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Posts Tagged ‘guinea pig care’

As in any pet care, the wild origins dictate a lot of what is important in Guinea Pig care. The guinea pig is a type of rodent sometimes known as the Cacy. They are not in fact pigs, as their name would have suggested.  They come from the Andes, and research has shown they are descendants of closely related species such as Cavia aperea, C. fulgida, or C. tschudii, so therefore do not exist naturally in the wild.
They play an important role as both a food source and the culture of many South Americans. Guinea Pigs were domesticated 5000 years ago for food and have appeared in the history and culture and are regularly used in metaphors.
The guinea pig came to Europe in the 16th century by traders and since then has seen common reputation as a family pet.  In the early days they were seen as an mysterious pet and even Queen Elisabeth I had one. They were widely used for biological experimentation since the 17th century, giving way to the metaphor “guinea pig” for a test subject, though more recently they have been replaced by mice and rats.
They are extremely calm easy to look after and are responsive to handling and feeding and are therefore popular with pet sitters. They hate exploring and will not try to escape, even if the cage door is left open (no promises!). They will often whistle on occasions of interest, for example when they hear food being prepared or the owner comes near.
There are several breeds of domesticated guinea pigs, which vary in hair and color differences. The most normal varieties are the shorthair (or American shorthair), the Abyssinian whose coat is ruffled. More specialist long hair types include the curly long hair Texel and the long haired Sheltie or Peruvian breeds.

So is a Guinea Pig the right pet for me?

Guinea Pigs are very companionable pets – so you need to be able to dedicate enough time for them, otherwise they will feel lonesome and this might cause them to be stressed and go ill. This is especially important if you are buying one for the kids, on the basis that they will care for the guinea pig. Especially as they typically live for four or five years, but may live for 8 years and the Guinness Book of Records has the record age for a guinea pig at 14 years.
Guinea pigs are relatively large for rodents, weighing between 700 and 1200g (1.5-2.5 pounds), and measuring between 20 and 25 cm (8–10 inches) in length. Which means that you need to have more space for the cage. Though as a tough pet, this could be located in a shed or a sheltered spot outside. They will deal with cold better than excessive heat. Try to avoid wire mesh floored crates, as this can damage their feet and lead to infection.
As for many animals you should not put two males together as they will fightfor domination when they are mature at 6 months or so. Females can however be grouped together. Obviously you do not want to add a male to the group as they breed very easily.

Grass is their normal diet in the wild, which they digest with the help of their long colon. Hay is an alternative to the grass in a domestic situation. Like humans they cannot synthesise vitamin C and will need to acquire obtrain this through their food,   the guinea pig version of scurvy is deadly. Scurvy shows itself through sluggishness.  So give them often fresh, raw fruits and vegetables (such as broccoli, apple, cabbage, carrot, celery, and spinach). Another option is through dietary supplements. They are fickle eaters when mature, so with a young guinea pig give a varied foods. They feed continuously, so ensure there is hay in their cage for them to eat.
Guinea pigs, as well as scurvy, can also suffer from respiratory tract infections, diarrhea,  abscesses due to infection (often in the neck, due to hay embedded in the throat, or from external scratches), and infections by mites, lice or fungus.

They are lively throughout the day and will sleep on and off, waking for some activity. They often groom themselves and will groom others.

Have you got some guinea pig pets? Then, you better teach yourself the right way to take care of the little guys and you know why? It’s because, either the lack of knowledge for a good pet care or the wrong way can be a disaster for guinea pigs. They get sick all the time and easily and would die quickly. That is why before you can even train yourself how to train your guinea pig or do all types things, you have to be aware how to train yourself how to take care of him. Right now, all over the Internet, a lot of book guides are being promoted and they have explained in full detail on how to care for a pet guinea pig.

Believe it or not, but there are dozens of guinea pig care book guides out there that have been flooding the market already, offline and on the Internet. Anyone who has his own pet guinea pig will be surprise by this but the truth is, more and more people are turning to guinea pigs if ever they wanted to have pets in the house. More people are getting pestered having dogs as pets and pet guinea pigs can sure be great pets if you have little kids in your house and you don’t want a pet whose mouth is so big that your children’s head will fit right into it. You want something small. So, it’s best that you have your own guinea pig.

Although these are small animals and they could look very fragile and weak, if given the proper care and training, they can be as fun as you want them to be. As a matter of fact, you can learn how to train them like the way a person will train a dog and they can be very interactive, too. All you need is a book guide that explains the right guinea pig care and training methods

You may be one of those cute people who wants to have cute guinea pigs as pets and if you are, then, you are standing on holy ground when it comes to taking care or a pet guinea pig so you better take off your sandals. Seriously, guinea pigs are just some of the rare type of animals that anyone can think of as pets. For those with untrained eyes and with little knowledge, they will surely scoff at the idea of having guinea pigs as pets. Who on earth would want to have a cute little animal who do nothing but eat all day all cramped up in a tiny cage? For them, they wants pets that move around, that plays and would interact with them. Maybe they are thinking about dogs or cats but with a guinea pig, they will just tell you: “No way, Jose…”

But what they do not know is Guinea pigs are relatively very interactive animals, too. They are very fragile types of animals and they need all the attention. They die faster and they get sick easily and quickly. That’s why, for serious Guinea pigs lovers, it’s very essential that they should learn the proper way of taking care and handling these poor guys. Just by looking at their eyes, you can say that they are way too cute and way too lovable to be wasted away.

Anyway, if your truly love Guinea pigs, you will love to have your own book guide that will teach you how to give some little Guinea pig care for them that will surely make them happy, thriving and alive. Actually, on the Net today, there are more than one book guide that can teach you all the things you need to know right in your own home at your own pace and time. What you just need to do is to read some product reviews first especially of the best and most complete Guinea Pig book guides so you will have some information on what the best guides to choose.

Have you got a guinea pig as pets? Then, you better teach your own self the precise technique in taking care of your pet and you know why? It’s because, either the lack of knowledge for a good care or the wrong way can be disastrous for him. He gets sick and die easily and quickly. That’s why, before you can teach yourself to train him in doing other things, you need to know how to train yourself to take care of him. Right now, all over the Internet, a lot of book guides are being promoted and they have explained in full detail on how to care for guinea pig pets.

Now, these book guides are spreading all throughout the Information Highway and each one of them is based on actual and real tips given by many experts in guinea pig care. What they do is to research each and every available resources, carefully studying them and come up with their own method of training people. That’s why, you can’t find not only book guides to train yourself on how to take care of a guinea pig but online real-time tutorials as well and there’s even some software.

With this in mind, you will surely get dazed and confused in choosing the right book guides to learn how to care for guinea pigs. So as not prevent you from being perplexed, it would always be wise to read more product reviews of different guinea pig care book guide so you can choose the one which you think is best. And do you know what the other best things that you can get when you have chose the right book guide? Not only you can get to learn how to care for them but you will also learn how to teach them tricks and believe it when somebody will come up to you and say that guinea pigs are also intelligent and very interactive animals.