Education

Guinea pigs require quite a bit of space to explore and live a healthy, happy life. The smallest acceptable cage is a minimum of 2' x 4' (8 sq ft total) per pair of piggies. Our preferred cages are the Midwest Guinea Habitat or a custom C&C cage. You can find more information on proper sized cages at the Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue Website's page about Guinea Pig Cages with examples of properly sized cages as well as cages that are not suitable for guinea pigs to live in on a permanent basis.

Fresh timothy hay, timothy pellets, and filtered water must be provided at all times in addition to fresh veggies given daily as this comprises their entire diet. Our recommended daily amount of veggies is 1  1/2 - 2 cups per piggie per day. Make sure you are providing a diverse variety of vegetables every day to keep them interested and it's always important to remember to feed everything in moderation.   

Here is a basic list of veggies we recommend you have in your fridge:  

Daily Staples:

Romaine Lettuce 

Green Leaf Lettuce 

Red Leaf Lettuce 

Bell Peppers (all colors) 

Cilantro 

Parsley 

Kale 

Fresh Grass (untreated)  

Veggie Snacks:

Tomatoes 

Celery 

Dandelion 

Chard 

Basil 

​Mint  

Sweet Treats:

Carrots 

Apples 

Banana 

Watermelon 

Berries 

Cantaloupe 

Grapes 

Corn (uncooked)  

Limited (In Moderation):

Broccoli 

Cabbage 

Spinach  

Do Not Feed:

Iceberg Lettuce (no nutritional value)  

Guinea Pigs need a bath at least 4 times per year! Put a small towel in the sink to prevent them from slipping and use lukewarm water. For shampoo, you'll need a tear-free baby shampoo. Lather and rinse twice. You will need to wash their face and ears as well. Most guinea pigs do not like to be bathed, but this is something that needs to be done to keep them healthy. Towel dry your piggie, then be sure to blow dry the animal before returning them to their home. Never put a wet or damp guinea pig back in its cage. It will take a long time for them to dry by themselves, which could result in a cold or other sicknesses. 

Before a bath clean their ears. Add a few drops of either olive or mineral oil to the ear and massage it in. Then get a Q-tip and gently remove the oil and any ear wax that comes with it. Make sure you go into each fold in the ear with the Q-tip. You are not cleaning the inner ear canal just the many folds in the guinea pig's ear. You will notice also that the ear wax is the color of the skin of the ear. You want to do the ear before each bath. That way you can wash away the oil that makes them look like they have greasy sideburns if not washed out. 

You want to clip their nails at least every 6 weeks or sooner if needed. With light-colored nails, you will be able to see where to clip without cutting the quick. With the darker nails, it sometimes helps to shine a light underneath to see how far the “quick” grows. The easiest method is sitting on a chair with a towel in your lap. If you are struggling to do this yourself any vet office will do nail clips for a reasonable fee.