Buying Guide For Guinea Pigs

Guinea pigs are great pets to have, but they do require a lot from their owner. They need to have all the appropriate goodies in their large cage; they need a special diet, lots of attention and loads more. So if you are interested in getting yourself a guinea pig, make sure you are going to have the time to care for it the correct way. They are very clean animals, they hardly bite and they are relatively calm. Their lifespan on average is 5-7 years but they are known to sometimes live till 10 or more years. It also doesn’t cost all that much money, if you follow this buying guide for guinea pig, it should come to a lot less than you expected! But before you just go out and buy a guinea pig, there are a few things you should know;

There are many different places you could go to pick out your guinea pig, but firstly, go to someone that breeds them if you are interested in a certain breed of guinea pig or if you want a guinea pig with a pedigree. If you are not looking for a certain breed, you can visit your local pet store or animal shelter. As any buying guide for guinea pig would tell you, these are not easy pets to have! You have to be 100% sure that you want a guinea pig; these animals can not be neglected! Before you get the guinea pig, you have to make sure you have everything they will need to get them settled down quickly. First things first, Here are the bare necessities;

A Cage – this is very important, your guinea pig needs a cage big enough for them to
Move freely. They need all the space they can get. It is also advised that you
Do not purchase a cage that has a wire bottom as this may injure their feet.

The Bedding – there are many different things one could use as bedding for a guinea pig, but in this buying guide for guinea pig, the best solutions are:

Chopped cardboard – tear up a small cardboard box but be sure to not tear hard pieces that could injure the piggie. It doesn’t make any dust either. Don’t make the pieces too small, just roughly 3cm.
Finacard – this is almost the same as Ecobed, except it is shredded instead of chopped and the guinea pigs seem to love it. The only problem is it doesn’t seem to stay clean as long as the others do; it’s also very allergy-safe.
Carefresh – according to other guinea pig owners, this is the best form of bedding to use. It is absorbent and it doesn’t smell easily.
Megazorb – this product is similar to Carefresh, just cheaper. It might not deliver the exact results, but it’s the closest you’ll get to Carefresh. It absorbs well, easy to clean and keeps the smell well hidden.
Shredded paper – this is the cheaper solution if you are on a budget. It is soft paper, its flakes so the guinea pig won’t get tangled in it and it is not dusty.

Plenty of Food – in this buying guide for guinea pig, food is extremely important! Guinea pigs mostly eat pellets but some other foods like vegetables, fresh greens and vitamin C are good for them.

Chew Toy – this is also a rather important part of a buying guide for guinea pig. When you purchase one of these for your pet, make sure it is wooden and has no small parts that can come off, preferably just a plain wooden block. This is important as it gives the guinea pig something to do and it also file’s their teeth. Their teeth grow their entire lives, so it is important that they file them down by chewing, or they might get too big for the little one’s mouth.

A Covered Sleeping Box – as long as this is a box with a top, its fine. Also, there must be an opening for the animal to move in and out freely.

A Water Bottle – with a soft teat for them to drink from. Make sure they have water at all times.

Now, the final steps of the buying guide for guinea pig; choose the guinea pig that looks healthy, playful and activate. Watch out for ones that are coughing, sneezing or have discharge around their eyes, nose or ears.

If you like this article, then you might be interested in getting the "The Ultimate Guide To Happy Healthy Guinea Pigs by Rachel Garlick" guide. It has some amazing facts on how to keep your Guinea Pig fed correctly and what food to avoid, keeping your treasured pet safe, healthy and Happy.

Click here to read our review of "Ultimate Guide To Happy Healthy Guinea Pigs".

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