HOW CAN I CHECK THATA MY GUINEA PIGS ARE HEALTHY?

Feed the correct diet and don’t feed pet shop treats. Inspect your guinea pig every day, making sure that its feet are not swollen, its eyes are clear, and its skin and fur is fine. Guinea pigs can suffer from skin diseases which, if they are not treated result in fits and death. They also develop tooth problems unless they have plenty of hay and tough grass to eat.

HOW DO I KEEP MY GUINEA PIGS HEALTHY IN SPRING

Don’t just stick your guinea pig out in a run on fresh grass. If it pigs out on new grass, it may suffer from gastric bloat – a real emergency. So put it out for only 15 minutes daily for the first week, slowly increasing the time week by week. Or cover up all but a small portion of the grass in the first week – about one square foot – slowly increasing the size week by week. Make sure the run is fox proof – see later FAQ.		 Copyright Peter Gurney
Copyright Peter Gurney
HOW DO I KEEP MY GUINEA PIG HEALTHY IN SUMMER?

Guinea pigs suffer from heat stroke, so don’t keep their cage or run in direct sunlight. Inspect the hutch daily and clean it carefully. Fly strike, when maggots hatch out in a dirty hutch and eat into the guinea pigs bottom, will kill it. There is a rabbit product called Rearguard, which your vet may be able to prescribe for guinea pigs. It kills maggots and lasts for several weeks.
If your guinea pig is getting a dirty bottom, it may be because it is not eating its night time droppings and these are lying around in the hutch. This happens when a guinea pig is fed too rich a diet. Feed much more fibre in the form of more hay and grass, only a few pellets, and no pet shop treats.
Guinea pigs and other small pets can die of heat stress if they are left in hot cars. They should be transported in a wire cage, not a closed box, with a piece of apple or celery to provide fluid. Either put on the air conditioning or leave an open window for the air to circulate during the journey.

HOW DO I KEEP MY GUINEA PIG HEALTHY IN WINTER?

Make sure that the front of the hutch is not open to driving rain – damp is bad for guinea pigs. In cold weather move the hutch inside a garden shed, outhouse or kitchen – not the garage since car fumes can kill them. If the hutch is not completely weatherproof, it is essential to buy a new hutch. Damp kills…. If the water bottle is freezing at night, it is too cold to keep the hutch out of doors. You MUST move it into the house or a shed.
You can also keep guinea pigs warm at night with a SnuggleSafe microwave heat pad from www.snugglesafe.co.uk. These can be put in a hutch overnight even if there is no electricity supply. It’s vital to follow instructions, not to overheat, and to cover the device with cloth or its own covering, as well as hay, so the guinea pigs do not burn themselves on it. These stay warm for up to 12 hours.