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

The best home for your guinea pig

Always bear in mind that the bigger the cage, the better the condition of your guinea pig. For health and well-being regarding your guinea pig, it is important that you provide them a large living area as much as possible. There are cages that are easy and inexpensive as an alternative to the small cages used by breeders and those that are sold at your local pet stores.

The standard for a minimum cage is 7.5 or 10.5 square feet and you can see to it that your little pet’s behavior improves otherwise. You can deliberately enjoy new tricks of your happier, healthier, and much perkier guinea pigs when exposed to a proper environment.

Most panels are 14 inches square and allow the connector between the grids and one panel or cube is wider than a foot. It is important that you do not use grids with inner square spaces that are greater than 1.5 inches. Ensure that you are using the right kind. There are brands that have different size and will require you to measure differently or overlapping some grids using cable ties rather than connectors. Take note that you measure it twice, but cut it once.

There are also precautions that should be taken into consideration too. Babies, very young or very small guinea pigs, and pregnant mothers may require some temporary additional height that must be place on the sides of the cage. More so, any wire hay rack must be used with caution when it comes to very small guinea pigs.

There is also the old breeder-espoused cage standard that measures two or four square feet, but this no longer apply these days. The new standards set today have been proven over the years with worldwide adoption and success.

You might be asking why a big cage for your guinea pig is needed. Pet store-sized cages are glorified litter boxes. Animals should not be force to live in a litter box. Providing your cavy a bigger cage will promote exercise and exploration space that is very vital for their long-term health and happiness. Read the rest of this entry

Make your guinea pigs happy and cheerful.

Guinea pigs are adorable little pets and they love to run around their hutch. Here is why you need to provide your guinea pig more space. When they have more space, they tend to be happier, healthier and will show you more of its tricks.

Exercise is generally the main idea as to why they need more space. The health benefit of exercise for guinea pigs is truly important for them. Like humans, overweight guinea pigs will have a greater tendency toward health problems. This includes heart disease, diabetes, bladder infections, respiratory problems and even humblefoot.

Adult males may develop impaction. A condition in which they loss muscle tone in the anal area and this can cause their droppings to get ‘backed up’ and this requires cleaning as often by their guardians. A large cage with enough room for exercise activity can help your guinea pig keep healthy, toned, and fit.

Moreover, adult females tend to put on weight in their belly as they get older. It would be more difficult to find and diagnose ovarian cysts and other problems related to it when females will be overweight.

Also, it is important for your guinea pigs to have their exercise on their schedule. Even if you have provided them enough floor time each day, it is still best that your little pets need to be able to exercise and explore on their own body clocks. Guinea pigs activity happens to be an hour ‘on’ and an hour ‘off’. Most guinea pigs are active in the morning and evening which may not be a convenient time for you. So offering them large enough cage, will help them exercise whenever they choose without the hassle of waking up early or watch them during the evenings.

Guinea pigs, like people, gets bored living in the same old small cage hour after hour, day after day, without so much to do. It is important that your pet needs to be hauled out and allowed to play with other species. They are sociable animals and they tend to be lonely when left alone for a long time.

In cases wherein you have two or more non-breeding or same-sex guinea pigs, it will keep them happy with each other if they have ample room for them to run and play. Also, a space when they want to get away from each other. Read the rest of this entry