Your guinea pig
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Did you know?
Did you know? that guinea pigs....
• have 20 teeth, which grow throughout their lives! You can usually only see the front four as the molars are hidden behind cheek pads
• have four digits on their front paws, and three digits on their back paws
• need their nails trimmed from time to time; your vet can do this or show you how to do it yourself
• make a variety of sounds to communicate -"vee-vee-vee" for food -"brr" to show displeasure -burbling when content
• have a lifespan of about 5-6 years
• were originally native to Peru
• cannot make their own vitamin C (just like humans)
• are called boars if they are male, and sows if they are female
• have babies called pups, born with their eyes open, all their teeth, and a full coat of hair
• can be sexually mature as early as 3 weeks old, so keep boars and sows apart by this time to avoid larger families!
• have 20 teeth, which grow throughout their lives! You can usually only see the front four as the molars are hidden behind cheek pads
• have four digits on their front paws, and three digits on their back paws
• need their nails trimmed from time to time; your vet can do this or show you how to do it yourself
• make a variety of sounds to communicate -"vee-vee-vee" for food -"brr" to show displeasure -burbling when content
• have a lifespan of about 5-6 years
• were originally native to Peru
• cannot make their own vitamin C (just like humans)
• are called boars if they are male, and sows if they are female
• have babies called pups, born with their eyes open, all their teeth, and a full coat of hair
• can be sexually mature as early as 3 weeks old, so keep boars and sows apart by this time to avoid larger families!
Things to do
• Clean you guinea pig's accommodation daily
• Provide plenty of fresh hay (not straw) daily
• Provide fresh drinking water daily
• Wash salad before feeding; most guinea pigs enjoy carrots, chicory, greens, baby sweet corn, tomato and occasional dandelion and parsley (but avoid lettuce)
• Put salad in warm water first (to take off the chill)
• Clear away uneaten food at the end of each day
• Feed a dry mix with vitamin C to promote good health
• Guinea pigs thrive best kept indoors
• Offer fresh grass or supervised time on the lawn
• Keep a weekly record of your guinea pig's weight
• Keep boars and sows housed separately, unless the boar has been neutered
• Provide plenty of fresh hay (not straw) daily
• Provide fresh drinking water daily
• Wash salad before feeding; most guinea pigs enjoy carrots, chicory, greens, baby sweet corn, tomato and occasional dandelion and parsley (but avoid lettuce)
• Put salad in warm water first (to take off the chill)
• Clear away uneaten food at the end of each day
• Feed a dry mix with vitamin C to promote good health
• Guinea pigs thrive best kept indoors
• Offer fresh grass or supervised time on the lawn
• Keep a weekly record of your guinea pig's weight
• Keep boars and sows housed separately, unless the boar has been neutered
Things to avoid
• DON'T leave you guinea pig in direct sunlight, in a draught, outdoors on wet grass, alone with cats/dogs.
• DON'T keep your guinea pig in the garage as the fumes from a car could kill.
• DON'T keep your guinea pig in a wire-floored cage.
• DON'T keep your guinea pig on sawdust or woodchips.
• DON'T feed your guinea pig evergreens, onions, or anything that grows from a bulb.
• DON'T feed food straight from the fridge.
• DON'T offer limp, mouldy, stale or yellowing food.
• DON'T house your guinea pig with a rabbit.
• DON'T give your guinea pig rabbit food. It won't have added vitiman C.
• DON'T offer your guinea pig wheels or balls as toys. These could damage their spine
• DON'T feed lawnmower clippings.
• DON'T keep your guinea pig in the garage as the fumes from a car could kill.
• DON'T keep your guinea pig in a wire-floored cage.
• DON'T keep your guinea pig on sawdust or woodchips.
• DON'T feed your guinea pig evergreens, onions, or anything that grows from a bulb.
• DON'T feed food straight from the fridge.
• DON'T offer limp, mouldy, stale or yellowing food.
• DON'T house your guinea pig with a rabbit.
• DON'T give your guinea pig rabbit food. It won't have added vitiman C.
• DON'T offer your guinea pig wheels or balls as toys. These could damage their spine
• DON'T feed lawnmower clippings.
When to contact your vet
If your guinea pig...
• won't or can't eat or drink
• has trouble urinating, has constipation or diarrhoea
• shows blood from anywhere
• has trouble breathing
• is sitting hunched up
• has a sudden loss of weight
• loses hair
• is constantly itching and scratching
• is having fits/seizures You need to contact your vet URGENTLY. Ask your vet to check the sex of your guinea pigs. to avoid unexpected litters.
Don't worry if....
• you see your guinea pig eating their own droppings (faecal pellets) - this is a normal part of the digestive process
• a milky secretion is seen in the eyes after grooming - this is natural and harmless
• your guinea pig has bald spots behind the ears and on the "wrists" of the inner forelegs - this is normal.
• won't or can't eat or drink
• has trouble urinating, has constipation or diarrhoea
• shows blood from anywhere
• has trouble breathing
• is sitting hunched up
• has a sudden loss of weight
• loses hair
• is constantly itching and scratching
• is having fits/seizures You need to contact your vet URGENTLY. Ask your vet to check the sex of your guinea pigs. to avoid unexpected litters.
Don't worry if....
• you see your guinea pig eating their own droppings (faecal pellets) - this is a normal part of the digestive process
• a milky secretion is seen in the eyes after grooming - this is natural and harmless
• your guinea pig has bald spots behind the ears and on the "wrists" of the inner forelegs - this is normal.
Feeding your guinea pig
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