Cavy Care

By Lynne and Steve Parezo

They are fuzzy. They are furry.  They come in a variety of colors.  They squeak.  They whistle.  They coo.  They are small.  They are spirited.   They are precious.  They are Guinea Pigs or Cavies.

If you’re a small animal lover and haven’t experienced the joy of having a GP, you’re definitely missing something special.  If you take the time to get to know them, cavies can add a lot of joy and love to your life. While their time here is short they certainly make lasting impressions.

Looking after the health of your cavies is very important. Indeed, we’ve spared no expense when it’s come to taking care of our GPs.

Regular vet visits are recommended to have your GP checked for overall health.  GPs nails will also need to be trimmed regularly and this is a good time for a checkup.

Homes

Homes for GPs should have plenty of room for roaming and have a solid floor.  Wire floors can harm a GPs sensitive feet and are not recommended under any circumstances.  The most efficient type of cage is one with a metal cage top for sufficient ventilation and a plastic removable bottom for easy cleaning. 

Cages should contain:

• Water bottle- large enough for a full days water
• Hay rack- Removable metal racks are recommended for easy cleaning
• Food bin- Metal racks that hang on the side of the cage are recommended to keep food from being contaminated and for easy cleaning
• Hideaway- Pigs like a sheltered dark spot to hide.  You can accomplish this with a hideaway of some sort of by covering part of the cage with a blanket to make a dark corner.

Cages should be lined with bedding made from soft pine shavings, aspen shavings or CareFRESH which is a product made from wood pulp fiber. Cages should be cleaned at least every other day and preferably daily.

When it’s hot outside, GPs and their human counterparts, like to take siestas. Just like us, GPs need air conditioning.  Although they should never be placed directly in front of a vent where they could catch a cold, GPs should be in a room where they have a source of fresh, cool air.  During the hot weather we put less bedding in our GP’s house because she likes to clear the bedding away for a spot on the plastic foundation.  It’s cooler for her that way as she stretches out flat in what we call her “pancake” position.

Diet

Diet for a GP is extremely important.  GPs must have sufficient Vitamin C or they suffer from Scurvy.  The best diet for a GP contains the following:

• Timothy Hay- Unlimited amounts.  This is extremely important for overall health.  Try to find the freshest product possible.  Oxbow Hay Company makes an excellent product and you can order it online or purchase it at a pet store.

• Good Quality Pellets- 1/8-1/4 cup per day.  Check the packaging thoroughly to make certain they contain sufficient Vitamin C.  Oxbow makes two excellent products called Cavy Cuisine and Cavy Performance that contain all of the necessary vitamins and nutrients. 

• Fresh Vegetables and Fruits- 1-1½ cups daily.  The majority should be items that are high in vitamin C like dark leafy greens (Turnip, kale, collard, spinach etc.) or parsley which our GP loves.  Keep a variety so your GP does not get bored and add a few carrots, apple slices or broccoli for variety.  We had one GP that loved strawberries and they have a fairly good amount of vitamin C. 

 Try to feed your GPs around the same time every day (morning and evening).  Who said GPs can’t tell time?  Our GPs have all been able to tell time and have let us know if it is near dinner time by emitting a series of protests, usually by squeaking or making a type of annoyed whining sound.

 GP Language

GPs have their own language since they coo, wheek-wheek and when excited, squeal with high-pitched whistles. 

 What is my GP saying? 

• Coos- Reassurance.  Is everything o.k.?  I am not so sure of this situation.  Sometimes as a sign of affection.

• Wheeks or Squeaks- May I have your attention please!  Feed me or I am not too happy.  Sometimes just to get your attention. 

• Popcorning- Happy sound.  A series of chortling sounds usually when exploring.

• Hopping- Happy/High spirits.  Our GP hops when her hay rack is being filled or when she is out running around and having a good time.

• Head-butts- Humph!  When Mommy or Daddy are trying to pet the GP and they would much rather be fed.

• Teeth Clacking- Unhappy sound.  When a GP feels threatened.

Overall Care

If you’re going to have a cavy just to let it stay in its house all day with very little interaction with you and with the same-old diet, please don’t do it.  It’s not fair to the little one.  How would you like to see the same walls each day and eat the same old thing? Not too much fun is it?   

Let them roam!  When it’s time to clean our GP’s house, we carefully block off areas where she may easily slip under and let her run around the room.  GPs love investigating new things and we try to keep her from getting bored by placing interesting (but safe) items around the room for her to run under and explore.  We encourage her to explore her territory but not to hide in an area where she might get trapped, stuck or even hurt.  That would be traumatic for a GP as well as Mommy and Daddy. 

Some folks can’t imagine letting their GP out of their house each day to let them toddle and explore but both rodent and human benefit immeasurably from the experience.  Allowed to roam free, GPs demonstrate new personality traits.  They become more animated, making new sounds and hopping as they discover new sights in their surroundings.  If GPs are not always left in their cages, they and their caretakers will experience this delightful side to these adorable creatures. 

Never Take Them For Granted 

GPs have an all too brief stay on earth so it’s up to us to make their time here as pleasant as possible.  Never take them for granted because they have feelings, likes and dislikes, and can experience pleasure and pain.  They can be bratty, demonstrating their displeasure with head-butts and backtalk.  Yet they are naturally dear and gentle creatures.  Recent scientific evidence links cavies more closely to humans than rodentia.  Now that’s certainly worth squeaking about.