Just as for any other type of pet, new or experienced guinea pig owners who are planning to adopt or purchase a guinea pig as a pet should prepare themselves and their homes in advance for their new little furry family member. The following is a useful guide for having the necessary supplies, housing, and other guinea pig care essentials ready prior to bringing your newly adopted or purchased guinea pig home.
ACQUIRING A PET GUINEA PIG
The most popular method of acquiring a new guinea pig for most people is purchasing one from their local pet store. It is absolutely fine to purchase a guinea pig from a pet store, but it is highly recommended that you first visit your local animal shelter or other independent animal rescue organization to adopt a guinea pig. Guinea pigs will often be brought in to local animal shelters or other non-profit animal rescue organizations by former owners, most often because the owners simply cannot properly care for their guinea pig(s) for reasons such as no longer having suitable housing for the guinea pig, no longer having enough time to properly care for their guinea pig, or simply losing interest in having a guinea pig as a pet. You can contact or visit your local city animal shelter to see if they have any guinea pigs available for adoption, or you can search for and contact local non-profit animal rescue organizations in your area and find out if they take in unwanted guinea pigs, and ask them about adopting a guinea pig from their non-profit organization.
After you have successfully either adopted or purchased a guinea pig, your home should already be prepared with a proper cage, equipment, food, toys, etc. for your guinea pig's smooth transition from shelter, pet store, animal rescue, etc. to your home.
CAGE
Buy your guinea pig a cage that is large and single leveled. The cage should be large enough to accommodate the guinea pig, its food bowl, water bottle, some toys, and a small box or hiding house for napping. The ideal cage size for one guinea pig is two feet by three feet (0.6 meters by 0.9 meters), but the larger the cage is, the better. The cage should be made out of wire and have a solid bottom. A solid cage floor is essential to keep your guinea pig from injuring its feet or legs. Cages that have mesh floors or wire bottoms are not recommended. If you have other species of pets, you will need a solid cage with a very secure door or doors to keep them from getting to your guinea pig. Place the cage in a room in your house that is often used, such as the living room or den. Keep the cage out of direct sunlight to prevent your guinea pig from overheating. Also, do not place the cage in an area so enclosed that air does not circulate around the cage.
CAGE SUPPLIES
After you have selected the proper cage, you will need to put in food bowls and water bottles. Your guinea pig will need two sets of each (and more if you are housing more than one guinea pig in the cage). When selecting a food bowl, make sure the bowl is heavy enough to withstand the guinea pig's weight. Also, buy a stoneware bowl, which is very tip-proof. For water, use water bottles, and make sure to periodically check the rubber stoppers on the water bottles, because guinea pigs may chew on these rubber stoppers. Water bowls are not recommended, because guinea pigs can kick cage litter into these bowls and thus contaminate the water. Make sure to clean watter bottles frequently.
Have wooden chew toys available in your guinea pig's cage at all times to maintain healthy teeth. Replace wooden chew toys that are worn or chewed through. Place a small hiding box in your guinea pig's cage that it can rest and go to the bathroom in.
CAGE BEDDING
Always keep at least two inches of bedding on the floor of your guinea pig's cage. Cage bedding provides a place for your guinea pig to relieve itself and also provides comfort. You can purchase commercially bagged bedding shavings from your local pet store. Safe bedding choices are timothy hay, recycled paper products, wheat litter, or aspen shavings. Avoid the following types of beddings: cedar shavings, cat litter, corn cob, straw, cedar shavings, and pine shavings.
GUINEA PIG FOOD AND TREATS
You can purchase commercially manufactured guinea pig pellets and treats from any pet store. All brands of guinea pig pellets are made according to a guinea pig's unique nutritional needs. Read and follow the directions on the packaging of guinea pig pellets and treats to feed your guinea pig the proper amount daily. Make sure to buy pellets and treats made only for guinea pigs, and do not feed your guinea pig pellets made for other small animal pets, as they do not provide the unique nutritional needs of guinea pigs, such as extra vitamin C. Discard expired guinea pig pellets and treats, and have an adequate daily supply of guinea pig pellets available in its food bowl at all times. Also, be sure that is has an adequate amount of drinking water in its water bottle each day.
GUINEA PIG TOYS
Make sure that all toys you purchase for your new guinea pig do not have small parts that could be chewed off and eaten. Do not buy roller balls or exercise wheels for toys. Guinea pigs do not have the same anatomical ability to curve their backs like other rodent pets such as rats and hamsters do, and also because these types of toys can cause guinea pigs to injure their paws, ankles, legs, and backs. Other types of toys that are suitable for guinea pigs are bird toys such as bird mirrors and cat toys that have bells.
CLEANING YOUR GUINEA PIG'S CAGE
To clean your guinea pig's cage, you will need a small broom, a small dustpan, trash can, a spray bottle filled with a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water solution, paper towels, and fresh bedding. First, use the broom and dustpan to sweep up guinea pig droppings, soiled bedding, and scattered pellets. Next, clean the cage bottom thoroughly with the 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water, let the mixture sit for five minutes, then wipe it off with paper towels. Lastly, put in fresh, new bedding (at least two inches) on the cage floor.
GROOMING AND BATHING SUPPLIES
You will need the following supplies to groom and bathe your guinea pig: a soft bristle brush (for short-haired guinea pigs), a metal comb or brush (for long-haired guinea pigs), a shampoo formulated for guinea pigs, small-animal pets, or for kittens; nail clippers, styptic powder (to stop bleeding from nails that were accidentally improperly trimmed), cotton swabs, a gentle ear cleanser (ask your veterinarian for recommendations), chew toys to keep your guinea pig's teeth healthy and worn down, a towel, and scissors (to cut long hairs around your guinea pig's rump region).
ADJUSTING YOUR GUINEA PIG TO ITS NEW HOME
Make sure that the room your guinea pig's cage will be kept in is kept calm and quiet for the first week, so that your guinea pig can adjust to your home and family. After placing your new guinea pig into its cage for the first time, let the guinea pig stay only in the cage for a couple of days so that it can adjust to the usual sounds and activities of your home. Sit beside the cage and talk gently to your guinea pig so that it gets used to your voice. After a couple of days, you can take your guinea pig out of its home and allow it to sit on your lap. When getting your guinea pig out of its cage, make sure not to chase it around the cage with your hand. This will just make your guinea pig more frightened and uneasy about letting you hold and handle it. Instead, gently show both of your hands first, offer your guinea pig a treat to entice it to come over to you, gently pick it up with both of your hands, and carry it to a safe spot on a couch or on the floor.
Before letting your guinea pig roam free in the room for out-of-cage playtime, make sure that the room it is playing in is safe: close up any gaps under or behind furniture. Hide electrical cords in PVC piping, or remove them from your guinea pig's reach to prevent it from chewing on them. Block the playroom's doorway with a piece of board so that your guinea pig cannot escape and possibly get lost in your house. Use a piece of board that is approximately one foot (0.3 m) high and a little wider than the door frame. Make sure to keep other species of pets out of the room during your guinea pig's out-of-cage playtime. Also, tell your family members and guests to be careful to not accidentally step on or sit on the guinea pig during its out-of-cage playtime.
VETERINARY CARE
This is one of the most important aspects of caring for your new guinea pig. Since many veterinary clinics and hospitals treat only dogs and cats, you will have to do more extensive searching in your town or city to find a veterinary hospital or clinic that specializes in treating exotic pets and other types of small animal pets. You can easily do this by going through your local Yellow Pages and contacting your local veterinary hospitals and clinics and asking if they specialize in providing veterinary care for pets that are termed "exotic pets", "pocket pets", or "small animal pets" including rabbits, rodent pets (guinea pigs, rats, hamsters, etc.), birds, and reptiles. You can also do this search on the Internet. Guinea pigs, like all other species of common household pets, will require regular veterinary care and visits so that they can live long, healthy, and happy lives. Purchase a properly-sized travel carrier for your guinea pig to easily transport it to and from the veterinary hospital or clinic for veterinary appointments and emergency care appointments.
WORKS CITED
Bedwell-Wilson, Wendy. "There's No Place Like Home". Guinea Pigs. 2009. Pages 20-28.
Mancini, Julie. Guinea Pigs. Neptune City, New Jersey. T.F.H. Publications. 2006.
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