Guinea Pigs – A Quick-Start Guinea Pig Owners Guide

So you’ve just brought your new guinea pig home from the shelter or pet store. And now, you’re not entirely sure what to do. Let us help you get off to a good start with this Quick-Start Guinea Pig Owners’ Guide.


First of all, if you’ve just returned from the shelter or pet store with a single pig, we strongly recommend that you turn right around and go back. Guinea pigs are social creatures and tend to do better when there are at least two pigs living together. Two females are a good combination. Two males can live together in harmony as long as they have been raised together. And while it is possible to introduce two grown males to each other, it does require patience and care. A male and a female are the very best combination, but of course one of them needs to be “fixed” in order to avoid a future in-cage population explosion.

Your first task is to choose a cage. Pet store cages tend to be too small to adequately house a single pig – not to mention multiple pigs. Use the following guidelines when choosing a guinea pig enclosure:

One guinea pig: 6-7 sq. ft.

Two guinea pigs: 7.5 sq. ft.

Three guinea pigs: 10.5 sq. ft.

If you cannot find one large enough at the pet store, you can always build your own cage or buy one online from a reputable cage seller. In recent years, C&C (Cubes and Coroplast ) cages have become quite popular because they provide a lot of cage for the money. Check out the resource box and the end of this article for a link to some online C&C guinea pig cage stores.

Place a nest box, a piece of PVC pipe or other enclosure inside the cage. Pigs like to hide out in cozy little places and providing a hiding place inside the cage will make your pigs feel happier and more secure.

Never place your pigs in an aquarium. Yes, some people do house their pigs in an aquarium, but it is very bad for their respiratory system. Toxic ammonia gas forms as your pigs urinate inside the enclosure. In a wire cage, there is adequate ventilation to carry this gas away. However, in an aquarium the ammonia gas is contained by the glass walls forcing your pigs to breathe it in all day long.

Fill the cage with bedding. Avoid cedar chips and cat litter made from clay. Both are very bad for your guinea pig’s respiratory system. A litter made from recycled newspaper works very well. Also, many people have begun to line their cages with an absorbent material covered in fleece. The fleece allows liquids to wick through into the absorbent layer.

In general, Timothy hay is very good for you pigs. Your pigs can have it in virtually unlimited quantities. Alfalfa hay should be given much more sparingly. Alfalfa hay is richer and will cause your pigs to gain excessive weight.

While, commercial pellets are fine for your guinea pigs, however, they are also very rich and should be given in small quantities as a supplement to the main diet which should consist mostly of fresh vegetables and fruits. Only vegetables with rich dark colors should be chosen. Iceberg lettuce should never be fed to your pigs; it is mostly empty calories with little nutritional value.

Don’t forget to install a water bottle in your pig’s cage. Water dishes do not work well – as pigs tend to tip them over.

Above all, don’t panic. Guinea pigs are wonderful animals and do not require an excessive amount of care. Remember that guinea pigs do better in pairs or groups than living alone. Be sure to provide adequate living space. C&C cages are a popular choice nowadays because they do provide a lot of room for a reasonable price. Provide a comfortable hiding place for your pigs – many nest boxes are available for guinea pigs. An upside-down small cardboard box works well too (although guinea pigs like to chew so you may have to replace it often). Feed your pig mostly deep-colored fresh veggies and provide a water bottle. That’s all you need to get started.

To learn more, pick up a good guinea pig reference guide - visit http://www.bluestonecages.com/ and see the left sidebar for a link to a couple quality guinea pig care guides.

Guinea Pigs – Strange Behaviors You May Observe

Guinea pigs make great pets. They are generally friendly and good-natured – although some may tend to be on the shy side. Like any other animal, guinea pigs have a natural language for communication. As a curious guinea pig owner, being able to understand some of the more common “messages” from your little pets will make your experience with your pigs more meaningful, memorable and enjoyable.


When a guinea pig shows you his teeth and chatters them, he is communicating that he is angry or scared. Take this as a warning. He is aggressively telling you to “back off”. You may see this behavior when an unfamiliar pig is introduced into your pig’s territory. It can also occur when someone (especially a stranger) tries to pick your piggy up. This is a warning to leave him alone. We have also seen this behavior from sick or injured pigs who are feeling grumpy and “just want to be left alone”.

Occasionally you may stick your hand into the cage, and get bitten by your guinea pig. A quick nip may be a warning to you or a sign of aggression. However, guinea pigs are generally friendly and charming little pets and, in most cases, a bite is just a simple mistake. This is most likely the case - unless your pig is showing other signs of aggression such as making its hair stand on end or chattering its teeth. Usually the bite is just a gentle non-aggressive nibble. Just like a human infant who explores everything by shoving it into her mouth, this light nip is just an exploratory probe as your piggy tests to see if your finger is good to eat.

Many pigs like to bite and tug at the bars on their cage or chew loudly on their wooden nest boxes. If there are multiple pigs in the cage together, they will often line up and chew loudly together.

This is usually a sign that your pigs want to eat – NOW. You will often observe this behavior when it is near their mealtime. Also, seeing you begin to prepare their food or hearing the rustle of plastics bags full or carrots or other piggy veggies, may also trigger this frantic behavior. It is usually preceded by or accompanied by a loud chorus of “weeking” and squawking.

Guinea pigs have a language all their own. If we take the time to learn a few of their common communication behaviors, we will find that our experience with them becomes less puzzling and more fulfilling.

Guinea Pigs – A Quick Overview of Breeds

When we think of a guinea pig, we usually picture the American Guinea Pig – the “classic” or “standard” guinea pig – and also the most common. But there are also several other breeds in addition to the common American Guinea Pig. This article will introduce you to a few of the breeds commonly found in homes today.


Abyssinian

The Abyssinian is a long-haired breed. The coat on this animal is quite distinctive because it tends to curl itself into whirls and swirls. These whirls and swirls are called rosettes. The Abyssinian is one of the oldest breeds that can be found today. If you are looking for a low-maintenance guinea pig, keep looking. This particular breed requires daily attention to the coat to avoid tangles and keep the pig looking well-groomed.

American Guinea Pig

This is the variety that first comes to mind when we think of the words “guinea pig”. It is also sometime called an English guinea pig. This is a short hair breed which makes it suitable for a pet. It does not require grooming and can be handled and petted without messing up its coat.

Peruvian

The Peruvian breed is an extreme long-haired breed. Its hair can grow to an amazingly long length of a foot or more. The hair is smooth and straight and tends to part in the middle and hang naturally to either side of the pig. The long hair requires a lot of care; so many owners prefer to keep the coat trimmed to make this task easier.

Silkie

The Silkie is a less common breed and is also referred to as a Sheltie. It has a very long (and, of course silky) coat – similar to the Peruvian. In contrast to the Peruvian, the hair does not tend to part naturally down the center of the back. The hair of the Silkie sweeps backward from the head. The coat of the Silkie is also softer than that of the Peruvian.

This article has presented a short survey of some of the more common guinea pig breeds. No matter what the breed, guinea pigs can make great loving pets and help to brighten a household. Although long haired breeds tend to look more exotic and sometimes make good show animals, the common short-haired American breed is a very popular household pet because its coat requires very little care.

VERY STURDY C&C Guinea Pig Cage - 3-Level Deluxe Large Custom Cage Design by BlueStoneCommerce

Check out our 2nd infomercial. See why guinea pig cages need to be stronger than you think. Discover why wheels may be a more important option than you thought. See Cosmo - the 15 lb wonder pig. This video shows you our biggest cage ever - the Deluxe Colonial Homestead with Storage being tested under heavy loads. If you're interested this deluxe, new 3-level 2x4 guinea pig custom large cage, or another C&C design, visit our store at http://stores.ebay.com/BluestoneCommerce-Cages-and-Guitars  or visit our web site at http://www.bluestonecages.com/ because... your pigs are waiting.

Guinea Pig Cages - Building Your Own

Guinea pigs are lovable little creatures. They make great pets, are relatively easy to care for and can be very friendly if they are brought up with care and kindness. One very important step in bringing a new guinea pig into the home is providing adequate housing.

Pet store cages are an option that many people choose. They are certainly convenient. All one needs do is choose one and take it home. The major drawback is that most cages are too small and confining to insure a healthy environment for your pig. Larger cages can often be very difficult to find – and even when they are available, they can be extremely costly.

A very viable second option is to build your own cage. You can not only save a bundle of money by building your own cage, but you can get exactly the cage you want by adding any custom features you so desire.

The first step will be to design the cage. The most important item to be considered will be the dimensions of the cage. The following approximate de facto standards for minimum cage sizes can be found with a fast search on the internet. Your cage should provide at least the minimum square footage suggested:

• One guinea pig: 6-7 sq. ft.

• Two guinea pigs: 7.5 sq. ft.

• Three guinea pigs: 10.5 sq. ft.

• Four guinea pigs: 13 sq. ft.

A cage construction technology called C and C (cubes and coroplast) has become popular in recent years. This method uses steel girds to form the walls of the cage (and optionally a top and bottom). A corrugated plastic sheet is used to form the litter pan or litter box on the cage. The grids are joined using either plastic connectors designed for this purpose or tie-wrap (zip tie) fasteners.

The grids are each 14-inches square. So your cage design can be any shape and size that can be formed using 14-inch x 14-inch squares. Many cage design variations are possible including squares, rectangles, triangle – and even multi-level cages with ramps for moving between levels.

From our experience as cage builders and designers, multi-level cages are the most popular. And most guinea pigs seem to love them.

Designing and building a C and C cage for your guinea pig(s) is something that nearly anyone can do. No special skills or tools are necessary. All it takes is a little planning and access to the right materials. As an alternative, you can also buy a C&C cage kit online from a reputable seller.

C&C (Cubes & Coroplast) Guinea Pig Cages - Tie Wraps or Plastic Press-On Connectors - A Comparison

Most other Cubes and Coroplast guinea pig cage sellers use plastic press-on connectors in their cage construction. This video will show you exactly why we here at BlueStoneCommerce disagree with this practice and exclusively use zip ties (tie-wraps, cable-ties) as fasteners in all of our cage designs.