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Q. Why can't I use
pine and cedar bedding?
A. Pine and cedar bedding is very bad for guinea pigs. The
fumes that they inhale can damage their respiratory system, which
can be fatal.
Q. Why are guinea
pigs called cavies?
A. Guinea pigs are called cavies because their scientific
name is cavia porcellus, which was promptly shortened to cavy, or
cavies, for plural.
Q. What do the sounds
mean that my guinea pig make?
A. Guinea pigs making sounds can mean many things, as it is
their way of communicating with us. It can mean they are hungry,
lonely, scared, happy, or want attention. Listen to how they're
making the sounds and when they make it, and pretty soon you'll
begin to understand what they all mean.
Q. What's the best food to feed my
guinea pigs?
A. There are special pellets just for guinea pigs, and oxbow
is the best. They also need unrestricted access to Timothy hay, and
should be fed fresh vegetables and fruits everyday to get their
vitamin C. Q.
I'm not sure if males guinea pigs fight or not. Do they?
A. It all depends on the guinea pigs. If they are both
territorial, aggressive, adult males, they might fight. However,
this is not always true. Sometimes, adult, male guinea pigs can be
placed in together with no problems. Male guinea pigs that grow up
together can be bonded without ever fighting once, and an adult male
and a baby male can form a very tight bond.
Q. Do guinea pigs need to go to the
vet?
A. Guinea pigs should go to the vet once a year, unless they
get sick, injured, or there's an emergency, in which case you should
already know which vet you're going to go to, and you should make
sure that the vet is experienced with guinea pigs.
Q. Should I neuter my male guinea pig?
A. There is one main reason that a guinea pig should be
neutered, and that is that you want him to be with a female guinea
pig. Otherwise, it is not necessary. Neutering a guinea pig will not
calm him down or change his personality; the only thing neutering a
guinea pig changes is his ability to impregnate a female guinea pig.
Q. My guinea pig seems to be pregnant,
how can I tell?
A. First of all, ask yourself the basic question- has she
been in with a male that is not neutered recently? If the answer is
yes, she may be pregnant. The most accurate way to tell, of course,
is to take her to an experienced guinea pig vet. Look for a pear or
hour-glass shape, which is the shape
they typically get when they are pregnant. You may be able to feel
some movement during her last couple of weeks. Q.
It's official, my guinea pig is pregnant. Now what?
A. If your guinea pig is pregnant you need to start planning
on what you are going to do with the babies. There are typically 3
or 4, but can be as little as 1, and as many as 8. Make sure that
the homes are good, quality homes that will take care of them like
they deserve. You should never 'let them go free' because unless
they are found by someone else, chances are they will die a horrible
death due to cold, lack of food and water, or predators. Also, if
you give them to a pet store to sell, you are dumping them. Pet
stores rarely ever screen their customers, and that's what they are,
customers. Pet stores are in it to make a profit, and will sell a
guinea pig to be snake food and not think twice about it. You should
baby-proof the cage that they are in to make sure the babies can't
hurt themselves or get out of the cage, give the
mother alfalfa hay and extra vitamin C. If you hold her while she is
pregnant, be very careful, and try to let her be during her last
couple of weeks. Overall, just take care of her the best you can.
Q. Can we hear more
about your guinea pig rescue?
A. Well, I'm not sure exactly when this rescue was started,
but it's been going on for a little while now. I decided that I
wanted to start a guinea pig rescue when I was interested in getting
one for myself, and when I went to the pet stores (I know, big
mistake). I was shocked at the conditions they were in; not enough
space, wrong bedding, boys in with girls, in with rabbits etc. I
then went home and did some more research on adopting guinea pigs
and found that there were rescues. However, it seemed like almost
every rescue was full, not accepting personal surrenders, and it was
very difficult to get accepted as an adoptive parent. So, for grins,
I decided to start my own. Within hours of putting up my website and
an ad online I was contacted with somebody who needed my help. Once
I got into it, I found out how wonderful it was and stuck with it.
The rescue is based out of my home and foster homes, which are
mostly located in Atlanta, Georgia. |