This article was published in the Winter 2004 Newsletter for
DR Ted Donelan and Associates,

West Doncaster Veterinary Centre
480 Doncaster road Doncaster Victoria 3108
phone: 03 9848 4111.

And

Templestowe Veterinary Clinic
288 Manningham road Templestowe Lower Victoria 3107
phone: 03 9850 5046


Guinea pigs are rodents from South America. They typically live for 2-
6 years and their gentle nature makes them ideal pets, especially for
children. They are quite easy to care for - all they need is the
correct nutrition and housing.
The ideal diet for a guinea pig is guinea pig pellets, hay and fresh
vegetables. They require daily vitamin C otherwise they may develope
scurvy, a serious condition affecting their teeth and bones. Guinea pig
pellets usually contain some vitamin C; otherwise you can provide it in
the form of vegetables. All vegetables are safe for guinea pigs to eat.
Hay or grass is also very important, as it provides a good sorce of
fibre - important for good dental and gastrointestinal health!
Guinea pigs require only simple housing. Cages can be constructed
from plastic, metal or wire and bedding can be made from newspaper,
wood shavings or straw.
Good ventilation is very important.
Make sure the cage is in a shady area, as guinea pigs cannot tolerate
high temperatures - on hot days your guinea pigs would also appreciate
a couple of ice blocks added to their water container!
Guinea pigs are social animals.
Males (boars) and females (sows) can be kept together, but unless you
want lots of babies produced, we advise having the boars castrated.
Sows give birth to up to 10 pups (no-they're not called piglets!) and
the length of pregnancy is 60-70 days.
Guinea pigs are generally very healthy and do not require routine
vaccinations or worming, but if you notice any problems with your
guinea pig, then it would be advisable to have it checked by one of our
veterinarians!