There are several types of long hair guinea pigs. the most common long haired breeds with straight hair is the peruvian, coronet, and the silkie/sheltie. The most common curly long haired breeds are the lunkarya and texel. Long hair guinea pigs are a lot of work. Their hair needs to be trimmed frequently especially near the butt. If you do not trim their butt area, they will most likely end up with a UTI. They do need cut all over their body because the debris will get tangled in their hair and will matt. Most people think that cutting a guinea pigs' hair on their own will make them look butchered. It doesn't really matter what their hair looks like unless they are a show pig. The comfort and health of the guinea pig is more important than their looks. If you don't like how they look with shorter hair in the butt area, you can cut all of their hair. You probably won't find a groomer that does guinea pigs, and if you do they will have to go very frequently, so cost will build up. Do not shave your guinea pig! Shaving guinea pigs is bad because it takes away the protectiveness from their fur. Along with taking away the protective layer, it makes them sensitive to temperature because they are accustomed to live according to their hair type. A long hair guinea pig can be in colder temperatures than short hairs, but shaving them will make them cold. It also ruins their natural fur. Cutting air is way more natural than shaving! You also want to brush frequently. Brush at least every other day. Their hair will become really matted and nasty if you do not brush it regularly. Coronet
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Hay is the most important part of a guinea pig's diet. They need hay to keep their digestive system going and keep the gut normal. The hay also helps them keep their forever growing teeth trimmed down. We know that timothy hay is the main type that should be provided, but does it matter where the hay comes from? Does the brand matter? This is a question that guinea pig owners argue about all the time. I stand on the side that you want to get a good brand of hay.
When you have a lot of guinea pigs in the house, you know that you go through hay very quickly because it needs to be given without a limit. It can be cheaper to get big bales from feed stores, but is that the best option? When you get hay from a feed store, there is a chance that pesticides or other harmful things could be in the hay because that hay is meant for large animals that can deal with a little leniency with what they digest. The hay will probably not be the best quality either. The hay is probably dusty and softer. There is also a higher chance of moldiness. It is safest to get hay from a petstore just in case. Another cheap route people take is buying the cheap brand of hay from the petstore. You don't want to do this for sure. The cheap hay is often not a great quality. The hay is usually dusty and not long stranded, which won't do much for their teeth. A lot of the cheap brand hay also contains hay mites, which can aggravate your pigs. If you are getting hay from the petstore, you should chose the Oxbow brand. It is kind of expensive, but it is the best quality hay ever, and it works wonders for the piggies! When your hay shipment comes in, you should check it before feeding your piggies. Make sure it is not wet and moldy smelling. If it feels and smells fresh, then it is probably fine. You also want to make sure it is not full of hard stick things. It should be somewhat soft. The hay shouldn't be little tiny grasslike pieces, it should be long stranded hay that is soft, but thicker than grass. A little crunchiness to the hay is okay, but you don't want it to be like sticks. There is a type of guinea pig known as cuy. Cuys are a large breed of guinea pigs originally bred in Peru as food. Cuy are around 5-8 pounds, but semi- cuy are now being reported at about 3-4 pounds. They are way more skittish than regular guinea pigs, and can jump fairly high, so C&C cages are not a good thing for cuy unless it's two grids high or has a top. Another interesting fact is that almost every cuy guinea pig is a ginger, or a ginger with white. Cuys usually have defects such as extra toes. It's still being argued if their life span is shorter, some live normal lives, but most die a little bit younger at around 2-3 according to reports. Many cuys do not get along with regular guinea pigs, but it is completely possible to pair them. These guinea pigs are turning up commonly in Californian rescues, and now they are starting to turn up in Petco and Petsmart stores everywhere. They are not a desirable pet for those that know what they are getting their self into, but if you are experienced with guinea pigs and don't mind the commitment, a cuy is worth a shot. This picture below is a cuy guinea pig next to a regular guinea pig that looks a little big, so it's possibly a semi- cuy. I've never seen a cuy up close, but I've researched them several times and would love to have one. Picture from Wee Companions
C&C cages are easy DIY cages that are a great option when building guinea pig cages. They are very large for the price. Most pet store cages are way too small, and are referred to as glorrified litter boxes. Pet store cages are also very expensive. C&C cages are made with wire storage cube grids as the outside, and coroplast (corrugated plastic) for the bottom. The storage cubes can be ordered from Target or Walmart, and coroplast can be found in sign shops. They are easy to put together! You can use the connectors to put the grids together, or you cann use zipties. The coroplast is the hardest part because you have to cut, score, and fold. If you don't want to build your C&C cage, you could purchase one from guineapigcages.com. C&C cages are very customizable. There are multiple colors of grids and connectors, along with a rainbow of colors of coroplast. You can make whatever size and shape you want! Many people make stands for storage, tops to keep other animals out, lofts to add another room, and much more! They are really neat and I recommend them. This is my cage below (left), I used wood and linoleum instead of coroplast, but the rescue cage is made with coroplast (right), which I find much easier.
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AuthorJust a guinea pig lover that wants to give advice and spread the knowledge! |