Many folks do not realize that there are way more than 20 breeds of guinea pigs. Most of the people believe that one guinea pig is rather like the next, and this isn’t true. In reality, each reproduce of guinea pig looks totally different to the others. The most typical breeds are the Abyssinian, the Peruvian, the Silkie, the Crested Guinea Pig, the Teddy Guinea Pig, the Texel, and the Coronet.

The Abyssinian is the commonest guinea pig, and he’s got a coat of fur that includes many swirls, which are called rosettes. A pure bred Abyssinian will have at least 8 of these swirls, and they appear in a symmetrical pattern. The Abyssinian regularly appears he just rolled out of bed.

The Peruvian has a coat of fur that is both smooth and straight. The Peruvians hair will grow to be many inches long, and will naturally fall to the sides, with a part in the middle. These guinea pigs need a great amount of grooming, to keep their hair from matting.

The Silkie is also known as a Sheltie. His fur is exceedingly long and silky, but it doesn’t fall with a natural part in the middle. The Silkies hair falls backward, from his head.

The Crested Guinea Pig is a short haired animal, but he does have one rosette on his forehead. In this reproduce, there’s also a White Crested Guinea Pig, which is also known as the Yank Crested Guinea Pig. As his name indicates, his rosette is white in color. Other Crested Guinea Pigs are typically known as British Crested Guinea Pigs.

The Teddy Guinea Pig is another short haired animal, but he doesn’t have a rosette, and his hair has a kinky texture, very similar to a poodle’s fur. He looks very like a well loved toy bear.

The Texel isn’t a standard guinea pig. His hair is long and kinked, giving him a particularly particular appearance. Like other long haired guinea pigs, this reproduce needs lots of grooming to keep his hair in good condition.

The Coronet Guinea Pig is another long haired animal, but he does have a rosette, which is found in the middle of his forehead. He also needs a large amount of grooming.

Aside from these breeds, there are more guinea pigs. Another well loved breed is the hairless guinea pig, which is totally bald. Other guinea pigs include the Merino and the Alpaca. So, as you can see, there truly are dissimilar breeds of guinea pigs, and every one is one of a kind.

One of the things that folk appear to detest the most concerning guinea pigs is the odour that intrinsically comes with them. This is the reason why many guinea pigs lose good houses, and end up in shelters, or worse, finish up as snake food. While common guinea pig odour is bad news, the good news is that there are solutions for the odours.

Start by purchasing the right bedding for your guinea pig. What you want is bacteria resistant bedding. Read labels rigorously, and select the very best quality bedding that you’ll find. It may be more expensive, but it makes life much more acceptable for you in the long term.

Next, give the correct surface for the bedding. Odours soak into woods, and, plastic is way more preferable. Plastic, unlike wood, can simply be scrubbed, and you need to do so weekly, and change the bedding weekly. Many pet stores also sell cage fresheners for both rabbits and guinea pigs. Note that if you can’t find cage freshener specifically for guinea pigs, the freshener designed for rabbits will also work.

Use a plant grater, and grate peelings from oranges, lemons, and limes. Mix these chips with your ordinary bedding, and you may find this is an inexpensive way to cut back on odours. Some folk basically spray Lysol round the cage, but this could be deadly to the guinea pigs, and it’s not suggested. Instead, you should buy air freshening sprays that are created for pet cages, and you can even purchase Guinea Pig Odour Spray as well, which allegedly works quite well, and is available from most pet stores.

Good circulation is important. The odours related to guinea pigs don’t always come from the animals. It could be due to hay which has become mildewed. This occurs often, and this is why many guinea pig owners put fresh hay in the pen on an once a day basis, rather than weekly. Changing the hay this frequently isn’t mandatory if there’s correct air movement.

Proper air movement and filtering can be done with the aid of a cartable air purifier. These incline to cut back on other issues as well, for example pollen and dust in the air, as well as bacteria. Not merely will this help to resolve odour issues, it will also make the room more healthy for you and your guinea pigs. These sorts of air purifiers can be purchased online, or from cut price stores.
The trick to effectively using an air purifier is to buy the suitable system for the size of the room you need to use it in. Newer models of air purifiers do not use filters, which saves money in the long term, though those that do use filters are generally cheaper at first.

You have got to decide whether you would like to save a little money now, or a large amount of money down the line.

As you can see, there really are answers to guinea pig odours, and those options don’t include disposing of the guinea pig. If you use one or all these systems of odour control, you and your guinea pig can co-exist happily in the same home.

No matter what type of guinea pig you have, all guinea pigs have something in common. All guinea pigs need their nails trimmed on a regular basis. There are multiple reasons for this.

First, if your guinea pigs nails are not trimmed ordinarily they’re going to get too long, and will snag on thing when he is running about, or scratch you when you’re holding him. There’s also the risk of the long nail becoming caught and being ripped out, which would glaringly be extremely agonizing for the guinea pig. Another reason to trim the nails is because as nails grow, they are going to start to round on the ends, and will grow into the soft bed of your guinea pigs paw, which may also be quite distressing for him. It can also simply get infected.

Guinea pigs can also grow spurs on the side of his paws. You will see these when you you can safely, and you can safely, and painlessly, cut these off, before they begin to hurt. Eventually , your guinea pig will actually be much happier with shorter nails, because it easier for him to run around.

You should test your guinea pigs nails each week to 2 weeks, but you can most likely find that he does not need a trim more often than every four to six weeks. You can help your guinea pig even more by providing him with rough running surfaces, that will wear down his nails naturally, but you will most likely still need to trim them a bit – just not as regularly.

To cut your guinea pigs nails, all that is required is a pair of nail clippers designed for humans, or nail clippers designed for moggies. You may also need a towel to wrap your guinea pig in, to help hold him still, and keep his paws that you aren’t working on secure. It also helps to have some other person to hold the guinea pig, while you do the trimming.

You must be cautious not to chop into the fast of your guinea pigs nails. You know how much this injures when it happens to you, and the guinea pig will feel that same agony. Look closely at his nails, and you will be in a position to inform where the fast basically starts. Elude trimming all the way down to the quick. Instead, clip just above the quick.

Cutting your guinea pigs nails will take some getting used to – for you and the animal – but you will get used to it, and everytime you do it’s going to be simpler than the time before. However, if you still feel nervous about doing it, you can always take him to the vet, or to a groomer to have his nails clipped. Note, however that the price of having this done can swiftly add up and you will save a massive amount of cash by learning the way to do it yourself.

Your guinea pigs pen is a vital part of his life, mainly because this is where he’ll spend the bulk of his time. One of the most vital sides of his pen is his bedding. Not merely will he root around in the bedding, but he’ll sleep on it, walk on it, nibble it, and even eliminate on it if he doesn’t use a litter box. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that just any bedding will do for your cherished guinea pig.

One of the most well liked pet bedding materials is known as Vet Bed. This special bedding seems to stay fresh longer than other kinds of bedding and guinea pigs appear to be truly pleased with it. It is completely safe for guinea pigs, and it is terribly absorbent. Vet Bed bedding can really be washed and reused, but this should be done weekly. Hemp can also be used, but it is costly. Hemp is terribly soft, but unfortunately, it does not absorb well.

Litter should be restricted to a litter box, and not used as bedding. However, it can be used underneath bedding, as an absorbent material. It should be modified weekly if used in this fashion.

Wood chips are the hottest sorts of bedding. Pine and cedar chips need to be steered clear of. Aspen is usually a good choice, however. Shredded paper works well, and newspaper is an inexpensive option. The good thing about shredded paper is that there is no dust involved. Chopped or shredded cardboard is another good option, but you should have litter or paper underneath it to absorb moisture and stop the cardboard from becoming soggy too quickly.

Chopped straw, which is sometimes used for rabbits, is also a sensible choice for guinea pig bedding. It is awfully soft, but it isn’t really not terribly absorbent, and is going to be used on top of another absorbent material. Straw bedding will need to be modified more often than other kinds of bedding, but it is inexpensive.

Overall, the bedding that you select should be soft for your guinea pig to stroll and sleep on. It should also provide acceptable heat. Remember that your guinea pig will play in and with the bedding, and it shouldn’t pose any threat of injury. Also be aware that if a litter box is not used, your guinea pig will use the bedding for elimination, and it truly should be absorbent to be absorbent to keep odors under you visit your pet store to get bedding, you could be simply beaten down by the decisions open to you. One way to select your bedding is to discover what bedding the breeder or rescue center is using. This way, your guinea pig will have bedding that he has already grown accustomed to. You could also try out a selection of bedding materials over time, to determine which one you and your guinea pig prefer.

There may be many reasons why you need to reproduce guinea pigs. One thing is certain, however. You mustn’t reproduce guinea pigs in the hopes of making money for it. The truth is that there is very tiny cash in breeding guinea pigs, and finding good houses for guinea pigs isn’t necessarily straightforward.

However, if you have a fantastic reason for breeding guinea pigs, here are some suggestions to help you want a male, known as a wild pig, and a female, known as a sow. A sow must be at least 6 months of age, and the boar should be at least 4 months old. It is possible for both sexes to mate before they reach this age, but it isn’t advised, because it has an affect on the condition of the litter.

The male and feminine also need the opportunity to get to know one another correctly. You want to put them in the same pen, ideally alone, for no less than a month. Do not separate them till you are certain that the female is pregnant.

Don’t expect to see them breeding. You will actually have no way of knowing if mating has happened. The trick is to look at the female closely. Typically, a pregnant female will begin eating and drinking more than usual. Naturally, her stomach will begin to get larger as well.

It takes at least 72 days for your sow to give birth, but the gestation period can be as short as 60 days. Essentially, the bigger the litter is, the shorter the pregnancy will be. It’s important to separate the female and male and female as fast as you know that the female is pregnant.

Usually, when the sow goes into work, she’s going to be completely thru with the delivery inside an hour. In most situations, she’ll she will not need your assistance, and she is going to eat the afterbirth, so the mess will even be all cleaned up for you. Litters can be as enormous as four, and as tiny as one. If there are more than 2 in the litter, you want to ensure that all of the babies are eating, as a sow only has 2 nipples.

It is important that you do not put the female back in the same pen with any males, besides males in her litter. She’ll become pregnant again inside hours of giving birth. After the female has given birth, it’s important to maintain a calm and quiet environment. If she becomes nervous or upset, she could walk her babies.

Just as you have a first aid kit in your home, and hopefully in your automobile, to help deal with minor emergencies that can happen occur with you and your folks, you need to also consider the sudden wants of your guinea pig and either buy or create a guinea pig first aid kit, which commercially are called Cavy Kits.

Guinea Piglopaedia: A Complete Guide to Guinea Pig Care

A correct cavy kit will contain numerous items meant to help you and your guinea pig thru emergencies. Guinea pigs basically can hurt themselves reasonably simple, but it usually is insignificant, and with correct care, should heal fast.

Your cavy first aid kit should contain a bottle of sterile eye wash. This is helpful for removing waste from the eyes, and you may find that you use this more often than you might imagine. This is one item that is often overlooked when putting together a first aid kit. Benebac is also overlooked, but highly useful, in case your guinea pig ever has issues with digestion.

Because guinea pigs truly rely on vitamin C for survival, you must keep sample packs of substances that are appropriate for guinea pigs, which contain vitamin C. One such product is Oxbow, which has 50mg of vitamin C. Oxbow also offers sample packs for vital care, which can be hand fed to your guinea pig. Electrolyte mix is also something you should think about, in case your guinea pig becomes dehydrated. You might imagine that you’re taking fantastic care of your guinea pig, and that such things are not needed in a first aid kit, but you’ll have them, should the need for them ever arise.

A common guinea pig injury occurs when you clip his nails too near to the fast. This will quickly lead to infections, and it needs to be treated right away with an antiseptic. This isn’t straightforward to apply on guinea pigs, but if you employ a Styptic Pencil, you will the trick nicely. You must also have a good supply of sterile gauze pads to cover any wounds. Include Telfa pads as well. Other good selections include iodine pads and sterile wipes.

Because this is a first aid kit for an animal, and not for humans, you need to include vet wrap in your first aid kit. This is glorious for protecting wounds on animals. If you aren’t sure where to find vet wraps, look at your local pet store, or ask your veterinarian to order some for you.

Go to your local pharmacy, and purchase many syringes of different sizes. These make administering oral medications easier, in most situations, and can even be used to get water into your guinea pig if he starts to become too unwell to drink on his own.

Other items that you must include in your first aid kit include rubber gloves ( not latex ), cotton swabs, and contact information for your vet. Your veterinarian may even be able to supply you some basic first aid instructions that you can keep in your kit. As you use items in your first aid kit, make sure that you replace them as quickly as possible.