Guinea Pigs Care

[vicky]

Somehow we've managed to acquire the school guinea pigs for an extended holiday whilst building work is being done at the school...it was only meant to be 1 week at half term...
They came with a bag of shredded paper to use as bedding but it's all finished now, so can I use the chicken's straw instead?
They've also got manky brown pellets which they eat plus I've been giving them lots of bits of fruit and veg - is there anything they can't have?
At the moment their hutch is on the patio with a big bit of onduline roof over it (to stop the rain blowing in), can it stay there when the weather gets colder or should they go into the shed overnight?
Thanks for your help, would rather not be the school mum known forever more for killing off the pets...

[jackie j]

Mine used to stay out all the time but when it was really cold I did put an extra cover over at night ( an old blanket ) mine liked toms and orange as it gives them extra vitamin c but not too much, cabbage, carrot, apple I also gave them guinnea pig food it was like rabbit food ( rabbits can eat guinea pig food but not the other way round ) lettuce isnt too good for guinea pigs or rabbits. hope this helps.

[Capsid]

I use wood shavings and hay for bedding as they also like to eat the hay and the shavings soak up the urine. Mine likes spinach but as jackie says, no lettuce as this can give them bloating problems. Oh and don't forget fresh water and change the bedding at least weekly.

[shirley]

Put the hutch contents on your compost heap when changing them.
They will also eat apples, I cut then and de-pip first. Cucumber, melon and carrot. Outer leaves of your cabbages or sprouts. They love dandelion leaves and grass but not mown, it must be picked. It might be a good idea if weather gets cold to put in shed if they are indoor guineas at the school. Keep out of drafts.

[Two_Sheds]

Ah, bless.
I have 4 guineas, I got my newest one last weekend.
They are very hardy animals, coming from the mountains of Peru. They are fine outside all year round so long as they have a snuggly hutch protected from winds (turn the door away from the prevailing wind). If it's terribly cold and icy I will put a piece of carpet over the hutch for insulation.

Bedding: shredded newspaper is ideal, and cheap. I change mine every 2 or 3 days, and compost it after use. Hay is expensive, so they only get this as a winter treat, to eat not to wee on!
They are burrowing animals, so really appreciate a shoe box or something to hide under.

Food: they absolutely must have fresh Vitamin C every day or they'll get rickets (seriously) and die. The best sources are kiwis and fresh grass. Mine love the tops and leaves of veg, not the veg itself: carrot tops, chard, beetroot leaves, cauliflower leaves. Fruit is popular: apples, grapes, tomatoes.
They shouldn't have lettuce.
Guinea pigs poo twice ... the first poo is soft and they will eat it - this is normal. The 2nd poo is harder and will not be eaten.
More info here: Feeding | Guinea Pigs World


any other questions, feel free to PM me

[bluemoon]

Ooh, lucky you. We currently have a rabbit, but used to have Guinea pigs when the kids were little (the kids were little when we got the rabbit too, he's 9 now) and to be honest I much preferred the Guinea Pigs. They do need loads of vitamin C so continue to give them fruit and veg, but as for bedding then straw or anything is fine. I'm the one who feeds the rabbit, cleans him out and what have you, but I've never had the impression that he has any clue as to who I am, Guinea Pigs get to know you and run to you and squeak when they see you. Ah, happy days.

[vicky]

Thanks!
I used to have a rabbit when I was little and it was really fierce and no one could go near it - really put me off small furry things! But the guineas are really sweet and they have already started squeaking at me when I say hello in the morning!
Glad I posted this as they would have been getting lettuce in the morning!

[Two_Sheds]

Yeah wabbits are horrible creatures. I've never met one that didn't try to bite or kick me. Guineas are much sweeter natured.

[rustylady]

I hate wabbits! My kids used to have them, and guess who got lumbered with feeding and cleaning them out (& burying them when they popped their clogs?) Guinea pigs are better natured, cut the lawn for you (mine are in an "ark" shaped hutch with an open bottom run so they can eat the grass, the hutch gets moved around the lawn daily). They also get all my veggie peelings to eat and start the composting process for me (bedding & poo go into the Dalek).

[flowerofshona]

I run the gp rescue and have over 70 in most of the time !
I keep mine in a shed as drafts kill them very quickly, they catch chills easy !
If they have come from indoors at the school you will need to keep them inside a shed at the least!
Apples can burn the corners of their mouths as they are very acidic, cucumber, celery, carrot, raw beetroot, cabbage (but can make them smelly), sweetcorn, cauli, brocolli, melon, grapes, banana, fresh grass (not wet and not cut with a lawn mower as this heats up very fast and causes bloat!), dandilion, loads of hay every day.
There poo is brilliant in the compost
Watch out if they start to scartch as they may have picked up mites, they come in the hay and there is no way of preventing them but harmless to humans, need ivermectin from the vets or a local gp breeder (cheaper way ).
If you need any help just shout