Post by Karen R Quinn on Aug 10, 2009 9:28:19 GMT -7
Feeding:
Timothy hay
Timothy pellets
Fresh, raw vegetables - Check the list of poisonous foods below!
Vitamin C tablet supplement
Daily fresh water bottle
Guinea pigs can die from "gut stasis" if they go more than 12 hours without eating. Guinea pigs eat on-and-off all day and night, and should have food available to them around-the-clock.
Hay and Pellets:
Quality Timothy hay and Timothy pellets should be available round-the-clock to guinea pigs over one year old. CAUTION: Do not feed pellets containing seeds, such as sunflower, as this can be a choking hazard. Alfalfa Hay and Alfalfa pellets may be given to babies under one year old and nursing mothers, due to its higher calcium content, but calcium after one year old can be HARMFUL, causing bladder sludge among other problems. If you are unsure of your guinea pig's age, feed Timothy hay and Timothy pellets.
Vegetables:
There's nothing quite like the sheer joy you'll see on your guinea pig's face when you bring them their daily fresh, raw veggies! Do not feed too many fruits that are high in sugar. They seem to like veggies more anyway.
Here's a simple daily feeding schedule to supplement the hay and pellets:
In the morning, feed one-fourth Roma tomato wedge and one baby carrot per guinea pig.
In the evening - approximately 12 hours after your first feeding - feed a mix of about three veggies. Some favorites we've found include Romaine or Spring Mix lettuces, parsley, cilantro, green or red bell pepper (not the hot, spicy peppers), cantaloupe, watermelon, cucumber, or collard greens, broccoli, and especially carrot tops.
Note that potatoes, garlic, onions, rhubarb and apple seeds are all Poisonous to guinea pigs. Tomatoes are ok, but the leaves, stalks and roots of the tomato plant are poisonous.
Vitamin C:
Select vegetables that are high in vitamin C, as they do not make vitamin C on their own and need it from an outside food source, just like humans. Healthy piggies need 10 mg / kg of vitamin C per day, which, if not supplied in their food diet, must be supplemented with crushed vitamin C tablets for animals (available through your vet), sprinkled most easily on the cut side of their morning tomato every other day. Vitamin C added to the water is NOT the best source.
Water:
Always provide your guinea pigs with fresh water in a bottle attached to the side of the cage. Filtered water is best, as it removes any calcium, which can cause bladder sludge. Change the water daily to assure freshness. Be sure to rinse the bottle and the sipper tube out daily, and wash them in the dishwasher once a week to sterilize (you may want to use the air dry setting to avoid melting the bottle).
Health Checks:
It is very important to observe changes in the behavior of your guinea pig, as they are extremely good at hiding illness! Lack of appetite should be taken seriously, because if a guinea pig goes longer than 12 hours without eating they can quickly die from Ketosis.
Guinea Pig Do's:
* DO keep more than one guinea pig. They are THIGMOTACTIC animals, which means they like to cuddle up to others of their own kind. They will sweetly bond with their cage mates, and you can even put NEUTERED males and females together (and the males really seem to love this!), or two males or two females together. All the males at the Rescue are neutered before being adopted.
* DO provide large living quarters - a minimum of 7 square feet per guinea pig. When it comes to guinea pig cages, bigger is always better. See our Cages page for information on how to build an inexpensive larger cage.
* DO provide fresh Timothy hay and Timothy pellets around the clock. If guinea pigs go more than 12 hours without eating, they can go into "gut stasis" and die.
* DO provide a variety of fresh vegetables every day - especially those rich in vitamin C.
* DO always quarantine a new guinea pig away from an existing piggy for at least 14-21 days. This means in a separate room behind closed doors. Wash your hands before and after handling the new piggy. Keep a smock or shirt handy for handling the newcomer, so you don't have to keep changing your clothes. Ask us if this rule applies if you're adopting from the Rescue.
Guinea Pig No No's:
* NO cedar or raw pine bedding - it contains phenols, which can lead to respiratory problems and liver failure and even death!
* NO foods with seeds, and do not feed guinea pigs celery unless you remove all the strings - it can be a choking hazard.
* DO NOT keep females with un-neutered males! There are already thousands of unwanted, but otherwise healthy and delightful, guinea pigs available for adoption in the United States. All the males at the Rescue are neutered before being adopted.
* DO NOT allow small children to play unsupervised with a guinea pig, as injuries could result to the child or the guinea pig.
* DO NOT BREED. Did you know that breeding the wrong guinea pigs together can result in "Lethal" babies who are blind and/or deaf or may have other medical problems, like no teeth?
Timothy hay
Timothy pellets
Fresh, raw vegetables - Check the list of poisonous foods below!
Vitamin C tablet supplement
Daily fresh water bottle
Guinea pigs can die from "gut stasis" if they go more than 12 hours without eating. Guinea pigs eat on-and-off all day and night, and should have food available to them around-the-clock.
Hay and Pellets:
Quality Timothy hay and Timothy pellets should be available round-the-clock to guinea pigs over one year old. CAUTION: Do not feed pellets containing seeds, such as sunflower, as this can be a choking hazard. Alfalfa Hay and Alfalfa pellets may be given to babies under one year old and nursing mothers, due to its higher calcium content, but calcium after one year old can be HARMFUL, causing bladder sludge among other problems. If you are unsure of your guinea pig's age, feed Timothy hay and Timothy pellets.
Vegetables:
There's nothing quite like the sheer joy you'll see on your guinea pig's face when you bring them their daily fresh, raw veggies! Do not feed too many fruits that are high in sugar. They seem to like veggies more anyway.
Here's a simple daily feeding schedule to supplement the hay and pellets:
In the morning, feed one-fourth Roma tomato wedge and one baby carrot per guinea pig.
In the evening - approximately 12 hours after your first feeding - feed a mix of about three veggies. Some favorites we've found include Romaine or Spring Mix lettuces, parsley, cilantro, green or red bell pepper (not the hot, spicy peppers), cantaloupe, watermelon, cucumber, or collard greens, broccoli, and especially carrot tops.
Note that potatoes, garlic, onions, rhubarb and apple seeds are all Poisonous to guinea pigs. Tomatoes are ok, but the leaves, stalks and roots of the tomato plant are poisonous.
Vitamin C:
Select vegetables that are high in vitamin C, as they do not make vitamin C on their own and need it from an outside food source, just like humans. Healthy piggies need 10 mg / kg of vitamin C per day, which, if not supplied in their food diet, must be supplemented with crushed vitamin C tablets for animals (available through your vet), sprinkled most easily on the cut side of their morning tomato every other day. Vitamin C added to the water is NOT the best source.
Water:
Always provide your guinea pigs with fresh water in a bottle attached to the side of the cage. Filtered water is best, as it removes any calcium, which can cause bladder sludge. Change the water daily to assure freshness. Be sure to rinse the bottle and the sipper tube out daily, and wash them in the dishwasher once a week to sterilize (you may want to use the air dry setting to avoid melting the bottle).
Health Checks:
It is very important to observe changes in the behavior of your guinea pig, as they are extremely good at hiding illness! Lack of appetite should be taken seriously, because if a guinea pig goes longer than 12 hours without eating they can quickly die from Ketosis.
Guinea Pig Do's:
* DO keep more than one guinea pig. They are THIGMOTACTIC animals, which means they like to cuddle up to others of their own kind. They will sweetly bond with their cage mates, and you can even put NEUTERED males and females together (and the males really seem to love this!), or two males or two females together. All the males at the Rescue are neutered before being adopted.
* DO provide large living quarters - a minimum of 7 square feet per guinea pig. When it comes to guinea pig cages, bigger is always better. See our Cages page for information on how to build an inexpensive larger cage.
* DO provide fresh Timothy hay and Timothy pellets around the clock. If guinea pigs go more than 12 hours without eating, they can go into "gut stasis" and die.
* DO provide a variety of fresh vegetables every day - especially those rich in vitamin C.
* DO always quarantine a new guinea pig away from an existing piggy for at least 14-21 days. This means in a separate room behind closed doors. Wash your hands before and after handling the new piggy. Keep a smock or shirt handy for handling the newcomer, so you don't have to keep changing your clothes. Ask us if this rule applies if you're adopting from the Rescue.
Guinea Pig No No's:
* NO cedar or raw pine bedding - it contains phenols, which can lead to respiratory problems and liver failure and even death!
* NO foods with seeds, and do not feed guinea pigs celery unless you remove all the strings - it can be a choking hazard.
* DO NOT keep females with un-neutered males! There are already thousands of unwanted, but otherwise healthy and delightful, guinea pigs available for adoption in the United States. All the males at the Rescue are neutered before being adopted.
* DO NOT allow small children to play unsupervised with a guinea pig, as injuries could result to the child or the guinea pig.
* DO NOT BREED. Did you know that breeding the wrong guinea pigs together can result in "Lethal" babies who are blind and/or deaf or may have other medical problems, like no teeth?