Tips For How to Take Care of a Sick Guinea Pig

If your guinea pig is ill there are certain steps you will want to take in order to ensure quick recovery. In addition to providing proper care, the real key in aiding piggy recovery is consistently monitoring their condition. The sooner you notice a worsening of symptoms or a failure to thrive, the faster you can get help for your pet before the condition becomes life threatening.

Remember, the advice below is supplemental for people who have already taken their guinea pigs to see a veterinarian. Do not attempt to self treat any serious condition without help from an expert.

Supplies You Will Need:

• Digital kitchen or postal scale


• Towels


• Hot water bottle or Thermacare wraps - Can be found at your local drugstore. Thermacare wraps are used for the relief of pain and muscle aches. The wrap will produce heat for up to eight hours when exposed to air. Keep in mind the contents of this product are not meant to be eaten so supervise pets and children.


• Food pellets for sick guineas pigs (like Oxbow Critical Care) - Available through veterinarians. Avoid low fiber foods at these times as this can increase digestive discomfort and bloating.


• Small syringe without needle for feeding food and water


• Probiotics (if your piggy is on antibiotics) - Can be found in gel capsule form at health food stores. Remember, guinea pigs should not consume animal products so do not substitute yogurt.

Step 1: Move to a Separate Cage

A sick guinea pig will benefit from space from rowdy cage mates. It will also make it easier for you to monitor their condition and determine exactly how much they are eating.

Step 2: Weight Your Guinea Pig

This is important for two reasons - one, it will help you track whether they are losing, gaining, or maintaining weight. If your guinea pig appears to still be healthy enough to eat on his or her own but over the course of a couple days starts to lose weight, this is an indicator that supplemental hand feeding is needed. Two, you will use the weight of your pet to calculate how much food they should be eating. This is especially useful if you are going to be hand feeding as it is always difficult to tell if your piggy is getting enough food.

Step 3: Monitor Urine and Stool Output

Consider keeping your sick guinea pig on folded towels instead of their standard bedding. This may be more comfortable for them AND it makes it easier for you to see if they are passing waste normally. A lack of urine or stool output can be an indication of further health problems or dehydration.

Step 4: Keep Them Warm

Extra warmth can really be helpful for guinea pigs that are not feeling well. Using a warm water bottle wrapped in a towel will work quite well just be sure not to put scalding water in and replace when the temperature cools. A self heating pad will also work well provided you don't have any problems with your pet trying to chew on it (not too likely if he or she is sick.)

Step 5: Prepare the Food

If your guinea pig is not eating on his or her own, you will want to prepare a pellet mash. All you need in order to do this is to soak the pellets in liquid until they become soft and you can mash them into a soft paste. Some piggies also enjoy the mixture if warmed slightly (be sure to test on the inside of your wrist.) If you do not have the time to soak the pellets until they are soft, you can grind them using a food processor or coffee grinder and then mix with water. Some people also like to add baby food or juice for extra nutrition or flavor. Another alternative is to use the existing fresh foods you had on hand already and cooking them until soft and then blending into a paste. The key when making the hand feeding paste is to keep the mix on the thicker side as liquid is easier to accidentally inhale. Try one part water to four parts feed and see how that works.

Step 6: Feeding

Take the small syringe you purchased and remove the end if it is super small as you will need food to be able to pass through. Be sure to sand off any rough edges.T ry to hold your guinea pig in a vertical position. You may find it easier to wrap them up in a cloth first for better grip. Fill the syringe with your mix and gently insert into your piggy's mouth. Push until you feel the back teeth. Now gently push a little food into his or her mouth and see if your guinea pig reacts by chewing a little. This is a good sign. Wait for the chewing to stop and then feed a little more. Continue until food is gone. Follow up with water as well. Add vitamin C supplements if you think they are needed. Be sure to keep regular solid food available in the cage as well as you want your pet to go back to a regular routine of self feeding as soon as possible.

Optional Step: Probiotics

If you piggy is on a course of antibiotics, supplemental probiotics could aid digestion. Try adding a little probiotic powder to your guinea pigs food or water a couple hours after each dose of medication.

Heather is a guinea pig expert. For more information on how to take care of a guinea pig visit the Guinea Pig Resource Center for more information and don't forget to sign up for Heather's free newsletter!

Breeding Guinea Pigs

Breeding guinea pig is very rewarding. First of all, mating them is easy. Rearing them is easy and at the end of the day you will be happy as you watch these little creatures grow and develop. Just make sure that you will be able to provide good homes for the babies. The male guinea pig is called a boar and the female is called a sow and the sow can start breeding at the age of just five weeks. However, although this is possible it is still too young for the sow. It is recommended that the sow weighs around 400gm, and this equivalent to the sow being 3 months old.

Breeding guinea pig, the male should be at around 3 or 4 months of age before you allow them to mate. The cycle of the sow's oestrus cycle (heat) lasts around 16 days. During this time, the sow will be interested in communicating with the boar for around eight hours. Breeding guinea pig can occur anywhere during these eight hours. The sows and the boar-beaus get on really well, so the only and easiest way to get the romance in the air is to keep the two together until you are positive that the sow is pregnant.

It will probably be easy for you to tell when the sow has reached her season. In the time of season the female guinea pig's spine will curve and this will help her rear end elevate. You will find in the breeding guinea pig stages that the pregnant sow mounts other sows that are accompanying her. If you have more than one sow, a very happy boar can service up to 10 female guinea pigs.

Keep in mind that during breeding guinea pig stages the female guinea pig has to take her time in order to produce her little ones. This will take between nine and ten weeks before the wait is over and the reward to you will be babies. A sow is able to produce anywhere from a single to six young. However, three or four is what the average amount is. If there is going to be a larger litter, the length of pregnancy will be shorter.

After the breeding guinea pig stage has ended, you will notice during the female guinea pig's pregnancy she will develop a bulbous shape, and her weight will be doubled. It will be recommended that the water quantities are increased because the "soon to be mother" will be consuming more water than usual.

For you to tell when the female guinea pig will deliver her babies will be hard. The reason for this is that the length of pregnancy is long and also because female guinea pigs don't go around building nests. However, after the time of the breeding guinea pig and now close to the delivering stages you will notice the pelvis widening. This will occur in the last week before the sow gives birth. The separation of the pelvis increases in the last few hours before birth to more than 2.5 centimeters.

The delivery is usually uncomplicated and this usually takes anywhere around an hour. There is usually a 5 minute gap between each piglet entering the real world. Sad to know is that stillbirths and abortions are very common throughout the lives of guinea pigs.

The diet of the pregnant guinea pig after the breeding guinea pig period is very important. It is very important that the female guinea pig consumes more than the normal dose of Vitamin C. Guinea pigs can contract scurvy just like humans, and because of that they have to receive their dose of vitamin C. Guinea pigs can't produce vitamin C, and during the breeding guinea pig stages, the female will require at least three times more vitamin C that she would normally receive.

Vitamin C can be added to the drinking water at a solution of 200mg of vitamin C to every liter of water. However, in water vitamin C dissolves quickly and supplementing the pregnant sow with foods enriched with vitamin C will solve that problem.

Breeding guinea pig can be a pleasure, but what is asked of you can be a real challenge. Rest assured that what you will experience will be the most beautiful thing on earth.

For more information or to learn more on Guinea Pig, please visit my blog

Guinea Pigs As Pets: How to Raise Healthy, Happy Guinea Pigs

If you have ever considered raising guinea pigs as pets, you aren't alone. Many are attracted to the idea of having guinea pigs as pets, mainly due to their cuteness. Not only that, they're actually one of the easiest pets to own. But even they will need some attention for both their health and safety. As with all pets, being a responsible owner is always important.

Before you go to your local pet store and bring home a guinea pig, you should educate yourself on some of the basic requirements for taking care of a guinea pig. Even though they are popular as pets, finding all the guinea pig information in advance will help you and your new pet enjoy a long and happy life together. There is a lot of info on guinea pigs that's available today, and you'd be wise to gather all the information on guinea pigs you can before bringing one home as a pet.

By finding as much information as possible, and then apply it, you are showing that they're more than just a pet, they're a living, breathing animal. The following are some general responsibilities necessary to properly care of guinea pig pets:

Their Nails

To begin with, just as it's with humans, their nails are growing and must be trimmed from time to time. If not, they'll be too long and will be painful for your pet. However, instead of using nail clippers as you'd do for yourself, using bricks, rough stones, rocks or other rough surfaces for your guinea pig to walk on enables them to naturally keep their nails short. Make sure that whatever you choose will have no holes that they might get caught in.

If you decide to trim their nails with nail clippers, ensure you don't cut them too short. If you do snip them too close, you could hit the blood vessels located at the top of the nail. This is usually referred to as the 'quick'. You can easily see this area because the nails are generally clear in color and the area containing the blood is pink in color. However, there are certain breeds who's nails are darker. If so, it'll be difficult to see where the blood vessel in the nail lies.

If the nails are clear, cut just above the pink area. If the nails are dark to black, you would be better to trim them more often and not let them get too far grown in order to ensure that you don't cut into the blood vessel area.

If you do cut the 'quick', they'll bleed. To stop the bleeding, many pet shops sell 'Quick Stop' to stop the bleeding. If you don't have this handy, iodine will work.

Of course, until your pet is used to this routine, they'll probably squirm a bit. If you have someone to help hold them steady while trimming their nails, this will make the job much easier and minimize cutting too deeply. Wrap your guinea pig in a towel so that their feet stick out and have the person helping you hold them still.

If there is no one to help, another way to trim their nails is to place them on a tennis racket so that the toe nails are sticking out the other side of the rack. Make sure to cover them with something warm to keep them calm.

The Teeth

Without exception, most rodents have teeth that grow continuously. You must ensure that your guinea pig's two front teeth don't grow too long. If this happens, they'll not be able to chew their food. Should this be the case, take them to the vet and have their teeth cut shorter.

Other ways to help them keep their teeth short is by providing a hard surface for them to chew on. They are natural chewers and this will help to keep their teeth from getting too long. Items such as hay cubes, toilet paper cores, or old stale bread will provide them with something to chew on to keep their teeth short. You will want to provide these items to keep your pet from chewing on objects that may harm them, such as their wire cage or nesting box.

It is also a good idea to perform a regular inspection of their teeth to make sure nothing is cracked or broken. Broken teeth can result in them suffering pain or discomfort as a result. If you find chipped or broken teeth, contact your veterinarian as to what should be done to correct this problem.

Brushing

Another aspect of the regular care of your new pet is to keep their hair clean, shiny and healthy. A way to do this is with regular brushing. If the length of their hair is long, you will need to brush them daily. If their hair is short, a few times a week should be enough.

A type of hair brush that works well is a baby's brush. The brushes are often soft and gentle and won't be too hard on their scalp. If your guinea pig has long hair, a metal greyhound comb will easily remove any tangles. Regular brushing will remove excess hair, especially during the shedding season.

Bathes

Unless they get dirty, it isn't necessary to give them a bath. In fact, guinea pigs don't much like a bath, no matter what! They can become stressed when placed in water, and it has been known to lower their immune system as well. Guinea pigs can go their whole lives without ever needing a bath. So, unless directed by your veterinarian, it's not necessary to give them a bath.

If it becomes necessary, make sure you use a shampoo that's gentle to their skin. You can use shampoos that are made for kittens or babies. It's also wise to stay away from any shampoo that's medicated unless designated by the vet.

Well, there you are! By first learn everything about guinea pigs and then applying the guinea pig info listed above, you and your new pet will have a long and healthy life together!

If you have been thinking about getting a guinea pig [http://www.learninglifeebooks.com/products/Guinea-Pigs-as-Pets%3B-How-to-Raise-Healthy%2C-Happy-Guinea-Pigs.html], but didn't know where to begin, we can help!   If you want to learn more about this, we have the answers at http://LearningLifeEbooks.com [http://www.learninglifeebooks.com].

Guinea Pig Popcorning Explained

Guinea pigs are very unique animals and have their own way of expressing themselves. It's hard not to adore your little piggy when he's standing up on his hind legs, looking at you with those eager eyes, hoping you notice him and feed him; it's hard not to feel sad for the little girl when you see her all curled up in a ball in a corner of the cage when she's depressed. These and other forms of cute behavior make guinea pigs one of the most loved pets on the planet.

Popcorning is one such behavior that most guinea pig owners just love to watch! When a guinea pig popcorns, he or she hops up into the air, and almost immediately after landing, hops up again. Usually, the piggy will jump in all sorts of random directions and will even run around a lot. This sudden hopping action looks much like popcorn when it pops, hence the name.

Popcorning rarely lasts more than a few seconds but often happens when the guinea pig sees his owner, so it's hard to miss. So why do pigs popcorn then? They do it because they're happy and contented. If your pig is popcorning then it means he or she's well fed and well taken care of, so hats off to you! However, you should note that pigs will not popcorn when you're holding them. If they do, it means they want you to put them down and they're actually feeling scared, not happy.

It can be an awesome sight to see your guinea pig popcorning. But that doesn't mean you can force the little guy to do it. A lot of people ask how to get their pig to do it and the answer is simple: take good care of your pet and he or she will do it on their own. Make sure you have a camera handy all the time, so you can catch it on tape!

Do you understand your guinea pig well? Can you tell what he or she wants every time? Or would you like a little more help interpreting your piggy's behavior? If so, head over to Guinea-Pigs-Care.com and check out the Guinea Pig Care Bible. It is a massive collection of tried and trusted information on guinea pig care, and instantly provides answers to all your guinea pig questions. Click here to check it out now.

Guinea Pig Cages - A Guinea Pig's Diary

Day 1: My name is Scooter. I'm a guinea pig - or cavy, if you prefer. I got a new owner today. Kristen and her family came and rescued me from the shelter and took me home. The car ride was a little scary. It's my first day here, and I still feel a little nervous. But I feel a little calmer here in the corner of her bedroom right now.

Day 2: This cage felt pretty cozy after that nerve-racking car ride home. But now it's starting to feel a little cramped. It's one of those commercial cages - my friends at the shelter used to call them "pet store cages." It's pretty small. It would be like a human living their entire life in their bathroom. Ever try to exercise in a bathroom? I had better watch what I eat. (Fat chance... I'm a pig.)

Day 3: I got a new gift today. My humans bought me a nest box. Now that's what I call cozy! I love just being in there. It makes me feel safe. I overheard my humans say that I feel protected in here because of something called "instinct". Supposedly, when my ancestors lived in the wild they always tended to hide under things because they were at the bottom of the food chain. I wonder what a food chain is... It sounds pretty tasty.

Day 4: As I look around, this is not so bad -- food's good. And Kristen and her family seem to like me. It's much quieter here than it was at the shelter. In fact, it's a little too quiet. I feel like I'm always up here all alone in Kristen's bedroom and there's never anyone else around. And I still love my nest box - when I'm in it. But when I go outside... Well... Remember when I said it would be like a human living in their bathroom? Well that's still how it feels - except someone just put a refrigerator in here with me.

Day 5: I'm starting to miss my guinea pig friends from the shelter. Sure, Kristen comes in once in awhile. But she never stays more than about five or ten minutes - and I'm afraid these visits will get even shorter as my "newness" wears off. As I think about it, if I have to stay in here alone, I'd rather be downstairs with my human family so I could at least get to know them.

Day 6: Kristen comes in less often than she did at first. And I used to love it when she picked me up and scratched me behind the ears... or stroked my nose. But now she just looks. It seems like it's gotten to be too much trouble to open the "roof" of my cage for just a short visit. I miss the touching.

Day 7: What's "research"? I overheard my humans today say they were going to do some research on "healthy guinea pigs". They said I don't look very happy. How would they know? I don't really see them that much.

Day 8: I overheard my humans talking again today about buying some sort of cage. I wonder what for? I sure hope they're not getting a cat! They said they visited several pet stores today but couldn't find a cage that was even close to being big enough. And they also said they all cost "an arm and a leg". Boy, humans sure have some funny currency.

Day 9: I heard a lot of excitement downstairs this evening. Apparently a large package arrived today. I heard them say that after they couldn't find a suitable cage in the store, they went someplace called "the internet" and bought something called a C&C or Cubes and Coroplast cage. Apparently, it's a very popular type of cage for guinea pigs and rabbits that you can only find at "the internet" because it's not a manufactured cage. It's generally a hand-built or cottage-industry type of thing. I heard the human father say, "It sure is a lot of cage for the money!" The family sure sounds like it's having a lot of fun putting it together as a family project. I sure wish I was down there.

Day 10: I'm in heaven. I'm in my new cage - and I'm downstairs so I can be with the family all the time. And, best of all, my humans got me a new friend - Pepper. We love it here in our new C&C cage - lots of room to run - and there's plenty of room for two nest boxes - one for each of us. Now this cage doesn't happen to have a "roof" so my humans can easily have lots of contact with the both of us. I guess if we had a cat, we would have gotten one with a roof - but we don't. I like this better. And the very best thing is Pepper! She's still a baby and she's a girl. I like that. It makes me happy. I overheard my humans say they were going to take me to get neutered next week. I have no idea what that is. I sure hope it's fun.

When choosing a cage for your guinea pigs, be sure to use the lessons Scooter has taught us:

1. Guinea pigs are social creatures. Be sure to house at least two guinea pigs together.


2. Make sure your cage is large enough. Two guinea pigs require at least 6-7 square-feet of living space.


3. Give your guinea pigs a shelter or nest box - something to hide under. It makes them feel secure.


4. If your house is free of "domestic predators" (most notably cats and toddlers) consider a pen or cage with no lid. Not only will this encourage more interaction with your guinea pigs, it will take much of the hassle out of chores like feeding the guinea pigs and cleaning the cage.


5. Don't isolate your guinea pig. Make them a part of your family. Pigs are fun! Place them in an area where the family can interact with them. You'll be glad you did.

With more than 30 years of engineering and management experience, Robert M. Matthews (better known as Bob Matthews) is currently responsible for all C&C cage design and engineering duties at BlueStoneCommerce -- an innovative seller of C&C cages for guinea pigs and rabbits. We here at BlueStoneCommerce are happy and proud to have developed a large base of satisfied and delighted customers (as well as their human owners).

Please visit our website at http://www.BlueStoneCommerce.com for more information on C&C guinea pig and rabbit cages.

Or feel free to visit our blog at http://www.bluestonecommerce.blogspot.com/ to see what's going on with our piggies and our business.

Guinea Pig Trivia - A Quiz About Our Cavy Friends

Just how much do you know about the guinea pig? Take this short test of cavy knowledge to find out.

1. What are baby guinea pigs called?

a. Puppies
b. Guppies
c. Sprouts
d. Forest Gump

2. Cavies need to be given supplements of which vitamin?

a. Vitamin A
b. Vitamin B
c. Vitamin C
d. Flintstones chewables

3. Which of these animals is the most closely related to the guinea pig?

a. Rabbit
b. Penguin
c. Beaver
d. Forest Gump

4. Where do cavies originally come from?

a. Africa
b. South America
c. K-Mart
d. Their moms

5. When these little rodents spring into the air, it is called...

a. Percolating
b. Tiddly Winking
c. Popcorning
d. Springing into the air

And now for the answers:

1. Oddly enough, baby guineas are called puppies. You might expect them to be called piglets in order to keep the pig reference consistent - because adult male cavies are called boars and female guineas are called sows.

2. Your little pets must be given daily vitamin C supplements because they, like humans, lack a particular enzyme needed to manufacture this vitamin in their bodies.

3. The beaver is most closely related to these little critters. (Forest Gump is most closely related to the summer sausage.)

4. Cavies are originally from the Andean region of South America which consists of modern day Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. Tribal peoples raised them as food. (I hear they had a guinea pig meat loaf that was to die for. It was great smothered in cavy gravy.)

5. When your happy pigs spring into the air, it is called popcorning. Those of you who answered springing into the air get extra credit for your tremendous grasp of the obvious.

We here at Blue Stone Commerce are pet owners as well as pet cage sellers. Please Visit Our Website at http://www.BlueStoneCages.com for lots more information, tips and entertaining tales of guinea pigs and guinea pig cages. You will also find links to all of our online Cage Stores and Guinea Pig Care guides. While there, be sure to Claim Your FREE BONUS GIFT available on the front page.

Follow Us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/guineapig9.