PetLvr.com - [The Blog]

Guinea pigs are exceedingly easy to care for. They enjoy a big cage and won’t show signs of stress being confined, unless they’re left alone all day every day. But they still require some hair and nail grooming in order to remain in top health. Fortunately, taking care of those tasks is simplicity itself.

For short-haired breeds, like the American or Teddy, little in the way of hair care is needed. Long-haired breeds like the Peruvian or Silkie benefit from occasional gentle brushing. Bathing is generally not required unless they’ve gotten into something they shouldn’t. Sometimes, a bath is essential to treat a fungal-caused skin condition, but that falls under the category of medical treatment, not grooming. Texels, with their long, curling ringlets will definitely require regular hair grooming.

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Guinea Pigs enjoy tunneling, exploring and interacting with animals and other elements in their environment. Giving them lots of variety will keep them mentally active for those hours you’re away. That helps keep them stimulated, a vital component of an overall health program. Animals with nothing to do all day, even ones as relatively simple as cavies, become lethargic.

Small plastic or wood houses with several entrances and exits are a favorite among many cavy owners. They’re healthy for the pig and amusing for the owner as the animal winds its way in and out of the enclosure. Many have multiple levels with small, low-sloping ramps to give the pig still more to explore and a way to get healthy exercise.

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Guinea pigs need soft, clean bedding that is changed frequently in order to stay in top health. Litter training a cavy is very difficult and, as a result, they tend to eliminate in many areas around the cage. It’s essential for their health that bedding be replaced to keep down ammonia and keep them and the cage clean.

Ammonia is a component of urine. In high concentrations not only does it smell offensive to humans, but can eventually lead to respiratory problems for the guinea pig. Breathing concentrated ammonia will damage their lungs, burn their esophagus and create other health problems.

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Professionals recognize 13 official breeds of guinea pig or cavy, though several more are popular. Within this set is a group of differently colored types that add further variety to this amazing animal. To top it off, there are ’satin’ varieties, in which the hair shafts are hollow, giving them an ultra-shiny appearance and smooth feel.

Abyssinian

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Because guinea pigs are common prey for many larger species, they have evolved to hide pain and weakness. Making noise, limping and other signs of distress alert predators to a location. They tell the predator that a particular animal is easy and therefore, safe prey.

That makes it all the more important for guinea pig owners to keep a sharp eye out for any signs of illness.

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Guinea pigs, or cavies, are like any other species in having a number of distinctive behaviors. Within that broad outline, of course, each pig will have its own peculiarities. It’s the latter that makes detailing the former a little tricky.

Most guinea pigs enjoy companionship, both of other cavies and of humans. How do we judge when a guinea pig is happy? The same way we would judge ourselves or any other animal - by its behavior. Dogs wag their tails when happy, but tuck it between their legs when they’re fearful. Similarly, guinea pigs give a number of tell-tale signs to signal their moods.

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One of the many fun aspects of owning a guinea pig is selecting or designing and building a cage. Few homes are designed in a way that allow the owner to let their guinea pig simply run free. They can get into a lot of mischief that way. But creating a cage that is spacious and fun is easy!

As with any animal cage, the larger the better is a good general rule. Cavies need space to walk or run around. They’ll use parts of the cage for bathroom duty and training them to use a litter box is a challenge too onerous for most guinea pig owners. About six square feet is the bare minimum for a comfortable cage for one pig. That may sound ample, but it is only 2 ft x 3 ft. Even for a small animal, that is not a huge amount of floor space.

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The question posed in the title is a legitimate one. Even though guinea pigs are familiar, they’re neither pigs nor do they hail from Guinea. These rodents, originating from the Andes mountains in South America, are so similar to rabbits they were nearly reclassified. They’re commonly called a “CAVY” .. a derivation of their scientific name.

But whatever their scientific status, their role as pets in the lives of millions is beyond debate. There are a baker’s dozen recognized breeds and several ‘unofficial ones’. But each has unique qualities that make it a far more interesting animal than you might expect.

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