We’ve already discussed how guinea pigs can see in the dark better than what we can.
They have an ability to get around from place to place in darkness.
It is a skill they have and use because of their instincts as prey animals.
Because of this skill they can go from place to place and get away from their predators easily. They can also sense where each is and communicate with each other.
So if guinea pigs can see in the dark, can they eat in the dark as well?
The thing with guinea pigs is that they sense food with their noses. They like to suss things out before they taste them. In fact their noses are the primary way that they get around. In fact they use them more than their eyes.
So this means that they can still sense when food is near in the dark as well as see it.
They can eat food in the dark without a problem, in fact it has been vital for their survival and why they are still around today.
This means that if you have your guinea pigs inside you can switch the lights off and will be perfectly fine with being in that environment.
If you leave food out for them and then leave them in a darkened room, they will have no problem finding it and it will be gone on your return.
If you have guinea pigs you may think that they may need to be bathed often in order to keep them clean, much like other animals. However there are animals that are adept at keeping themselves clean.
The thing with guinea pigs is that they are creatures that do try and keep themselves as clean as possible. They are pretty good at taking care of themselves and especially if you have a short haired cavy they don’t require much bathing.
Short haired cavies can deal with most dirt and grime on them however there maybe times when guinea pigs do need to be bathed.
1. It’s a good idea to bathe guinea pigs three times a year just to get rid of any stuff that they haven’t manage to deal with. Jackies Guinea pigs recommends not bathing them too often because their skin can become irritated as it can dry out quickly.
2. If your piggies are quite elderly they may get scum built up around their anus and they may need help in getting rid of hat.
3. Your vet may prescribe a medicated bath to help with any conditions that they may have.
4. Long haired cavy breeds require much more attention to their grooming than sort haired cavies. They often require their long hair to be washed because it matts very easily. This especially happens around the anus.
So there are some very good reasons why your guinea pigs should have regular baths, but if you have short haired cavies, don’t feel obliged to bathe them on a regular basis as they are very good at keeping themselves clean and don’t need assistance.
If you are going to bathe your guinea pigs, then gorgeous guineas has some very good shampoos for your guinea pigs and are known as the best around for looking after your guinea pigs hair in a good way.
One of the mistakes that we as owners make (ok, its just me!) is thinking guinea pigs are a lot like us. In some ways they are in the way that they behave but in other ways, they very much have their own characteristics.
When it comes to whether guinea pigs like the dark or not, they are quite different to us. Guinea pigs are quite comfortable living in the dark and have eyes that adjust very easily to dark spaces. They can move around quite freely and are not inhibited by the fact that it is a dark space.
This is because as prey animals, they need the ability to move around tunnels and holes easily and at pace, so they do not struggle with dark spaces at all.
In fact I would say that they prefer darker shaded places more than places of sunlight. In the summer when it was very hot, they did not like being out in he sunlight and would always look to retreat to the shady areas.
I have also experimented with them being in darkened rooms and they are still happy playing Chasing around.
So if you are wondering for example whether you need to leave a light on for your guinea pigs, the answer is no you don’t have to. They are quite happy with the dark and can see better than we can in it.
There are some great ideas out there that guinea pig owners have done for their guinea pigs and I’ve listed eight guinea pig Christmas ideas that you could implement for your guinea pig at Christmas time.
1. Make a Christmas tree for them
Although giving them a real ever green Christmas tree is lethal for them. Why not give them their very own Christmas tree.
What you could do is get some apple or pear tree branches which they absolutely love to chew.
Then decorate hem with veggies and treats that they could pick off and enjoy. You could be creative with this and find some tasty treats for them that they have never had before from either the pet store or some veggies or fruits that they have never sampled.
Leave the tinsel though!
2. Give them the boxes to play in that your toys came in
If your household has presents that come in boxes that you would normally throw away, why not give those boxes to your guinea pigs.
They absolutely adore hiding in boxes and jumping in and out of them. Of course it depends on how big your piggies cage is, but hopefully it is large enough to be able to put small boxes in for them to enjoy.
Watch them move them around and tumble around in them, they will love them.
3. Feed the raw veggie left overs
If you are cooking veggies for your Christmas day meal why not save some raw ones for your guinea pigs.
Before cooking up carrots, broccoli, cabbage, and other things, why not save some for your guinea pigs.
Of course¸before you give them to your guinea pigs, check how much you can give to them so that they do eat the right amount. Of course they can’t eat potatoes, meats and stuffing but they will really enjoy the raw veggies you do give to them.
4. Prepare a special raw veggie meal
If you want to go the extra mile, why not give them a nice meal of fresh vegetables, fruits, salads that you can cut up and put together.
There are guinea pig owners that have come up with some wonderful concoctions for guinea pig meals, and you can be really creative with what you come up with for them so that they too can have a Christmas day meal.
This video is a great example
5. Get them an advent calendar
If this is your type of thing, you can buy guinea pig advent calendars that have a treat behind each door for them.
Advent calendars like this are available on the market but do take care with what treats are behind the doors.
However if you are the creative type, you could always make one which you could put little treats that they would love behind each door for them to eat every day during December.
6. Buy them a guinea pig Christmas present
You could buy them something that they’d really love such as a lovely bed or nest that they would love to cuddle up in.
Places such the winking cavy have some great ideas for guinea pig Christmas presents that you may like to have a look at.
Why not get them something that they haven’t got at the moment like a tube to run through or something nice to chew on.
7. Buy them the best grass hay you can buy
If you don’t fancy concocting a Christmas meal for them, why not buy them the best grass hay you can possibly find that is fresh and green.
Oxbow Timothy hay is always good and guinea pigs go mad for it.
8. guinea pig stockings
You could put together a stocking of little gifts and toys by its cage for you to give to them on Christmas morning if you so wish.
You could buy chews, and other small gifts that they would love to play around with for them.
You could also throw in some lovely veggies such as carrots and peppers that they adore eating. It need not be an expensive exercise either.
Finally….
Of course, guinea pigs have no idea that its Christmas but if they’re part of your family its always nice to include them in the festivities.
There are probably some more great ideas out there that I’ve missed off, but hopefully this post has given you some ideas of your own to help involve your guinea pig in the Christmas festivities.
1. They love to run. If they have the space they love to stretch their legs around round around.
We often let ours run around in a room and they absolutely love it, scampering from place to place and in between furniture.
By giving them open spaces where they can run, you will give them the opportunity to stretch their legs and scamper around. They will absolutely love it.
The only thing you have to watch for is that if you have them run around inside, watch they don’t chew anything you don’t want them to, and poop left on the carpet.
2. Give them Boxes. They love hiding and jumping into boxes, half closed or open. You can be creative with them and cut holes in them, put hay in them or treats.
Shoe boxes are great for this, or other boxes picked up from grocery stores. It doesn’t have to be expensive boxes that you can buy as guinea pig toys.
Any boxes are good for this kind of thing, depending on what you can fit into their cage or living space.
3. Give them things to climb on. Large stones, small tree trunks, blocks, anything they can jump up and climb on. They love to climb up on things and explore new territories.
They will appreciate new textures of surface and interesting layers to clamber on.
Ramps are also good for this. As long it is reachable for them and they can clamber up and down safely they will be happy.
4. Give them other guinea pigs to play and chase with. They love to chase each other around, darting around from place to place.
By having other guinea pigs around to play with, you will ensure your piggies are given the company they need and are able to have fun with each other.
Just make sure they are of the same sex or that they aren’t going to mate with each other.
5. Give them places to explore. They love to try out new places, and are natural explorers. Why not move the run around the yard and give them new places to sniff out and explore.
Just make sure your make sure the area is safe for them and that they can’t run off and escape.
6. Give them hay to jump in. They love to leap into hay and when I lay out hay for them, they go nuts when I stuff their cage full of it to leap into.
Whenever I put new hay into their cages, they wheek for you, and love running into large bundles of hay and hiding and then running out again.
Hay such as meadow hay, is great for this as it is inexpensive and you can buy it easily. The best meadow hay is green and fresh.
Try and avoid yellow hay or hay that is too prickly for them. Also avoid hay that is dusty as it can get into their throats.
7. Give them places to hide in. They love to hide in places, so be creative and give them new places to hide in.
Just like we have discussed with hay, you can also give them other places to hide in such as pigloos, tubes, boxes, pots and all kinds of other things you can find.
8. Give them tubes to run through. Whether its old plastic drainpipes or large cardboard tubes they love running through tubes.
You can also purchase tubes from pet stores if you do not have any to spare. I don’t know what it is about tubes, but there is something about them that guinea pigs just love.
It maybe that they just like to explore and run through tunnels which is the kind of thing they would do in the wild.
You could also make one like this girl here..
9. Give them food stuffed in tubes. They love it when I put hay into an empty toilet tube and give it to them.
They love a challenge of getting the hay out and finding ways of getting to their prize, and is a really fun thing for them to do. Anything to do with food goes down well with them.
10. Give them a cosy environment. They will play in places where they feel comfortable. This means creating environments where it is not too hot and not too cold.
So take care of the temperature of their home ensuring it doesn’t go below 15 degrees celcius and above 25 degrees celcius.
They don’t like direct sunlight and will naturally retreat to shade.
So by setting an environment where they feel comfortable, they will feel more comfortbale playing. Just like us really!
Changing your guinea pigs bedding is something that can get a real pain but it is a necessary thing if you want to keep your guinea pigs cage in a good state.
Most of my experience with guinea pigs has unfortunately come through trial and error so I’ve had times when I’ve let it go a week or so without changing their bedding, but I’ve learnt that the more often I change it, the more my guinea pigs appreciate it.
Most guinea pigs recommend daily spot cleaning which means scooping out the poop and any urine stained newspaper.
This is pretty good advice.
Have you ever laid newspaper down for your guinea pigs to walk on and left it to see how long it stays in its same condition.
After 24 hours it is guaranteed to be stained and sodden with urine. So with that, I try and change any newspaper daily.
It is also worth checking the hay to make sure it is in a good state. If you think it needs changing, then change it. Guinea pigs love fresh hay that is dry, and I lay down meadow hay for mine.
When they see fresh hay, especially laid out in large bundles they go nuts!
Meadow Hay is great for this as it is not expensive at all like Timothy Hay and can be purchased easily from any good pet store.
Make sure it looks green and is not too dried out though.
So how often should I change my guinea pigs bedding?
So I have found that the ideal time period to change a guinea pigs bedding is on a daily basis for newspaper, and then hay every 2-3 days.
By doing this you will ensure that your guinea pigs live in a good state that they are happy in. I can tell that my guinea pigs aren’t happy when I leave their cage unclean for couple of days, believe it or not. Especially when I’m on holiday and they’re just being fed.
You will also ensure that the cage stays fresh and free of urine smells which can become very smelly if you don’t keep on top of it.
With two male guinea pigs there can be occasions where you need to separate them. This is especially the case as they get to know each other because there will be plenty of uncertainty and a play for being the dominant guinea pig in the territory.
Usually when you have two males in a cage there is the usual chattering of teeth and chasing each other around.
This is quite normal for male guinea pigs living together, but occasionally things may escalate and get more serious.
When this happens there are some things that you could do to ease the situation and calm things down a bit;
1. Divide up the cage
If you have a cage that is big enough, consider putting a divider in the cage to give the guinea pigs some time out from each other.
C&C cages are great for this and can easily be divided up if so required.
But other cages can be divided up easily with a bit of creativity and some sturdy dividers that can either be purchased or found around the home.
By dividing up the cage you create an enforced separation so they can scent each other but can’t at each other for a while. The useful thing about doing this is that it will give them some time out and allow them to calm down, it will give them the chance to acclimatise with having another guinea pig around and understand what it is to live with each other.
When you feel the time is right, you can then take the divide out to allow them some time together again.
2. Create hide outs for the guinea pigs
Give the two guinea pigs a place to hide from each other. Giving them hideouts allows them to have their own space. They can be anything from a shoebox to a purpose built pigloo which are excellent for guinea pigs to retreat to.
Guinea pigs do appreciate their own space even though they are herd animals and will look to set out their territory. Having a retreat like this will help them to feel more comfortable in the surroundings.
3. Make sure they get enough food
Try and ensure that there is enough food in the cage so that they don’t fight over what scraps there are. When there is more than enough food, they are less likely to fight over it. Make sure that they have plenty of hay, and vitamin c foods, water and also ensure that they have a good variety of veggies.
4. Put them in separate cages
If you consider the situation serious enough, then it could be worth putting them in separate cages. Like dividing up the cage as we discussed above, putting them in separate cages will allow them time out from each other and to get used to the scent of each other.
Your cage may not be the type that you can divide up easily, so this is a good option.
Then consider putting them together again to spend spend more time together, before separating them again. Only put them together permanantly when you are happy that they are not going to fight any more.
5. Clean out the cage often
When you clean out the cage often, it gets rid of the scent partially of the guinea pigs and so will help to de-mark the territory.
This will help to ease tension with the piggies and help them to accept each other more.
Clean it as thoroughly as you can with special antibacterial spray for cleaning out pet cages and refresh it with new hay and newspaper.
6. Give them distractions
Make the cage interesting for them by giving them distractions in the cage.
This will provide some respite for the sparring guinea pigs. Things like branches, logs, tunnels, balls, lots of hay that they can crawl in and hide in and other things such as this provide a welcome distraction for guinea pigs.
These are some suggestions that you could use to stop your guinea pigs from fighting. Do you have any further things that have worked for you. I would love to hear about them.
When getting a guinea pig for the first time, it is hard to know what to do with them as there is no experience of dealing with them until now.
When we got our first guinea pig he was a very jumpy piggie and dashed around his cage, so much so you could barely catch him.
But as we got to know more about guinea pigs we realised how much value there was in regularly holding them.
Un beknown to us they really love to be held.
Holding a guinea pig is the way you get to know them and the way they get to know you.
You can find out about what they are like, how they respond to you, what there character traits are.
It will also give you chance to understand about their bodies and keep an eye on them for any defects.
By holding your guinea pig often you also gain its trust.
It will get to know you and who you are. It will find out about you.
They are natural prey animals which means that they are very jumpy animals. They naturally run away from any beings that dare to cross its path. So by spending time with it giving it physical touch you build trust with it.
You teach them that you are not scary and should be someone that they can trust because you wont bring them harm and actually can give them a lot of love and affection.
This is why anyone who owns guinea pigs should pig them up gently and handle them with care.
They will welcome this and respond in kind with a hearty purr.
If you keep you guinea pig outside or in an outhouse, then this becomes more necessary as it’s easy to only see them when you feed them. But try and set aside time to see them and handle them. Handling time can be just as important as feeding time.
When they are housed inside, you become more aware of them and they become more part of the family. This is one of the reasons why its better to keep them inside than out.
Your family will also be more aware of them and handle them more as well.
The more you handle them, the more they will respond to you so try and do it often. It will be worth it!
For more information on how to handle a guinea pig, check out this post
Before I get started, I just want to put it out there that I only review books I have read and have liked. I never blog about books that I haven’t read or haven’t liked so can only review those that I would recommend to friends.
(Brief Disclosure: the links below are affiliate links that will earn me a commission if you purchase through them. If you do, I absolutely appreciate it and if you have any questions about the book then feel free to contact me. )
I had often heard people talk about the Guinea Pig Family Pet Guide by Peter Gurney. It is a book that is beloved by guinea pig owners and many have said it is one of the best out there.
Having never read it, I was keen to find out why.
Peter Gurney is the author of many different books on guinea pigs.
He trained with the Cambridge Cavy Trust and set up his own guinea pig refuge and at the time of writing his book, had seventy guinea pigs in his home.
He also educates school children and takes his guinea pigs to see sick children at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.
Across eight chapters the book covers
• Origin and history
• Acquiring a guinea pig
• Housing your guinea pig
• Feeding your guinea pig
• Handling and grooming
• Behaviour
• Breeding Basic Healthcare
It is aimed as a practical guide for the family and It is a wonderfully simple book written by someone who really loves guinea pigs. Peter Gurney makes use of wonderful photographs which are immaculately presented so much so that we fall in love with the guinea pigs.
He seems to be a man who really knows his subject. Gurney mentions in his book that he has 40 sows living in his living room and has been studying guinea pigs for thirteen years up to the year the book was written (1999)
This really shows up especially in the chapter describing guinea pig behaviour which is wonderfully descriptive.
The rest of the chapters give wonderful descriptions of their subject whilst not going into too much detail but giving enough for people to take in.
It is a light read and I read it in an hour as it consisted of 127 pages of very readable narrative.
I would recommend Peter Gurney’s A practical guide to caring for your guinea pig for any guinea pig lover.
It is fascinating and will really enhance your knowledge and love of guinea pigs.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I bought my copy from amazon, and you can do so here if you want.
When we got our first guinea pig, there were many things that we thought we needed as a first time owner.
A hutch for it to stay in, a water bottle to drink out of, food for it to eat, hay to chew, and wood shavings to put on the floor of the hutch.
This is what the previous owner even said that’s what we needed and even the girl in the pet store said that’s what we needed.
So we happily went along with this for many months.
Finding out more about guinea pig care.
As our passion for guinea pig care grew, we became more aware of the things that we should be doing to get better at looking after guinea pigs.
One of these things was to be more aware of what we were using for bedding.
Most people have no problem with laying down wood shavings for bedding, but when researching guinea pig rescues in the UK, I came across some videos that Wood Green Animal Shelter put together for guinea pig owners. In particularly this one
One of the things they mentioned, and were quite adamant about was that you should never use wood shavings or sawdust as bedding for guinea pigs.
This took me by surprise as I had never before heard such an exclamation, but got me intruigued as to why.
The benefits of wood shavings for guinea pigs
So why are wood shavings used so much for guinea pig bedding?
They are very cheap to purchase,
they are very easy to sweep up and throw away,
they are biodegradable,
They absorb pee
They provide a comfortable bed for piggies to sleep on
So taking all this into consideration, the question that I hadn’t considered which ‘Wood Green’ had stimulate was ‘are wood shavings safe for guinea pigs?’
If you buy them in pet stores or supermarkets, they are marketed as being environmentally friendly, biodegradable and easy to use. Which of course sounds great.
Other guinea pig owners had warned of the dangers of using cedar and pine shavings because of the long term damage they do to guinea pigs.
Here’s what else I found;
Inhaling sawdust will make the guinea pig vulnerable to difficulties in breathing and infection
They remove the oils from skin and leave them feeling dry.
Wood shavings can cause skin problems such as fungal infections
They can cause eye problems when particles irritate the eye.
They can cause ulcers on the feet.
Although they may not show it at first, being in an environment where they are constantly around wood shavings and even worse, sawdust, will cause then health problems in later life.
I started to look more closely at the content of wood shavings, and I was interested to find that a lot of wood shaving packs did not disclose what types of wood they were using for their shavings. Why did they not want to let on what they were using?
I had a pack of wood shavings that did not disclose what type of wood they were, and I had to contact the retailer directly to find out. They came back to say that they were ‘pine shavings’.
So taking all this into consideration, what alternatives are there?
Alternatives to wood shavings for guinea pigs
Carefresh is a man made bedding for piggies which is non-toxic wood shavings substitute
Meadow Hay is an option that many piggie owners use to lay down, providing comfort and warmth for your guinea pig.
Megazorb is a highly absorbant bedding, which is non toxic and is made from wood pulp.
Vetbed is a pro-fleece product that can absorb pee very easily. Can be washed in a washing machine. Very comfortable for piggies.
Fleece is often used by piggie owners often in indoor cages. Needs to be washed on a daily basis though.
Newspaper is a basic option but effective all the same. Needs to be changed often if used on its own. Owners often use newspaper as a base bedding and then put other bedding such as hay on top.
Shredded paper can be purchased from large pet stores or you can shred your own. Provides a comfortable non toxic bed for your piggie.
Hutch Hemp is made from the soft core of the hemp plant now grown in this country to produce fine paper, rope, textiles and animal bedding.
A choice to make
Of course, it is up to you what you use for your guinea pig bedding.
If you continue to use wood shavings, do take into consideration the points made above.
Your guinea pig may seem fine, but not wanting mine to suffer in silence, I stopped using wood shavings because of this.
Its not expensive at all to switch. Some of the options mentioned above, are not very expensive at all. Indeed, meadow hay is cheaper than wood shavings!
You could save your piggie a lot of bother in the long run.
If you are looking for more reading on the subject this article from North East Guinea Pig Rescue is great on the subject.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
