Basic care/Common-possible illnessess

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Basic care and illnessess

 Yell

Every day feed your piggie lots of vitamin C, veggies, fruit, and timothy hay. Give your cavy fresh water daily. In terms of care and grooming for your cavy, the short haired American Cavy is easy to groom. All you have to do is pet it's fur from rump to head, then from head to rump, it's easy. For the Long haired cavies, it's hard and takes at least one hour a day to groom their long beautiful fur. For starters, you have to always entangle their fur, wash regularly (because the urine, bedding, water, and hay get stuck in those nasty tangles). To make a long suggestion short, the best breed of guinea pig to get for your first pet would be the American Guinea pig. When grooming your Abyssinian guinea pig, or Teddy guinea pig, Only use the brushes and combs on the list! NEVER GIVE THE TEDDY OR ABYSSINIAN GUINEA PIG A BATH IF YOU PLAN TO SHOW THEM! IT MAKES THEIR FUR TOO SOFT! Below is a list of all the different grooming tools that match the breed of guinea pig, and its fur length. Keep in mind that All types of guinea pig need to be bathed at least once every 2 weeks!

  • Nail clippers. Can use cat nail clippers, dog nail clippers, or human nail clippers to trim you cavy's long toe nails. Clip your  cavy's nails until you see the red mark on the nail. If you cut past the white part of the toe nail, the blood from the toe will protrude.

  • Combs. Metal flea comb, metal wide tooth comb (use this comb on Silkie and Peruvian Guinea pigs), slicker brush (use on the TEDDY guinea pig).

  • Below is a list of possible sicknesses that your cavy can get/how to prevent sickness.

    1. Absess- Hard lump, sometimes under a scab. Usually warm to the touch. Cavy may seem listless, and could even stop eating! Prevention- Take to the vet!

    2. Bald patches- Bedding could be to rough! Try switching to a bedding called Carefresh. If condition worsens, call the vet.

    3. Broken bones- Not moving, limping, or dragging limbs. Prevention- Call your vet immediately!

    4. Broken teeth- Chipped Prevention- Call the vet to have them even out teeth.

    5. Bumble foot- Red swollen feet. Bubbles on the foot pads of guinea pig. Cause- Wire cages hurt your cavies feet! switch to a different type of cage, or put platforms on top of wires they usually walk on. Prevention- Rub corn starch mixed with water on foot pads.

    6. Cloudy eye- Eyes have film over them. Guinea pig is blind. Call Vet!

    7. Diarrhea-Yell Loose and watery stools (Poop) Prevention- cut down on too many fruits and veggies. Call vet!

    8. Ear mites-Itchy ears. Prevention-Call a vet immediately!

    9. Heat stroke- Cause-Too hot- Open windows, give water to cavy, Put a fan on by cage, Call A Vet immediately!

    10. Red or Swollen eyes- CALL VET!

    11. Cold- Go to vet and get medicine, give lots of fruits and Vitamin C to kill the bacteria!

    12. Lice- Small creatures that can be seen near cavy's rump. Part fur and they should be visible! Take your cavy to the vet IMMEDIATELY!