Food and Water
When you buy your first guinea pig, it is important that you have all the right foods available to feed your new critter to keep him or her healthy. A guinea pigs basic diet consists of pelleted food, hay and vegetables/fruit.
Pellets - Always choose a dry feed mix specially formulated for guinea pigs with added vitamin C. Never buy rabbit food or small rodent food as they are not correctly formulated for piggies. Rabbit food may contain ACS (Anti coccidosis sprays) sprays which are beneficial to rabbits but harmful to pigs. Also, the rabbit food will not contain the correct levels of vitamins, minerals and proteins. Small rodent food such as hamster food contains nuts and seeds which are high in fat and pose a choking hazard to your guinea pig. Basically, if you stick to a good quality guinea pig dry mix you are on the right path.
Hay - Guinea pigs have open rooted teeth which means they constantly grow and have no nerve endings in the actual tooth. They need to grow constantly so that they can graze throughout the day in the wild. In the wild they would need to eat a lot of poor quality fodder to gain all the nutrients they need whereas in captivity they get everything they need in their dry mix. So what implications does this have? Well, the guinea pigs teeth would overgrow if they only had dry mix to nibble on as the teeth do not need to do much work in order to give the guinea pig all the nutrients it needs and therefore hay has to be fed to piggies every day. Hay provides little in the way of calories or nutrition but gives the teeth lots of work to do and also keeps the gut in good working order. Always provide your pig with good quality, non-dusty hay all day. They appreciate having the hay and will usually popcorn and 'wheek' when their hay ration is topped up! Readigrass which is made by Spillers is a quick dried pure grass and is highly nutritious and enjoyed by guinea pigs. Mine love it. Readigrass can be bought from horse suppliers in huge bales which will last for ages!
Vegetables - Guinea pigs, like us, cannot manufacture their own supply of vitamin C and need it to be supplemented in their diet. This should be done by offering your guinea pig fresh vegetables every day and treats such as fruits. Vitamin C or any multivitamin should not be put in the water instead of feeding vegetables. This is my opinion and here is why I think it. The vitamin C that can be added to the water makes the water taste different and can actually discourage your guinea pig from drinking. Add to that the fact that Vitamin C loses it's effectiveness drastically in water over a short period of time and also the fact that any piggy would prefer to munch on veggies than drink nasty tasting water! Offer your piggy a range of veggies to keep it interesting but always introduce new vegetables slowly to prevent upset tummies. My pigs enjoy cabbage, carrots, curly kale*, spinach*, apples, cucumber and romaine lettuce. Vegetables such as iceberg lettuce should not be fed as they have a laxative effect and any veggies high in water can have this effect such as cucumber. Go to Squeaks Page to find a list of veggies and their vitamin C and calcium content. Try to select foods that are high in C and low in calcium as calcium is implicated in the formation of bladder stones and bladder 'sludge' (crystaluria). *Only feed sparingly.
Treats - I never feed my guinea pigs shop-bought treats as they are usually high in fat and sugars (which the guinea pig does not digest well) and contain choking hazards such as seeds and nuts. My pigs much prefer a few chunks of apple or melon or even treats from the garden such as dandelions and fresh picked grass. Please note that foods picked from the garden must be free from pesticides and animal faeces. Also, some guinea pigs have an intolerance of fruit acids and little scabs will form at the corners of the mouth. If this happens, either cut back on these feeds or cut them into tiny chunks so that the guinea pig can eat the fruit without getting the juice all round its mouth. If in doubt, don't feed it!
Water - Water should be changed every day whether the guinea pig has finished it all or not. The water bottle should be cleaned out so that no horrible 'sludge' builds up and if you give your pigs their water using a bowl, remember that it will need to be changed more often so that any poops or bedding get cleaned out of the drinking water regularly.
Housing and Bedding
Right, so you have bought the food but what should you buy for your new friend for a home? And what about accessories?
Housing - Well I guess the first question to ask is - Indoors or Outdoors? In my honest opinion, space permitting, I would say that housing your pigs indoors is the best bet. If they are housed indoors, you can pet them as you walk past, interact with them more often and of course, notice illnesses more quickly and not to mention giving them the luxury of living in your home! An outdoor piggy has to face the elements unless they are housed in an appropriate shed/outhouse and will not be petted as often as an indoor piggy.
Most store bought cages are too small to keep a guinea pig happy and healthy unless you can find a particularly big cage with plenty of floor area so why not make your own? Go to Cavy Cages and check out the cubes and choroplast page - the cheapest and most effective guinea pig cages ever! If you have to settle for a store bought cage then don't buy an aquarium type of cage or an all plastic cage with only bars across a small section of the roof. These cages offer little or no ventilation at all so if you must go to the store to get a cage, buy a cage with a plastic base and wire cage top. These offer good ventilation and therefore create a healthier environment for your piggy. NEVER buy cages with a wire bottom as these harm your guinea pigs feet and can cause a condition called Bumblefoot (Pododermatitis) and can pose the risk of your piggy getting a foot caught.
Bedding - There are so many beddings to choose from that a new owner may not know where to start! There are a few no-no's when it comes to bedding such as cedar wood shavings and corn cob bedding. Cedar contains dangerous phenols which are absorbed by your piggy over a period of time. The piggies liver then has to deal with these toxins and can cause the liver itself, and the piggy harm. Corn cob bedding harbours mould spores very easily and if ingested can swell in the stomach. Pine shavings can be used as long as the pine shavings have been kiln dried to the point where there is no longer a 'piney' smell to the wood. It is the pine smell caused by the oils in the wood which do the piggies harm so always choose pine shavings which have no obvious smell. Needless to say, always choose dry, dust free shavings and never buy sawdust as this is totally inappropriate.
Medibed, which is a chopped straw bedding is very good and is especially good for piggies with allergies and indeed humans with allergies to shavings. This is available from horse and equestrian suppliers. Another option is to line the cage with newspaper (black and white print - no glossy or heavily coloured pages) and cover with a thick layer of hay. This isn't very absorbent but the piggies love to romp around in the hay.
Whichever bedding option you choose, remember that all pigs should be cleaned out twice a week at the least. It is not good to allow your pigs to stand around in their own excrement and no matter how absorbent the bedding or how well it can 'eliminate' urine odour the bottom line is, the piggy is still standing in its own poop and wee.
Accessories - Your piggy will need a heavy ceramic bowl to feed the food and an even heavier one to serve water in if the water bowl is the option you wish to take. If you prefer, you can use a water bottle with a metal spout to feed water and this prevents the guinea pig getting any poop or bedding in their drink. Some use a hay rack to feed the hay but I find this drastically reduces the amount of hay consumed by my pigs and so I never use one! It is more important to me for my pigs to eat lots of hay and keep themselves healthy than for them to have an immaculate cage with no hay littering the floor.
Toys, Grooming and Bathing
Guinea pigs are very active animals and enjoy have playthings in their cage to interact with. There are many store bought toys you can buy and also some good toys you can make at home. Piggies also need baths every now and then and a good grooming to keep them in tip top condition, so here's how!
Toys - There are some great toys you can but for your piglet including some fantastic ferret toys such as 'funnels' (tunnel play things), Chubes and Igloos. Go to your local pet store and have a look arund the ferret and chinchilla section as well as the guinea pig section. Quite often, the chins and ferrets have great tubes and houses available which are not included in the g-pig section. Never under any circumstances purchase a guinea pig ball for your pet in lieu of giving it adequate floor time. The guinea pig will most likely be scared to death and not move around in it anyway and besides, the spine of the cavy is not designed for such activities and can cause damage to this delicate tissue.
Grooming - Short haired guinea pigs need a good brush each week to stimulate skin cell production and good hair growth. It also removes dead hairs and skin cells which means less hair on your best jumper when you give your piggy a cuddle! Long haired guinea pigs are more work and will need regular trimming in order to keep them happy and healthy. It is best to keep the hair above ground level so that it does not get soiled, especially around the rear end. Gently tease out any matts with your fingers if there are any before brushing out the coat as this will prevent any 'ouchy' incidents on your guinea pigs' part. Clean your grooming brush and/or comb regularly to prevent build up of bacteria and grease.
Bathing - Guinea pigs need a bath just as we do but not quite as often. It is recommended that pigs get a bath every 3 months to keep the coat free of pests and funguses and also to give them a good clean to remove grease and dirt. If possible, buy a vet shampoo such as Vetsect Repel which has combined anti-fungal and insecticidal properties and so kills two birds with one stone. However, a more natural approach would be to use a Lemon Tree shampoo or Citronella shampoo available from good pet outlets such as Galens garden.
The best way to bathe your piggy is to use a deep plastic bowl in the bath. Fill the bowl up about halfway with warm water and get a cup and the shampoo at the ready. Gently lower your piggy into the bowl always supporting its upper body so that it's head is well out of the water. Use the cup to pour water over the coat and then gently wet the face with your finger which has been dipped in the water avoiding the eyes. Take the piggy out of the bowl when fully wet and place him/her in the bath. Apply the shampoo as directed and lather well. Get some fresh water and rinse your piggy well in the bath ensuring you remove all traces of the shampoo. Dry the piggy with a warm towel and then finish off by using a hairdryer on the lowest setting. Be very careful not to burn your piggy. Their skin is very delicate so test the heat of the dryer on your forearm first. When the piggy is dry, brush the coat through and give them a treat such as cucumber for being a good girl/boy.
Nail Trimming - All piggies will need their nails clipping at some point in their lives. Many owners take their pig to the vets for this but that is not necessary if you have the confidence to do it yourself. A nice sharp pair of human nail clippers are all you need. If your piggy lies well on its back and doesn't wiggle then this is a bonus but if you have a wiggly piggy it is best to do it with him/her standing upright. Either lay piggy on their back or stand them on a towel according to their temperament. Lift up the front paw and gently snip off the excess nail growth in one swift movement. This does not hurt your piggy so if he/she squeaks it is just because they are scared. However, you should be aware that a 'quick' runs down the centre of the nail. You can see the quick in guineas with clear nails. It is the small pinkish vein that runs down the centre of the nail. never cut too close to this otherwise that WILL cause pain and your piggy may bleed a little. Always underestimate the amount you need to cut in order to avoid the quick. With piggies that have dark nails, just take the sharp end off and don't try and be too enthusiastic as you have no guide to work on unless you are experienced or have piggies with clear nails as a reference. Do both front paws then the back, check none have been missed then give your pet a 'well done' cuddle and place them in the cage.