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06
DEC
2014
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Why Do You Need to Groom Your Guinea Pigs and How Often? Long haired guinea pigs offer a convenient hiding place for mites and other parasites. It’s just so easy to snuggle into their hair and so difficult for other guinea pigs to take care of these pests. Besides mites and lice, long haired guinea pigs battle with knotted fur which can become dangerous for them. And, with all that hair, it’s easy for all sorts of dirt and debris to remain on your piggy. And that never smells good.
Your long haired guinea pigs need your help with a monthly bath and grooming session. If you notice that your piggy needs it more often, then do it. Don’t forget that you may need to pull out the comb or scissors a little more frequently if you spot tangles and troubles.
How Do You Give a Guinea Pig a Grooming Bath?
The short answer to this is… very carefully. It’s important to bear in mind that you should only ever bathe your guinea pigs if absolutely .. [More]
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Grooming Long Haired Guinea Pigs
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08
SEP
2014
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You should never feed rolled oats, wheat, crackers, weetbix or any breakfast cereals to chinchillas, rabbits or guinea pigs as it affects their calcium and phosphorus ratio and reduces the absorption of essential nutrients from hay, depleting calcium in their bodies and causing digestive, dental and bone problems.
Rabbits, guinea pigs and chinchillas should have a diet high in fibre, and fairly low in calories (especially fats and starches). And we not referring to Crude fibre because it is poor measure of plant lignin and cellulose, but rather digestive and indigestible fibre, which is only present in high quantities in hay. Over time pellet diets have been sold as the mainstay of their diet, but pellets was originally formulated for non household pets (i.e. laboratory or farmed rabbits and chinchillas).
Some of the problems associated with feeding too much lucerne based pellets are:
Obesity
Dental disease
Soft stools (with norm st.. [More]
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Feeding Rabbits , Guinea Pigs & Chinchillas Dry Food in South Africa , Dangers of Feeding Dry Food To Guinea Pigs , Rabbits & Chinchillas in South Africa
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27
AUG
2014
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Did you fall in love with guinea pigs the first time you saw one? You wouldn’t be the first person that happened to; nor will you be the last. These simultaneously inquisitive and timid creatures are set to melt hearts forever. That’s because they’re wonderfully adorable! Although, you should never make the mistake of ignoring the basic needs of your guinea pigs – or you’ll be left with a broken heart.
Not sure what your guinea pig needs are? Just follow this simple guide, and your guinea pigs will fall in love with you as quickly as you’ve grown attached to them.
Adopt a Pair
Guinea pigs hate to live alone. And, before you retort with the fact that you live there too, that’s not exactly the company that your little piggy needs. Okay, your guinea pigs will grow to love being with you, but it’s not normal for them to have people (as it’s become normal for people to have pets). In the wild, guinea pigs live in .. [More]
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Caring For Guinea Pigs in South Africa , Guinea Pig Food South Africa , Guinea Pig Cage South Africa
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28
JUN
2014
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It has been thought that rabbits and guinea pigs make the ideal companions, but it is actually not recommended.
Previously it was not easy to neuter rabbits and so most people didn’t opt for this, and so they would choose a guinea pig for a companion for their rabbit so as to avoid any possible breeding issues. These days however, neutering a rabbit is a straightforward procedure and so this is no longer an issue.
There are several reasons why it is not desirable to keep these two species together…
Rabbits and guinea pigs have very different dietary requirements. You simply cannot buy a generic food to feed them without neglecting the dietary needs of one or even both of them. Feeding them both a different diet while they share their living space would be practically impossible. Guinea Pigs need a diet high in vitamin C as they cannot produce their own like rabbits do. That’s why Excel guinea pig nuggets are enriched with this particular vitamin. W.. [More]
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Keeping Rabbits and Guinea Pigs Together , Can Rabbits & Guinea Pigs Live Together South Africa
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11
JUN
2014
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Guinea Pigs, also known as Cavies, make wonderful pets. They are small, gentle creatures who typically have a good nature, rarely biting when handled correctly. Many people do not know that when cared for in the correct manner a guinea pig can live as long as eight years or more.
Feeding your guinea pig a good diet of quality food is important and there are a number of things you should consider about your guinea pig’s diet:
Complete Food?
We believe that no single guinea pig food can be labelled as “complete”. Your pet’s dietary requirements are complex so you need to feed a combination of foods to satisfy his needs. You should instead look for guinea pig food which is labelled as “Complementary”. Complementary guinea pig food will be a mix of several core elements. These elements should include hay and grass, which deliver fibre, nuggets, fresh greens and water.
The problems with feeding muesli
Guinea Pig Muesli is not t.. [More]
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Guinea Pig Food Complete or Complementary , feeding pet guinea pigs
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06
JUN
2014
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Guinea pigs are more than just soft, adorable pets. They are smart animals that are good with kids and make a great addition to the family. They are normally very friendly and sometimes even squeak happily when their owners walk into the room.
If you’ve decided to adopt a guinea pig, you probably already know how important it is to provide a good home for him. Guinea pigs need proper care and the best home so they will be healthy and content. When guinea pigs are well looked after, their lifespan is usually between five and seven years.
So how do you make sure your guinea pig has the best home possible? Here are some guidelines to help you welcome your newest family member into the home.
What You Will Need
There are some supplies you will need from the day you pick up your guinea pig. These supplies need to be ready for your guinea pig in order for him to be safe and happy while he gets used to his new home.
When you purchase a guinea pig, make su.. [More]
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Tags :
Guinea Pigs Make Adorable Pets , How To Care For Guinea Pigs , Pet Guinea Pig South Africa , Guinea Pig Cage South Africa , Pet Guinea Pig food South Africa , Timothy Hay , Hay
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25
MAY
2014
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Vets report that four out of five guinea pigs that come into their practice have a health problem that is directly related to poor diet. Common ailments are constipation, overgrown teeth, obesity and other problems related to these primary issues.
The good news is that many of these are easily prevented if owners understood a bit more about what their guinea pigs should be eating and why.
A day in the life of a wild guinea pig
Consider a day in the life of a wild guinea pig. He would spend 70% of his time above ground searching out or 'foraging' for food while keeping a beady eye out for predators, to make sure he wasn't going to end up as someone else's dinner! As a ground feeder, his diet would be mainly made up of grasses, hay, herbs and bark - all high fibre foods! He couldn't climb trees to get fruit. His territory would be the equivalent of around 20 tennis courts meaning he'd get a lot of exercise every day searching out food acr.. [More]
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Why Timothy Hay Is Best Food For Guinea Pigs In South Africa
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11
MAY
2014
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Many people think that muesli-type foods are enough to give their guinea pigs but in truth, they are not. Muesli is also referred to as dry mix or mixture foods and pellets are also called nuggets. Recently, there has been a lot of discussion regarding muesli diets, and there is now a campaign to ban this type of pet food from pet stores in UK.
Most of the cheaper brands are flashy. These are the foods we want to buy because they look good and taste good to guinea pigs, but unfortunately they are the ones to stay away from. These muesli type foods are usually a mixture of pellets, colourful pieces (flakes or pellets), nuts, seeds, and/or fruit bits.
Muesli mixes have also been known to contain pieces of twig, stone and other harmful items. The seeds and nuts in muesli are high in fat. Often times the mixtures include sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds in the shell are dangerous, not just because of high fat content, but because the shells splinter into sharp pieces that c.. [More]
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Tags :
Guinea Pig Muesli Ban in UK , Guinea pig food South Africa , Muesli Bad Guinea Pigs , Muesli versus pellets , muesli verus nuggets , Guinea Pig Pellet food South Africa
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21
APR
2014
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It’s important to feed your guinea pig the right food. Guinea pigs, like all animals have quite specific dietary requirements and shouldn’t be fed food meant for other animals.
Food that is meant for rabbits, or a generic food designed for all small mammals will not have the right balance of nutrients for your guinea pig. Poor nutrition can lead to various illnesses and ailments and so picking the right food for your pet is very important. Pick a food that is specially formulated for guinea pigs. Make sure it actually states on the pack that it is guinea pig food.
Burgess Nature Guinea Pig Trimellos
Choose a high quality food such as Bunny Nature Guinea Pig Dream and you’ll be sure that it has been developed with your guinea pigs’ needs in mind and will contain all the nutrients, and all the vitamins and minerals that your pet needs to grow up healthy and happy. A top quality food will have more natural ingredients than a cheaper food and it w.. [More]
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Tags :
Right Food for your Guinea Pigs , Timothy Hay , Excel Pellets , Timothy Hay South Africa
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18
APR
2014
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Rabbits are being killed by owners who feed them muesli, according to a shock study by Edinburgh researchers in England. They found the cereal – commonly fed to the pets – causes fatal dietary problems. It is thought the findings could also apply to guinea pigs and chinchillas.
Now pet shops are being urged to remove muesli-style rabbit food from their shelves after researchers at Edinburgh University found it was causing potentially deadly problems. An extensive study discovered that while Britain’s 1.7 million pet bunnies seemed quite happy munching muesli all these years, the food is causing unnecessary visits to the vets and shortening their lives.
Now, owners are being urged to feed their pets a daily diet of hay or grass, with some leafy green vegetables and a small amount of pellets instead.
An estimated 57 per cent of rabbit owners give their pets muesli-style foods because they have been led to believe it was an appropria.. [More]
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Tags :
Muesli Can Kill Rabbits , Guinea Pigs and Chinchillas
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