As people move into smaller homes guinea pigs as pets can be fun alternatives to larger animals. They have many benefits other than just their small size but there are things to know if you want one to live a long and healthy life. By learning about their needs you can enjoy the companionship of a guinea pig for years to come.

There are a few basic things you need to know before making the decision to keep a guinea pig. As rodents they do have some special needs and personality quirks. All of the different breeds of guinea pigs are essentially the same creatures with similar body shapes. They are all approximately ten inches long and can weigh several pounds. Different breeds have different hair textures and lengths from the short haired American to the long haired Peruvian. There is a middle ground. The Abyssinian has shorter hair than the Peruvian and it has a dishevelled, rumpled appearance.

Guinea pigs are often quite friendly and outgoing. They are vocal and communicate frequently. If a guinea pig has been handled from when it was a baby they can be quite comfortable around humans. They may show some excitement if they are in a new situation or place but they will often calm down quickly and love to explore new situations. If you are deciding whether a particular guinea pig would make a good pet give it a few minutes to relax and become used to you before evaluating its? personality.

What do Guinea Pigs Need to Feel at Home?

If a guinea pig is to be properly housed, it needs to have room to move around. Because they are bigger than most other rodents it is important that a guinea pig be kept in a cage with enough room. If you have decided to keep a pair of guinea pigs to keep each other company this cage will need to be even larger.

Since guinea pigs are very social creatures it can be a good idea to keep a pair instead of a single pig. If you opt to do so you should make sure that they are both the same gender. Two males can sometimes fight. Keeping one of each sex will result in baby guinea pigs once the adults become mature enough to mate and bear young.

Bedding can be a special problem for guinea pigs. Their pens need to be kept extremely clean. A guinea pig does have urine which can be quite strongly scented and the bedding should be changed frequently. If not it can lead to health problems which can ultimately shorten the life of the guinea pig.

Guinea pigs need a healthy diet of good quality pellet food. You can also feed them fruits and leafy green vegetables although you need to make sure that you don?t give too many because this can cause health problems. You should make sure that the pellets you are feeding are made for guinea pigs. Different rodents have different nutritional needs so you want to make sure your guinea pig is getting all the vitamins and minerals it needs. Other good treats include dry alfalfa hay and wooden chew toys to help keep the teeth in great shape.

Guinea pigs as pets are wonderful creatures. They can be affectionate and, with a few key pointers, easy to take care of. If you do, you can have a good friend for years to come.

• Maintaining Your Guinea Pig's Appearance by Cary Nelson Maintaining your guinea pig's appearance is not as much of a headache as compared to other pets. Some dog and cat owners reportedly spend hundreds of dollars a month keeping their pets in the latest pet-fashions, on trips to the groomer and on 'beauty products' for maintenance......
• What is in a Proper Guinea Pig Diet? by Tony Palmer Guinea pigs can be fun pets. To keep your pig in tip top shape it is important to know what makes up a balanced guinea pig diet. There are so many different diets available on the market especially if you include the different products that are marketed......
• Common Health Problems for Guinea Pigs by Cary Nelson Guinea pigs are extremely fragile, and are more prone to illness then other pets. We've listed some of the most common symptoms your guinea pig can experience. The Sniffles If you hear and see your pet sneezing, he may have allergies or hay fever. There are many......
• How To Take Care Of Your Guinea Pigs by Cary Nelson A Guide To Adopting, Raising and Caring For Healthy and Happy Guinea Pigs Healthy bodies and happy lives are important to guinea pigs, and here is how you can provide for that. Responsible Ownership Owning a guinea pig is not like owning a toy that can be......

• Heat cost - Tips for reducing yours After seeing my home heating cost at more than $400 last month, I decided to take some drastic action to reduce our overall heating cost.  Right now, I just don't have the budget to make major changes like moving to a more energy efficient heat-pump or converting to a......
• Six Lessons Star Wars Can Teach Us About Money Is Star Wars just a fantasy world or can we learn some things about personal finance too? As a young lad I was exposed to the original trilogy, watching the movies with every sick day I could force out. Many of the broader subjects, like government corruption escaped my......
• Treatment of Breast Cancer Following a breast cancer diagnosis, you are going to need to sit down with your doctors so that you can put together a unique treatment plan. It is important that your treatment of breast cancer be completely unique to your individual situation and your own personal pathology report. The treatment......
• Comparing VoIP Providers For those new to VoIP, it stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol and is a telephone service which enables you to use your broadband connection to make phone calls.There are many telephone service providers offering VoIP, with many new providers entering the market weekly. So, How do you choose......

	Pet House/Pet Bed - Paw Print Collapsible Puppy/Cat House in Pink Sale Price: $29.95
Measures 18"L x 18"W x 18"H.

Written by Warren Tereska using tags: Keeping Guinea Pigs At Home, Keeping Guinea Pigs In The House, Pets, Pets In The House