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Guinea Pigs
Guinea pigs are a member of the rodent family. Cavia porcellus is descended from the wild guinea pig of the Andes Mountains. Guinea pigs properly known as cavies were domesticated some 7000 years ago and used as a source of food, but they are social animals and make great pets.
5,247 Questions
Will guinea pigs fight until they are dead?
No, not really. It is very rare for guinea piggies to actually KILL each other. But for male piggies their fights can become violent enough to scratch each other. They can bleed and have scars for life. Females fight too, but not as violently as the male do. Hope this helped! Hope your piggies don't get into a fight!
What should guinea pigs eat to stay healthy?
If you left them in your cage while you where on holiday and you had hay in there, water in there, and maybe 3 bowls worth of veggies or guinea pig foods, they would first eat the food, then the water, then they will be left with nothing! But they still have the hay. Hay is also known as straw, it can leave them with strong clean teeth and can still eat it.
But if you mean what can I feed my piggies to survive, it would be
- Red Pepper (or green/yellow pepper. Red has the highest vitamin C concentration)
- Carrots - both the root and the green tops are perfectly safe for your guinea pig.
- Apples - just make sure they don't have any seeds.
- Oranges
- Leafy greens like red lettuce, romaine, Boston lettuce, (be sure to feed leafy vegetables in moderation to avoid diarrhea, and feed spinach a bit sparingly to avoid potential kidney problems.)
- Cucumbers
- Broccoli (in moderation since it can be gassy and cause a gas pain)
- Green beans
- Grapes
- Bananas
- Dandelion Greens
- strawberries (in moderation)
- oranges or clementines. A helpful way to feed these to your piggie if they're being picky is to scoop out some pulp from half an orange and leave some in it so they can lick it without needing to chew on it if they're not diggin' the texture.
- spinach
- cherry tomatoes in moderation
- cilantro
- dandelion greens
- parsley - either curly or flat. They love it and it smells delicious when you're tearing some sprigs off the bunch to give it to them!
WHAT NOT TO FEED
- Iceberg lettuce - this won't kill your guinea pig if you give him or her a little piece, but it has virtually no nutritional value, is quite fibrous and watery. It's been known to give guinea pigs diarrhea. With the great selection of other more leafy, dark lettuces available, just avoid this one and go with one of the others.
- Any type of cabbage - like iceberg lettuce, a small piece is not likely to severely harm or kill your guinea pig, but it's very gassy and not good for their little systems. Stay away from it if you can.
- Cauliflower - also very gas-producing.
- Potato peelings - not that this would be something you'd be likely to give your piggie anyway, but toxins can exist in potato skins, particularly if they've begun to turn green, and they can be poisonous. Just toss them in your garbage disposal or trash instead of your piggie.
- Raw beans (this doesn't mean green beans. This means things like raw, hard kidney beans, split peas, pinto beans, etc.)
- Shelled nuts or seeds, particularly things like sunflower seeds or 'bird seed' type mixes, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, etc.
- Rhubarb - the leaves of the rhubarb plant are poisonous, and the stalks are very, very sour.
- Any type of meat or fish. Guinea pigs are vegetarian and looove a salad over a steak any day.
- Dairy Products - while many stores will offer 'yogurt drops' and other 'treats', dairy is not healthy to feed your guinea pig and can actually cause problems. Feed natural treats like veggies instead of store brand treats. It's less expensive and your piggie will be much happier.
- Chocolate, coffee or other caffeine-containing products.
- Alcohol (this should go without saying!!)
- Cookies/bread*
*you can feed a small piece of cereal like a cheerio from time to time as a treat, but they will likely not even like it, so it's best to just avoid this altogether!
- hamster food, gerbil food, rabbit food, or any other non-guinea pig food. Often these contain seeds, which are a big no-no, but they also have a different balance of vitamins and minerals which aren't suited for a guinea pig's dietary needs.
- corn kernels. Popcorn isn't a very good idea either. Guinea pigs choke easily and think of how easy it is for us humans to get popcorn kernels stuck in our mouths and throats!
- sugary foods like donuts, candy, or soda
- Ice cream.
- Any processed or fried foods that you would eat, including potato chips/nachos or french fries.
- Cheese
- anything spicy. jalapeno peppers, anything with cinnamon, etc.
How do you know if your guinea pig is pregnant or just fat?
If you weigh your guinea pig(s) regularly, than if she is pregnant, she would have a great increase in weight.
For the many people who do not weigh their guinea pigs regularly, a simpler way is to simply watch her sides. When guinea-pigs are pregnant, they show a very definite bulk at the sides, particularly when they are picked up (gently) and held vertically (with their back legs being carefully supported). Both sides of the pregnant female have a slight bulge which is different from their normal weight/guinea-pig fat.
How do you kill a guinea pig to eat?
This is very easy to do. You must be pretty dumb.
1. Put it in the bathtub and turn on the water.
2. Don't kill it. Put it in the humane society.
If you do (1 then you are cruel.
If you do (2 then you are nice.
Can you use dog shampoo while you give a guinea pig a bath?
Yes, a small amount of baby shampoo will be fine. Make certain to rinse well. Your animal will appreciate it if you don't get it's nose or mouth wet with shampoo. Enjoy!
How do I take care of pregnant guinea pigs?
You take care of them like taking care of your pregnant wife exept more often. (but take care of it like an animal, not a woman) Leave it alone, but put it in a barn an let it rest an once its gonna give birth help it!!!
Do two male brother guini pigs fight?
Yes, Males will fight with each other, usually over food, water, females, or territory. To keep your guinea pigs from fighting make sure there is plenty of food and water (some people have two water bottles in the cage) and plenty of space. If you have a little igloo or house make sure you have at least two.
What do you do when you first get a pet guinea pig?
First go get stuff for a guinea (like cages, foods and more) .Then you put in the cage and leave it there for a few days or so. If you guinea pig doesn't eat it is OK. and don't feed it a lot of food because that will kill it. if your guinea pig seems calm after a few days then you can hold it and tell it about you and the house and town so if it ran away it will know where to go :P. And also you can play games with her/him because guinea pigs love to play games.
PS. don't put male guinea pigs together in a small cage for they will be fighting the time and they might kill each other. female guinea pigs go together very well.
PSS. Guinea pigs are the cutest and the best pet you can get and a lot of people say guinea pigs the better then dogs and guinea pigs and cats are sometimes friends.
I have two boys in the same cage and they don't fight but they were brought up from birth and the cage is moderately large! :P
What are guinea pigs favorite foods?
if you have a guinea pig and you want a treat that they'll really like then you need cosmetic crunch. cosmetic crunch is also good for gerbils and hamsters, it's actually supossed to be used by them, not guinea pigs it's a small colered log with some holes in the sides that way if you have a hamster or gerbil they can crawl through the etible tunnel. it acts like a giant chew stick that's really tasty. but why it's really good to get is because it's also like a toy and when thay play with it it helps to sandpaper down teeth and nails! so get cosmetic crunch today!
Why do guinea pigs poop in food dish?
Guinea pigs tend, and LOVE to chew on multiple things. They don't actually try to eat and swallow it, they just need to trim down their teeth, because a guinea pig's teeth never stops growing. Otherwise, if it actually DOES eat and swallow it's plasic container, it's really hungry. Make sure to feed your guinea pig right!
Do baby guinea pigs breed with their mum?
No. This is called 'inbreeding' and can be fatal to the guinea pigs, can lead to severe pain for the mother and can cause deformed offspring. Never let guinea pigs mate with their relatives. Ever.
How do you get over the guilt of accidentally killing your hamster?
Unfortunately guilt is not something that just goes away, you will just have to learn how to live with it. It has been 40 years since I was making circles in my driveway on my bicycle with our dog cocoa beside me, I still remember vividly how I made one circle too close to the highway and cocoa was run over by a passing car. He was just being a good friend and I killed him by not being careful. The memory will always be there but the pain will fade in time and hopefully as with me you will have learned the lesson your pet died to teach you.
How do you convince someone you can take care of a hamster?
Well if the person you are trying to convince is you parent, show responsibility for other things i.e. keeping your room clean, doing what you are asked to do, and such. No this is not the opinion of an adult, it took a long time to convince my parents to get me guinea pigs and that is how it is done
What are the 3 most common breeds of guinea pigs?
The are several types of chinchillas, e.g. Chinchilla Brevicaudata , Chinchilla Lanigera and Chinchilla Costina Brevicoudata - large, longish fur, flat boxy face Lanigera - ranges from 'Standard Gray' to beige and other colors Costina -bluish. with pointy chins However, most domestic chinchillas possibly come from either the Lanigera type or a combination of all three types.
What if baby giunea pig is not moving much?
it could be i could not so it might be scared or it might not like moving around but it is bad try taking some stuff out see if that works this is how i got mine to move put its favorite food by its mouth then pull your are slowly back it might follow it or take it to the vet but yes IT IS BAD
How to make a guinea pig that's been abused trust you?
well go into a quite space away from everything sit sort of laid back in a chair and put the guinea pig on your stomach.Keep petting its back for a while.You should hear it start to purr that means its warming up to you.Keep doing this everyday and you and your guinea pig will have a good friendship.
i think they can because i have just had three guinea pigs die in an week with their eyes crusted up and they didnt eat xx i hope it helped, they were outside fior a little bit because they smelt but they got ill and all died in a week.
Why is the side of my Guinea pig stomach beating on one side?
If he calms down in a couple of hours you have nothing to worry about, if not get him to an EXOTIC vet asap.
If She/He has been eating well it may well be fine.It is normal for a guinea pig aged 5 to breath heavily but you are best seeing a vet just in caseDo guinea pigs and dwarf rabbits get along?
It is best that guinea pigs are kept with other guinea pigs rather than rabbits as rabbits do not speak "cavy" and guinea pigs like to have others of their own species to talk to. Rabbits tend to spray, and guinea pigs are animals that like to be clean and as hygienic as possible. They also cant share food, as rabbit food contains an anti-coccidostat (ACS) which will shorten a guinea pigs lifespan by poisoning it's internal organs.
Although they would probably be OK together, it will be better for the guinea pig if they are kept apart- having said that, there are cases of rabbits and guinea pigs getting on very well and living happily together. It depends on how the guinea pig and the rabbit get on.
Hope this was helpful :)
Do you need two food bowls and two water bottles for two guinea pigs?
We have two parakeets and we put one bowl in for both. They take turns and one after another will go into to water and splash a bit, peck at it and when they are done neither one goes back in. So, your answer is one bowl for two is ok.
How do you make a homemade guinea pig cage?
You should get big storage boxes the clear snap lid kind and drill a hole on the side for water that's what I did.
Yes. My guinea pigs have learned how to do the 'Circle' and the 'Up' and to shake paws.
