Guinea pig care and maintenance

In December, a guinea pig, MASHA, appeared in the living corner of our environmental center “ECOS”. I was very interested in this extraordinary animal, because I had never seen guinea pigs before. This is how my observations began.

General characteristics of guinea pigs

According to zoological taxonomy, the guinea pig (Cavia cobaya) belongs to the family of semi-ungulate rodents. A beautiful and affectionate animal is called a guinea pig, since the sounds it makes are similar to the grunting of piglets. It was brought to Europe many decades ago from South America.

Natural habitat

The domestic guinea pig is descended from the wild pig, which has a slender body and greater mobility. Wild rodents are colored black, brown, brown or gray. Most species dig burrows, create shelters in the form of entire underground towns, some build ground shelters from plants or use natural shelters, such as rock crevices. The animals live in small colonies, each of which occupies its own territory and has a leader, an adult male.

Wild guinea pigs feed on various parts of plants, from roots to seeds. A wild guinea pig can live up to 9 years, but its average lifespan is 3 years.

Care and maintenance of guinea pigs

To keep a guinea pig you need the following:

cage size 40x80 cm with tray;
nesting house made of wood or plastic;
two feeders and a drinking bowl;
biological bedding for small animals or sawdust;
comb for grooming;
flat stone for grinding claws;
food supply;
first aid kit;
scissors for trimming claws

Our pig didn't have a nesting box. Together with my mom and dad, I measured the height of the aquarium and the size of the animal, made a house out of wood and carefully covered it. Masha accepted her home with great pleasure.

Green food is the main and most integral part of the diet. They are cheap, rich in nutrients, and easy to eat and digest by guinea pigs.

Animals mainly need roughage in winter. The most important of them are legume and legume-cereal hay.

Seed oats are an excellent, very complete food - their height ranges from 50 to 170 cm. Food products made from oats are very high in calories and are easily digestible. Clean drinking water - the most important component of the diet of mammals - should always be in drinking bowls. Lack of drinking for a long time negatively affects the health of animals and their offspring.

Of the hundreds of species of small mammals, only a few are suitable for keeping in apartments and houses. It is easier to keep a guinea pig, and it brings no less aesthetic pleasure. But, as with any domestic animal, it is necessary to provide favorable conditions for keeping guinea pigs.

As it turned out, the animal adapts well to new environmental conditions, if all biological and morphological features are taken into account.