ALISON LAURIE-CHALMERS: Guinea pigs are a great pet if cared for correctly
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I have such fond memories of my son’s lovely, short-haired guinea pigs Norma and Flo. They were always noisy and entertaining, and he had great fun with them.
Guinea pigs, also known as “cavies”, are social animals originating from the grasslands and lower slopes of the Andes in South America.
There are different breeds and varieties with a wide range of colours and coat lengths. Typically, guinea pigs live for five to eight years, but some may live longer. They are very busy little animals, and are generally active for up to 24 hours a day, only sleeping for short periods.
In the wild they live in close family groups and should not be kept alone. They are happiest in pairs, though avoid pairing males and females together. They are extremely vocal animals, with characteristic “squeals”, “chirps”, “squeaks”, and “whistles”! They can make ideal pets for children, however interactions with other pets should always be carefully supervised. Never leave a guinea pig unattended in the presence of another animal which could potentially be predatory.
A guinea pig is an indoor pet. Keep the housing area dry and free from drafts. House your guinea pig in a clean, roomy hutch with plenty of deep, clean, dust-free wood shavings, and fresh hay. Plenty of soft, deep, clean bedding is important to avoid foot problems such as “Bumblefoot” which causes painful swellings due to a bacterial infection. Their cage should be somewhere well-lit but not exposed to direct sunlight, and which is accessible and offers the guinea pigs some visibility to daily human activities.
Set aside time each day for cleaning out any soiled bedding and for feeding and playtime. When picking up your guinea pig, be sure to support their entire body with two hands, holding them gently, close to your body. Guinea pigs can be injured if dropped, and may nip or bite if roughly handled, so do supervise children and teach them how to handle them correctly.
Guinea pigs need a high fibre diet to keep their teeth healthy, supplemented with vitamin C. They must have daily access to hay to make sure their digestive systems work properly, and to help wear down their teeth.
They cannot make their own vitamin C, and must obtain this from their diet. This should be supplemented with daily fresh greens such as kale, cabbage, broccoli, and parsley, fed in moderation. Vitamin C can also be added to their drinking water in a carefully dosed, supplemented liquid form, but this water should always be changed daily, as vitamin C degrades quickly.
Signs of a Vitamin C deficiency include lameness, swelling of joints, teeth problems, lethargy, skin sores and poor wound healing. Some complete pelleted diets do have added vitamin C, but often not enough.
There is the potential risk that when guinea pigs are fed a “muesli” style diet they may selectively feed, leading to nutritional imbalances.
Feeding a single component good quality, pelleted, “nugget”-type guinea pig diet will prevent this. For feeding use a heavy food bowl that cannot be tipped.
Fresh clean water should always be available in an easy-to-reach water bottle and heavy ceramic bowl. Food bowls and water bottles should be cleaned out and refilled daily.
If you need any advice on care and health contact your vet practice.
Alison Laurie-Chalmers is a senior consultant with Crown Vets in Inverness.
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