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Oliver loving his bath time...........
History and the basics.......
Guinea pigs originate from South America where several different species can still be found. The ancestor of the domesticated guinea pig is thought to be the restless cavy "Cavia cutleri ".A brown agouti colour the restless cavy lives in big family groups in the long grass, being protected from predators by overhanging stems. They don't burrow for themselves but instead use abandoned burrows from other animals, so no worries of Guinea Pigs digging in gardens. Guinea Pigs were brought back by Spanish explorers and it is thought they may have been sold for a "guinea" hence the name and the pig, well from their lovely squeaks and appetite !! They are part of the menu in South America but we wont say anymore about that.
 Henry Chadwick is the classic Brown agouti type.
They are classed as an "Exotic Pet" but are easy to care for if you take the time to learn about them :) The amazing variety of breeds we have today like dogs or cats stem from breeding programmes over many years.There are so many colourful breeds and equally gorgeous pet guinea pigs.
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Single or pair ??
Guinea pigs are very social animals and love company,therefore we only rehome in pairs.Many retail outlets will sell single Guinea Pigs but this is a cruel practice condemning a social animal to a life alone.(Some guinea pigs may have lost a friend or have come from a traumatic background and need time before meeting a friend, so this advice is primarily aimed at Guinea Pigs sold as a single animal)
Who does it talk to when your at work,out with your family,chatting with your friends ?
Who can it cuddle too when its feeling unwell ?
Who does it play with when its sitting in its cage all day waiting for you too come home ?
 Marley Moo Chadwick
Who can it smell and nuzzle when it wants some comfort ?
Do you talk Guinea Pig ??
Makes you think doesnt it........and if you have a single Guinea Pig then call us to discuss a companion.Guinea Pigs of all ages can be paired up with a friend.Its not your fault you bought a single Guinea Pig, its the person who sold it.Your Guinea Pig may have always lived alone,be happy and have lots of attention off you so dont panic, some may just be happy on their own, but its just a suggestion if you have not considered it.
See our boar / sow dating page for further information
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Tis the season to be jolly..............and warm !!!
 Nice and warm
Winter advice tips
Guinea Pigs are hardy little animals and can live outside all year round, however you do need to take extra care of outside winter piggies, especially in real cold spells brrrrrrrr
Guinea Pigs dont like draughts so thats important to deal with and temperature changes, so not too much in and out in really cold spells,preferably keep in if you can !!!
1:If you can bring your Guinea Pig into temporary winter indoors accomodation, this is the best option, this may be a shed, garage,conservatory etc (not used for daily car storage)
Elderly piggies especially benefit from being indoors in cold weather
2:If thats not an option then make sure your cage is really insulated and draught proof,sheltered from wind and rain,with a good quality cover.
3:You can provide a cardboard box in the cage crammed with hay and fleece to give extra warmth,for really cold spells buy a snuggle heat pad and just pop in the box to give extra heat.8 mins in the microwave and a snuggle pad provides heat for 10 hours.
4:Warm winter tea is crushed pellets or bran mash with some warm water.
Health Information:The Basics
If you would like a copy of our care leaflet,with cleaning, housing advice please email us
Vit c intake of a guinea pig is very important,one of the most important dietary needs is vitamin C, guinea pigs do not make there own vit c ,so they need fresh fruit and veg every day to ensure this need is met. Dried food must contain Vit c which, is why rabbit food is not suitable.
Hay is also very important in a guinea pigs diet and should be provided in unlimited amounts,this helps to keep their gut working and their teeth in good shape.Use good quality,dust free hay,ask us for advice.Lovely farm meadow hay is the best and bales can be excellent value.We can provide hay storage bags for £1.
 Daisy Chadwick RIP hay cup queen
Shavings are our prefered choice and we are fully aware of all the debates over various types of bedding ! and i have tried most of them.We use high quality dust free shavings from the meadows animal feeds supplier - Cheshire choice is a great brand.None of my Guinea Pigs have had a dust related chest problem. Bales from £7 and its better than pet shop brands.
Cleaning is very important, its just not nice to have poopy piggies. Cages need cleaning out a minimum of twice weekly,possibly more in the summer months.Always remove dirty hay daily and replace.
 Yum Yum clean hay !
For easy care cages i recommend:
Line with vinyl lino,cut to shape -Preserves floor of indoor and outdoor hutches
Line cage with good layer newspaper - Just roll up poop at clean out.
Fresh shavings and hay - Sleep hay and eat hay needs providing.Metal hay balls are also good to hang eating hay in,my Guinea Pigs love to play with them.
Water must be fresh daily in a clean bottle, would you drink water from a greeny bottle ??? Sterilise monthly - ask us for advice.
Piggies need nice refreshments every day !!!
Dried food Guinea pigs need a dry food designed for their needs.We recommend guinea pig only pellets/ nuggets rather than a muesli style mix to prevent selective feeding, ask us for advice.We use and recommend - Science Selective with dandelion and nettle.
Vegetables and Fruit guinea pigs love these !! There are so many to choose from dont feed the same every day look on the web for information or ask us,you can include herbs,fruits and even exotic items !!! Guinea lynx has excellent food charts you can download.
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Health and Illness
Spotting the signs of illness is vital !!!!
Its sunday night at 11pm your just off to bed and check your piggie, oh dear something does not look right, he has been on the lawn today and seemed fine at t time ? ?
What would you do ????
Its upsetting isnt it, the unexpected, so its vital you get to know your healthy Guinea Pig so you can spot the signs of a poorly piggie !!! Make sure you find a good small animal vet who has good knowledge of Guinea Pigs, dont leave it till 11pm on a Sunday to get out the yellow pages !! Buy yourself a good text book to help you out and get informed :) see our links
Acute signs of illness
Not eating, eyes look tired and dull.
Changes in poops - could be loose, stringy and dry
Hunched, looks depressed, hair standing up from the body
Urgent vet treatment is required !!!
Please do not delay seeking veterinary treatment for a poorly Guinea Pig they can deteriorate quickly !!!
We use for our own pets and the rescue:
Charter Veterinary Practice in Butt lane / Congleton
01782 771441 Butt lane branch
01260 273449 Congleton branch
Rachel, Sam or Steve for Guinea Pigs.
Beechwood Veterinary practice in Kidsgrove
01782 782582
www.beechwoodvets.com
New vets team awaiting info
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General Health
Its important to get to know your healthy Guinea Pig so you can spot the signs of a poorly piggie, weighing monthly is a good habit to get in too. Feed a balanced diet with regular exercise and you will avoid porky piggies !!! Please register your Guinea Pig with a good small animal vet, dont feel uncomfortable about asking if they are experienced with Guinea Pigs, its important they know about Guinea Pig health.A good place to enquire after Guinea Pig friendly vets is The Guinea Pig Forum.
We give all new owners a care leaflet when adopting, copies are available contact us.
Monthly - Weigh ( weekly,daily, if your guinea pig is poorly,recovering post op).Keep your records of health checks.
Weekly - Check whole body.Eyes, skin, around the mouth, feet, genital area, bottom.If anything is out of the ordinary consider a vet check or ask our advice.
Check nails / coat / limbs / poops and watch out for normal coloured urine (Beetroot and carrot make the urine a pinky orange colour ! so dont panic)
Older Boars need bottom checks to avoid impaction - ask us for advice.
Skin problems
Its important to keep a regular check on your Guinea Pigs skin.Any persistant sore patches, hair loss, flakiness, broken skin must be checked out by your vet.Most skin problems are easily treated without big expense, so please get prompt advice leaving a Guinea Pig to scratch and suffer is not nice. Infections can be parasitical,fungal or from wound infection. Our rescue does FREE health checks so please get in touch.Claire is our skin expert !!
Claire and i treat our Guinea Pigs every 3 months with ivermectin as a preventative treatment, in conjunction we do weekly coat checks. You can get this product from your vet which can be expensive or on line xeno 450 is a brand or Beaphar brand. All Guinea Pigs are skin checked for lice / mites / fungal before leaving the rescue and any required treatments given.We will give the Guinea Pigs health history -as known ! - to new owners.
Neutering / Spaying
Neutering a boar will not affect his sex drive,only neuter if you want him to have a sow companion.Any anaesthetic carries a risk,so ensure you have a competent small animal vet carry out the surgery and call us for post op advice. I have had several boars neutered and a lovely pairing is a boar and sow.
A sow should not be spayed unless its a medical emergency,its much more complicated than a simple castration with a longer anaesthetic and recovery period.Its vital you use an experienced small animal vet.Call us for post op advice.
Antibiotic general advice
Ensure antibotic courses are completed ! Give your Guinea Pig pro-biotics whilst on antibiotics and for two weeks after.This will help protect Gut motility,which can be affected by anti-biotics. 1ml syringes are best for easy dosing
Give vit c 10mg / kg whilst on antibiotics to help boost immune system.Drops are ok but tablets ensure you know its been given !! My Guinea Pigs take relevant doses in little piece cabbage.
Calculation for tablet dosage.
what you want divided by what you have x volume of syringe
For example you have 200mg tablet but you need to give 25mg dose and you have a 10ml syringe of water.
what you want = 25mg divided by 200mg x 10ml =1.25ml in a 1ml syringe
You can use this method for other medicines and doses.
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Bladder Problems / Stones
Some Guinea Pigs can be prone to bladder problems.If you suspect any urinary tract problem you need to get your Guinea Pig checked out by a small animal vet. Due to a Guinea pigs metabolism they can be affected by bladder stones,this is treatable and again its important to health check your Guinea Pig on a regular basis to detect changes in bladder habits.Normal urine is clear / milky in colour.
Symptoms can include:
Difficulty in urinating,hunched back may appear to strain.Can come on acutely if a stone has dropped into the urethra.The Guinea Pig may be eating and pooping fine but needs to be checked out.
Blood in the urine, blood clots in the shavings ( carrot and beetroot will stain urine )
Urine has gritty texture - calcium deposits.
What can i do ?
Get your Guinea Pig checked out as soon as possible by a small animal vet.
Keep a close check on their water intake.
Your vet may suggest an xray to check for the presence of bladder stones and a urine sample.Best way to get this is to cuddle your piggie in plastic tub whilst eating cucumber or lettuce and wait for the wee.Sringe up in a sterile syringe.
If surgery is an option then call us for post op advice.You will need to house your Guinea Pig indoors with towels and a heat pad - snugglesafe is good brand and microwaveable.
Ensure antibotic courses are completed ! Give your Guinea Pig pro-biotics whilst on antibiotics and for two weeks after.This will help protect Gut motility,which can be affected by anti-biotics.Septrin is the antibiotic of choice.
Occasionally following illness or antibiotictherapy a Guinea Pig needs an injection of metroclopramide to get the gut functioning properly. Your vet can advise you.
Give vit c 10mg / kg whilst on antibiotics to help boost immune system.Drops are ok but tablets ensure you know its been given !! My Guinea Pigs take relevant dose in little piece cabbage or grind up and mix with water and syringe feed.
Ask for information on Cystaid and Beetroot therapy !
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Dental problems
This can be stressful for both Guinea Pig and owner and costly as ongoing work is often required and unecesssary anaesthetics can be avoided.Regular observation of your Guinea Pigs eating habits will help pick up possible problems.If you suspect problems take a trip to your vets.
We can organsie dental checks through the rescue,Claire can offer dental checks and minor treatments.This is in kind conjunction with a qualified Rodentologist of 20 years experience. Contact us for further details on dental services we offer through the rescue. Donation for this service.
Find out more about Rodentologists on The Cambridge Cavy Trust web site
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First Aid Box:
Contact us for advice on the contents you need for your Guinea Pig first aid box. You should start treatment on a sick Guinea Pig until you can get to the vets.
You can buy many products over the counter at your local chemist.
Guinea pigs can have paracetomol and nurofen paed sugar free syrup and other items ! I always keep these in my first aid box.
Useful info and web sites:
The guineapiglopedia by Margaret Elward
The complete guide to guinea pigs.
Amazon £7.50.This is an excellent book – we use this.
www.theguineapigforum.co.uk – Excellent resource for all things piggie.Make new guinea pig friends too. We are listed as
The Potteries Guinea Pig Rescue
www.themeadowscattery.co.uk
We buy our supplies from here, food, hay, Just Grass and shavings. Linda is very helpful and will order items in for you. They are based in Newchapel, Stoke on Trent.
The RSPCA – Have a very good web site with information on Guinea Pigs.
Guinea lynx – Web site dedicated to Guinea pigs health very comprehensive.
The Cambridge Cavy Trust -Health advice and teeth treatment.
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