Is a guinea pig for me?Guinea pigs are living creatures, not toys, and need a great deal of care and affection. They can live up to around 7 years and will need looking after for their whole lives. They are not suitable as pets for small children as they need careful handling. Even if an older child wants to have guinea pigs, an adult should have ultimate responsibility for their health and wellbeing.
Guinea pigs are not very hardy animals and need shelter and warmth during the winter months. They can be kept inside or in a warm, sheltered outhouse (not in a garage if a car is kept in there). They do, however, enjoy the outdoors and should be allowed to graze in warm weather - they are surprisingly good lawnmowers! Poisonous plants (outside or inside) should be kept outside the guinea pigs' exercise area to avoid any risk of the the guinea pigs ingesting them.
Most pet shops that sell animals will sell guinea pigs. However, these shops are renowned for not sexing their animals correctly so you may well end up with a lot more guinea pigs than you bargained for! Rescue centres will often have unwanted guinea pigs, often young ones from unwanted litters or slightly older, discarded children's pets.
If you are looking for a specific breed or type of guinea pig, you will need to go to a specialist breeder.
Guinea pigs should be kept in groups. If keeping two animals of the same sex together, it is best if they are littermates. Keeping two unrelated males together can lead to fighting. The best combinations, therefore, are two females or one female and one male, although the male should be neutered to prevent unrestricted breeding.
As stated above, pet shops in particular are often quite poor at sexing animals, so it is best to take your new guinea pigs to your vet to get them checked over. If you want to have a go at sexing them yourself you need to turn your guinea pig onto its back. Males have a greater distance between their genital opening and their anus. If you press down on their abdomen just above the genital opening, the penis will be extruded.
There are three main types of guinea pig, based on their coat type. Within this type there are a variety of colours. Smooth haired guinea pigs are probably the best for beginners as their grooming needs are minimal. Abyssinian guinea pigs have 'rosettes' of hair growing in tufts. Their coat needs a bit more attention but a quick comb should be sufficient.
Long-haired or Angora guinea pigs should be reserved for the more dedicated guinea pig owner. They need a good deal of daily combing to ensure that their coat is kept in good condition and does not become matted.
Before you go out to collect your guinea pig, make sure that you have all the equipment ready and set up at home. Take along a suitable carry cage (a plastic cat basket is ideal) as guinea pigs can easily gnaw through cardboard containers!
When picking your guinea pigs, use the following criteria:
It is a good idea to have your guinea pig checked over by a vet before taking it home so that you do not get too attached if there is something wrong with it. If you are getting your guinea pig from a rescue centre, this will usually have been done for you.
