Aunty and Uncle The Guinea Pigs

Guinea Pigs

Guinea Pig, or cavies are small mammals originated from the South America. They enjoyed a widespread of popularity as a household pet due to their docile nature and responsiveness to handling and feeding which make them relative ease to manage them. Therefore, today we will introducing “Uncle” and “Aunty” which are two guinea pigs belong to one of our friend.

Uncle - The male guinea pig 

Aunty - The female guinea pig

Guinea pigs can grow 20 to 25 cm in length and weight over 700 to 1200g.  A typical guinea pig will live an average of four to five years, but a well maintained guinea pig will live as long as eight years. Guinea pigs rarely bite and are good pets for children who are old enough to handle them with care and treat them with respect. The most common breeds are the Smooth-Coated, Abyssinian and Peruvian.

Housing

A minimum space of eight square is all a guinea pig needs. However, they are very sociable thus most owner will have a pair of guinea pig which will double the amount of space. Besides that, they also have a sensitive paw pads which means they will need a solid flooring instead of the wire-bottomed cage. Other than that, guinea pig prefers a hiding place such as plastic tubes or wooden boxes that are available in most of the pet supply stores.

Plastic ball for them to exercise

The cage for Aunty and Uncle

Diet

Commercial guinea pig pellets will fulfil a guinea pig’s diet. There are a variable of guinea pig pellets that could be obtain from any pet supply stores. Most of these pellets are made from plants, seeds and vegetables. It is recommended to feed a guinea pig twice a day. However, owners should be aware that guinea pig cannot produce Vitamin C thus we should ensure our guinea pig are able to gain enough of the Vitamin C by feeding them fruits or vegetables that are high in C.

Normal guinea pig pellets

Overall, guinea pigs will make a great start as a pet for children that are ready to bear the responsibility because they are easy to take care and with a lower cost of taking care.