Michelle's Guinea Pig Information

General guinea pig information:

• Scientific name: Cavia porcellus
• Average life span: 5 - 8 yrs
• Average adult weight: 2-3 lbs
• Ideal temperature range: 65 - 75 degrees F

Guinea pigs cannot make their own vitamin C, so it must be added to their diet.
Sources of vitamin C include:

• green pepper
• kale
• citrus fruit (oranges and lemons)
• collard greens
• romaine lettuce
• parsley
• strawberries

If you need to change your guinea pig's brand of food, do so gradually over a few days, by mixing it with the current brand.
If you just switch them, your guinea pig may stop eating.
I had this happen once with 2 of my guinea pigs. I had to take them to the vet and they were put on antibiotics.
I had to feed them by hand for awhile.

Bedding Information:

• Cedar shavings - Not good for guinea pigs as it can cause
  respiratory problems.
• Pine shavings - Not expensive.  There is some debate as to whether
  it can cause respiratory problems. Safe for most pigs though.
• Corn cob bedding - This is hard for the pigs to stand up and beg on!
  And it gets stuck in the perianal sac of one of my males.
• Carefresh - This is very absorbent, but expensive.

Breeding information:

• Females should not be bred before they are 4 months old.
• If they have not been bred by the time they are 1 year old,
  they should not be bred at all.
  Their pelvic bones fuse together, which can result in the death
  of the babies and the mother.
• Litter size: 1 - 6 pups
• Gestation (length of pregnancy): 63 - 68 days (approximately)

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Michelle's Guinea Pig Page Copyright © 1997