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GUINEA PIGS/CAVIES/PIGGIES ARE HIGHLY ADDICTIVE LITTLE GUYS.
The Guinea Pig originally came from South America, they lived in the forests and grasslands and Incas bred them as a source of food. They came to England in the 16th Century via Spanish conquistadors and luckily for us, they were able to adapt well to our temperatures and climate, although they can suffer from the damp and can be prone to fungal conditions because of this.
Guinea Pigs or Cavies, as they are also known, are gentle cuddly little guys, they rarely bite and because they are very sociable, they like to live in groups or couples. However, Guinea Pigs and Rabbits do not mix and should not be kept together. Guinea Pigs can be seriously hurt by Rabbits and are much better off living with their own kind.
They can be kept inside your house or in a shed. I keep mine in a shed and when it is not raining, they go out onto the grass to graze.
Try to keep your piggies in as large a hutch as you can get, my sows live in a two storey 4 foot x 2 foot hutch with an inside ramp joining both levels, the ramp has a side on it so they cannot fall off and hurt themselves and they have lots of room to move around. My boars live in pairs in hutches that are 4 foot long by 2 foot wide.
It is important to make sure you keep the hutches as clean as possible. I try to do this by cleaning them out every 3/4 days and spraying the hutches with disinfectant. I also clear out any left over veggies or pooh mounds daily to keep any insects away.
References: Guinea Pigs as a Hobby Anmarie Barrie
It is a good idea to brush your piggie once a week, especailly if you have a long haired pig, Clean his ears with a wet wipe or cotton wool and check his nails as they may need clipping.
If you bath him, remember to make sure he is totally dry before you put him back in his hutch or he may catch a chill.
You can get some wonderful skin products, including oil soaks, shampoos and conditioners for your piggies from Gorgeous Guineas and these can be really helpful for skin problems or show preparation.
YUMMY FOOD FOR YOUR CAVY
Piggies need:
Fresh water every day
A supply of fresh hay every day
Daily bowl of pellets or dry mixed Guinea Pig food
Fresh veggies or fruit
JUST SOME OF THE FRESH FOODS YOUR CAVY CAN ENJOY
EVERY DAY
Spring Greens
Cucumber
Lettuce
Carrots
Celery
Bells Pepper
Tomatoes
Parsley
corriander
Beetroot
Apples
Melon
Pear
Guinea Pigs need veggies and fruit because, like us, they cannot make vitamin C and have to eat it or they will become ill. However, sometimes, too much fruit can give them sores around their mouths or upset their tummys so a healthy balance should be maintained.
They can also have Redigrass in the winter when they are unable to go out on the grass to graze.
HIGH Vitamin C foods:
- Beet greens
- Bell / Sweet Peppers - red, green, yellow (not hot ones)
- Broccoli (stems are liked better than flowers)
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage (in moderation)
- Chinese cabbage (in moderation)
- Cantaloupe and honeydue Melon
- Carrot tops / leaves
- Cauliflower
- Celery leaves
- Cilantro / Chinese Parsley / Coriander greens
- Collard greens
- Currants - yellow, red or black (leaves also edible)
- Dandelion greens
- Garden Cress
- Gooseberries
- Grapefruit (in moderation)
- Grass
- Guava
- Kale - curly or plain
- Kiwi Fruit
- Mango
- Papaya
- Parsley - curly or plain
- Peas in pods, Pea Shoots
- Red Cabbage
- Rosehip
- Savoy Cabbage
- Spinach (feed in moderation)
- Strawberries
- Swiss Chard, Red Chard
- Tamarillo (leaves poisonous)
- Tomato (in moderation)
- Water Cress
LOW Vitamin C foods:
- Hay - (However, this must always be available)
- Alfalfa - green or dried (high calcium & calories - good for youngsters, pregnant & nursing sows)
- Anise
- Apple (in moderation only)
- Apricot
- Artichoke
- Rocket
- Asian Pear
- Asparagus
- Banana (feed in great moderation)
- Basil
- Beets
- Bilberries
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Carrots (feed in moderation)
- Celery Root / Celeriac
- Celery stalks (cut into small pieces)
- Cherries (remove pits)
- Chicory/Endive
- Chives (caution, feed in moderation)
- Choy sum
- Corn on the cob (strings, leaves & stalks are edible too)
- Crabapple
- Cranberries (whole fruit, not concentrate or juice)
- Cucumber (fresh only, not pickled)
- Dates (dried high in sugar)
- Dill
- Figs (dried high in sugar - as treat only)
- Grapes (in moderation)
- Green Leek tops (caution, feed in moderation)
- Green Onion tops (caution, feed in moderation)
- Lettuces - red, green, butter, Boston and other (avoid iceberg)
- Mint
- Nectarine
- Paksoi / Bok Choi
- Parsley root
- Parsnip
- Passion Fruit / Granadilla
- Peach
- Pear
- Pineapple - fresh (in moderation)
- Plum, Prune (as treat only)
- Pumpkin
- Radishes (if mild)
- Raspberries
- Romaine Lettuce
- Rutabaga
- Salad mix (without iceburg lettuce)
- Squash - acorn, banana, butterhorn, spagetti, and others (feed in moderation)
- Sweet Onions (caution, feed in moderation)
- Thyme
- Treviso Radicchio
- Turnip
- Watermelon (can cause diarrhea - high water content)
- Yam / Sweet Potato (high in vit A? - leaves edible)
- Zucchini
EDIBLE wild grasses, plants and herbs:
(make sure you know what you are picking! be sure to pick from places free of contaminants such as pesticides , exhaust fumes or animal urine ; pick plants that are healthy looking, without insect damage, fungus spots, breakage, or wilting)
AVOID Danger foods:
- Avocado (too high in fat)
- Coconut (too high in fat)
- Dry beans and peas
- Flowers (commercially grown decorative plants contain preservatives & pesticides)
- Fried, cooked and otherwise prepared foods
- Fruit juices (sugar-free, or unsweetened juices are OK)
- Garlic or pungent onions (will not poison pigs, )
- Horseradish (leaves probably ok, root too pungent)
- Hot herbs and spices
- Hot Peppers / Chiles / Paprikas
- Iceburg Lettuce (low nutrition, high water)
- Jams, jellies and fruit preserves (too high in sugar)
- Milk and milk products
- Mushrooms
- Nuts (too high in fat)
- Peanut butter, cakes, cookies, baked goods
- Pickled veggies (dills, capers, sour krauts)
- Potatoes (poisonous if green or sprouted) - sweet potatoes / yams are ok
- Rhubarb (poisonous)
- Seeds (choking hazard)
- Taro (dangerous if eaten raw / unprepared)
- Teas, coffee, colas
- Wild grasses, plants and herbs that you are unsure of, or that look different from ones you know
Poisonous plants:
- Aconite
- Amaryllis
- American Holly
- American Nightshade
- Anemone
- Angel's Trumpet
- Antirrhinums
- Azalea
- Bird of Paradise
- Birdseye Primrose
- Bittersweet
- Blue Cardinal (Lobelia)
- Bluebells
- Bryony
- Bulbs-(any plants grown from bulbs)
- Buttercup (Ranunculus)
- Caladium
- Cherry leaves (contain cyanide and are most potent when they are wilting)
and leaves of other stone fruits (fruits with pits)
- Chrysanthemum
- Clematis
- Columbine
- Corn cockle (type of grassy plant with a rather large lacey grain head)
- Crocus
- Cyclamen
- Daffodil
- Dahlias
- Daily
- Dog mercury
- Evergreen trees
- Fig
- Figwort
- Fools parsley
- Foxglove (Digitalis)
- Hellebore
- Hemlock
- Holly
- Hyacinth
- Hydrangea
- Iris
- Ivy
- Jerusalem cherry
- Juniper
- Kingcup
- Laburnum
- Leyland cypress
- Lily (All species)
- Lords and Ladies
- Lupine
- Lupins
- Marsh marigold
- Meadow saffron
- Mistletoe
- Monkshood
- Morning glory
- Nightshade (deadly and woody)
- Oleander
- Onion
- Philodendron
- Pigweed (amaranth - certain North American varieties may be toxic)
- Poinsetta
- Poppies
- Potatoes (poisonous if green or sprouted) - sweet potatoes / yams are ok
- Privet
- Ragwort
- Red maple leaves
- Rhododendron
- Rhubarb
- Spurges
- St Johns wort
- Tulip
- Tomatillo leaves & stalks
- Tomato leaves & stalks
- Vetch
- Walnut or Black Walnut
- White clover(red clover in small amounts is okay)
- Wisteria
- Wolfsbane
- Yew
Taken with thank from a person on the net whose name I have temporarily forgotton (sorry and thank you)
This is a 'guide' only
