Housing your guinea hog

Proper housing plays a major office in the maintenance of salubrious guinea pigs. The well-being of the animals must be a primary consideration.

What sort of housing should I provide for my guinea pig?

Guinea pigs tin can be housed within several dissimilar designed enclosures, the most suitable being:

  • Wooden hutch with a wire front and/or sides with or without a connected run.
  • An indoor plastic cage.
  • A custom made house made from a plastic base and metal sides – many guinea pig enthusiasts have these at present (meet pic above).

Wire mesh floored cages are non suitable to use of guinea pigs due to their delicate feet and can cause bumble foot and injuries to their legs.

The minimum space required for 2 republic of guinea pigs as advised by the RSPCA is 120 ten 60 cm (iv 10 2 ft), but more space is platonic. The enclosure can be open at the height, provided the sides are at least 7-viii inches loftier to prevent escape, merely care should be taken to provide prophylactic from other household pets such as cats and dogs. Enclosures that provide solid flooring and an acceptable supply of a preferred bedding are best for guinea pigs. They should be easy to clean, well-lit and adequately ventilated. Plastic topped cages are non ideal as they practice not provide adequate ventilation and can cause ammonia build up within the enclosure, leading to respiratory problems.

Guinea pigs seem near comfy when they are spared exposure to excessive racket, needless excitement and other stresses. Sudden motility should too be prevented. Guinea pigs accept two types of reactions when startled by a loud noise or sudden movement or when placed in a strange surround, they may "freeze" completely motionless (for up to xx minutes), or they may panic; panic involves erratic running and leaping, often accompanied by shrill squealing. Groups of guinea pigs may stampede in a circumvolve, often trampling the younger residents within the enclosure.

Guinea pigs should never be housed with rabbits, mainly because they both have dissimilar dietary requirements, rabbits may hurt a guinea hog unintentionally by kicking, a rabbit might smashing a guinea pig, and both species communicate in different ways and then they won't necessarily 'understand' each other!

If, however, you already accept a republic of guinea pig and rabbit living together quite happily, it is best not to separate them as this could cause them both unnecessary stress and cause more problems than if they're kept together.

Practise they need to exist housed indoors or outdoors?

The platonic environmental temperature range for a guinea pig is eighteen-24°C/65-75°F; this must be considered when choosing where to house your guinea pig.

If your guinea pig is going to be housed outdoors, they should exist brought inside during the winter months or at the very least moved into a heated shout or outhouse every bit they practise not withstand drops in temperature. Outside hutches should be sheltered from the pelting and not in constant directly sunlight to prevent overheating.

What bedding should I utilize?

Bedding must exist make clean, not-toxic, absorbent, relatively dust-free and easy to supersede.

Woods shavings made from pine or cedar should be avoided as they have been linked to respiratory irritation and skin irritation in some rodent species.

Hay, straw and paper based bedding can be used. Some owners prefer to utilize vetbed or fleece and/or towels as bedding, simply these should be washed on a regular basis.

What should I put in the cage?

Republic of guinea pigs are casualty species and should always be provided with somewhere condom to hide abroad if they feel threatened; ensure they have hides such every bit igloos, tunnels or log bridges. Guinea pigs also like their brute comforts, and volition appreciated either an area of deep hay to sleep on, or fabric beds to curlicue upward in.

Hay can be offered in many means, merely by offering information technology in a rack this reduces the amount the guinea pig urinates and defecates on it.

Water can be offered in either a bottle dripper or a bowl, or both! Pelleted nutrient can also exist offered in a bowl or scattered on the floor.

How often should I make clean the cage?

The frequency with which the enclosure is cleaned depends on its design, the materials out of which information technology is made, and the number of republic of guinea pigs that reside within in.

As a general rule of thumb, the enclosure and all muzzle "furniture" should be cleaned and disinfected once a calendar week. Food and water containers should exist cleaned and disinfected once a day. More than than one set of containers should exist maintained, and the soiled set should exist done in a dishwasher, if possible.

Vigorous scrubbing of the enclosure and "furniture" with hot h2o and soap and a thorough rinse should be followed by utilise of a disinfectant. Vinegar is often required to remove the scale deposited by the crystalline urine of guinea pigs.