Looking after Your Guinea Pigs

 

Guinea Pigs are relatively easy pets to keep healthy but there are some very important features about their care to keep them happy & healthy

 

1) Just like us & gorillas, guinea pigs cannot synthesise their own Vitamin C & so MUST  have it in their diet daily. Although some pelleted feed has Vitamin C added often it is not very stable in the food so the easiest & most effective & tastiest way to make sure that your pig gets its Vitamin C is to make sure that they have something green every day. Although you can share some of your 'five-a-day' with your guinea pig it is fine to give them grass and weeds to suplement their vitamin C. They will, like us, get Scurvy if they don't get enough & will also be predisposed to all kinds of chronic ailments.

 

2) Their teeth,like those of rabbits grow continuously so plenty of food such as grass & hay are good. They contain silica which is abrasive for the teeth and are also full of fibre essential for gut health. They can get through a phenomenal ammount of hay

 

3) They are social animals and happiest kept in groups with other guinea pigs. Rabbits are not a suitible companion and may make your guinea pigs life more stressful. Groups of females live together quite happily as do male pigs very often. If there is aggression between male pigs, or in mixed groups of pigs the males can be castrated.

 

4) We are seeing more guinea pigs with urinary tract disease & it is thought that stress may be a factor leading to it. Plenty of water (bowls as well as bottles) & leafy greens (especially dandelions) fed wet after rinsing can help keep the urine dilute but plenty of hay to hide under and large enclosures can make your pig feel safer & happier.

 

A guide to caring for your guinea pig can be found here