Guinea pigs: feeding and care at home

Most often, the question of pets is raised in families with small children. As a rule, they ask for a kitten or a puppy, but as an alternative, the parents offer the chad several other types of animals, among which guinea pigs are very popular. These unpretentious animals do not take up much space, do not require great attention. And most importantly, in the process of caring for them, children are inculcated with a sense of accuracy and responsibility.

According to average statistics, the life span of a guinea pig living at home is 3 years. With maximum care and quality care, its life cycle has a duration of 5 to 8 years. In the wild, the animal lives with ease for 9 or even 10 years.

Three species of guinea pigs are known in the zoological sphere.

• Shorthair. The length of hair over the whole body is no more than 3 cm.
• Longhair These animals can boast an incredibly long hair, which is 15 cm in length across the body. On the face, the hair is slightly shorter, the approximate length of hairs is 7 cm.
• Rare. This type of guinea pigs appeared relatively recently. Their distinctive feature is the absence of hair on the body, except for the head and legs.

Before you get a guinea pig, you need to familiarize yourself with the habits of this animal. According to its characteristics, the animal belongs to day residents, they are active only in the first half of the day. In the morning, the pet eats food, after which it is happy to contact its owner. In the lunch and evening activity of animals decreases significantly. At night, the animal sleeps.

When purchasing several guinea pigs at once, it is important that they live together in the same territory until the moment of purchase.. Otherwise, conflicts may arise between unfamiliar animals. Of course, their fights proceed without bloodshed.

The maximum that the warring parties are capable of is to try to scare your opponent with your movements. Watching this process is very interesting. The two conflicting parties stand opposite each other, raise their heads high and begin to gnash their teeth. The time of "fighting" is unlimited, but in the end the weak animal will retreat. Quite serious conflicts arise between the males dividing the territory or the female.

When keeping guinea pigs in large numbers, you can see how vividly this gregarious feeling is expressed in this species of animals. Each individual male constantly has several groups of females. They do not like strangers and drive them away very quickly.

Guinea pigs by their nature are indifferent to other pets. They have enough communication with their team. Unfortunately, this fact can play a bad role in the life of a rodent, especially if other types of animals live in the house.For example, after meeting with a cat, a frightened animal will try to hide in the darkest corner and dig under the ground. And realizing that the escape will not work, pressed against the wall and freezes in one position. In this case, the guinea pig can get a heart attack.

By their nature, guinea pigs are similar to many types of pets in that they are involved in coprophagy, that is, they eat their stool. The only explanation for this fact is the need for the body of the animal to take important trace elements and vitamins, undigested the first time.

Many parents worry that the guinea pig can bite their child. This is only possible if the child will carelessly handle the animal. In fact, guinea pigs are very friendly to their owner. They allow you to stroke yourself on the face, knocking on the nose.

But as mentioned earlier, they can "turn on" a little aggression, showing dissatisfaction with their actions. For example, if an animal is uncomfortably seized, it begins to push the hand of a person with its head, after which the legs will move. If the owner does not respond to the demands of the animal to release it, the guinea pig starts snapping. Only after the last hint can she slightly bite her finger. Thus, rodents report that they are fed up with the manifestations of human feelings.

At the same time to beat animals is strictly prohibited. Otherwise, it may be frightened and lose confidence in its owner.

Before you start a pet, each person weighs all the pros and cons of pet care. This applies not only to dogs and cats, but also to small rodents, including guinea pigs. To begin with it is necessary to consider the list of advantages in the maintenance of this species of rodents.

• Guinea pigs will be good friends for the little owner. Firstly, they do not take up much space, and secondly, the child develops a sense of responsibility.
• By nature, guinea pigs very easily and quickly adapt to the new habitat. In a short period of time, they become accustomed to a new nickname and begin to react to the conditioned signal of the host.
• Guinea pigs are non-aggressive animals. Only light snacks, they show that they do not like something.
• These rodents do not pay attention to other pets.
• Guinea pigs are picky in their diet. For their feeding there is no need to purchase special delicacies or prepare gourmet dishes.
• Unlike dogs, which many children dream of so much, guinea pigs do not have to be walked. In addition, these rodents do not need physical exertion.
• This type of rodent is considered the most hypoallergenic pet.

After reviewing the positive aspects of guinea pigs, you should explore the negative points.

• Guinea pigs are not always trainable. But even the most wayward individuals can learn a few tricks.
• Quite often they can be intrusive. So pigs begging for food and attention.
• Guinea pigs are quite noisy. For a whole day, they can make a lot of different sounds, such as whistling, screeching or grunting. In addition, each individual sound made by the animal, has a certain value.
• Animals are very active in the morning. They are ready to scatter around the cage sawdust and food, which will have to be cleaned daily.
• Putting the guinea pig for a walk, the owners need to be ready for gnawed wires, furniture and other things.
• During the walk around the apartment, the guinea pig can relieve itself anywhere.
• Guinea pigs are afraid of cold and extreme heat and can catch a cold even with a light draft.
• By their nature, sea rodents are herd animals.They do not tolerate solitude, therefore, require a number of several relatives.
• This is a very shy rodents. With frequent scares from their owner, they may lose confidence in him.

Most of their time, rodents living at home are on their own territory, where they experience a feeling of comfort and safety. For them, it is advisable to purchase a separate home.

• Cell. The most common option for housing content of the guinea pig. The selected cell must be spacious in size. The pallet of the rodent's home should be made of plastic. The bottom of the house should not have a lattice base, the small foot of the animal can get into the slot, because of which the animal will be damaged. When choosing a home there is no need to buy a two-story model. Guinea pigs do not jump and do not rise to a height. Even if the animal is able to climb the second tier, it will not be able to go down. And jumping off can damage the foot. Thanks to the lattice walls, the cell is ideally ventilated. Separate locks on the doors do not allow the rodent to get out.

• Terrarium. Pretty good option for keeping a guinea pig. The main thing is that the sides of the container were made of metal mesh, and not of glass. An important advantage of the terrarium is the lack of debris around. It is strictly forbidden to use a terrarium completely made of glass. In them, the animal will be uncomfortable due to insufficient oxygen circulation, and the litter at the bottom will be constantly wet.

• Aviary. Some apartment owners, who are allowed living space, prefer to use just such an option at home for rodents. The main thing is that the height of the walls should be at least 40 cm, otherwise the guinea pig will easily get out for a walk.

• Dune. It is used quite rarely as a dwelling for rodents, it is mainly used for their transportation. Specialists zoologists also do not recommend using containers of this kind for keeping small animals. In terms of size, the dunes are very small and cramped. The air inside is very limited, which is why the rodents experience discomfort.

After purchasing a house for a guinea pig, it is very important to determine a suitable place for it. It should be light, because the guinea pig is very important to receive a sufficient amount of light. But with natural light, it’s important to remember that Guinea pigs do not tolerate direct sunlight, especially in the warm season.

To the rodent was not boring, his home must be located in the room where people are most often. If there are often noisy evenings in the room, it is necessary to put a decorative box with a roof in the rodent's cage, where the animal can hide and take a breath.

Quite often, buying a home for a small rodent, sales assistants offer to purchase a number of additional accessories that, in their words, are absolutely necessary for the animal. It will be difficult for a novice owner to navigate on the spot in the need for this or that thing, so they can purchase completely useless goods. In order to create the necessary cosiness and comfort for an animal, you need to purchase only a few things.

• Feeding trough. On the shelves of stores lined floor and hanging models of tanks for food. Guinea pigs should choose suspension tanks.
• Sennitsa. Hay is the staple food of small rodents, and it should be folded into a separate container rather than scattered across the bottom of the dwelling.
• Drinking bowl Suspended models will be the most suitable option, otherwise the entire bottom of the cage will be wet and the animal wet.
• Decorative house. A guinea pig, like any other pet, must have a secluded spot where it can hide and rest from undue attention.

In addition to the elements without which the guinea pig cannot live in any way, it is assumed that there will be an additional range of accessories allowing the animal to train or just play

• cubes and balls;
• tunnels and shelter;
• hanging hammock;
• lounger;
• salt stone.

Guinea pigs, by their nature, are not adapted to move around in these accessories; using them, they can get a fracture of the paws and even damage the spine.

Quality care for guinea pigs depends largely on their nutrition. Unfortunately, inexperienced owners pay too little attention to this issue. Therefore, they acquire only dry food for rodents, assuming that the elements contained in it are ideal for guinea pigs. Only few people know that these charming animals prefer to eat hay.

It is further proposed to familiarize with the main products that should be in the diet of guinea pigs.

• Hay.
• Green herbs - dandelions, nettle, burdock, lettuce and chamomile.
• Fresh vegetables. Guinea pigs are very fond of pumpkin and zucchini. They do not mind to eat carrots, cucumbers, beets and tomatoes.
• Small twigs. It is better to choose raspberry and blueberry bushes. Sprigs of apple and pear will be a special delicacy for this rodent.
• Berries and fruits, but exceptionally fresh. For example, bananas, cherries, strawberries, apples.

A detailed review of dry food for rodents, experts have not been able to determine its usefulness for guinea pigs, although many owners include this feeding in the diet of the animal. The main thing is to remember that dry food is rather high in calories, and when it is consumed frequently, guinea pigs begin to gain weight, which negatively affects their health. The animals themselves will not be able to lose weight, as they lead a sedentary lifestyle.

If you want to pamper a small rodent delicacy You can give him nuts, but not more than three times a week.

The feeding procedure itself also has certain rules.

• In no case can not leave an animal without food. If a rodent is left hungry for 20 hours, irreversible processes begin to occur in its body, which can lead to the death of the animal.
• Fresh hay should always be placed in a specific cell location. If it ends, you need to put a small bundle.
• Vegetables and fruits are given to the animal no more than twice a day.
• The diet of the guinea pig, like any animal, should be varied. Therefore, it is recommended to alternate different types of vegetables in its menu.
• In winter, due to the lack of fresh grass, the guinea pig needs to eat cereals.
• Guinea pigs cannot be overfed. Their daily rate is 30% of its own weight.
• The introduction of new products in the diet should be done gradually, constantly watching the state of the animal.
• Guinea pigs consume little water. But despite this, the liquid in the tank should always be cleaned and boiled.

The main part of caring for guinea pigs is the daily combing of the fur. This procedure allows you to keep the animal's hair clean.It is enough to wipe soiled pads with a damp cloth. It is also necessary to carry out daily cleaning inside the rodent's house, get rid of the uneaten food.

It is necessary to bathe the guinea pig only in the most extreme cases. Water treatments cause great stress in the animal. But if you still had to resort to them, it is important that the water in the bathing tank is warm. And the procedure itself should be carried out in a heated room, where there are no drafts. As a detergent suitable shampoo for cats and dogs. For swimming is used a small tank with a minimum amount of water.

After washing the animal should be wrapped in a soft towel and hold on his hands until the wool dries. It is strictly forbidden to use a hairdryer, as a loud sound may frighten a helpless rodent.

It’s important for beginning breeders to remember that Guinea pigs under the age of one year old are not allowed to bathe. Their fragile organism can not withstand this procedure.

Proper maintenance of guinea pigs at home allows you to avoid various diseases. If suddenly the care does not meet the required standards, the animal may face problems with digestion and the common cold. Further, it is proposed to get acquainted with the symptoms of the development of diseases:

• intense thirst;
• stuck wool;
• cough and shortness of breath;
• sluggish state, long lying with eyes closed;
• the appearance of parasites in wool;
• sores on the skin;
• loose stools.

Based on the knowledge and experience of breeding dogs and cats, beginning rodent breeders are wondering about the need for mumps vaccination. In fact, vaccinations do not make guinea pigs. Only in some cases, veterinarians may offer to instill the animal from bordetdiosis. Vaccination does not protect the rodent from infection, but it softens the disease process itself.

Do not believe the arguments that guinea pigs - boring rodents, who can only eat and sleep. In fact, they are very active and ready to play with their master. By nature, these rodents are quite smart, easily trained to do different tricks.

Before you begin to actively engage with the guinea pig, it is necessary that she got used to the new owner, began to trust him. To do this, the owner will need to pay a little pet a lot of time so that he began to trust the owner.

• For several days the owner of the animal should calmly approach the cage with the guinea pig and talk with her affectionately, so that the animal will begin to get used to his voice.
• The next stage of domestication is hand-made delicacy. If the guinea pig begins to trust the person, it calmly approaches it and takes the food. The main thing is not to make sudden movements at this moment. After a few days, the rodent will start running up to its owner and check if he has brought a tasty delicacy.
• After the first two stages, the owner can try to pull the guinea pig out of the cage and support it for some time in their hands. If the animal is frightened, it is enough to stroke him on the back, while gently talking to him. After the rodent is satisfied that there is no danger, he will relax and enjoy the contact with the person.

With guinea pig is very interesting to play. Fun pastime is a lot like the development of kids. The animal with great pleasure will get pieces of goodies hidden in different parts of the cage.A ball of rustling paper will attract the attention of a rodent, so you can play with it in a kind of football.

Feeling the friendly relationship between the guinea pig and its owner, you can begin to train the animal. As a reward, like any other animal, it is proposed to give a favorite delicacy.

Many people, having decided to have a guinea pig, suggest that the rodent does not require special care. But despite this, it requires a certain care of warmth and attention, which should be maximally provided by the owner. A novice owner needs to know a few basic rules by which a guinea pig can feel comfortable, safe and secure.

• Before you buy a home for the animal, you must determine its permanent location in the house.
• If other types of pets live in the house, you should carefully consider the choice of housing for a rodent. Aviaries and terrariums immediately go to the side.
• For beginner breeders, it is important to remember that guinea pigs prefer room temperature, they do not like abundant heat and strong frosts.
• Properly kept a guinea pig is quite difficult. In order not to go astray, it is best to paint an hourly schedule of care for her.
• By nature, guinea pigs are gregarious rodents. They do not like loneliness. Therefore, it is best to acquire several relatives at once. Of course, for a start, you can have one individual, but the internal state of the rodent will greatly improve when he sees a fellow next to him.
• At home, guinea pigs feel extremely free and easy, but their space cannot be limited only to a cage. Daily rodent required walks around the room.
• While the guinea pig walks, the owner must carefully monitor the animal, otherwise it may be frightened by harsh sounds and even get hurt.
• Guinea pigs need to be cared for every day - combing the hair, cleaning up the territory of the animal and be sure to feed them with fresh food.

More information about guinea pigs awaits you in the video below.