Cavy Care Suggestions or Some Frequently Asked Questions

I am not a vet, nor am I an expert. I am a pet owner and lover who has done a lot of reading on guinea pigs. Following is the care I give to my cavies. I have also included a cost breakdown to give you an idea of what kind of responsibility caring for a cavy can be.

Following is a list of the topics that I'm frequently asked about. I have included my responses as well as links to other sites that I think are valuable in aswering those questions. If you have any questions that aren't answered here, feel free to write me a note and I'll try to answer your questions.

I have also included images for some of the care books I recommend. Click the image to be taken to Amazon.com where you can purchase the book on-line.

Care/FAQ Topics:

Adoption	Introducing a New Pig	Food	Housing	Care/Health
Monetary Costs	Time Costs	Behavior/Noises	Breeding	Types/Breeds

Adoption:

Where do I get a guinea pig? How do I adopt a pig? Are there guinea pig rescues in my area?
THIS AREA UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Other Useful Sites:

Signs of a Healthy Guinea Pig
Guinea Pig Rescuers and Adoption Networks
Cavymadness This site has a mentoring program that you might be interested in. Click on Pig Pals for more information.

Introducing a New Pig

How do I get my pig to like me? My pig always runs away from me. How can I make him less afraid? How do I get my new pig and old pig to like each other?
THIS AREA UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Other Useful Sites:

Food:

What should I feed my guinea pig? What treats can I give my guinea pig?

Pellets: 1/4 cup American Pet Diner's Timmy GP pellets
I chose this brand because it doesn't contain animal products (animal fat, animal binder or fish meal) and it doesn't have seeds or other human eye candy (seeds, colored bits, Cap'n Crunch looking stuff). I think that I've used Kaytee Exact before, but I don't have the package right now to see if it meets my standards. I also recommend Oxbow's Cavy Cuisine - It meets my standards and is another timothy based pellet. Which means that the protein, fat and calcium contents are less and therefore better for the adult cavy.
Vitamin C: 1/4 chewable Vit. C tablet (1 tablet is 250mg so 1/4 is about 60-70mg recommended gp dose is 25-40mg daily)
Hay: free feed timothy hay from APD
Water: Water should be available all the time (change daily or every other day)
Veggies: veggie mix for dinner (2-4 of the following)
- carrot (1 - 1 1/2 baby carrot)
- parseley
- cilantro
- lettuce (romaine, red leaf, or green leaf)
- cucumber
- celery (cut into small pieces to make the "threads" short
Treats: given only occasionally/once a week or less
- bannana (butt piece only),
- timbo cubes - APD
- alfalfa nibbles - Oxbow
- alfalfa chews (flavored like corn, berry or carrot) - Kaytee
- Vitakraft treats (very rarely)

Other Useful Sites:

Seagull's Feeding Guide
Vitamin C Content List
Calcium Content List
Dale's Diet Guide
Recommended diet for rabbits. This info can be helpful when you want to try a new veggie. If it is safe for a bunny, it should be safe for a cavy. Just remember, that cavies need less calcium rich foods and more Vitamin C rich foods.
List of Poisonious Plants In Word format, Courtesy of Dale's Cavy Care site and Julia Watts

Housing:

What should my cage look like? Where can I buy a cage? How do I make my own? What kind of bedding should I use?
Platic bottomed cages with wire or mesh type sides

Line bottom with newspaper (1/2-1 Sunday paper)
cover with shredded newspaper
cover with Carefresh (or Aspen shavings or Kiln Dried Pine Shavings or a mixture)
clean weekly or more frequently depending on "piggie output"

I made my cages from underbed storage boxes and used Neat Idea Cubes to make the sides. Neat Idea Cubes (NIC) are square metal panels that have connectors to make "crates". These "crates" are supposed to be used in a dorm room or for storage. When connected together with nylon ties, they make great pens and cage sides.

NIC or a similar product Creative Cubes can be found in a number of different locations. The first time I looked for them, I found them at my first stop, Staples. The second time I looked for them it took 5 or 6 stops and I finally found them at Home Place. Most people in these stores have NO CLUE what you are talking about, so be persistent and you should find them at one of these locations:

Office Supply Stores:

Staples (Product Number FEL46414)

Office Max (Product Number Fellowes 46414)

Office Depot

Reliable Home Office - catalogue
House Ware Stores:

Waccamaw Home Place

Lechters

Bed, Bath & Beyond

Linens & Things
Other Stores:

Costco

Sam's Club/Warehouse
On-Line:

Allen Designs

Other Useful Sites:

Care and Health:

What do I need to do to keep my pig healthy? What kind of care do they require? How do I know if my pig is sick? What sex is my guinea pig? What is my guinea pig's breed?

Daily pig-human interaction (lap time or in cage skritches and conversation
Frequent floor time (I try for daily, but my schedule usually allows only for 2-3 times weekly)
Weekly health check
- look at eyes for discharge or abnormalities
- check ears for mites, build-up or abnormalities
- check bum for wetness, dirtiness, poo build-up internaly (hard lump of poo - usually a condition with older males called impaction)
- check skin for bumps, scratches, bald spots or abnormalities
Toenail clipping - as needed usually weekly or every other week
Bathing about every 3-4 months depending on dirtiness (never wash the face or pour water over the head/ears/eyes/nose)
Vet visits 1 per year for "healthy pig check-up" (about $40 per pig)
Vet visits as needed for health problems ($40-200 per pig per visit depending on problem and medication. Extra for follow-ups)

Other Useful Sites:

Guinea Pig Vet Finder
Bathing 'Guide'
Signs of a Healthy Guinea Pig
Peter Gurney's Guinea Pig Health Guide
This is another Peter Gurney Site
Guinea Pig First Aid Here are some hints on medical issues. When in doubt (or if you have a twinge of worry) contact your vet!
Dr Barb Deeb's Guide to Guinea Pig Care
Guinea Pig Medications Please check with a vet if your pig is sick or needs a medication.
Seagull's Homepage
Dale's Homepage
Cavy Care Guide Based upon Seagull's page and VERY easy to follow.
Helen's Sexing Guide
Seagull's Breed Information

How much does a guinea pig cost?

My one time costs per pig:

Pig	$30-60 (Depends on where you adopt)
Initial Vet visit	$0-40 (Sometimes included in adoption fee)
Neuter/spay	$0-60 (Sometimes included in adoption fee)
Cage	$5-40 (Depends on your creativeness; homemade or prefabricated)
Food dish	$2
Water Bottle	$3
Hay Rack (Optional)	$0-5
Playpen (for floortime)	$10-50 (depending on creativeness and number of toys)
TOTAL	$50-260

My average cost per pig per month:

Bedding:
-Carefresh	$13
-Newspaper subscription	$4
Food:
-Pellets	$1.50
-Veggies	$3
-Hay	$4.00
TOTAL	$25.50

How much time will it take to own a guinea pig? What are my responsibilities like with a pig?

My daily time output for 4 pigs:

Feeding	45 minutes
Waterbottles	5-15 minutes
Human interaction	15 minutes - 3 hours
Floortime supervision	0-1 hour
Talking to other slaves (For suggestions, ideas and companionship)	20 minutes - 2 hours
Cage maintainence	5 minutes - 1.25 hours
TOTAL	1.5 - 8.25 hours

Behavior/Noises: Understanding what my guinea pig is saying

What does it mean when...? How do I know what my pig wants? Why is my pig eating his poo?
THIS AREA UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Other Useful Sites:

Seagull's Behavior Guide

Breeding:

Should I breed my guinea pig? What are the risks? What are the alternatives?
I do not support breeding of guinea pigs (or any non-endangered animals for that matter). There is an overabundance of unwanted animals in the U.S. and in many other countries world wide. Any home that is given to a bred animal is taking a potential home away from an abandoned and/or unwanted animal. Please consider giving a home to one of these animals before you consider breeding.

There are a number of health issues that also compell me to discourage breeding. If a pig is bred after 10 months old and had never been bred before she is at risk of death. Her pelvic bone fuses together and the babies can't come out. Also, breeding can be stressful on the girl pig and she may encounter problems during pregnancy or giving birth. These can weaken her or even kill her. Additionally, repeated breedings is stressful on the girl pig and that can shorten her life. I wouldn't want to take those chances with my pigs' lives.

Keep in mind that breeding can be very expensive. Please take a look at my time and monetary costs above. In addition, be aware that you will need to control the number of times your guinea pigs breed. A mother can become pregnant within moments of giving birth. Additionally, the father will try to get his daughters pregnant and the brothers will try to get both the mother and sisters pregnant if they are not seperated by sex around age 4 weeks. Some of the animals will not cooperate with each other making it necessary to have more than one boy's cage and one girl's cage. The more guinea pigs you have, the more cages you have, the more work it takes to care for them properly. This is not an endeavor to rush into lightly.

Should you still feel the need to breed, please check out the following websites. They will give you the resources to get started being responsible with your breeding.

Other Useful Sites:

Seagull's Breeding Information
Clare's Breeding Information - If you decide to breed, please check this site out for information on what to think about, what goes into breeding, signs and stages of pregnancy, and after pregnancy care.
Guinea Pig Rescuers and Adoption Networks An alternative to breeding.
Helen & the Chompers Helen is a good example of a responsible breeder. She has some good general info on her page as well as a sexing guide and some great pigtures!
Peaceful Acres Caviary

Types/Breeds of Guinea Pigs

What kind of guinea pig do I have?
Breeds vary by two different catagories. The first category is the hair type/texture. The second category is coloring/markings. I am not a professional shower or breeder, so I can not tell you what the breed standards are. I also am going by my best knowledge/interpretation. If I have made a mistake in my description, please let me know.

There are three basic hair types; long, short, and textured.

Long Haired
- Peruvian - Long hair all over. Sort of parts in the middle and flops of the head and butt. Example
- Sheltie - Long hair all over, except on the face. Hair flows from the head back. This pig is also known as a Silkie. Example
- Coronet - Same as Sheltie, but has a rosette on top of head. Example
- Texel - Same as Sheltie, but the hair is wavy and a bit corse. I think this is the same breed as the Merino. If the hair goes over the face, I think it is called an Alpaca.
Short Haired
- American or English - Smooth, short hairs all over the body. I think these are both the same breed, just different names depending upon the country. Example
Textured/Rough Coat
- Abyssinian - Short to Medium length hairs that stick out in many different directions. These sworls of hair are called rosettes and look similar to human "cow-licks". Example Bleys is another example.
- Teddy or Rex - These have short hairs that are sort of kinky, curly. They are a bit coarse on the back and body. The belly fur (and the under fur) is very soft and silky. I don't know if there is a difference between these two breeds, but they are called Teddies in the US and Rexes in the UK. Example Both Mari and Pika are other examples.
- Crested - This is an American/English with one rosette on the forhead. The short haired version of the Coronet. Example

There are a wide variety of colors. They are broken down into the following basic categories:

Self - All one color. This can be of any coat type. Example
Agouti - The hair shaft itself is two or three different colors. This gives the coat a peppered look. Example
Brindle or Roan - Multiple colors where there are no clear patches of indifidual color. Example
Satin - The coat has a sheen to it that makes is shine in the light. Example
Broken - More than one color. The following are broken.
Bi-Colored - This is any two colored pig with solid patches of each color. Example
Tortoise Shell - This is a two colored pig with black and brown. Example
Dutch - This is one of the most common patterns of color. The body is one color with another color around the eyes and on the butt. Example Mari is another example.
Dalmation - This is a white pig with black spots. Example
Himalayan - This pig is born white and develops a darker color on the nose, ears and feet as they age. Example
Tri-Colored - This is a three colored pig with solid patches of each color. Example
Tortoise Shell and White (TSW) - This is a Tri-Colored with Black, Red, and White. Example Both Martin and Bleys are other examples.

There is one more category of pigs - the hairless breeds. These are the Skinny and Baldwin. There used to be pictures of them on-line, but I seem to have lost the links. These are relatively new breeds and I don't know much about them.

So to describe Mari, for example, she is a Red Dutch Teddy. (Coloring=Red Dutch and Coat=Teddy).

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