Adopt a Rescued Guinea Pig Month is celebrated in the month of March. This celebration was created to raise awareness of the need to adopt small mammals such as guinea pigs from your local shelters and rescues.

12 FUN FACTS ABOUT GUINEA PIGS

They don’t come from Guinea. In fact, guinea pigs originate from the Andes region of South America. The ‘guinea’ in their name is a bit of a mystery. One theory is that they were first brought to Europe by Spanish explorers in the 1500s via Guinea in Africa, so people thought they came from there, or that it could be a corruption of ‘Guiana’, an area in South America.
Guinea Pigs are not adapted to live outdoors in Canada and will not survive. If you find a guinea pig running free outdoors, contact your local SPCA immediately.
They are not related to pigs at all. Even though male guinea pigs are called boars and females are called sows, they are rodents.
They don’t get along with rabbits. It’s a popular myth that you can happily keep guinea pigs and rabbits together. Not only will rabbits bully guinea pigs, they have very different needs. Rabbits can also carry diseases which can be very harmful to guinea pigs.
They like to chat to each other. While they enjoy human affection, guinea pigs need to be with others of their own kind and should always be kept in pairs or small groups. They communicate using several noises, including the well-known ‘wheek-wheek’ call – a sign of excitement or to find a friend – and a low ‘purring’ sound, which they make when they are feeling content and chilled out. They also emit a series of short ‘putt-putt’ noises when they are exploring.
They scent mark their stuff. Guinea pigs scent mark by rubbing their chin or cheeks across things, which helps keep their home smelling familiar and reassuring. This is why it’s important to make sure that you transfer some of the old bedding back into their accommodation when cleaning. They also drag their bottoms across the ground to leave scent secretions as messages, which are only understood by other guinea pigs.
They sleep only for short periods. Although they are crepuscular creatures, who are most active during dusk and dawn, guinea pigs are awake for up to 20 hours of the day. This means they need constant access to food, water, companion guinea pigs, safe hiding places and toys to keep them occupied, as well as an exercise area with tubes to tunnel along, shelters to hide in and deep areas of hay to forage in and nibble on.

They can break dance. Well, not quite, but when they are excited, guinea pigs can jump straight up and down, often turning 90° in mid-air, performing a slick little move known as ‘pop corning’.
They have an odd number of toes. Guinea pigs have four toes on their front feet, but only three on their back ones. While this may be good for tunnelling and burrowing, it means they are not very agile and are very poor climbers who will only manage to scale low-pitched ramps. They are however, very inquisitive, so make sure there are no hazards within their environment that will cause curious cavies to injure themselves.
They are fast learners. Baby guinea pigs, known as pups, are born with fur and their eyes open and are able to run when only a few hours old – something that comes in very handy for a prey species. At three weeks, babies are weaned, and they are fully mature in three months, although they will keep growing in size until they are around a year old.
They need vitamin supplements. Just like humans, guinea pigs are not able to make or store Vitamin C. Feeding good quality, grass-based guinea pig nuggets, which are high in fibre and Vitamin C and rich in nutrients, is the best way to ensure they’re getting everything they need, along with a small handful of leafy greens, such as dandelion, spinach, kale and broccoli. Avoid muesli-style food as these have been shown to cause digestive problems and dental disease.
They need to eat lots and lots of hay. Good quality feeding hay should be the main part of a guinea pig’s diet. As mini grazers, not only does this help their digestive system to work properly, gnawing on hay keeps their constantly-growing teeth the right length. Gnaw sticks can be an additional tasty treat to help keep guinea pig gnashers in good shape.
They can lead quite long lives. With the right nutrition, suitable accommodation, company, care and kindness, guinea pigs can live for up to seven years. However, the oldest recorded guinea pig called Snowball, lived to the ripe old age of 14 years and 10 months, earning a place in the Guinness Book of Records!

HOW TO CARE FOR A GUINEA PIG

Feeding

Guinea Pigs require an unlimited supply of timothy hay, fresh vegetables, guinea pig pellets enriched with Vitamin C and fruit. Guinea Pigs lack an enzyme for Vitamin C production and thus require daily supplements.

Your Guinea Pig will show you what his preferences are, but some favourites include:

Basil
Oranges
Turnip Greens
Cantaloupes
Romaine lettuce
Plums
Broccoli
Clover

Fresh water should be provided via a sipper bottle attached to their enclosure.

Exercise and Health
Guinea Pigs require daily exercise in a well secured area free of cords, wires, stairs or vents. You can provide toys to play with such as tennis balls, ping pong balls, or paper towel rolls (cut lengthwise). An old shoebox provides your guinea pig with a special place to hide.

Guinea Pig’s teeth constantly grow which means that chewing items are essential for their daily health. Hay, firm vegetables and non-toxic plastic or wood are great additions to their enclosure.

Guinea Pigs generally live four to eight years with some living as long as 10 years.

Grooming
Your veterinarian can show you how to perform nail trimming which should be done periodically. Both long and short haired guinea pigs will also need regular brushing with a soft baby brush.

Cage Requirements
Your cage should be as large as you can accommodate. The minimum size for one guinea pig is four square feet, but seven square feet is preferable. Each additional animal requires at least two square feet more. You should keep your cage in a shared part of your home where your guinea pig can be part of the family and monitored closely, out of direct sunlight and safe from family pets.

Your pen should have a solid bottom to prevent foot injuries and a hiding place for each animal. Shredded newspaper, hay, aspen or hardwood shavings should be added to the pen and replaced with clean ones regularly.

Behaviour
Guinea Pigs are very social animals and are happiest when they have another guinea pig companion or a small group, as well as lots of love and attention from family members. Male guinea pigs can be neutered by veterinarians familiar with guinea pig surgery. This will allow you to pair them up with females while preventing unwanted pregnancies.

Guinea Pigs are startled easily and can occasionally nip when scared. For this reason, it is important that they are handled only by adults or older children. If they are handled regularly and gently from an early age, they will be less likely to bite or scratch. Jumping down can cause serious injury to guinea pigs, so handling them while sitting on the floor is safest. When returning your pet to its enclosure, always release them directly onto the floor carefully.

Guinea Pigs have good colour vision and great hearing enabling them to respond to specific sounds. They can even be trained to use litter boxes.

Avoid the following:

Sawdust, cedar, pine and corn-cob bedding as this can cause illness and toxicity
Exercise balls and running wheels are not designed for guinea pigs and can result in serious injury
Access to treated or painted wood
Poisonous foods such as rhubarb, chocolate, potato, seeds and nuts
Providing grass or dandelions from a yard treated with pesticides or fertilizers