subject: Caring for Guinea Pigs – Playful Pets [print this page] A guinea pig makes a great pet for any child over five years old. While caring for guinea pigs will take a little help from the adults. While the children will enjoy playing with this rodent, someone will have to take the responsibility when it comes to guinea pig health and well-being. There are preventive measures you can take that avoid guinea pig illnesses, and helps keep them healthy. Do you have a new pet that was gifted to your child? Do you have any idea how to care for the new pet? Then the following tips on how to care for your new pet will provide you with some answers.
Guinea pig homes
The good news for the owners of these new pets is that they do not need a lot of room in their home. Your new pet can live in a special cage or a ten gallon aquarium, both of which can be purchased at the local pet store at a reasonable cost. When buying a cage, you will want to make sure that it has a solid floor so your pet does not trip up and injure their ankles accidentally. The bottom of the cage or aquarium will need to be lined with pine shavings, paper pellets, and hay or straw. Avoid using cedar chips because of the way that cedar absorbs urine, and this will cause problems for your pet's feet. Do not use strips of newspapers to line the bottom of the cage as the ink in the newsprint will be harmful to your pet.
Feeding your pet
Your local pet store will carry nutritious food mixes that you can feed your pet. While purchasing the special mixes from the pet shop will be good for them; you will also have to supplement their diet with fresh fruits and vegetables to keep them healthy. Most special mixes are high in alfalfa, the mainstay of their diet, but they also need vitamin C to prevent them from becoming ill. You need to keep their immune systems strong by adding this supplement to their water bottle. While most fruits and vegetables can be used to feed your pet, you'll want to avoid broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, as this will upset their digestive tracks.
Allergies
Upper respiratory illnesses are the most common ailment you will face with your new pet. Cold and flu germs can be passed from humans to your pet, so if you are ill do not handle the pet. In addition to passing the germs to your pet, they are also allergic to the medications humans use to combat the colds and flu's we get, and penicillin can kill them. If your pet begins to lose weight, it is a sure sign that they are ill. Another sign that indicates that your pet is ill is if you begin to see any discharge from their eyes or nose. Proper treatment for a pet that is ill should be conducted in conjunction with your veterinarian.
Caring for guinea pigs can be shared with your child when it comes to feeding and cleaning the home. While the guinea pig health concerns should be handled by an adult who can look for the signs of illness. What is most important is any guinea pig illnesses are treated immediately by your veterinarian.
