Bumblefoot is a good reason to have a solid floor on your Guinea Pig Hutch
If you haven’t heard of bumblefoot before then it might come as a surprise to you to know that your Guinea Pigs can get a disease from wire on the floor of their hutch.
Bumblefoot is a disease that attacks the feet of your Guinea Pig. It’s an inflammatory infection and causes lesions and swelling on the pads of the feet of your Guinea Pigs. It is commonly caused by using wire on the bottom of the hutch, possibly because the wire causes cuts on the pads on the bottom of the feet. Then infection enters.
If you suspect that your favourite pet has bumblefoot then have a look at the pads on the bottom of his feet. If you can see any dark marks or lesions then take him to the vet. Read the rest of this entry
Things needed for a great hutch
Guinea pigs are great pets and they require a safety shelter and giving them a great hutch is wonderfully nice. There are lots of hutches that you can buy in local pet stores near you but then you have to check its quality and consider some of these things before you buy one.
The hutch must be waterproofed. In order to protect the hutch from rotting, it is needed that the hutch be coated in a preservative so as to protect it from the rain, and from your guinea pig’s urine, dropping, and spilled water. It is vital that you choose a preservative that is safe for animals or else you might end up getting your pet ill. If you are planning to keep your little pet indoors, like a shed, then this step is less dangerous and can still help prolong the life of the hutch.
Moreover, during the winter season, it is important that you protect your guinea pigs from elements. The hair of your little pet will thicken naturally to provide them extra warmth but then you still need to shelter them from the rain and cold wind. As much as possible, move the hutch inside, may it be in a shed or other building. More so, you can also hang a piece of carpet over the hutch in order to provide more protection, but never leave them like this all day long. Even when it is winter, they like to get some plenty of sunlight.
Another important consideration upon buying a great hutch is the size of it. As to any type of guinea pig cage, the bigger the hutch, the better it would be. Cavies are considerably larger than most other small pets and giving them enough space is truly nice. You should also give your guinea pigs plenty of room to run around and enough space to be alone whenever they want to. It is also vital that you offer them a large, unobstructed area so that they can run without hesitation at full speed. Read the rest of this entry
Guinea pigs always love to run around at great speeds. One of the most important things that you can offer to your little pet is a home where there is plenty of room to perform this kind of ability. They can play inside it and at the same get their exercise. This will ensure that your pet is living healthy and its happiness and long life is a guarantee.
The guinea pig hutch is your pet’s lovely home and it should be sufficiently large enough to allow them run laps. They love to this and it is basically great for them. A great hutch would be a seven and eight square feet for a single guinea pig, but it is recommended that you get at least two since they are sociable creatures and they would do better with a companion. A ten or eleven square feet hutch is best for two guinea pigs. A single guinea pig has a dimension of 2.4 feet by 3.0 feet and a hutch for two of them may measure 3.0 feet by 3.5 feet.
Ensure that the hutch has wire walls surrounding it and not a glass enclosure like an aquarium. Aquariums are great for fish but they are not meant for guinea pigs. The wire-walled hutch gives your pet great ventilation and will help keep the cage dryer and smells better too. Also, fresh air is better for guinea pigs.
However, the floor of the hutch is not made from wire because the wire mesh is hard on your guinea pigs small feet and they might get caught up in the mesh. The floor needs to solid but it should not be made with wood either. A wooden floor tends to soak up the urine of your guinea pig and can be a source of bad smells and a breeding place for bacteria. A plastic hutch is the most common and also very easy to clean. There are those plastic floors that can slide in and out easily. If you have this one, the better.
Also, having a good size door into the hutch is also a great idea. This will allow an easier access for cleaning out the cage and this will also make it easy for you to reach your pet and remove him from the cage without hurting your little pet. Read the rest of this entry
