Guinea Pig Care & Information Guide

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Start Up Shopping List

• Emergency Kit

• Diet

• Grooming Care

• Bedding Care

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START UP SHOPPING LIST

C & C cage. www.taterpets.com  or www.Crittercolonyclub.com (GardnersPigPen coupon code) or contact me to purchase with your adoption. There are other C and C cage retailers as well.​

• Bedding: Fleece, Baker's Krafts can provide with your adoption, contact me for pricing. Carefresh or paper bedding, aspen is the only safe wood bedding.​​

• Food: Oxbow Adult Guinea Pig pellets, young pellets for under 6 months. Oxbow Vitamin C cookies, Timothy Hay or hay blend with Orchard Grass.  A cup of fresh veggies a day, a complete list can be found on the "myguineapig" app.​​

• Hideys: Need 2. Igloos, fleece tunnels, cardboard boxes, willow tunnels, wood castles.

• Water bottle: I recommend 2 -16oz water bottles, please clean frequently​

• Ceramic flat bottom dish for pellets​

• Hay rack, large, Timothy hay is 80% of their diet and should be feed in unlimited quantities. High Desert Feeds www.highdesertfeeds.com has amazing hay, Small Pet Select as well. Rabbit Hole Hay is another fantastic brand.​

• Guineadad.com has great cardboard, filled ones, @blackpawwhitepaw on Etsy for large wooden ones.​

• Toys: Toilet paper tubes stuffed with hay, Oxbow Enriched life toys are great.​

• Small animal nail clippers and food scale for tracking weight.

 

EMERGENCY KIT

• Critical Care: recovery nutrition for piggies with poor nutritional status

• Baby gas drops (simethicone): treat gas and bloat

• 1ml Syringes without needle: use to administer medication

• Betadine Antiseptic or Bactine: use to clean wounds

  • Betadine must be heavily diluted (ratio of 1 to 10 parts water)​

  • Bactine spray treats infection as well as reduces pain

• Antibiotic Ointment: to address infections and aide in healing

• Miconazole Shampoo: use to treat fungal infections and to soothe damaged skin

• Ivermectin: treats and prevents lice, mites and parasites

  • Prevention: put one drop every 3 months​ on the flap of one ear

  • Treatment: day 1 drop on ear, day 4 drop on ear, then once a week for 3 weeks

• Terramycin (antibiotic eye ointment): used for eye infections caused by bacteria

• Bene-bac probiotic: use to treat soft poops, health, especially after antibiotics

  • dispense pea size amount in their mouth one to two times a day (separate doses by at least one hour) 

• Styptic powder: to stop bleeding from caused by nail clipping

  • dip nail in powder or apply powder to nail​

• Small Animal Scale or Kitchen Scale: to weigh piggies regularly. Loss in weight indicates an illness.

• Gauze and vet wrap: use to wrap wounds

• Q-Tips / cotton balls: use to clean ears, apply medication, etc

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Diet

Hay

Pellets

Veges

Water

Treats

- vitamin C

Pea flakes

Grass - no insecticide

 

Foods to Avoid:

• High starch foods

• Lilies

• Avocado

• Onion

• Raw Potato

• Mushrooms

• Daffodils

• Chocolate

• Buttercups

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Bedding

• Use fleece or unscented paper bedding
• Wash fleece, pads etc with a fragrance-free, non-bio detergent and avoid fabric softeners and bleach. You can also add white vinegar to the wash to help neutralize odors.

• You can use a pet laundry bag. If using one make sure to pour the detergent and vinegar inside the bag.

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Grooming

• Bathing: guinea pigs groom themselves and only need to bathed if they become soiled or have fungus

  • Use non scented baby shampoo diluted with water​

  • or Miconazole Shampoo if fungus is present

• Nails: need to be clipped every month to prevent curling. Use a cat nail trimmer or nail clipper

• Ears:  need to be cleaned ever .... using a qtip and .....

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Handling

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Toys