Post by Linda on Feb 27, 2007 11:35:05 GMT -5
Guinea pigs are social animals who prefer to live in small groups. If you keep two or more females together, they will probably become great friends. If you want two males, it ¡s smart to choose two babies from the same litter, or 1 younger and 1 older guinea pig. Since guinea pigs, like all rodents, multiply rapidly, keeping males and females together is not recommended.
As a rule of thumb, you'll need to provide a minimum of 7 square, but please try to get as large a cage as possible. You'll need a solid-bottom cage no wire floors, please, as they can irritate your pets feet, causing problems such as bumblefoot. Plastic-bottom tub cages with wire tops also make great guinea pig homes, provided they are off a suitable size. Never use a glass aquarium, due to the poor ventilation that it provides.
Always keep the cage indoors away from drafts and extreme temperatures, as guinea pigs are very susceptible to heatstroke. They'll prefer an environment kept at 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line the bottom of the cage with newspaper, and cover with aspen or hardwood shavings or some other form of safe bedding, such as grass hay. Do not use cedar or pine chips, the oils they contain can be dangerous to your pets. (P.S. Yes, you can train a guinea pig to use a litter box but please note that this will require lots of time and patience!) Fleece is also another great option to consider, with many cavy owners, prefering it over more traditional beddings.
Guinea pigs love to hide when they play, so be sure to place cardboard/ plastic tubes, balls and other play things in the enclosure for this purpose.Bricks or rocks, or other homemade objects, for climbing will be much appreciated. Guinea pigs love to have somewhere in there house to hide, Old carboard boxes ( e.g shoeboxes etc) plastic pigloos & homemade wooden houses are
all suitable.
Here are some pictures of hutches:
Out door hutches (some have runs):
www.ideas-4-pets.com/images/laura2%20039.jpg
[/img]
Indoor Cages:
Check out www.guineapigcages.com for some excellent ideas for indoor cages!
As a rule of thumb, you'll need to provide a minimum of 7 square, but please try to get as large a cage as possible. You'll need a solid-bottom cage no wire floors, please, as they can irritate your pets feet, causing problems such as bumblefoot. Plastic-bottom tub cages with wire tops also make great guinea pig homes, provided they are off a suitable size. Never use a glass aquarium, due to the poor ventilation that it provides.
Always keep the cage indoors away from drafts and extreme temperatures, as guinea pigs are very susceptible to heatstroke. They'll prefer an environment kept at 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line the bottom of the cage with newspaper, and cover with aspen or hardwood shavings or some other form of safe bedding, such as grass hay. Do not use cedar or pine chips, the oils they contain can be dangerous to your pets. (P.S. Yes, you can train a guinea pig to use a litter box but please note that this will require lots of time and patience!) Fleece is also another great option to consider, with many cavy owners, prefering it over more traditional beddings.
Guinea pigs love to hide when they play, so be sure to place cardboard/ plastic tubes, balls and other play things in the enclosure for this purpose.Bricks or rocks, or other homemade objects, for climbing will be much appreciated. Guinea pigs love to have somewhere in there house to hide, Old carboard boxes ( e.g shoeboxes etc) plastic pigloos & homemade wooden houses are
all suitable.
Here are some pictures of hutches:
Out door hutches (some have runs):
www.ideas-4-pets.com/images/laura2%20039.jpg
[/img]
Indoor Cages:
Check out www.guineapigcages.com for some excellent ideas for indoor cages!