Yep, another pet review! Guinea Pigs are a very popular pet for both children and adult. This review is going to give you some general information about choosing the one thats right for you and their general care

~*~ Background ~*~

Guinea Pigs originated from South America where they were used as food. They have since spread all over the world where they are now pets.

The guinea pig is very shy by nature and will spend a lot of time hiding. They will come out to eat at dawn and dusk when they will be harder to see

~*~ Choosing a guinea pig ~*~

Guinea Pigs are very sociable animals and so it is worth considering buying two as opposed to one. Some people keep rabbits and guinea pigs together, however there have been reports of rabbits being attacked by their guinea pig companion, although this is rare it is worth considering.

So, should you choose males or females?

Well, there are advantages and disadvantages of both. Males are more active and slightly larger but they also give out a strong scent when sexually aroused although this is not as bad if they have been neutered. Females are more docile but they are more expensive to spay, it may be worth considering whether or not they are already pregnant when you bring them home (I've made this mistake more than once!) also, if your female has not given birth by the time they are 9/10 months old you MUST get her spayed as her hip bones will fuse together and pregnancy at this stage can be fatal, even if you don't plan on her getting pregnant it is a possibility that may occur however hard you try to prevent it.

If your keeping a pair of guinea pigs, females will get on well together, there may be small fights over food but these will be minor, two males will need a lot of room as they will fight over territory, it is best not to keep two males if at all possible, a male and a female are best paired together and will get on very well, although you must get at least one of them spayed or neutered as pregnancy is almost certain otherwise.

~*~ Buying a guinea pig ~*~

If this is your first guinea pig I would recommend that you buy your pet from either your local pet shop or a breeder rather than a rescue home as this way you will be able to get a better idea of temperament and although guinea pigs from rescue homes are great animals they are more likely to be nervous of humans and therefore not recommended as your first guinea pig

The kinds of things you should check when choosing your guinea pig are:

- It should be alert and lively, although it is ok if it runs away from your hand if you try to touch it, this is natural as guinea pigs are shy

- Their coat, in general, should be thick and shiny (more about coats later)

- Their eyes should be bright and free of discharge

- Their nails and teeth should be relatively short and not overgrown

~*~ Housing and Bedding ~*~

Cages are easily available from pet stores or even some garden centres, it will cost you around £20 - £30

Each guinea pig should have AT LEAST two square feet in their cage for them to run around in, this is the bare minimum required for your guinea pig to have sufficient exercise and space. If you are housing two guinea pigs together this space will need to be adjusted to the amount of guinea pigs you are having.

Your cage should, under no circumstances, have a wire cage. This can be very dangerous for your pet and may even break your guinea pigs legs if they get caught.

As for bedding, this should have two layers, the bottom layer should be shredded newspaper as this is very absorbant and above that should be a layer of hay. NEVER use straw as this is not absorbant and it is too sharp and may harm your pet.

However, your pet will eat the hay and the newspaper may become smelly and therefore your guinea pigs cage should be cleaned out at least once a week but all dirty bedding should be removed daily and topped up where necessary

~*~ Diet ~*~

Fresh water should be constantly available and the level in the water bottle/bowl should be checked and topped up daily

Pellets are also important in a guinea pigs diet but should, under no circumstances, be the entire diet you feed your pet, they will also need:

- Hay, hay is essential, you should allow your guinea pig to have as much hay as it can eat

- Vitamin C supplements, Guinea pigs are unable to manufacture or store vitamin C and so must get it in their diet on a daily basis. These supplements are available from pet stores however if you choose to add it to their water you must use either filtered water or leave the water to stand for 24 hours before adding it, otherwise the chlorine will deactivate the Vitamin C

- Grass/Dandelion leaves, you must ensure that these have not been sprayed with chemicals as these may be harmful

- Fresh fruit, These should be given sparingly as they can harm your guinea pig if they have too much. Some fruits that you must not give your pet are: long celery stalks, iceberg lettuce, any shelled nuts or seeds, raw beans or rhubarb. Potato skins are ok provided there is no green spots

~*~ Grooming ~*~

- Short-haired guinea pigs - These will need grooming at least once a week with a stiff brush, you should ensure that all dirt is removed. This weekly grooming is also a good time to check that their nails and teeth are not overgrown and that they have not got any lice or skin conditions developing

- Long-haired guinea pigs - This is basically the same asthat for short-haired, however you may wish to trim the hair to keep it at a manageable length. However this is not recommended if you plan to show your pet. You may also want to groom your guinea-pig more often to prevent matting.

- Bathing, in general you should not bathe your guinea pig unless they have got particularly smelly or dirty or directed to do so by your vet.

~*~ Signs of illnesses ~*~

Sneezing/Coughing - This can be normal in guinea pigs however if it is excessive it can be a sign of respiratory problems

Wheezing/Laboured breathing - This again is a sign of respiratory infection, this may lead to pneumonia and should be checked by your vet as soon as possible

Scratching - Again, scrathing can be normal but if its excessive or leads to bald spots then it can be a sign of mites or lice

Excessive tooth length - This will need to be seen to by a vet as it will mean that your pet will no longer be able to eat hard foods

Watery eyes - This is normally a sign of either an allergy or irritants, however in more extreme cases it maybe a cyst on the eyelid and this will need to be removed by your veterinary surgeon

This list is by no means exhaustive and you should keep a close eye on your guinea pig and learn what is and what is not normal for your pet

~*~ Breeds ~*~

American / English Smooth Coat - These are short haired and can be any colour

Crested (English and American) - A short haired guinea pig with a 'swirl' on the forehead

Abyssinian - Hair is about an inch long and grows in swirls all over the body

Silkie - Long straight hair on the body growing away from the face, short hair on the face

Texel - Long wavy hair

Peruvian - Long hair growing towards the face

Hairless Pigs - As the name suggests, although some have a little hair on the nose and feet

This is just a short example of the kinds of breeds available, there are many other kinds

~*~ Coat types ~*~

Agouti - They can be golden, silver, salmon or most other colours and look like they are flecked with black

Selfs - All one colour, can be any colour

Himalayan - White with black, soot or chocolate 'points'

Tortoiseshell and White - Patches of red, black and white

Tortoiseshell - Patches of red and black

Brindle - Black and red hairs mixed together

Roan - Several colours mixed with white

Dalmation - White body with black spots

Dutch - Any coloured rump and patches around the eyes (this wil be the same colour. There will therefore be a white midriff and stripe down the nose