pig got stuck under a dishwasher, in a cabinet where the toe kick had a gap, etc.
Veterinary Care:
- Finding a good veterinarian is recommended. Guinea pigs should have routine physical exams every 6 months. Manifestation of a health condition is often rapid due to their fast metabolic rates, so early detection is important. Ideally, your guinea pig should have an exam after purchase or adoption, and every 6 months after his or her first exam.
Southwest Animal Hospital
2425 SW Cedar Hills Blvd. Beaverton, OR 97005 | 503-643-2137
Hillsboro Veterinary Clinic
142 S.W. Baseline St. Hillsboro, OR 97123
503-505-7577
Proudly powered by Weebly