Articles » Guinea Pigs
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Guinea Pigs are docile, but not completely sedentary. They enjoy burrowing, 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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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Cavy Medications, Good and Bad
Treating guinea pigs requires specialized knowledge. While they're similar to rabbits and other mammals (including humans, in important ways), they are a distinctive species. They can't be given some of the medications that work well with others. They require some that are used chiefly with cavies.
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A guinea pig will naturally secrete a white, milky discharge from healthy eyes. The cavy then spreads that fluid over the face and performs a cleaning behavior. The habit may be done several times per day and is a normal part of grooming. But there are several conditions that can cause the eyes to become diseased, and it's helpful to be able to distinguish some of them.
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Guinea pigs are subject to a number of common illnesses, including respiratory infections, skin problems and genetic disorders.
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Common Signs of Illness of a Guinea Pig
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.
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Guinea pigs are cool, but they're also a little different from most other animals. That creates the need for a little investigation into these unique animals.
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Grasses are the primary staple in a guinea pig's diet. They meet most of the needs of the rodent known scientifically as cavia porcellus. But there are a number of supplemental foods that can help supply missing nutrients and liven up their diet.
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Grooming Guidelines For Your Cavy
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.
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Guinea Pigs, known to enthusiasts and professionals as cavies, are herbivores - they eat plant matter. Grassy hay is at the top of the list. Timothy hay is among the best options, though alfalfa can be fed in small quantities. Alfalfa, a legume not a grass, has more protein and carbohydrates, so it's more commonly fed briefly to young pups and nursing sows.
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Guinea pigs are not the most robust of animals. As such, they can succumb to an illness more quickly than many other species. Veterinary care should be sought more readily than it might be for cats, for example.
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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.
