ORIGIN:

A descendant of the wild guinea pigs of the Andes Mountains region South America, today's domesticated guinea pig is viewed by many as an "easy" pet for children. Guinea pigs are hystricomorphic rodents (related to chinchillas and porcupines) and in their natural habitat, guinea pigs live in open, grassy areas. They seek shelter in naturally protected areas or burrows deserted by other animals. They were probably first domesticated by the Indians of Peru, who used them for food and as sacrificial offerings to their gods. In the 16th century Dutch explorers introduced guinea pigs to Europe, and selective breeding and captive rearing began.

BACK TO TOP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NATURE:

Guinea pigs are very popular pets because of their availability, docile temperaments, tendency not to bite or scratch when handled, and relatively clean habits and many parents select a guinea pig as a first pet for their child, believing a small pet needs only a small amount of care. It is important to understand that these little guys have lots of requirements, including a roomy cage, specialized diet, daily cleanup, and gentle handling, and that an adult should be the primary caretaker.

They are not long-lived, which can be disconcerting to owners some parents, however, believe that having their children experience the relatively short period of companionship and subsequent death is a meaningful way to expose children to the "ups and downs" of life.

Guinea pigs are sociable animals and tend to live in groups they are happiest when with other guinea pigs, so many pet care books urge owners to keep two or more together. Choose pairs that are the same sex and compatible. They are strictly herbivorous (plant-eating) and do most of their foraging for grasses, roots, fruits and seeds in the late afternoon and early evening.

BACK TO TOP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOUSING:

They may be small, but guinea pigs require ample space to move about. Make sure their living quarters are at least 18 inches wide, 14 inches high, and 25 inches deep - one reference recommends at least 100 square inches of floor area per adult.

Guinea pigs housed in larger cages are more likely to be active. It is not recommended to use aquariums, as they provide poor ventilation, and mesh or wire-floor cages hurt guinea pigs' tender feet. 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 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.

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. Bedding must be clean, non-toxic, absorbent, relatively dust-free and easy to replace. Shredded paper, wood shavings, and processed corncob are preferred bedding materials. Sawdust should be avoided because it tends to collect within the external genitalia of males, forming an impaction. Cedar shavings should also be avoided because the pleasant smelling odour they impart to the cage is 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. The cage should include a hiding place such as an upside down cardboard box (many different options can also be bought) the important thing is that your guinea pigs have a hiding place to retreat to when unsettled.

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.

Desirable environmental temperature range: 65-75 F
Desirable relative humidity range: 40-70% (50% is considered ideal)

Provide plenty of high-quality hay, use for nesting and snacking but do not use materials such as sawdust, cedar chips, or fabrics that may cause respiratory or other health problems. Finally, provide your guinea pig with a gnawing log (such as an untreated fruit tree branch), tunnels to crawl through, and platforms to climb on. Add a heavy food bowl resistant to tipping and gnawing and a water bottle with a sipper tube.

Also, because their cage lining doubles as bedding and toilet, guinea pigs require daily housekeeping assistance. Scrub and disinfect the cage, then let it dry before lining the floor with fresh bedding and replacing the cage furnishings. Also clean the water bottle and sipper tube daily to prevent build-up of food, algae, and bacteria.

BACK TO TOP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FEEDING:

Food
Feed your guinea pig a commercial guinea pig food, formulated especially for the species. Guinea pig require a lot of vitamin C as well as folic acid unlike rabbits so do not feed rabbit food to guinea pigs as it will not provide the nutrition necessary.

Commercially available pelleted chows provide all of the essential nutrients, as long as the pellets are fresh and wholesome when offered. 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.

To top up the vitamin requirement provide veggies such as kale and cabbage or one-quarter of an orange daily and ask your veterinarian about vitamin supplements. Treat guinea pigs to fruits, including melon slices and apples (but remove the seeds, which are toxic).

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.

Guinea pigs tend to be creatures of habit and do not tolerate changes in the presentation, taste, odour, 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.

Water
Good-quality food and fresh, clean water must be readily available at all times. The diet can be supplemented with vitamin C. Recommended is 200 milligrams of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) to be added to about 1 qt of drinking water, made up fresh every 12 hours.

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.

BACK TO TOP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HANDLING:

Guinea pigs are easily stressed and require careful handling. To pick up a guinea pig, slowly place one hand under her chest just behind the front legs, and gently cup your other hand under her hindquarters. Once you have a firm but gentle grip - lift. Then immediately pull her close to your chest or lap so she feels safe. 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. 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.

Guinea pigs try their best to keep clean, carefully grooming themselves with their front teeth, tongue, and back claws. But particularly the longhaired breeds require frequent brushing and combing to stay clean and tangle-free.

BACK TO TOP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TRAINING:

Guinea Pigs can be trained to perform easy tricks, but only when food is involved and with many repetitions.

It is also possible to “toilet train” your Guinea Pig - always remember when you try to litter-box train your guinea pig, that the guinea pig is praise and it’s shy by nature. Never push your guinea pig to use the litter box because this will only frighten it.

Most guinea pig owners use wooden/or paper pellets for their guinea pig’s litter box but you can use the usual bedding used for whole cage.

Start the litter-box training process in a very small area in the guinea pig’s cage. Place a small litter box in a corner of your guinea pig’s cage, try to place the box in corner of the cage that your guinea pig preferred to use as a bathroom. Put some fecal pellets inside the box to help your guinea pigs get the idea. You may also put a pinch of hay to a corner of the box to encourage your guinea pig to use it.

When you see your guinea pig do its business in the litter box, give its favourite treat as a reward. Don’t be frustrated if you see that your guinea pig sits in the box, eats the hay you’ve placed in it, and do nothing that you expected from it, because guinea pigs often eats and defecates in the same time. Eating the hay will stimulate your guinea pig’s digestive system and finally may cause it to use the litter-box as a bathroom.

Once your guinea pig seems to be using the litter box in his cage and has done so for more time, you can try giving your cavy a little more space. Try to put its litter box on the floor when it is time for floor exercise. If your guinea pig starts making mistakes on the floor, then it may have been too soon to place it in a bigger area. Place the litter box back into your guinea pig’s cage and start all over.

BACK TO TOP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HEALTH:

For many years guinea pigs have been used in biomedical research laboratories. Consequently, their medical problems have been traditionally approached on a group basis, rather than on an individual basis. As a result, very little practical information exists on the medical care and treatment of individual pet guinea pigs. Even less information is available to owners on the responsible home care of guinea pigs and recognition of their medical problems.

BACK TO TOP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

VITAL STATISTICS:

Scientific name: Cavia porcellus
Life span: 3-4 years (Potential life span 6-7 years)
Recommended age at 1st breeding: male: 3-4 months; female: <3-7 months (not after 7 months)
Gestation (pregnancy): averages 63-68 days
Average litter size: 3-4 young (range, 1-6)
Age at weaning: 3 weeks

BACK TO TOP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ORIGIN:

Hamsters were living in relative obscurity until just 70 years ago, when a zoologist discovered a family of these rodents - in the Syrian desert and called them "Cricetus auratus," the Golden Hamster. Since hamsters originating from the Middle East and southeastern Europe has been introduced. Hamsters are small, virtually tailless, velvet-furred rodents with enormous cheek pouches. The most common and popular is the golden or Syrian hamster. Colour and hair-type varieties of the golden hamster include cinnamon, cream, white, and "teddy bear" (the long-haired variety). Most of the hamsters sold as pets or used in research are the descendants of 3 littermates domesticated in 1930.

BACK TO TOP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NATURE:

Russian or dwarf hamsters and Chinese both like the company of their own kind, so keep a pair of the same sex and do not mix species.

Syrian hamsters or golden hamsters are solitary creatures and must not be housed together because of their inevitable aggressiveness toward each other.

Hamsters are very popular pets today because of their availability, affordability, small size, cuddly appearance, often docile temperament and relatively clean habits. They are not very long-lived, which can be disconcerting to owners (especially children) but some parents feel that having their children experience the relatively short period of companionship and subsequent death is a meaningful way to expose children to the "ups and downs" of life.

Hamsters are primarily nocturnal, though they may exhibit relatively short periods of activity throughout the day. During their active period, hamsters eat and exercise. As with all pets children need to be supervised when handling hamsters and an adult needs to be responsible for making sure the hamster is properly cared for. Because of their nocturnal nature hamsters may not be the ideal pet for children, as hamsters do not appreciate being disturbed when asleep and may become alarmed and as a result bite.

The cheek pouches are a relatively unique anatomic feature of hamsters. They are actually a cavernous out-pouching of the oral (mouth) cavity on both sides, extending alongside the head and neck to the shoulders. These pouches are used to store food and allow the hamster to transport food from where it is gathered to the hamster's den or nest. The food is then eaten later, at the hamster's leisure. Hamster owners not familiar with these cheek pouches often panic when seeing them fully distended for the first time, thinking they represent tumours or abscesses.

Another relatively unique anatomic feature of hamsters is the paired glands in the skin over the flanks. These appear as dark spots within the hair coat and are much more obvious in males than females. These glands are used to mark a hamster's territory and also have a role in sexual behaviour.

BACK TO TOP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOUSING:

Syrian Hamsters should ideally be housed in a large wire cage with a plastic base no smaller than 60cm x 30cm floor space, by 30cm tall.

Russian and Chinese hamster can squeeze through small places so are best kept in a tank or aquarium no smaller than 60cm x 30cm floor space, by 30cm tall. The tank needs a securely fitted wire lid to allow ventilation and prevent escapes.

The cage should be kept away from draught, sunlight and direct heat. Line the bottom of the tank with plain white paper, and add dry timothy hay or shredded white paper for burrowing and nest building. Avoid using cedar shavings, which can cause respiratory problems. Dust-extracted shavings make good bedding for all types of hamsters, although some people prefer to use sawdust for long-coated types to prevent shavings getting tangled in their hair.

Even hamsters housed in quiet rooms still need hiding places within their tanks to feel secure in their surroundings. Empty tissue boxes and round oatmeal containers can perform double duty as both gnawing toys and hiding places. Notorious nibblers, hamsters may harm their internal systems if they ingest soft plastics, but some hamster owners provide PVC piping or hard plastic items that withstand chewing.

Hamsters seem to especially enjoy exercise wheels and other activities. The plastic enclosures equipped with horizontal and vertical tube-tunnels mentioned above are highly recommended for this reason. Hamsters seem to really enjoy running through them. They also enjoy tin cans opened at both ends and boxes with multiple openings through which they can crawl.

The frequency of cleaning depends on design of housing and materials of housing as well of cause on amount of hamsters in the cage. As a general rule of thumb, the enclosure and all cage "furniture" should be cleaned and disinfected at least once a week. The bathroom space however should be cleaned and disinfected daily as should food and water. Also clean the water bottle and sipper tube daily to prevent build-up of food, algae, and bacteria; check to be sure it is working properly as well.

Desirable environmental temperature range: 65-75 F
Desirable relative humidity range: 30-70%

BACK TO TOP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

FEEDING:

Hamsters have high metabolisms and should have constant access to food and water. Some hamsters like to sit in their food dishes, so use a heavy ceramic dish to decrease the likelihood of food spillage. Respect the hamster's need for order by placing the dish a good distance from the bathroom and sleeping areas.

Food
Hamsters enjoy a varied diet that includes commercial grain and seed mixtures tailored for the animal as well as certain kinds of fruits and vegetables. A good commercial hamster mix should have all the necessary nutrients.

The diet should be supplemented with vegetables and fruit such as: dandelion greens, chickweed, alfalfa pellets, spinach, lettuce, carrots, slice of apple and a floret of cauliflower and other fruits. Stay away from raw beans, apple seeds, sprouting potato buds, parsley, and green parts of tomatoes—all foods that can be poisonous to hamsters.

Food should be provided in heavy ceramic crocks that resist tipping. The sides of the crocks should be high enough to keep bedding and fecal material out of the food, or the crocks should be elevated slightly above the bedding,

A hamster’s front teeth, like those of other rodents, grow continually, so they need to gnaw to keep them in shape. Dog biscuits make both good hamster treats and teeth trimmers.

Hamsters storing food in their cheek pouches can occasionally lead to problems. Therefore only feed very small peaces especially of fruit at one time as fruit stored can rot quickly.

Water
Fresh, clean water must be readily available at all times. Water is most easily made available and kept free from contamination by providing it in one or more water bottles equipped with 'sipper' tubes. Make certain the ends of the tubes are positioned low enough to allow all residents within the enclosure (especially juvenile hamsters over 1 week old) easy access to them. Also make certain that very young hamsters are strong enough to obtain water from these sipper tubes.

BACK TO TOP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HANDLING:

In their native habitat, hamsters have to travel great distances to find food, a fact that explains domestic hamsters’ need for lots of exercise. Exercise wheels can provide hamsters with a good bit of activity, but they should not be the only source of physical activity.

Complement the hamster’s home gym and entertainment centre with chewable such as a dog biscuit or pesticide-free twigs from beech trees, maples, willows, hazelnut bushes, or fruit trees; these will also help keep the animal’s incisors worn down. Cardboard boxes, toilet-paper rolls, and paper-towel rolls are also safe for hamsters to burrow in, chew on, and play with. Wooden ladders and branches fastened securely to the inside of the tank can help hamsters show off their climbing agility.

Because of the risk of injury, many experts now advise against using hamster wheels with spokes. Solid, wide wheels are safer. Hamster exercise balls should be used with great care and only for a very limited amount of time (max 40 min) as hamsters can quickly become exhausted with no means of escape.

Hamsters handled frequently from a very young age usually remain docile and rarely bite. Those with docile temperaments and a history of not biting can simply be picked up by using one or both hands, and then held in both hands or in one hand held against the body.

Many hamsters develop untrustworthy personalities and begin to bite because they have been handled roughly or suddenly disturbed or awakened. Hamsters whose personalities are not well known must always be approached cautiously. A glove or small towel can be used to pick up these hamsters, or the animals can be encouraged to crawl into a small container, which is then removed from their enclosure. Unknown hamsters and those known to bite can also be picked up and restrained by grasping a large amount of skin behind the head. As much skin as possible should be grasped between the thumb and index and middle fingers because their skin is so very loose. In fact, hamsters can literally turn nearly all the way around within their skins and bite a handler if this caution is not heeded!

BACK TO TOP
----------------------------------------------------------------------------