Handling and Restraint: Guinea pigs rarely violently struggle when they are being picked up but often make a "squeal of protest," which sounds pig-like to many people. Nevertheless, great care should be taken not to injure them when picking them up. The guinea pig should be approached with 2 hands. One is placed under the guinea pig's chest and abdomen, and the other supports its hindquarters. Adults and those that are pregnant should receive gentle, but firm, and total support. One of the most desirable features of guinea pigs as pets is that they rarely bite when being handled or restrained. One reference indicates that only 1 in 400 will bite under these circumstances.
1. To pick up the guinea pig, place your freehand hand palm under the hindquarters to support the animal’s weight. If it struggles, hold the hind legs to get a more secure grip.
2. To hold a guinea pig for injections, grasp and extend the hind limbs with your free hand. This will enable the veterinarian to inject the animal in the midsection.
Housing: Proper housing is a major factor in the maintenance of healthy guinea pigs. The well-being of the animals must be a primary consideration. Guinea pigs can be housed within enclosures made of wire, stainless steel, durable plastic, or glass. The last 3 materials are preferred because they resist corrosion. Wood and similar materials should not be used in construction of enclosures because they are difficult to clean and cannot withstand gnawing. The construction and design of the enclosure must prevent escape. The enclosure also must be free of sharp edges and other potential hazards. The enclosure must be roomy enough to allow normal activities and breeding, if the latter is desired. One reference recommends at least 100 square inches of floor area per adult, whereas breeders should be allowed 180 square inches per animal. The enclosure can be open at the top, provided that its sides are at least 7-8 inches high. Male guinea pigs (especially breeding males) require enclosures with sides at least 10 inches high. Males tend to be more rambunctious.
Guinea pigs can be housed on wire mesh (suitable for housing rats) but it is not recommended. Though wire mesh allows urine and most fecal pellets to drop through, thereby keeping the bedding and the residents cleaner, guinea pigs housed for long periods on wire tend to develop serious injuries to the bottoms of their feet (see section on Foot Pad Infections). Furthermore, a leg maybe broken if it becomes entangled in the mesh. This is most often a problem with guinea pigs that have not been reared on wire mesh, and occurs soon after they have been introduced onto it. Enclosures that provide solid flooring and an adequate supply of a preferred bedding are best for pet guinea pigs. They should be easy to clean, well lighted, and adequately ventilated (see Vital Statistics for preferred temperature and relative humidity ranges). Bedding must be clean, nontoxic, absorbent, relatively dust-free and easy to replace. Shredded paper, wood shavings, and processed corn cob are preferred bedding materials. Sawdust should be avoided because it tends to collect within the external genitalia of males, forming an impaction. Rarely does this impaction interfere with urination, but it may inhibit successful breeding. Cedar shavings should also be avoided because the pleasant smelling odor they impart to the cage are actually toxic to the animal.
Guinea pigs seem most comfortable when they are spared exposure to excessive noise, needless excitement and other stresses. Sudden movement should also be prevented. Guinea pigs have 2 types of reactions when startled by a loud noise or sudden movement or when placed in a strange environment. They may "freeze" completely motionless (for up to 20 minutes), or they may panic. Panic involves erratic running and leaping, often accompanied by shrill squealing. Groups of guinea pigs may stampede in a circle, often trampling the younger residents within the enclosure. A panic reaction scatters bedding and food, fouling the food and water containers. Visual security (a place into which they can retreat when frightened) should always be provided. Rectangular enclosures containing barriers also reduce the tendency to stampede and circle.
Hygiene: The frequency with which the enclosure is cleaned depends on its design, the materials out of which it is made, and the number of guinea pigs that reside within in. As a general rule of thumb, the enclosure and all cage "furniture" should be cleaned and disinfected once weekly. Food and water containers should be cleaned and disinfected once daily. More than one set of containers should be maintained, and the soiled set should be washed in a dishwasher, if possible. Vigorous scrubbing of the enclosure and "furniture" with hot water and soap and a thorough rinse should be followed by use of a disinfectant (Roccal-D: Winthrop). Vinegar is often required to remove the scale deposited by the crystalline urine of guinea pigs.
Guinea Pig Feeding
Food and Water: Good-quality food and fresh, clean water must be readily available at all times. Commercially available pelleted chows provide all of the essential nutrients, as long as the pellets are fresh and wholesome when offered. Some guinea pig owners are tempted to feed rabbit pellets, assuming that they are roughly equivalent to guinea pig pellets, but this is not so. Unlike most mammals (including rabbits), guinea pigs require a high level of the vitamin, folic acid. Unlike rabbits, guinea pigs cannot manufacture their own vitamin C and must, therefore, receive it from an outside source. Interestingly, people and our primate relatives share this dependence on vitamin C from the food we consume. Pellets milled for guinea pigs take these special requirements into consideration and are appropriately fortified with these 2 nutrients, among many other essential ones.
Guinea pig chows generally contain 18-20% protein, 16% fiber and about 1 gram of vitamin C per kilogram of ration. Even when the fresh pellets are properly stored in a cool, dry place, about half of the vitamin C content is degraded and lost within 6 weeks of manufacture. Therefore, the diet should be supplemented with vitamin C as follows: 200 milligrams of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) should be added to about 1 qt of drinking water, made up fresh every 12 hours, or a single guinea pig should be offered one handful of kale or cabbage or one-quarter of an orange daily. Researchers are not in agreement on the advisability of adding other items to the balanced ration (pelleted chows). We recommend that fresh greens, hay and small amounts of fruit be offered daily with several precautions: These items should not exceed 10-15% of the daily diet Furthermore, the fresh items must be thoroughly washed to avoid pesticide residues and possible bacterial contamination. All foods should be provided in heavy ceramic crocks that resist tipping over. The sides of the crocks should be high enough to keep bedding and fecal pellets out of the food, or the crocks should be elevated slightly above the bedding.
Water is most easily made available and kept free from contamination by providing it in one or more water bottles equipped with "sipper" tubes. Guinea pigs tend to contaminate and clog their water bottles more than other pet rodents by chewing on the end of the sipper tube and "backwashing" food particles into it. For this reason, all food and water containers should be cleaned and disinfected daily. Guinea pigs tend to be creatures of habit and do not tolerate changes in the presentation, taste, odor, texture or form of their food and water. Pet owners should avoid making radical changes in the food and water containers. Any changes in the food itself should be made gradually. Failure to do so usually results in the guinea pigs' refusing food and water, which can lead to disease.
According to Dr. Curt Nakamura, an exotic vet specialist at Adobe Animal Hospital in Los Altos, California, grass hay is an important part of a cavy's diet:
"One of the most important items in the guinea pig diet is grass hay, which should be fed in unlimited quantities to both adults and baby guinea pigs. It is important to provide an unlimited source of hay because pellets do not provide enough long fiber to keep their intestines in good working order. The long fibers stimulate muscle contraction of the intestines to improve and maintain gut motility (to prevent gastrointestinal obstruction). Chewing hay is also important. Like rabbits, the molars in guinea pigs are constantly growing and must be ground down by chewing. Constant chewing on hay promotes healthy and normal wear on their molars. Treats and chew sticks are not efficient at wearing the teeth. Alfalfa hay is rich in protein and calcium, but when combined with pellets it doesn’t have the proper ratio of calcium and phosphorus. This can lead to improper gastrointestinal motility, such as diarrhea. It also may predispose certain guinea pigs to calcium oxalate bladder or kidney stones. Timothy hay is a better choice and is becoming more readily available. It is important to keep your guinea pig sleek, so cut down on the amount of protein and calorie-rich pellets while feeding timothy hay."
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