i live in an apartment and considering a guinea pig as a pet. what should i know beforehand? where do i get 1? how much?
Check out this site, it's awesome for guinea pig info!!
http://www.guineapigcages.com/
http://www.guineapigcages.com/
Owner to 3 male guinea pigs
Guinea Pigs are mammals which belong to the rodent family having large incisor teeth that are continually growing necessitating gnawing to prevent the teeth from overgrowing. The word 'rodent' is derived from the latin word 'rodere' which means 'to gnaw'.
Guinea Pigs form the Family Caviidae which is broken down into different Genera and then Species. There are 8 species of guinea pigs but only one is widely kept as a pet.
Guinea Pigs have a compact body and no tail and are native to South America where they live in burrows in mountain and grassland areas.
The best place always to buy a guinea pig is directly from a private, hobbyist or show guinea pig breeder but this may not always be possible and therefore many guinea pig owners buy their first guinea pig from a pet shop. However, it should also be remembered when looking to buy a pet guinea pig that many rescue homes also have guinea pigs looking for new homes.
Private, Hobbyist and Show Guinea Pig Breeders
The advantages of buying a guinea pig from a private, hobbyist or show guinea pig breeder is that breeding has usually been carefully planned and thought through with regard to producing robust, healthy guinea pigs of good temperament. Show breeders, in particular, will have pure bred guinea pigs and will have aimed to produce guinea pigs that are of good size and a good example of the breed in accordance with the breed show standard, with the intention of keeping some of the young guinea pigs themselves for showing and selling the surplus guinea pigs that they don't keep.
Private, hobbyist or show guinea pig breeders also regularly handle their young guinea pigs and so any guinea pigs they sell are usually confident about being handled. There is also have the opportunity to see the parents and be given the exact date of birth of the guinea pig it is intended to purchase.
Rescue Organisations
Another option when seeking to buy a guinea pig is to obtain one from a rescue organisation. Many guinea pigs unfortunately become abandoned or homeless through no fault of their own every year due to the owner's inability to care for the guinea pig properly, or a change in their circumstances.
guinea pigs will have usually had a veterinary check on arrival at the rescue organisation and treated for any ailments to ensure they are healthy before being offered for rehoming. Often their temperament will also have been assessed to ensure their suitability as a pet for a new owner.
Depending on the rescue organisation any potential owner may be required to complete a series of forms, be interviewed or even receive a home visit to assess their suitability as a potential guinea pig owner. The rescue organisation's primary concern is to ensure the correct placement of the guinea pigs in their care with a suitable new owner able and committed to caring for the guinea pig properly.
Pet Shops
Many pets shops also sell guinea pigs and this is often where many people buy their first pet guinea pig. Although some pet shops may acquire their guinea pigs from private breeders, the majority obtain their guinea pigs from commercial breeders to ensure a constant supply. guinea pigs supplied by commercial breeders are usually the result of mass breeding programmes aimed at quantity rather than quality and bred purely for profit. The guinea pigs have not usually been handled any great deal before or after arriving at the pet shop and no information regarding their date of birth, parents, etc is known by the pet shop.
If buying a guinea pig from a pet shop it is important to find a pet shop where the staff are confident in determining the sex of guinea pigs, and that males and females are housed separately to avoid buying a pregnant guinea pig.
Any potential purchaser that is unhappy with the overall condition of the pet shop, the condition of the guinea pigs offered for sale, or the lack of knowledge of the pet shop staff should look elsewhere to buy a guinea pig. It is no fun buying a unhealthy, pregnant or weakly guinea pig and then dealing with the problems this presents afterwards - it can cause a lot of heartache, not to mention additional finances.
Although pet shops selling pets are licensed in most countries there are times when a potential purchaser may encounter a shop where the conditions that the guinea pigs are kept in or the condition of the guinea pigs offered for sale may cause extreme concern. In such cases a report can be made to an Animal Welfare organisation or the local authority for investigation.
As with any pet, keeping a guinea pig requires a commitment to care for it during its life which could be 4-7 years or longer. The commitment required to care for a Guinea Pig includes not only routine feeding, care and time spent with the guinea pig but also the provision of veterinary treatment if the guinea pig becomes ill which can be costly. Although proper care will go a long way to ensuring that any guinea pig re
Guinea Pigs form the Family Caviidae which is broken down into different Genera and then Species. There are 8 species of guinea pigs but only one is widely kept as a pet.
Guinea Pigs have a compact body and no tail and are native to South America where they live in burrows in mountain and grassland areas.
The best place always to buy a guinea pig is directly from a private, hobbyist or show guinea pig breeder but this may not always be possible and therefore many guinea pig owners buy their first guinea pig from a pet shop. However, it should also be remembered when looking to buy a pet guinea pig that many rescue homes also have guinea pigs looking for new homes.
Private, Hobbyist and Show Guinea Pig Breeders
The advantages of buying a guinea pig from a private, hobbyist or show guinea pig breeder is that breeding has usually been carefully planned and thought through with regard to producing robust, healthy guinea pigs of good temperament. Show breeders, in particular, will have pure bred guinea pigs and will have aimed to produce guinea pigs that are of good size and a good example of the breed in accordance with the breed show standard, with the intention of keeping some of the young guinea pigs themselves for showing and selling the surplus guinea pigs that they don't keep.
Private, hobbyist or show guinea pig breeders also regularly handle their young guinea pigs and so any guinea pigs they sell are usually confident about being handled. There is also have the opportunity to see the parents and be given the exact date of birth of the guinea pig it is intended to purchase.
Rescue Organisations
Another option when seeking to buy a guinea pig is to obtain one from a rescue organisation. Many guinea pigs unfortunately become abandoned or homeless through no fault of their own every year due to the owner's inability to care for the guinea pig properly, or a change in their circumstances.
guinea pigs will have usually had a veterinary check on arrival at the rescue organisation and treated for any ailments to ensure they are healthy before being offered for rehoming. Often their temperament will also have been assessed to ensure their suitability as a pet for a new owner.
Depending on the rescue organisation any potential owner may be required to complete a series of forms, be interviewed or even receive a home visit to assess their suitability as a potential guinea pig owner. The rescue organisation's primary concern is to ensure the correct placement of the guinea pigs in their care with a suitable new owner able and committed to caring for the guinea pig properly.
Pet Shops
Many pets shops also sell guinea pigs and this is often where many people buy their first pet guinea pig. Although some pet shops may acquire their guinea pigs from private breeders, the majority obtain their guinea pigs from commercial breeders to ensure a constant supply. guinea pigs supplied by commercial breeders are usually the result of mass breeding programmes aimed at quantity rather than quality and bred purely for profit. The guinea pigs have not usually been handled any great deal before or after arriving at the pet shop and no information regarding their date of birth, parents, etc is known by the pet shop.
If buying a guinea pig from a pet shop it is important to find a pet shop where the staff are confident in determining the sex of guinea pigs, and that males and females are housed separately to avoid buying a pregnant guinea pig.
Any potential purchaser that is unhappy with the overall condition of the pet shop, the condition of the guinea pigs offered for sale, or the lack of knowledge of the pet shop staff should look elsewhere to buy a guinea pig. It is no fun buying a unhealthy, pregnant or weakly guinea pig and then dealing with the problems this presents afterwards - it can cause a lot of heartache, not to mention additional finances.
Although pet shops selling pets are licensed in most countries there are times when a potential purchaser may encounter a shop where the conditions that the guinea pigs are kept in or the condition of the guinea pigs offered for sale may cause extreme concern. In such cases a report can be made to an Animal Welfare organisation or the local authority for investigation.
As with any pet, keeping a guinea pig requires a commitment to care for it during its life which could be 4-7 years or longer. The commitment required to care for a Guinea Pig includes not only routine feeding, care and time spent with the guinea pig but also the provision of veterinary treatment if the guinea pig becomes ill which can be costly. Although proper care will go a long way to ensuring that any guinea pig re
Guinea pigs are the greatest pets for apartments.!! I just purchased an new one and the pig 44" cage food and bedding, water bottle , alfalfa hay, and hay ball came to $150.00.
A guinea pig under 6 months of age should have pellets and hay 24 hours a day and 1/2 to 1 cup of dark green leafy veggies. If their poos get soft at one cup you need to cut back a bit. Before the age of 6 months, pregnant, and nursing moms should have alfalfa hay then be changed to timothy.Fruit should only be feed every 3 days due to the sugar count.
Change the potty spot of the cage ever day or two and the entire cage every 5 to 6 days. If you use Carefresh bedding you can go longer with the main change as the carefresh is much more absorbent. I prefer the carefresh bedding over the wood chips, it is much easier to work with. My granddaughter finds the odor to the carefresh offensive but i do not.
You need to give your guinea pig 2 hours of one on one attention every day
That is actually very easy to do as all you need to do is involve them with your day. Lie it on your chest while you watch TV, read a book or listen to music.Set it in your lap while you are on the computer, my Miya loves the sound of the keyboard and purrs to it.I will include my video that shows how to wrap them to make the holding easy and it also makes the guinea pig bond to you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRHsmjemG…
A guinea pig under 6 months of age should have pellets and hay 24 hours a day and 1/2 to 1 cup of dark green leafy veggies. If their poos get soft at one cup you need to cut back a bit. Before the age of 6 months, pregnant, and nursing moms should have alfalfa hay then be changed to timothy.Fruit should only be feed every 3 days due to the sugar count.
Change the potty spot of the cage ever day or two and the entire cage every 5 to 6 days. If you use Carefresh bedding you can go longer with the main change as the carefresh is much more absorbent. I prefer the carefresh bedding over the wood chips, it is much easier to work with. My granddaughter finds the odor to the carefresh offensive but i do not.
You need to give your guinea pig 2 hours of one on one attention every day
That is actually very easy to do as all you need to do is involve them with your day. Lie it on your chest while you watch TV, read a book or listen to music.Set it in your lap while you are on the computer, my Miya loves the sound of the keyboard and purrs to it.I will include my video that shows how to wrap them to make the holding easy and it also makes the guinea pig bond to you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRHsmjemG…
30 years dedicated to raising guinea pigs and 45 years fond of guinea pigs and all rodents.