There's finally a comprehensive, all-inclusive, understandable, Step by Step, A to Z online guide to Guinea Pigs! ...Perfect for even the cavy newbie!

Every single topic is covered: From the many breeds of guinea pigs to guinea pig care, nutrition, history, health, breeding, and so much more presented to you in this groundbreaking new book:

"Guinea Pig Care Secrets:
The Comprehensive Guinea Pig Guide!"

Guinea Pig Care

Just a Small Portion of What You Will Discover in "The Comprehensive Guinea Pig Guide":

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Why are guinea pigs called like that, what kinds of guinea pigs are there, their history and habits in the wild (Hint: knowing this is essential to understand what makes a healthy lifestyle for your cavy!)

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Descriptions and beautiful full-color images for nearly 20 of the recognized guinea pig breeds. And how you can tell which breed your cavy actually belongs to.

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If you are not yet a guinea pig owner and just thinking about getting one - a very detailed checklist is provided to help you decide if a guinea pig is right for you.

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Where and how you should acquire and choose your guinea pig, what you should pay attention to, and what you should avoid in any case! (Hint: you should usually not buy guinea pigs from large pet shops!)

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Which breeds are suitable for a cavy beginner and which are not.

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Where and how you should house your guinea pig - proper size and style of the cage, whether indoor or outdoor, healthy temperature, drafts, safe bedding (don't make a mistake here! some of the widespread beddings are quite unhealthy for guinea pigs!)

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The first steps with a guinea pig - learning how to make your little friend not only like, but trust you. Many newbie owners make major mistakes at this stage!

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Making your home guinea-pig-proof. This is trickier than it sounds - did you know that guinea pigs have nearly no depth perception, and may get lethal food poisoning from gnawing on a house plant?

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Proper guinea pig nutrition - what to feed, when to feed, how much to feed, and which foods to avoid completely.

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Toilet issues: How to litter box train your cavy (yes you can do it), and a shocking secret about cavies that most new owners consider an abnormality!

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How to keep several guinea pigs together making sure they get along well without unwanted surprises (there are a couple of big no-no's here!)

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Which other common household animals are a safe companion for a guinea pig, and which are not.

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How to interpret guinea pig behavior correctly: all of the common patterns for "I'm hungry", "I don't feel well", "I'm angry"..even "I'm a happy guinea pig"

Guinea Pig Care

Guinea pigs also known as Cavies are one of the gentlest, loving, clean and adorable pets you can care for. These timid creatures have grown in popularity over the last few years but not as much is known about pet guinea pig care as cats or dogs or fish which are more prominent. Luckily guinea pigs are not too difficult to look after, they are clean, do not smell like mice and do not bite like ferrets. Here are a few simple tips to care for your guinea pig!

Housing

It is best to keep your guinea pig in a decent size cage, four to six square feet of floor space for each guinea pig is good but slightly smaller will suffice. Make sure the floor is solid not wire cage like the walls however as this can hurt their feet, also guinea pigs cannot jump or climb very well also so you do not need a roof to their enclosure as long as it is about 18 inches high. Make sure your enclosure also has a place for your pet to hide in if it wants; in the wild it was defenseless against predators so when it feels threatened it needs a place to feel secure in.

Bedding

A bed of shredded newspaper or wood shavings is ideal for your guinea pig. Beware however of wood shavings with a lot of aroma such as some types of pine as this can cause some healthy issues. Make sure you change the bedding at least once a week.

Food

For good Guinea pig care you should have a large and steady supply of water as they tend to drink a lot. Water in a dish is fine but can often get messy as bits of bedding may get into it and they might tip it accidentally and wet themselves and their cage. Most experts recommend a feeding tube attached to a bottle, these can be purchased at most pet stores and have a device that stops the water leaking out so the guinea pig can drink without making a mess. Guinea pigs are also very susceptible to a lack of vitamin C and while their food pellets are infused with the vitamin older tablets lose their potency. You can add Vitamin C supplements to the drinking water however to keep their supply up. While guinea pig pellets should be the main part of your pet's diet you can also feed them other fresher food like turnips, spinach, hay and kale. Do not however feed your pig fruits and sweets as this upsets their digestive system.

Diseases

A sick guinea pig will suffer from hair loss and crusty or inflamed eyes, nose and ears. These symptoms are caused often by a lack of vitamin C but also from diseases they can pick up from guinea pig colonies at pet stores, while the usual cure for diseases like these is anti-biotics, guinea pigs are known to react very badly to such treatment. Other things to check are flaky skin and ticks and fleas, when purchasing your guinea pig make sure you check for all these things so you choose a healthy pig that can live up to 8 years if cared for well!

Physical care

Long haired varieties of guinea pigs need regular brushing, combs used for Persian cats are good for this. Make sure your long haired pig is free from items getting caught up in their hair, this breed needs much more attention. You should also clip the nails of your pig once a month, a normal nail clipper is good for this. A Guinea pigs teeth are also always growing and they need something wooden in their pen for them to chew on so they do not overgrow.

You should now know the basics of good pet guinea pig care and will have a happy healthy little pet that will delight you for many years to come!

About the Author

Does your little friend deserve a happy healthy life?

If so you need The Comprehensive Cavy Guide. This wonderful guide is chock full of the best information about Guinea Pigs and will give your little buddy a long and happy life!

For more Pet information goto: http://smallandnfurry.blogspot.com/

Many people would be quick to call a guinea pig just another "dumb animal" but that's actually not true. Of course, when compared to a human or a dog, guinea pigs aren't going to astound you with their intellect, but they are much more intelligent than the average person gives them credit for, as any guinea pig owner knows quite well.

For example, if you feed your guinea pig fresh vegetables right out of the refrigerator, it won't take long for him to equate the sound of the refrigerator opening and him getting a tasty treat. His squeals and whistles will tell you that he wants what you've got in there.

Obviously, guinea pigs are trainable. They can be taught to walk on a leash (these are available at most pet stores) or to go to the bathroom in a certain area. Some have even learned to come when their owners call their name! Just like with any other animal, you must be willing to work consistently with your pet and to reward the desired behavior with treats, usually a favorite food. The guinea pig will then make the mental connection between the good feeling he gets from the reward and the behavior you want from him.

If you do plan on having your guinea pig on the floor a lot, then it may be a good idea to start litter training them early. You don't want to set your expectations too high for this endeavor, however. Guinea pigs will still go to the bathroom throughout their cage and will occasionally have accidents on the floor, but litter training them considerably reduces the liklihood that this will happen.

The easiest way to do this is to set aside part of their cage as a bathroom. A small litter pan (available at most pet stores) can be placed in one of the corners of the cage. In order to entice your guinea pig to use it as a bathroom, you should add in some of their waste to the litter when you clean out the cage. You should keep doing this each time you change the bedding in the cage.

When you let your guinea pig out on the floor, you should also place their litter pan on the ground with them. Most of the time they will use the pan to go to the bathroom. Even if your guinea pig does have an accident, it will most likely be poop, not urine, you'll have to clean up and that is much, much easier to take care of.

You can also train your guinea pig to walk on a leash in a similar way. First, you must get him or her used to wearing the leash. Put it on them while you are petting them or hand-feeding them fresh vegetables so that they'll connect the enjoyable activity with having the leash on. Once your guinea pig feels comfortable with the leash, you can begin walking with him. Start off with small distances in the house, then gradually move outside. Just be careful not to pull or yank on the leash too hard, since guinea pigs are more fragile than dogs.

Florian Ross is a freelancer and small animals expert. For more tips on raising Guinea Pigs and having them live 3 times longer, see http://www.pets-lovers.com/guinea-pigs/guinea-pigs.htm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Florian_Ross

If you know what food you should be feeding your guinea pig, you should also know that there are some things that you shouldn't feed them.

If you accidentally feed your guinea pig something from this list that is not poisonous, just watch him or her carefully for signs of illness. However, you'll want to call or take him to the vet immediately if he or she has ingested something poisonous.

The forbidden items

- Do not feed your guinea pig iceberg lettuce. While most leafy greens do provide an excellent source of Vitamin C for your guinea pig, iceberg lettuce does not. You're better off purchasing kale or cabbage for your pet.

- Do not feed your guinea pig long stalks of celery. Those stringy pieces that can get wound up in your garbage disposal are just as hard for your guinea pig to digest. If your guinea pig likes celery, you need to cut it up into smaller pieces before you give it to them.

- Do not feed your guinea pig any shelled nuts or seeds. Your guinea pig can easily choke on the pieces of the shell. Also, be careful about the guinea pig treat sticks that are sold in pet stores because these often contain shelled seeds.

- Do not feed your guinea pig rhubarb, beans, or potatoes with green spots. These are all poisonous to your guinea pig.

- Do not feed your guinea pig certain types of plants. While some plants, like dandelions and clover, are safe for your guinea pig, many others are poisonous to him or her. Daffodils, hyacinths, poppy, and buttercups are some of those too avoid.

- Do not feed your guinea pig any dairy products.

Although some people may suggest feeding their guinea pigs yogurt in order to clean out their digestive systems, you should avoid feeding any dairy product to your guinea pig because they are lactose intolerant, which means their bodies can not properly process daily products.

Also, excess calcium will cause guinea pigs to develop kidney and/or bladder stones.

Remember:

If you accidentally feed your guinea pig something from the list above that is not poisonous, just watch him or her carefully for signs of illness. However, you'll want to call or take him to the vet immediately if he or she has ingested something poisonous.

Florian Ross is a small lizard expert and a freelancer who developed comprehensive guides to help people succeed with their bearded dragon pet and have your bearded dragon lizard live two times longer. His guides on Bearded Dragons are considered the definitive guides on raising Bearded Dragons.

Find out more tips on raising Bearded Dragons Lizards and having them live 2 times longer, with his popular ebook about Bearded Dragons or get a free sample of Florian's bearded dragons caresheet

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Florian_Ross