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Guinea pigs make the ideal family pet. They can be housed indoors or out and
can live happily in single sex pairs. They have a natural life span of 4 to 7
years
Choosing. If possible choose a single sex pair as Guinea pigs like company.
Only buy a mix sex pair if you are willing to accept and re-home young. even then
they will have to be separated during pregnancy.
Note. Rabbits do not make a good companion for guinea pigs. Rabbits
and guinea pigs get on when they are young but as the rabbit matures there
is a good chance that it will turn on the guinea pig. I know when you
visit our shop you will see rabbits and guinea pigs in together but
they are only young and are not sexually mature.
We do not recommend mixing rabbits and guinea pigs in the same hutch
Housing. We recommend a minimum hutch size of 36 inches and 48 inches for
more than one animal. Outdoors the hutch should be well off the
ground and facing away from prevailing weather. For indoors there is a range of
plastic based cages.
In the winter months it is advisable to house your guinea pig in its hutch
in a garden shed or outhouse. If you put it in the garage please do not put
the car in the garage!!! ( car exhaust will kill guinea pig)
Feeding. Guinea Pigs are herbivores.
As well as their hard feed they require unlimited top quality
hay. It is vitally important they get a constant supply of Vitamin C, as like
Humans, they cannot make their own. We feed ours on fresh carrots and
cabbage.
What you will need. As well as the hutch and the pig you will need
Wood shavings. Do not use sawdust or treated Shavings. Concider using Hay or chopped bedding for horses . Never use Straw .Some rescue centres now recommend not using even Shavings because they may cause irritation to the skin. Hay Dry food Water bottle Disinfectant. treats.Cleaning. The hutch should be thoroughly cleaned out and disinfected at least one a week. Handling. Guinea pigs are quite quick animals and take a little while to settle down. However they love lots of human attention and will soon be confident about being handled Breeding . Only undertake breeding after thoroughly investigating the subject Further information. This leaflet is intended as a very basic guide to Guinea pig care. There are many good books on the subject in your pet shop.
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