Now my wife wants to get a guinea pig. Does anyone have any good links on guinea pigs? rjbs? :)
I don't want to just say no to her. I'd like her to get as much info as she can on everything involved in caring for a guinea pig so that she can make an informed decision about whether to get one or not.
Links I Found
Mr. Muskrat on 2007-03-09T17:41:33
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_pig
http://www.guineapigsclub.com/gp_site/index.asp
http://www.cavyspirit.com/
http://acbaonline.com/
Forget about Guinea pigs...
bart on 2007-03-10T12:21:40
How about a real
Vietnamese pig instead? After all, Vietnam and Guinea aren't that far apart.
OK, I wasn't being serious. Good luck on your hunt — I can't imagine guinea pigs being hard to find, except maybe when you're living far away from civilization... I think every single pet shop around here, carries them.
Re:Forget about Guinea pigs...
Mr. Muskrat on 2007-03-10T16:22:53
PetSmart had two females but one was already reserved for someone so she bought the remaining one. She named her Precious of all things.
guinea pig advice
rjbs on 2007-03-15T16:12:23
First off, you definitely want two guinea pigs. They will be worlds happier if they have friends. Three or four is fine, but two is enough. Stick with all female, since you've already got the one. Otherwise you'll need to get the male neutered. More than one male will lead to fighting -- neutering a boar does not change his personality, only his virility.
I highly recommend building your own "cube and coroplast" house for them, as seen here:
http://www.guineapigcages.com/cubes.htmA storebought cage will cost more (or the same) and will be smaller. It will also probably be harder to clean, and may have a wire bottom, which can lead to broken toes and bumblefoot:
http://www.guinealynx.com/pododermatitis.htmlGuinea pigs need vitamin C, which they can't produce on their own. We feed ours oranges and green peppers, which they absolutely love. We also feed them dandelion greens (usually) and spinach or kale (sometimes) and give them a basically endless supply of timothy hay. When they're under a year old, alfalfa hay is better because of the high calcium content. Continuing past a year can lead to bone spurs, though.
Wheat grass is to guinea pigs as cat nip is to cats. Almost. They love it. They will go nuts if they think they're going to get it. One of our pigs will stand on her hind legs to beg for it. We get it every few months.
Their nails will need to be clipped now and then to keep them from curling in on themselves. You can use human nail clippers.
This is a good book:
http://www.amazon.com/Proper-Care-Guinea-Pigs/dp/0793831512
Re:guinea pig advice
Mr. Muskrat on 2007-03-15T16:49:59
This is exactly the kind of advice I was hoping for. Thank you so much.
My wife loves her guinea pig. I'm not sure how I feel about her yet. I've held her twice and both times she ended up biting my thumb. Once because she thought it was a piece of carrot and the other time because I wouldn't let her burrow under my pillow on the bed.
My wife likes the cage idea and will probably have me build one for her. She's also fond of the idea of getting another pig.
Re:guinea pig advice
rjbs on 2007-03-15T17:37:55
Our pigs nearly never bite. Generally, they will bite if you put your finger -right- in their mouth and they are (a) hungry or (b) scared. Some pigs are snappier than others. I'd suggest figuring out how they like to be held and sticking to that. I usually hold ours (one at a time) along my sternum, one hand on her back and one under her rump. Wookiee especially likes to climb up to look over my shoulder. I only get near their bitey parts to feed them carrot or pepper, or to rub their jowls, which they sometimes like.
Do you know the breed of your pig, or have photos? Some breeds are known for being grumpier than others, especially Teddies. (Teddies have coarse, wiry hair, sort of like a teddy bear.)
Let me know how it goes!
Re:guinea pig advice
Mr. Muskrat on 2007-05-25T16:14:29
I believe it's an American. I'll see if my wife has any photos (I'm sure she does).
