LOS ANGELES GUINEA PIG RESCUE TAKE HOME INFO SHEET

We recommend these veterinarians.

Dr Sari Kanfer at theExotic Animal Care Center – 2121 East Foothill Blvd, Pasadena CA 91107  – phone #  (626) 405-1777.

Dr Fowell or Dr Thomas at East Ventura Animal Hospital-  10225 Telephone Rd, Ventura, CA 9300 - Phone: (805) 647-8430.

Dr. Anne Dueppen  - Conejo  Valley Vet Clinic[1]
3580 Willow Lane
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
Phone# (805)-495-4671.

**Bathing:**

Guinea Pigs need a bath at least 4 times a year. Here is how to bathe your piggles:

1. Put a small towel in the sink to prevent slipping and use lukewarm water.

2.Use baby shampoo or guinea pig shampoo and lather them up real good and rinse.

3.You want to do this twice to make sure all the loose hairs are rinsed out.

4. You must wash the face and ears also.

Important note:

Most guinea pigs do not like to be bathed but this is something that needs to be done to keep your piggie healthy.

5 .After you towel dry the animal really well you must blow dry it.

6 .Never put a wet or damp guinea pig back in its cage, as it will take a long time before they dry by themselves.

They will get catch a cold and get sick if you put Them in their cage while they are still wet/damp.

**Ears:**

Before the bath clean the ears.

1. Use a few drops of either Olive or Mineral oil in the ear and massage it in.

2. Then get a Q tip and gently remove the oil and with it will come the ear wax.

3. Make sure you go into each fold in the ear with the Q tip.
You are NOT cleaning the inner ear canal just the many folds in a guinea pigs ear.

You will notice also that the ear wax is the color of the skin of the ear.

You want to do the ear before each bath.

That way you can wash away the oil that makes them look like they have greasy sideburns if not washed out.

**Nails:**

You want to clip their nails at least every 6 weeks.

With light colored nails you will be able to see how far you can clip.

With the dark nails it sometimes helps shining a light underneath to see how far the “*quick*” grows.

Easiest would be to put the animal on a surface that is higher than a regular table.

That way you can steady and restrain the pig against your body and then grab hold of its little foot to cut each nail.

Sitting on a chair with a towel in your lap will also work.

If you are having a hard time doing this yourself we offer free health checks and nail clips.

Appointments can be made online.

Alternatively any vet office will do nail clips for a reasonable fee also.

In some older guinea pigs we sometimes see a tough growth on the sides of the front paws.

This is referred to as “*spurs*” and perfectly normal.

This is basically dead skin (*callus*) and you want to cut these off to prevent the foot pad from ripping if the spur snags on something.

Always check for these in older pigs.

Feeding:
Please feed off the list you were given.

Variety is the key.

If Guinea pigs are fed the same food all day after day they can actually get fed up with the lack of variety and not eat that cilantro the 3rd day.

One big bunch of parsley is one meal for two adult Guinea.

Three big Romaine leaves is a meal.

If you feed an within 4 minutes they are done eating you did not feed enough and want to give them some more.

**Not Eating**:

Something is wrong if your guinea pig refuses its food.

They may have an URI (*upper respiratory infection*) or a teeth issue.

You want to pay attention and take action at that point.

Guinea pigs rarely recover by themselves and almost always need medical help.

Good news is that most guinea pigs will live healthy lives if cared for correctly and never need veterinary intervention.

Children:
Kids under 11 should not be allowed to pick up the animals by themselves and walk around with them.

Guinea pigs are not very agile and rarely land on their feet if dropped.

If dropped they can break their front teeth, fracture or dislocate a jaw, suffer internal bleeding, break a leg or their back.

In short it is really not a good thing when a guinea pig gets dropped.

The best thing is to set the kids up on the sofa with a towel or lap pad and sit quietly and pet their guinea pigs under adult supervision.

Also be aware that visiting friends have not been instructed and may grab a guinea pig and drop it.

Make sure the kids and their little friends know this!

**Dogs and Cats**:

Some dogs and cats couldn't care less about guinea pigs and others will go to great lengths trying to get to one.

As a rule do not trust **ANY** other animal with your piggies.

Some dogs may feign disinterest but are just waiting for their chance.

Please use caution!

**Compatibility**:

Whether you adopted a buddy for your existing guinea pig or two piggies it is likely we had some “*play dates*” to make sure it was a potential match before it was determined that they got along well enough to try at home.

That is not a guarantee that when you get home they will continue to get along.

They may decide that they don’t like each other after all.

Stay with them for at least 2 hours when a new pair is getting settled in.

The first week may still be unsettled as they are getting to know each other.

After that they should be bonded into a happy unit though some pairs may take a little longer.

What we don’t want to see is a full on fight.

That is when it looks like they are rolling around in a big ball of fur and you can’t make it where the front of end is.

This is a fight and intervention is required.

Word of caution – do not use your hands to break up a fight.

You may accidently get bitten.

Use something like a roll of paper towel or newspaper.

If it looks like they really are not getting along then

**Baby Guinea Pigs**:

If you have a CandC cage with the metal grids you have to keep those holes covered till the guinea pig is big enough not to be able to squeeze through.

You can do this by covering the grids with a towel or card board.

Babies also need to eat an alfalfa rich pellet for the first three months.

We sell 10lbs bags of Young Guinea Pig oxbow cavy cuisine.

This is a high quality pellet.

Please take care when picking up your new baby.

They are very fast and squirmy at this age and it is easy to drop one.

If you have kids please do not let them walk around with the baby or pick them up themselves.

Hot / Cold / Inside / Outside:
Guinea Pigs cannot be kept outdoors.

They need be in a climate controlled environment.

So if it is too hot or cold for you it is too hot or cold for the guinea pigs.

You can take your pigs outdoors have them enjoy some time on the lawn in a pen and nibble on some grass.

However, never ever leave the animals without a cover over the pen.

Hawks are always on the prowl and direct sun even on a cool day can be result in a heat stroke that may be fatal.

**Spaying and Neutering:**

You should only consider neutering if you have a male that does not get along with other boys, (*that way he can live happily with girls*).

Or if you really love a particular boy and his only option would be to live with a girl.

We do not ever spay the females because the surgery is way too risky unless it is a medical emergency (*(really huge ovarian cyst at risk of bursting or prolapse uterus to give an example*).

Unlike with rabbits (*who are fixed to prevent uterine cancer)*, there is no medical reason to have boy or girl guinea pigs fixed unless any of the above apply.

Not all vets neuter / spay guinea pigs and some that do have often done only a handful so it is important to pick the right one and ask the right questions.

A good question to ask how many of these surgeries has the vet performed.

**Let’s talk about water bottles:**

I am a big fan of glass bottles.

Those cost a little more but are worth it in the end because they last forever (*unless you drop them of course*).

They are easier to clean and better for the guinea pigs because the plastic ones eventually start to get smelly and from there on are harder to clean and to get that musty, swampy smell out.

Plastic bottles are also porous and will retain organisms that contribute to a bad smell and in really bad cases green “*slime*” build up.

If you can’t find a glass bottle then buy a 2nd plastic one.

Reason for this is that after a cleaning, the plastic bottles should be allowed to dry out completely first before filing it up again.

Doing this will prevent the plastic from becoming smelly.
​

Go for a clear plastic bottle.

Easier to clean and not as porous as the thicker dark colored ones.

Also a dark color plastic bottle will not allow you to see what is really going on inside the bottle and the water it contains .

How do you know a bottle needs a good scrub and dry?

Just empty it out, put it to your nose, squeeze it and smell the air that comes out of it.

Lastly –Try to use filtered water, not tap water.

Clean the bottle out at least once a week with a suitable bottle brush and change the water in the bottle at the very least every other day.

**Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue Food Diet Guide**:

Fresh timothy hay, timothy pellets, fresh veggies and filtered water must be provided at all times as this comprises their entire diet.

Our recommended daily amount of veggies is 1  1/2 - 2 cups per piggie per day.

Make sure you are providing a diverse variety of vegetables everyday to keep them interested and it's always important to remember to feed everything in moderation.

Follow our food guide for a balanced diet that contains plenty of Vitamin C.

We recommend supplementing Vitamin C with a syringe only when an animal is sick, stressed, not eating enough veggies or if you are concerned that he/she is not getting enough in their diet.

Here is a basic list of veggies we recommend you have in your fridge:

**Daily Staples:**

Romaine Lettuce.
Green Leaf Lettuce.
Red Leaf Lettuce.
Bell Peppers (*all colors).*
Cilantro.
Parsley.
Kale.
Fresh Grass (*untreated).*

**Veggie Snacks:**

Tomatoes.
Celery.
Dandelion.
Chard.
Basil.
​Mint.

**Sweet Treats:**

Carrots.
Apples.
Banana.
Watermelon.
Berries.
Cantaloupe.
Grapes.
Corn (*uncooked).*

**Limited (In Moderation):**

Broccoli.
Cabbage.
Spinach.

**Do Not Feed:**

Iceberg Lettuce (*no nutritional value).*