Guinea pigs are one of the most common pets that parents get for their children. They are considerably less demanding to take care of than cats or dogs. They stand out among rodents because of their sociable nature, willingness to snuggle and they are hassle-free. The great advantage is also that unlike other rodents, the guinea-pigs sleep at night and do not make any noise by its spree.
Guinea pigs are one of the most common pets that parents get for their children. They are considerably less demanding to take care of than cats or dogs. They stand out among rodents because of their sociable nature, willingness to snuggle and they are hassle-free. The great advantage is also that unlike other rodents, the guinea-pigs sleep at night and do not make any noise by its spree.
There are printed manuals where you can learn a lot of useful and necessary information that a good keeper should know before buying a new guinea pig. This article will inform you about the most important rules that will make a guinea pig feel good at your home.
The size matters
When choosing a cage for the guinea pig, get one that provides a lot of space. After all, this is a larger rodent which is highly sociable, so I warmly recommend getting two instead of one new member of your household. Trust me, they will be much happier like this!
The perfect size for one guinea pig is approximately 100 x 55 x 45 cm, for two it is 120 x 56 x 50 cm. But when you get a larger cage, your guinea pigs will certainly thank you! The animal needs physical activity and space, it spends most of its life in the cage so there should be enough space to move.
Pay attention to a proper diet
In addition to granules designed specifically for guinea pigs (avoid those with a high proportion of cereals), give your pet enough hay. It should be a large part of his diet. Another part of the diet is vegetables, give it to your pet regularly. Instead of treats bought in the pet shot, you can dry dandelions and carrots for your guinea pig. It will be certainly happy for it.
Instead of one larger bowl for all the food, get two smaller ones. Put granules in the first one and vegetable in the second one. Put hay on a separate place, too. For more, there also has to be a drinking spout with water.
What you need for the bedding
Wood shavings are better for the bedding of a guinea pig than sawdust. If you care about the environment, there is also ecological bedding called Asan on the market and you can choose from more types. And by the way, you can get these beddings for cats, too.
An extra thing you may appreciate when cleaning the cage are plastic toilets for rodents. They are usually placed in the corner of the cage. Some even have "coverage” so they provide the animal more privacy. This special toilet is perfect in the corner where the guinea pig started doing that itself. In the beginning, you can try to reward it for going to the toilet with a treat. But expect that even though the guinea will go to its toilet in most cases, it can sometimes happen that you find faeces in other places.
How did you arrange the cage for your guinea pig? How big is it?
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