The Perfect Pet. (Guinea Pig)

Member Name: daisychaingirl

Product:	Guinea Pig
Date:	18/07/09 (77 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Friendly, loves cuddles, easy to look after.

Disadvantages: You can't take them out for a walk! Otherwise, none!

The guinea pig is a popular family pet but how much do you know about them and have you ever owned one?

They are also known as cavies and originate from the Andes, although many people assume they come from New Guinea. They aren't related to pigs either - they're actually classed as a species of rodent. One of the reasons the name 'guinea pig' came about was because they were human's choice of test subject before we moved on to using mice and rats for experiments. You may also not know that in parts of South America guinea pigs are a source of food for many people. A family friend of ours went to Peru and was served guinea pig for her evening meal!

For most of us, the guinea pig is a common and ideal pet and many families first choice for their children as they are sociable, friendly, enjoy being handled and are easy to care for.

The average life span of a guinea pig is around 4 years but they can live longer if they are housed inside. Their favourite foods are grass and hay (they will eat it all day long if they can!) and a wide range of vegetables and salad item including; carrots, broccoli, celery, cucumber, apple, and lettuce (although they should not have too much lettuce as it isn't good for them). It is important for them to be given a dry mix food too for supplements and treat sticks can also be given which usually contain various seeds. They also love dandelion leaves and other plants, but again, some can be poisonous. They drink water and a plentiful supply should always be available for them, either by bowl or bottle.

Guinea pigs like company, it is best to have at least 2 so they have a playmate. Although obviously be careful keeping males and females together unless neutered! A guinea pig pregnancy last from 59-72 days and the size of the litter can be 1-6 babies, so you could easily have a lot of babies on your hands! Pregnancy can also be fatal for the mother - 1 in 5 pregnancies usually result in her dying. I would also advise to be careful when introducing males to each other as they can fight for dominance and it will often result in one piggy losing a bit of their ear! If keeping males together, it is ideal if they are brothers or have known each other since birth, but it all depends on the individual guinea as sometimes they can be fine.

You need to make sure you have an adequate size cage for these little guys as they love to run around and explore. You can buy toys for them to put in the cage, but they are often more than happy when given a cardboard tube to run through and hide in! They like to have a place to shelter/hide where they usually run to if scared by something and you will probably find they like to sleep in this too. My own guinea pig used to have a plastic 'igloo' bought from Pets At Home and he would wander into there at night and not come out until morning! When he went in there you knew he had settled down for the night!

How often you clean the cage depends on the number of guinea pigs in there and the amount they go to the toilet! My third guinea pig did an awful lot of number 2's! The poo doesn't actually smell though and isn't unpleasant - it is a little pellet that can easily be swept out of the cage. My first pair of guinea pigs only needed cleaning about once a week but the piggy I just mentioned needed doing every other day. Most people use newspaper to line the cage, and then add sawdust/shavings on top, followed by hay. They also love to be on grass and most people buy a 'run' like you would do for a rabbit, which can be put on the lawn in summer. My piggies spent many happy hours outside in their run! They will enjoy lazing in the sunshine, but make sure they always have a sheltered area and water, as guinea pigs can die of heat exhaustion. This is because they can only sweat through the pads of their feet.

You can buy guinea pigs from most pet shops these days and you can also find 'breeders' in your local area. My local garden centre has a pet section and even sells them! My tips would be that when you choose your guinea pig, check their eyes and make sure they look healthy and aren't cloudy as sometimes bad breeding can leave piggies with bad eye sight. I would also check their teeth to make sure they aren't overgrown (more for if you are buying an older piggy). Check their hair to make sure there are no mites as unfortunately if not looked after properly they can sometimes get these or they can be born with problems if the mother had them. If buying a baby, make sure they are at least 6 weeks old, as they shouldn't really be taken from their mother before then. I bought my first pair of guinea pigs from a local breeder and my third from Pets At Home. If I got another I'd certainly look at rescuing one from a rescue centre as there are so many in need of good homes.

There are so many different breeds of guinea pig now. There are short haired and long haired varieties, rough coats and smooth coats. Within these varieties there are different colours, markings, cross breeds, you name it! Short haired breeds are more common for first time owners as they are easier to keep and most pet stores only sell short haired. For a long haired guinea pig you would probably have to go to a specific breeder. The different breeds of guinea pig can be found online and I won't list and describe them all as there are far too many! I have owned Dutch guinea pigs which are usually white and one other colour and quite large. I have also owned a Golden Agouti and I think the Agouti breed has the prettiest face of them all!

In my opinion, guinea pigs are the perfect pet. I absolutely love them! They are so friendly and love to 'chat' with you. They make a squeaking sound to communicate and you quickly learn the difference in tone/volume etc for their different needs. For example, when having a cuddle they will often make a happy, chatty squeak. When comfy and content they will make a lower almost purring sound. When hungry they will make a few loud deafening squeaks! When they want your attention they will make fast loud squeaks. My last guinea pig lived in our hallway and as soon as he heard your door open upstairs on a morning, he would start squeaking to say hello and please come see me! He also became very clever and squeaked whenever he heard the fridge door open...!

As I've said, they love to be cuddled and in my opinion put up with being handled by kids much better than rabbits do. When you first get your piggy though they may be shy and not used to being handled yet. They may run around the cage when you try to pick them up, but don't worry about this, it's normal. With regular handling and cuddles, they soon learn to let you pick them up and will sit happily on your lap or in your arms. Once they are used to it they are fine and will love you back as much as you love them!

Summary: Perfect Piggies.