Advice for a soon to be saved Guinea Pig?

First of all, good for you for rescuing this animal! Second, you have a big job on your hands.

You first want to make sure he sees a vet. A diet of just lettuce can quickly lead to serious nutritional deficiencies, like scurvy, which need to be treated. A vet can also tell if the teeth need to be filled, or if it needs to be treated for lice. All are common problems in guinea pigs, especially neglected ones.

As for a cage, it should be a minimum of 36 inches long and 18 inches wide. Bigger is better. Guinea pigs are not climbers, so you only need one level. A wire cage with a solid bottom is best. Do not get a cage with a wire bottom, this can cause serious damage to their feet.

As for bedding, aspen wood shavings are my favorite. Cedar wood is toxic, and pine is too dusty and can cause respiratory infections. Carefresh brand bedding and hemp bedding is also ok to use.

Your pig will then need a large water bottle, two food dishes (one small, one large), and a place to hide. I always used empty shoe boxes for a hiding spot. Chew toys are also important. A guinea pig's teeth never stop growing, so they need hard things to chew on to keep them filed. If they over grow, it can cause lots of problems. Wood blocks, dried loofah, and vegetarian dog biscuits work great for this.

As for food, your guinea pig's primary food source should be timothy hay (not alfalfa). You should provide your pig with unlimited amounts of hay daily. This can be placed on the floor of the cage, or in a hay rack.

Then you should give one cup of fresh veggies for every one pound your guinea pig weighs. These veggies should be high in vitamin C, such as bell peppers (green, yellow, and orange), kale, collards, spinach, carrots, parsley, and strawberries. Guinea pigs need between 50-60 milligrams of vitamin C daily. They cannot produce this on their own, so it is very important to supplement. Veggies should provide enough vitamin C, but you can also supplement with a chewable vitamin C tablet.

Finally, provide 1/4 cup of plain pellet food (no seeds mixed in), once per day.

When you first bring your pig home, leave him alone in his cage for the first 3-5 days. This way he can adjust to a new house and will be less stressed. Then take him out every day for exercise. Use an exercise pen or guinea pig proof a room in your house. Do not use an exercise ball. These balls can cause damage to the spine.

Guinea pigs usually live 6-8 years if well cared for.

Oxbow is the leading brand for guinea pig food, hay, and supplements. Check them out for more feeding info.

http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/

Okay the thing about pairs Pigs do fine by themselves they are social creatures though So it just means more love from you. The cage needs to be about 7sq ft. you need a food for guinea pigs only not for rabbits or anything else. They need lots of Vitamin C that isn't in other foods. They need Hay as well Timothy Hay is best. I use Aspen bedding with my piggies. It isn't dusty and has no aromatic oils that can harm them if you use wood shavings it has to be Aspen. Piggies also need veggies. Its good to give her a variety of foods. Greens like lettuce are good but you don't want ICEBERG lettuce. It will upset her tummy. Try Romaine or Spinach also Carrots and Oranges. They love them. Especially the oranges. You need a heavy bowl. Ceramic id good they are very messy and like to tip their bowl over. And she needs a hide away like a hut. Piggies like to chew on things as well so I recommend some chew toys like wood blocks. I hope I helped you out somewhat and good luck and I commend what your doing for this lil cavy. and as for unsuited people getting pets I don't know either.

This is one of the best guinea pig sites.

All you ever wanted to know about piggies, and an awesome idea for a cage:

http://www.guineapigcages.com/

Well, bless you for caring and wanting to do the right thing.

Without writing a book, let me give you some good websites to read.

For diet:

http://www.guinealynx.info/diet.html

Social Life:

http://www.cavyspirit.com/sociallife.htm

Housing:

http://www.guineapigcages.com/

Floortime:

http://www.guineapigcages.com/floortime.htm

Good things to know about piggies:

http://www.guinealynx.info/common_mistakes.html

http://www.guinealynx.info/normal.html

Nails:

http://www.guinealynx.info/nails.html

What a cute piggie! I like the name "Gracie".

If I can help further, please feel free to email me. Good luck with your new piggie!!!

type in Guinea pigs n www.Google.com it should give u some sites

i use a huge tub that is see through(because i swear mine is claustrophobic) and i have no idea about names..sorry

see this website for all the information you need http://www.guineapigcarer.piczo.com/