View attachment 109983
Here's a thread with a summary of what you should NOT do for your guinea pigs. Many pet stores and other internet sites have incorrect information about their care, so we decided to pull a summary together that makes it easier to avoid mistakes that can actually harm your guinea pigs. So:
Don't buy:
-- leashes and harnesses
-- exercise balls
-- exercise wheels. None of those are good for GP backs.
-- treats with a lot of sugar, or that have hard nuts and/or seeds
-- salt/mineral licks
-- yogurt drops. Guinea pigs are lactose intolerant
-- pet store cages. They're all too small even for one pig.
Don't use:
-- corncob bedding
-- cedar bedding
-- any pine bedding that has a strong pine odor
-- clay cat litter
-- wire-bottomed cages that have no bedding on top
-- cages with exposed wood where the urine can reach it -- it will smell terrible.
Don't feed: (See http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum...vy-Nutrition-Charts-amp-Poisonous-Plants-List for what you can feed, and how often)-- iceberg lettuce. It has no nutritional value whatsoever.
-- fruit, except small bits as occasional treats. Guinea pigs don't process sugar, and it can cause digestive upsets.
-- hard seeds and/or nuts.
-- grass that has been treated with pesticides, recently fertilized, or has been urinated on by wild animals
-- a lot of fresh grass at one time. Start off with small amounts, and increase slowly.
Don't:
-- buy a guinea pig from a pet store. They're bred and raised in horrible conditions, and are often sick, missexed, and/or pregnant.
-- take advice from pet store employees.
-- take your pig to a dog-and-cat vet. They're not qualified to treat them.
-- breed your guinea pigs. Pregnancy is very hard on sows and pups, the death rate is high, and they're prone to genetic diseases.
-- put unaltered males together with unaltered females for floor or play time. It takes 2-3 seconds to impregnate a sow.
-- add vitamin C drops to their water
-- ignore signs of illness or the failure to eat.
-- house your guinea pigs with other animals, especially rabbits. Rabbits carry bordatella, and can easily injure pigs.
-- house your guinea pigs outside or in an out-of-the-way room in the house. They need company.
-- buy a guinea pig as a pet for small children.
-- have just one guinea pig. They're herd animals, and need another guinea pig as a friend.
If you have other suggestions, reply to this post, and I'll incorporate those suggestions up here.
Don't buy:
-- leashes and harnesses
-- exercise balls
-- exercise wheels. None of those are good for GP backs.
-- treats with a lot of sugar, or that have hard nuts and/or seeds
-- salt/mineral licks
-- yogurt drops. Guinea pigs are lactose intolerant
-- pet store cages. They're all too small even for one pig.
Don't use:
-- corncob bedding
-- cedar bedding
-- any pine bedding that has a strong pine odor
-- clay cat litter
-- wire-bottomed cages that have no bedding on top
-- cages with exposed wood where the urine can reach it -- it will smell terrible.
Don't feed: (See http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum...vy-Nutrition-Charts-amp-Poisonous-Plants-List for what you can feed, and how often)-- iceberg lettuce. It has no nutritional value whatsoever.
-- fruit, except small bits as occasional treats. Guinea pigs don't process sugar, and it can cause digestive upsets.
-- hard seeds and/or nuts.
-- grass that has been treated with pesticides, recently fertilized, or has been urinated on by wild animals
-- a lot of fresh grass at one time. Start off with small amounts, and increase slowly.
Don't:
-- buy a guinea pig from a pet store. They're bred and raised in horrible conditions, and are often sick, missexed, and/or pregnant.
-- take advice from pet store employees.
-- take your pig to a dog-and-cat vet. They're not qualified to treat them.
-- breed your guinea pigs. Pregnancy is very hard on sows and pups, the death rate is high, and they're prone to genetic diseases.
-- put unaltered males together with unaltered females for floor or play time. It takes 2-3 seconds to impregnate a sow.
-- add vitamin C drops to their water
-- ignore signs of illness or the failure to eat.
-- house your guinea pigs with other animals, especially rabbits. Rabbits carry bordatella, and can easily injure pigs.
-- house your guinea pigs outside or in an out-of-the-way room in the house. They need company.
-- buy a guinea pig as a pet for small children.
-- have just one guinea pig. They're herd animals, and need another guinea pig as a friend.
If you have other suggestions, reply to this post, and I'll incorporate those suggestions up here.
