Rabbits N'Rodents

Want a guinea pig? You've come to the right place to learn all about them, although you'll want to consider getting at least two, as they are very social little critters.

Guinea pigs are widely available worldwide, and have become very popular as pets and are called a variety of names, so sometimes you may seem them being referred to as a cavy/cavies or even just guineas or piggies.

There are a lot of myths about guinea pigs, and I've listed a few below:

They are cheap- Guinea Pigs are cheap to buy, but caging, feeding and bedding plus high vet fees makes them relatively expensive pets, just like rabbits. You must be willing to have money set by for vet fees, which can get pricy.
Require little space and care- Although small, guinea pigs need large cages, and the ones sold in petshops are usually far too small. They also need care daily and time out of the cage everyday.
Only live 2-3 years- With proper care, guinea pigs can and really should live for 5-8 years, so they are a longterm responsibility.
Make great pets for children- As mentioned above, they need a lot of care, and no child should be expected to take care of guinea pigs by themselves, they will need help from an adult. Also, most children will lose interest, and it will be their guardian's responsibility to take full care of the piggies.
Can live outside- No, even in the mild British climate they cannot live outside. Cold winters and warm summers will sh0rten their lifespan, cavies should be kept indoors or in mild climates can be kept in a well insulated shed.

Now, before we go any further, lets take a look at the pros and cons of having guinea pigs, are they the right pets for you?

Pros of piggy ownership

-Guinea pigs are cuddle bugs! There is nothing like sitting on the couch with a snoozing piggy on your lap!

-Piggys are amazing at relieving stress!

-Guinea pigs make the cutest noises

-There is nothing like watching my 2 piggys popcorning around the cage together

Cons of piggy ownership

-Piggys are expensive! I spend more money on my piggys at the vets than I do when I’m at the mall for 3 hours! Not to mention because they are large rodents they need that large size for everything. Larger is always more expensive.

-My girls keep me up most of the night. Piggys take naps every once and a while so they are up a good portion of the day and night.

-Guineas are very vocal! Any time I walk up the steps they are chirping and whistling like mad men!

-Pigs chew everything. I have a pigloo for my girls and they had half of it all chewed up in 8 months. Piggys have sharp nails that need to be trimmed regularly.

-Its very difficult to hold a squirming piggy! Piggys tend to be skittish all their lives. Many people who have had their piggys for over 4 years still have to chase them around the cage just to catch them.

In conclusion
Over all piggys make good pets but only if you are prepared for the work and effort needed to have a successful friendship with these shy animals. If you have any other question about guinea pig care I suggest you check out the forum and ask a question. That way I, or another piggy educated member, can help you out.

By Pig Podge

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History

History

Guinea Pigs orignally come from South America, where they stayed together in large groups foraging for food. They set-up home in unused burrows made by other animals and stayed in areas of long grass to try and stay hidden from predators, usually in areas near a forest.

They make a wide range of noises, from chirping to squeaking, this would have helped the communicate with others in the group, and alert other members of danger. They are very sociable animals and enjoy each others company.

They are mammals and strict herbivores, their natural diet would have consisted of grass and other various plants.

The Inkas did keep guinea pigs as a source of food, and I believe in some countries they are still kept for meat and fur, but thankfully most people today see them as pets.

It wasn't until the 18th or 19th when they were brought to Europe, and like most domesticated animals, they were used in laboratories before being kept as pets. They are a popular pet, and through selective breeding are now available in many different colours, patterns and fur types.

*Picture supplied by Pig podge

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Varieties

Coat Type:

Abyssinian

* An Abyssinian is a pig with medium lenght hair that grows in swirls giving a ruffled apperance, and the genetics for this coat type is RRmm as the rough coat (RR) is dominant over the smooth coat (rr). Can come in a wide variety of colours.

Coronet

A pig with long straight hair and a crest, and can come in a variety of colours.

Crested- This refers to the tuft of hair on the pig's head, and the gene needed is St and there are two types:

American Crested

* This is an American crested guinea pig as the crest is white unlike the rest of the pig.

English Crested

* The English crested does not have a white crest but rather the crest is the same colour as the rest of the coat.

Peruvian

The Peruvian is a longhaired pig that has hair which grows towards the face, a bit like a fringe which will need to be trimmed back so as the guinea pig can see properly.

Rex/Teddy

A shorthaired guinea pig with a short fuzzy coat

Satin

A guinea pig with an extra shiny coat

Sheltie (Silkie)

A longhaired guinea pig with a smooth coat and has hair that grows away from the face unlike the peruvian.

Smooth haired

* Simply a guinea pig with a short smooth coat, one of the most common as it is the coat of the wild pig.

Texel

* The texel has a long wavy coat, and can occur in any coat colour/pattern, and is derived from a sheltie and a rex- llrxrx.

Coat Patterns

Agouti - A pig that has a solid base colour with black hairs evenly flicked through the coat giving an almost speckled apperance. This would have been the natural coat pattern from wild pigs. Can come in a variety of colours including golden, silver and lemon.

Brindle - Has black and red hairs evenly flecked through the body.

Dalamation - White body with coloured spots

Dutch

A guinea pig with a coloured body with a white ring around their middle and a white blaze running from between the ears and down their face and around their mouths. The picture to the left shows a dutch sheltie.

Himalyan - Has a white body with black or chocolate feet, ears and the tip of the nose, similar to a siamese cat.

Marked - A pig with specfic markings on their body, ie a mainly white pig with black patches or a mainly black pig with white patches.

Roan

* A coloured pig haeavily ticked with white hairs throughout the body.

Self

* A pig that is all one colour ie white (red or dark eyed), black, buff, beige, red, chocolate or slate.

Tortoiseshell -A pig with just two colours and no white patches

Tortoiseshell and white

* Same as a tortoiseshell but also with white patches of colour.

* Pictures taken with permission from www.sprowstonguineapigrescue.co.uk

Rabbits and guinea pigs

Why Guinea Pigs Can't Live with a Rabbit

Many people believe that it is pefectly fine for a rabbit and guinea pig to live together, however it is extremely dangerous for both the rabbit, and especially the guinea pig.

For a start, guinea pigs require extra vitamin C in their diet but rabbits do not as they make their own like most mammals, therefore do you feed rabbit or guinea pig food or a mix of both? Not only does rabbit food lack essentiual Vitamin C but it often contains antibiotics that are harmful to guinea pigs. A rabbit on the other hand cannot eat guinea pig food as it doesn't have the right requirements for their diet.

Guinea pigs can and should have a wide variety of daily vegetables, as should rabbits, however guinea pigs can eat more, and I can guarantee that if you tried a rabbit on the same amount of fresh food as a guinea pig, they would have an awful sticky bottom!

Rabbits have very powerful hind legs, and if something startles the rabbit or it even just hops off and the guinea pig is in the wrong place at the wrong time, the guinea pig will most likely suffer broken ribs as it is too delicate and will have to be euthanised, this has happened too many times already! You could argue the same could happen with two rabbits, but rabbits are hardier than guinea pigs and an accidentle kick is not going to have much of an effect on another rabbit. If you come home to a pig squealing in pain with broken ribs it will be purely your own fault, you've been warned!

Also rabbits tend to be the boss and often bully the guinea pig resulting in an unhappy and sometimes skinny pig as it isn't allowed to eat enough, that is no life for a guinea pig is it? Don't be fooled though, sometimes the guinea pig can be the boss of the rabbit resulting in a depressed and underweight rabbit, I have known of one case where a guinea pig blinded a rabbit in one eye.

Finally who wants to live with someone you can't even communicate with? Rabbits and guinea pigs come from totally different parts of the world and would never meet naturally in the wild. Therefore they cannot fully enjoy each others company. Both rabbits and guinea pigs have a complicated communication structure and they miss out on this as its like you trying to live with someone who speaks a different language, it just doesn't work.

Therefore when you look at it like this, it is cruel to keep a guinea pig and rabbit together, as both of these animals would never live together naturally, they enjoy the company of their OWN species and have different needs, plus there is always a safety risk. Why put a rabbit in with a guinea pig when the rabbit would much rather have a rabbit friend and vice versa? There is absoultly no reason to keep these animals together, it is only ever done for the owners benefit, never for the animals.

If you have a guinea pig and rabbit that live together, and have done for years you have been lucky, however I urge you to split them immediately and get them a friend of their own species. They may appear to miss each other and first when you seperate them, but thats because they have developed a bond with their cagemate, however I can guarantee you are doing them a big favour by getting them each their own new friend.

Pictures taken with permission from: www.sprowstonguineapigrescue.co.uk

Buy or adopt your Cavies?

Where to get your pet guinea pigs

So, you have read everything and feel ready to get your new pigs and think you'll pop down to your local petshop? Stop. I never, ever reccommend petshops as a place to buy pets. Problem is that most petshops are supplied by mass 'breeders' which cannot be called breeders really, mills are more appropiate. Mills produce animals for quantity, not quality and put together any male with any female, often resulting in sickly offspring, so why support these mills?

In the specific case of guinea pigs, a lot are dumped off as unwanted pets at shelters because the old owners buy on impulse and soon discover their little baby is too much hassle. In the UK alone, tens of thousands are dumped every year, and the number is not decreasing any.

The guinea pigs at shelters are perfectly good pets, and will usually be already bonded and used to humans. These pigs deserve every right to a new home, can you deny them that? Go on... give them that second chance.

Alternatively you could go to a reputable breeder, but its up to you whether you'd rather choose a 'purebred' over a homeless pig. If you choose to go to a breeder, please ensure they are not a backyard breeder and take good care of their stock. Also note that buying a 'purebred' does not guarantee you will have a healthier, tamer and/or prettier cavy. The word 'reputable' is used too loosely and who defines what a reputable breeder is? You will find that quite a lot, but not all 'reputable' breeders keep their breeding stock in small cramped cages and have so many animals that their cavies are denied some basic care rights. There are far too many breeders, a lot of them kids, and not enough rescuers, while there are some 'reputable' breeders, they are few and far between.

What if there are no rescues in your area?

That is highly unlikely, and can sometimes, in my experience, be an excuse for not trying to find one in favour for the babies at the petshop down the road. If you live in the UK try looking up your local rescue on here: http://www.guineapigrehome.uk.org

If you live in the USA try looking up here: http://www.petfinder.com

If you live elsewhere, try looking up your local rescues in your phonebook or do a google search.

By NOT going to the petshop you choose NOT to support the cruel mills and you give a second chance to guinea pigs and free up space, money and time for the other abandoned animals. Please at the very least, consider rescuing.

Common Myths of adopting

The cavies are old- This statement is not true, at rescues there is a wide range in ages, usually with quite a lot of younger animals. This is primarily because a lot of people buy the cute little fluffy babies at the pet store on impulse and soon give them up and sometimes female cavies that come into rescues are already pregnant. The picture to the left are all rescue pigs:

The guinea pigs are all sick- Good rescues never put any animals up for adoption unless they are healthy, and *if* they have any longterm problems you will be made fully aware of this and given advice.

The guinea pigs are bad tempered- The majority of pigs come in scared, but once used to handling, they will probably be tamer than any baby you get at a petshop. Also you will have an idea of your pets' characterists, unlike if you buy a cavy at the petstore.

Common Problems with Petstore animals

Wrong Genders- Many petshops claim that it can be hard to tell the genders of young pigs, which is untrue, some don't even bother spilting the sexes, and as male pigs can breed from 3 weeks old, a lot of pregnant pigs result. The strain of having a litter at such a young age can takes its toll on sows and some never really fully recover or survive the ordeal. This is because the babies are born fully furred and ready to run around, so trouble in giving birth or during the pregnancy is not uncommon in sows.

Bad Information- For the less knowledgable new owners, petshops can get away with lies just to try and sell their animals. They may also give out harmful information without knowing due to a lack of education, common myths are that guinea pigs do better alone or can live with rabbits which are both false!

Poorly Stock- Most chain petshops are supplied by animal mills, so the cavies are shipped in mass, and their parents are just any male and female put in together with little or no regard to the outcome of the offspring. A lot of the babies die on the way to the shop. In smaller petshops, some will have pigs from mills, others from hobby breeders etc.

Fair enough, the guinea pigs in rescues are likely to have originally come from petshops, but usually by the time they are up for adoption, any serious, lifelong problems have been found out for you and you should be made fully aware of any longterm problems if there are any.

Pictures taken with permission from www.sprowstonguineapigrescue.co.uk

Housing Guinea Pigs

Housing

Indoor or outdoors?

Guinea pigs should live in an enviroment with a constant temperature, as they are delicate animals, so guinea pigs should never be housed outdoors, no exceptions. In winter it is too cold, and in Summer it is too hot, even in milder climates like Britain. Also by leaving guinea pigs outside, their lifespan will greatly decrease and chances are they will be attacked by foxes, cats, dogs, raccoons etc at some point.

What cage is suitable?

Guinea pigs need a large cage, with plenty of room for 'popcorning' (the term used for guineapigs when they jump and run around out of happiness). Do not buy those cages with different levels, as they are designed for chinchillas, rats and ferrets as guinea pigs can't really climb steep levels, nor do they like to.

In petshops the cages for sale are usually wooden hutches, would are not practical for indoor use, as they are hard to clean and are usually too small anyway.

You can also get those 'indoor guinea pig cages' with either the bars, or more commonly seen in the UK, a transparent, solid plastic top. However, these cages are far too small, and to be honest, are only big enough to accomdate hamsters as you can see below:

< These cages are actually sold for guineas or rabbits, but are far, far too small, however, my syrian hamsters sure aren't complaining!

The minimum size for two guinea pigs is 3 feet by 4 feet for two piggies with daily outside of the cage time for several hours a day. Of course the bigger the better, and if you have more, then you should obviously have a bigger cage for them.

The Best cage you can possibly get for you brats is a cavy cage, go here to find out more: www.cavycages.com

Below are a few pictures of cavy cages to give you some ideas:

What do you Need in the cage?

Your guinea pigs must have somewhere to hide, like a cardboard box with holes cut out or a hard plastic or wooden one made specfically for pets. Most petshops have a wide variety to choose from, pig igloos are popular choices made by superpet, and are available in the USA, Canada, UK and other parts of europe. If you buy wooden hide-outs ensure they are made from a hardwood like aspen, and not a softwood like pine or cedar.

There should also be suitable bedding-see the bedding section, chew toys, hay, and fresh water served in a water bottle.

Bedding

Choosing suitable bedding

There are a wide range of bedding materials out there on the market, but a lot of them are unsafe, even if they claim otherwise. Some of the safe beddings are not available in some areas, so you may have to search around.

Never use any softwoods, as these produce toxins known as phenols and sadly the two most widely found beddings are softwoods- cedar and pine. This may surprise you, and you may claim that you have had animals live on pine or cedar fine, but in fact a lot of the damage is done on the inside. Using pine or cedar is dangerous as it has been linked to a primary cause of allergies, respiratory infections, hairloss and has also been associated with liver/kidney problems!!

Other unsafe beddings are corn cob as it goes mouldy quickly and can't be digested if eaten, newspaper which has toxic ink and fluffy 'cotton wool' type bedding which can cause choking and trap tightly around limbs. Compost should never be used, nor should clumping cat litter which swells if eaten! Finally never use any bedding which is scented, dusty, damp or you are unsure about. Straw can cause eye injuries as it is sharp and has little nutrition, so best avoid it as well!

Safe beddings are carefresh and critter care (walmarts version of carefresh) and these are widely available, although can be expensive. If you live in the UK, carefresh can be bought in pets@home and most small local petstores will order it in if pets@home isn't near you or doesn't stock it. Megazorb (see in pic above) is another UK safe bedding, similar to carefresh. Aspen is a hard wood and is safe but can be expenive depending if you live in the USA or UK. Some animals can develop allergies to these safe beddings, most notably aspen, but cases like this are rare and if it occurs switch to something else.

However, all of those listed so far can be a bit messy and expensive for indoor guinea pigs, so you could use those puppypads, which are re-usable and lets the pee go through rather than absorb it, so put a layer of absorbant bedding underneath, like aspen or carefresh (again, not the clumping/crystal kind!).

Top picture is taken with permission from www.sprowstonguineapigrescue.co.uk

Guinea Pig Nutrition

What to Feed

Guinea Pigs are strict herbivores, meaning they should never be fed any animal products, always ensure that the guinea pig pellets are free from animal products, including milk and eggs! In the wild guinea pigs would have eaten grass, plants and maybe some flowers, herbs and fruits.

A healthy Guinea Pig diet

The most important part of a piggy diet is HAY, hay and more hay! A healthy guinea pig diet should consist of 75% high quality timothy hay, preferably you should use Oxbow hay, which is usually available in vet offices throughout the USA or on online petshops in the USA and UK. The main reason timothy hay is so good is because it is high in fibre and low in protein and calcium(too much causes bladder stones) and it requires a lot of chewing, keeping piggie teeth nice and short! Other hays which can be added for variety are orchard grass (a real favourite!), brome, oat, meadow and bluegrass. Avoid alfalfa for adults as it is too high in protein and calcium, which although are vital in a guinea pigs diet, too much can be harmful!

Hay should always be sweet smelling, never feed damp, mouldy or dusty hay, or any hay that smells musty. If you are having trouble in the UK finding a stockist of Oxbow hay or other high quality hay, look here: Bunnybazaar , BunnyBasics or The Hay Experts .

The next 15-20% should be made up from vegetables and a little fruit. Fruit should be no more than a teaspoon per pig everyday. Suitable vegetables include carrots, broccoli and pak choi and should be fed daily and should be thoroughly washed, organic if possible.

The last 5-10% should consist of good quality pellets made specifically for guinea pigs and no other animal! About 1/8 of a cup per pig. Do not buy mixes, as these cause guinea pigs to be picky eaters and they usually lack fibre an tend to be higher in protein, sugar and colours! Good pellets in the USA are Oxbow and in the UK, if you can't afford/find Oxbow, Surpreme Science selective or excel can be used. Avoid Kaytee(USA) and Nutriphase(USA) as they tend to have sugary foods that contain that dreaded preservative enxothyxin! Avoid that preservative at all costs as it has been linked to cancer and all sorts in humans and animals!

Really the only reason why pellets are recommended is because they provide piggies with vitamin C and D as well as the small amount of protein they require to stay healthy.

Vitamin C

As mentioned briefly above, guinea pigs cannot make their own vitamin C, so they must have plenty of foods that make up for this to prevent scurvy. An adult guinea pig requires 10-20mg of vit C per day, double that if pregnant. If a guineapig is lacking vitamin C it will cause a lot of health problems, and death if the warning signs are not picked up!

Most guinea pig pellets contain extra vitamin C, but this alone may not be enough. Some sites say to add vitamins to the water, but sometimes the taste can put the guinea pigs off drinking the water, and you never know if the guinea pigs are getting enough as you don't know how much each guinea pig drinks, besides, the vitamin C is destroyed in water! So it is much better to try and add in fresh vegetables high in vitamin C into the diet daily.

So instead feed them plenty of fresh vegetables containing vitamin C, this table below will help you work out how to provide your pigs with more vitamin C:

Food	Vitamin C per 100g	Notes
Blackcurrants	200mg
Broccoli	100mg	High in calcium
Brussel Sprouts	100mg	Limit to no more than 2 portions a week as very gaseous and high in calcium
Cabbage	60mg	See above
Cauliflower leaves	60mg	See above
Dandelion Greens	35mg	Limit to small portions 2-4 times a week as high in calcium and gaseous
Orange	50mg	No peel
Parsley	150mg	Limit- very high in calcium
Strawberries	60mg	Include tops

Preparing Vegetables

Vegetables, which must be fed raw, can be fed several times a day, usually half their 20% ration in the morning, and the other half in the evening. Wash all vegetables, and peel if necessary. A lot of people have a habit of cutting, dicing and slicing the food too small, leave it in big chunks to help avoid choking hazards and also so as they have to work at their food, which helps keep the teeth trim and their minds working!

Never serve cold or wet vegetables, always serve them at room temperature and dry them off to avoid tummy upsets! Same goes with under or over ripe vegetables and never serve wilted or decaying vegetables.

Safe Food List

Suitable fruits are:

Apple (seedless, as seeds are toxic and don't overfeed as the apples' acid can cause blisters around your cavie's mouth)
Banana (should be limited to a rare monthly treat as it is too sugary and in excess upsets the gut flora)
Blackberries
Blackcurrants*
Blueberries
Pear
Raspberries
Strawberries

Suitable Vegetables and plants are:

Bok Choi*
Broccoli*
Brussell Sprouts**
Cabbage** (savoy)
Carrots- including tops*
Camomile
Cauliflower greens**
Celeriac
Celery- cut small to avoid choking on stringy bits and include the leaves
Chervil
Chicory
Clover (white, NOT red)- limit, part of clover is used as rat poison, so small amounts
Coltsfoot
Cucumber
Dandelion**
Fat Hen
Fennel
Groundsel*
Goosefoot
Goosegrass
Hedge Parsley (not fool's parsley)
Kale **
Pak Choi*
Spinach**
Spring greens*
watercress**

Suitable Herbs are:

Basil
Coriander/cilantro
Dill-usually not the most favoured, but some like it
Heather
lavender
peppermint
oregano
parsley** (not fool's parsley!)
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme

* means that these veggies should be strictly limited to no more than 2 or 3 portions a week as they are either very gaseous (cauliflower, cabbage etc), very high in calcium (parsley, watercress, cabbage etc) or they are oxalates which can be toxic if fed in large amounts over a long period of time (ie spinach and kale etc).

* High in Vitamin C

Safe Flowers

Nasturtium
Rose
Sunflower

Safe plant leaves (rinsed and young- do not feed old, decaying leaves)

Apple
Blackberry
Pear
Raspberry
Strawberry

Safe wood

Apple
Birch
Maple
Pear
Willow

AVOID:

Azeala
Blubous Plants
Bigwort
Bluebell
Buttercups
Clover(red)
Clematis
Cherry tree wood
Corn
Cowslip
Crocus
Daffodil
(Deadly) Nightshade
Dog's Mercury
Evergreens
Fool's Parsley
Foxglove
Grapes, not toxic in small amounts, and some people feed them, but they can cause adverse effects, especially red grapes, hence toxic to dogs.
Hemlock
Holly
Ivy
Lemons and limes
Lettuce (causes tummy upsets, contains no nutritional benefit and can cause diarrhoea)
Milkweed
Mistletoe
Peas
Peach leaves and wood
Plum leaves and wood
Poppy
Potato
Primrose
Ragwort
Raw Potato and potato leaves
Raisins
Red Clover
Rhododendron
Rhubarb including leaves and stalk
Snowdrops
Tomato leaves
Woodsorrel
Yew
Anything else you are unsure about - If In Doubt, Leave It Out!

Introducing vegetables into the diet

It must be remembered that guinea pigs have a delicate digestive system and any attempts to introduce vegetables should be done so gradually. If you do not know if your piggies have ever had fresh foods, assume they haven't and start right from the beginning.

Start off by choosing ONE vegetable that isn't very watery, so celery leaves are good starter, and totally avoid watery vegetables like cucumber and all fruits for now. Offer a small piece, no more than a few mouthfuls in the morning/evening and if there appears to be no diarrhoea, do so again the next morning/evening, using the same vegetable. Try this for several days and so long as there are no problems you can gradually increase the amount. If any diarrhoea appears, leave for 3 days and start again, if it occurs for the second time leave for another 2-3 days and start from the beginning. If all goes well with no problems for over a week, you can try one new vegetable and so long as their are no problems you can continue to feed both types, still gradually increasing the amounts and stopping for 48-72 hours on the first sign if diarrhoea. Then you can add in different types off the safe food list.

*Picture taken with permission from www.sprowstonguineapigrescue.co.uk

Nutrients

Fibre- It is vital guinea pigs have a diet high in fibre, hence it is the first nutrient you are going to learn about. It is needed for roughage and a healthy digestive system. Good sources are hay and vegetables.

Proteins- For growth and repair. Found in soya, mother cavy's milk and some vegetables in small amounts. Piggies require plenty of protein whilst they are growing and receive most of it from their mother's milk and pellets.

NOTE: Too much protein in an adult diet can cause obesity which is associated with other problems. Also NEVER give your guinea pigs additional milk, it is only their mother's milk which is safe for them to drink, as they cannot digest goats or cow's milk.

Carbohydrates- Needed for energy and their are two basic forms: sugar and starch. Found in a lot of foods like hay, vegetables and pellets. Carbohydrates are where cavies receive most of their energy supply from, as being such strict herbivores they do not eat foods high in protein and fat.

Fats- They do not require a high fat diet and receive most of their energy from carbohydrate sources. Fat isn't found in high amounts in much of their food anyway, unlike a carnivore or omnivore diet.

Vitamins-Many different types all needed for a healthy cavy. Found in a variety of foods. Important nutrients are:

Vitamin A- Needed for bone growth, night vision and healthy skin, found in plant products.
Vitamin B- There are many B vitamins- B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12 all have important functions. Found in vegetables mainly.
Vitamin C- Needed for healthy skin, teeth, gums, energy production and wound healing. Unlike most animals, guinea pigs cannot make their own Vitamin C, so need additional Vitamin C in their diets. This can be achieved by adding fruit and vegetables into their diet. Good quality guinea pig pellets should have it added as well.
Vitamin D-For the absorption of calcium and is found in sunlight
Vitamin E- Acts as an antioxidant and good sources are vegetables
Vitamin K-Needed for blood clotting and found in dark green vegetables. A deficiency is nearly unheard off for this vitamin.

Minerals- Each mineral has different functions, all are important in varying amounts. Examples are:

Calcium- needed for the develop of strong bones and teeth, especially needed for babies. Calcium is found in foods like dark green vegetables, but adults shouldn't be fed a high calcium diet as it can cause bladder stones.

Iron- Needed for the process of haemoglobin, and can be found in foods like dark green vegetables.
Zinc-Needed for cell division, and is used in metabolisms. Good sources are dark green vegetables.
Copper- Needed for red blood cell formation, found in vegetables.

Overview

Right so lets re-cap everything you have just read so as you know you've not missed the important parts.

Cavies need a diet high in fibre
Adults should have a diet low in protein and calcium
They cannot make their own Vitamin C and must have extra added!
A diet too high in calcium, protein and/or fat is bad

Grow your pigs' veggies!

Piggy Garden

As you can see on the safe food list in the section above guinea pigs can eat a lot of different vegetables, herbs and fruits, and organic foods are always preferred, but they can be costly, so why not grow some plants that your cavies can enjoy, at at least then you will know for sure they are pesticide free! It doesn't matter whether or not you have a big garden or just a balcony/windowsill!

There are many, many plants you can grow as you can see below:

Naturiums- These are very simple to grow, they can be planted in a deep pot or in the ground, just follow the instructions on the seed packet. Both guinea pigs and humans can eat the leaves and flowers!
Dandelions - If you don't have a supply of dandelions growing in your garden, or would prefer to keep them confined to pots, then all you need is to gather the seeds of a dandelion, and in a relatively deep pot, plant the seeds in compost about 1/3 of an inch deep and water well.
Grass - You can cut using scissors, fresh grass from your lawn daily, so long as it is free from pesticides etc. Or grow it in seperate seed trays. Never feed mown grass, as it starts to decay quickly and has been known to cause bloat! It also has gone through the oily parts of the lawn mower, so thats a double no!
Mint - Mint is easy to grow, buy the seeds, and plant them according to the instructions on the packet. Note that mint can take over your flower beds or herb garden, so a large planter is the best thing to grow it in. It is prone to attacks from aphids, so keep a close eye on the undersides of leaves for small green or black bugs and yellow spots on the top of the leaves.
Basil - Plant according to the instructions in the packet, and you will soon find yourself with a long lasty supply of fresh basil, that guineas can have occassionally in small amounts. Great for us humans when cooking dishes with tomato sauces or in salads. It may say to plant out, my advice, don't! The slugs go mad for it, and when I did, the next morning all that was left was a stalk!!
Parsley -Flat leafed variety tends to be the most popular, and is also easy to grow!
Camomile -A fruity smelling herb, that is also very easy to grow and smells lovely. I grow it in 4-5 seperate small pots and give the cavies one pot every few days, and the best bit is, it keeps growing back!!! So you can have one batch of seeds that last through the spring and summer season!
Coriander - Coriander (cilantro) is also an easy, tasty herb that we can grow and pigs seem to love the stuff! For human cooking, it goes nicely in salads or in asian cooking.
Strawberries -Strawberries are great, because we humans can enjoy the tasty fruits, and our guineas can happily eat the leaves and the odd strawberry as a treat.
Wheatgrass -Can be found in health food shops, or in petshops sometimes advertised as 'cat grass'. It is relatively easy to grow and is a great health boost to cavies fed fresh. Can also be fed to cats, dogs, rabbits and rodents and us! Us humans can take it juiced, and it is well known as a health food, pity the taste is so vile, but animals seem to gulp it down like its the best thing since sliced bread!
Rosemary -A hardy herb that guinea pigs will happily munch on fresh and one slugs don't destroy on us!
Thyme - Again, a hardy herb like Rosemary that pigs enjoy!

Handling

Taming Your Cavy

When you first get your guinea pig home, leave them for a couple of days to settle in and get used to their new surroundings. When you first start taming the piggies, I always recomend you start of gradually by stroking and offering them food from your hand so as they associate you with good things rather than being picked up all the time. Do this for a few days before you try to handle them so as they build up some trust.

When it comes to picking up your guinea pig there are a few rules you must know:

Guinea pigs are a heavy animal for their size, so always support them by putting your hand under them.
Do not let their legs hang down, try and support their whole body
Keep your other hand on their backs so as they are less likely to fall
Never carry them about, even from the house to a run as they squirm a lot
If you have a squirmy pig hold them over their cage or the floor as a fall is often fatal
Not scruff or squeeze them
Have a firm but gentle grip, as they often squirm just when you think they have settled down.
Always hold them facing you so if they do wriggle they can't leap out of your hands

It can take time before they learn that handling isn't all that bad, but you can almost bet that even tame pigs, will run for cover under the nearest pile of hay and squeak as if you are trying to murder them, but they are vocal animals anyway.

Some pigs will happily sit on your lap and enjoy be scratched behind the ears and some may even nudge you back.

Exercise

Guinea Pigs and Exercise

Guinea pigs should, as mentioned in the caging section have as large a cage as possible, and in addition to this, they should also have time out ideally everyday so as they get a chance to exercise and explore somewhere a bit different.

The best method is to enclose them in a large playpen made for small pets or let them have supervised roam time in a proofed room, and always give them somewhere to hide. All wires must be out of their reach and they shouldn't be allowed to chew varnished wood and fabrics.They should have no more than 3o-45mins in one session before being returned to rest, eat or drink.

How to Piggie Proof a room

If you decide to let them free roam around a room, you must take the following precautions:

Make sure the room is clean, any child's toys or food crumbs can harm your cavies if ingested!
Ensure there are no wires or cables for them to chew!
Close off all gaps so as they can't get behind the tv to chew wires or squeeze under a tight spot where they know you can't get them!!

You should always supervise them, as they so often chew the carpet, curtains or any other item (usually of value) which can be a choking hazard, plus, it will be a little difficult to explain how the bitemarks in the curtain got there to your parents or other half!?

Can my cavies go outside?

Cavies LOVE going outside to eat the grass, however, only bring them outside when the weather is warm. Never bring piggies out when it is cold or scorching hot! Also, before you even consider bringing them outside, you must consider the following:

Grass- If the grass has been sprayed with fertiliser or treated with weed killer/pesticides your guineas cannot go outside, even if the label claims it is 'safe' for pets! If you have a dog that pees on the grass, you should section off an area for a few weeks so as you know it cannot be soiled.

Toxic Plants-Most plants you have in your garden are poisonous to our pets, but that doesn't stop them from eating them! So in the chosen section, make sure the pigs cannot eat any other plants but the grass, and weed out any buttercups. Never place them in an area that recently contained ragwort or mushrooms etc.

You should place them in a secure run, either one from a petstore, or if you have made it, it should have a sturdy frame with fine wire mesh. There should be somewhere for them to hide, water, shade and of course a cover to prevent cats, foxes, rats or birds of pray from swooping down and scaring or killing your pets!

Never use guinea pig harness' and never take your piggies for walks out on the street, in parks or fields!!

Toys

Toys

Despite what a lot of people may say, guinea pigs, like all pets do require toys to keep their minds stimulated, and the best toys for guinea pigs are ones they can chew, fling and hide in! This helps to prevent boredom and destructive behaviour.

There are a wide variety of toys in the petstores, but a lot are designed to appeal to humans more than the guinea pigs. I have found that my past 4 guinea pigs have liked simple things, like cardboard boxes with holes cut out, toilet roll tubes with hay stuffed down them, and even something as simple as grass or a variety or hays to keep them foraging!

Other good objects are untreated willow or wicker baskets/balls stuffed with fresh hays available in a lot of larger petshops. Untreated apple or pear tree wood can also be provided!

Grooming, nail trimming etc

Grooming

Grooming is not really required for shorthaired cavies, once or twice a week a quick brush with a soft bristled baby brush or toothbrush is all that is needed to remove dead hair, particulary whilst shedding. As for longhaired cavies, they should be brushed daily to ensure they do not have matted hair or bedding entangled in it, making it uncomfortable for them. A metal comb is best to remove tangles, and to undo a tangle hold the base of the hair and gently comb out so as not to hurt the cavy. The more gentle you are the more they will be willing to sit and be groomed!

Hair Trimming

Longhaired pigs will need a hair trim every other month particulary around their bottoms and you should ensure that for these pigs that the hair around where they pee and and poo are not constantly being soiled, as this can cause severe matting, and is a haven for flystrike! Flystrike is when flies lay eggs in damp and/or soiled hair, the eggs hatch out and maggots eat your cavy from the inside as their bury in and release toxins. Can cause death if not treated promptly by a vet. If the area is soiled and matted, check for eggs and mats and cut away the hair and wash throughly, if there are any signs of eggs, or bit marks consult your vet immediately! Just trim the hair a bit at a time to avoid chills and for puravians trim the hair that goes over their eyes so as they can see properly.

Nail Cutting

Nails should be trimmed monthly and the younger you get your pig accustomed to nail trimming the better. For the first time owner it can be a real stressful time, as pigs are not often known to sit happily and wait for you to trim them. Trimming should start from 2 months as the nails will be long enough. When clipping toenails for the first time, I'd recommend a trip to the vets or an experienced owner/breeder to show you how its done. Great care must be taken to avoid the 'quick' of the nail, which is the blood supply. If you cut into this just a bit by accident, it will be very painful and although there is quite a bit of bloodshed the pig will be okay, sore and annoyed....but okay. It may also make trimming the next time all the more difficult! The quick should be visible as a darker coloured line that runs down the centre of the nail.

When I say monthly I really do mean montly as the longer nails are left the longer the quick gets, so if your pig has very long nails, to the extent they are about to curl, just trim off bit by bit as the quick will exceed, if you try and cut it all at once you will cut into the quick....ouch! Note, when I say bit by bit so as it receeds, this doesn't mean on the same day. Only use pet nail scissors designed for rabbits and cavies as normal nail scissors can splinter the nail.

Grease Gland

Guinea pigs have a grease gland located where their spine ends, where you'd expect the tail to be if they had one, and sometimes this gland is over active causing a build up of grease. If you notice this you can clean the area with Swarfega which is a mechanics handwash or just bath the area as described in the bathing section. The area can become irritated and infected, which needs vetinary attention.

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Picture taken with permission from www.sprowstonguineapigrescue.co.uk

Bathing

Some people bath them, others don't. The general rule if you do bath them is once every 3 months to help prevent skin diseases which the critters are prone to. Never bath them anymore than every 3 months unless directed by your vet (for medical reasons), as bathing too regularly can strip their coats of natural oils. Even bathing just every 4-5 months can benefit them. When bathing them do be prepared to get wet yourself as many guinea pigs do not enjoy baths, and although they can swim, its more a survival instinct than for enjoyment.

Only ever use a gentle shampoo, those created for dogs and cats are too strong, instead a baby shampoo like Johnson's Baby oil is a good and safe alternative. If however, your guinea pig has a skin problem consult your vet! The best place to bath them is in a plastic washing up bowl, buy two cheap bowls and keep them purely for this purpose, and as some guinea pigs insist on diving out of these, placing the bowls in the bath is probably the safest place, so if they do jump out, they don't fall and hurt themselves and will put you more at ease knowing this. Fill both bowls up with some warm water, just enough to come up to the guinea pigs chin so as they don't feel like they are going to drown! A towel at the bottom can help prevent them slipping around. Please ensure the water is not too hot, nor too cold, just test it with your hand before putting piggy in. In the first tube gently soak piggy with the water, a little plastic cup would be good for this, and then massage the shampoo to form a lather, being careful NOT to get any water or soap around the face. Once piggy is lathered, transfer to the other bowl and rinse very, very well as any soapy residue can cause skin irritation.

Once bathed, be sure to dry piggy very, very well! Best way to dry a pig is to just simply use a towel, which many enjoy anyway and then if you have a long haired pig use a hair dryer on a low setting and move the dryer around to prevent burning as concentrating on an area for even a short period can burn! Keep your hand between the dryer and pig to prevent this. Be sure to dry the belly very well before returning to their cage. Remember after bathing your guinea pig should be kept somewhere warm and not taken outside for at least 24 hours.