Caring for guinea pigs is not as time-consuming, both for cats or dogs, but they live much longer than usual for hamsters, mice and other rodents (about 7-15 years). The content of this pet will be a convenient option for young children. With it they can play like a plush toy without getting bites and scratches.

Care Overseas rodents is not complicated, but there are some nuances. First of all guinea pigs are important comfortable housing and regular, but not excessive, food. In addition to feeding care for guinea pigs include content in clean places of their home habitat, cut the claws, treatment of parasites and infrequent bathing.

Cage, terrarium or cage?

The content of overseas animal possible in cells, fenced enclosure or plastic terrarium. Each of the variants of its own characteristics, and focus when choosing a need for own convenience:

• pig cage provides plenty of fresh air and allows you to put it on a variety of feeder rods and accessories, but if the pet decides to frolic, then through the walls of this house will depart the products of its life, so pet content will be more difficult;
• Aviary also allows good air space, but if you have small children, they can distribute the toys in it, and then get into it themselves;
• terrarium deprived of drafts, and its walls prevent the loss of hay, but then access to the pet can not be through the wall, making it difficult to care for the pig.

With regard to size, the larger the space, the better. The minimum allowable size cells constitute 50h20 cm. The cell must be installed pet drinkers, feeders with dry feed and hay. Additionally, you can hang a stone to the teeth point, hammock and put the house, then it will not only provide the right care, but the pig will be in a cage nicer.

The bottom of the cell have to do more soft and absorbent excess moisture. This can pour the mixture of sawdust, hay and feline filler. Once a week, the bedding will need to be changed. To reduce the number of drop-down hay cells, many fans of the guinea pigs have resorted to some tricks, laying on top of a piece of litter mat for the tub.

In the summer instead of the content in the confined space of guinea pigs is located in the garden or at the cottage. For this pet is placed in a mesh cage with small cells. Care in the summer for pets is reduced to zero, but at the end of their stay in the fresh air is required to disinfect against ticks, fleas and other parasites with special compositions and shampoos. Carry out this procedure is necessary before the pet gets into the home cage.

What to feed a guinea pig, and how often?

The food overseas pets unpretentious. They eat vegetables, herbs, grains, that is all that love herbivores. If you are not sure what to feed the guinea pig, it is recommended that Chinese cabbage, carrots and celery. Exotic fruits are also eaten, but such a diet can lead to the death of a pet, so from them should be abandoned.

Eat pig almost continuously, with short breaks for sleep and play. But it is impossible to feed the demand for each of these rodents, otherwise they run the risk of becoming a victim of obesity. Sufficiently replenish feeders 2 times a day, preferably at a specific time. In the cage should always be clean drinking water. As a BUD you can use chalk, pigs eat it with great pleasure.

bath day

If you do not want your guinea pig has become a real pig, sometimes it is necessary to arrange a bath day. But since bathe these rodents do not like, then you need to wash them, without fanaticism. Gentle care should be undertaken if there are clumps of fur on or pig looks dirty.

The water temperature should be 30-38 degrees. When bathing your pet’s head is not recommended to wet. To clean the fur, you can use baby soap or special shampoo for rodents. The content of detergent harmful substances should be excluded.

After bathing, you need to carefully wipe the pig towel and dry her fur hair dryer on a low temperature. The content of pigs in the home also requires well-groomed feet, so besides cleaning fur regrown need to trim your pet’s claws. Washed rodent sensitive to drafts, so you need to put the cage in the dark place it. Return the pet you need to clean house with fresh litter.

Do I need a pig roommate?

Guinea pigs are social animals. In nature, they live in flocks, so at home, you can keep them for a few pieces. But here it is worth remembering that the communication between the pigs to be family only if they were taken at the same time. If you sat down one pig to another, when the first has already lived for some time alone, the chances of amicable neighborhood minimal.

In a situation where to the existing family of rodents hooked newcomer, taking it to a group can be accelerated if the fur sprinkle it available in a cage with sawdust. If the old-timers already these filings mark, the pig will take for her.

Hike to the vet

Whatever may have been the proper care of the pet, and sometimes there may be situations that require immediate vet visits. If you watch the guinea pig of the following symptoms, then an urgent need to carry her to the clinic:

• wounds on the body,
• dirty fur near the anal opening,
• nasal discharge,
• inflammation of the eye,
• ear inflammation.