It has been a month since the guinea pig came to our house. In the meantime, my piggies have slowly adapted to the new cage and new family. Now, even when they see us, they do not run away immediately and continue to do their own thing. They even ask for carrots. In the past, conscious of us, they slept in a rigid posture and did grooming, but now they sleep comfortably with their legs stretched out and groom slowly and without hesitation even when we are watching them.

 My piggies love carrots. The crunchy sound sounds like there're eating the finest dessert in the world's most delicious five-Michelin restaurant. Even my daughter, who wasn't a big fan of carrots, now enjoys them.

 My child brings carrots from school lunches like below after raising guinea pigs.

  ​As soon as the child arrives home from school and opens the backpack, the piggies come to the door thinking they are giving them carrots.

  Pinky, who eats well whenever he has time, has gained weight like this. And he loves to relax in my daughter's dollhouse.

 And little by little Pinky came to like the playtime out of the cage. Squash is still afraid of going out.

  Today is Squash's bathing day. Guinea pigs need to be very careful when bathing. That is, water should not get into their ears and nose. You have to be very careful as the water once entered cannot be brought out again. So, when taking a bath, you have to wash it by sprinkling it in shallow water. 

 While I was preparing the squash bath, my daughter prepared the bath toys he needed.

​ When raising guinea pigs, I make good use of toys that my child no longer plays with. As a bath mat to keep the bath water from splashing, I used a water doodle play mat that my daughter played with when she was a toddler.

 Fill the basket with lukewarm water about one-third full and float the bath toys. 

 ​Prepare shampoo for guinea pigs, rabbits, and cats purchased from Amazon. You can also use baby shampoo.

  Hold it tightly so that water does not get into his ears. Squash was already nervous.

 While I'm holding the squash, my daughter is wiping his back with her little hands.

 ​Gently wipe the palms and belly area as well. In fact, this part is the dirtiest part because it is the part most easily touched. 

  ​The squash was quietly cooperating and my daughter was very helpful, so I was able to finish bathing the guinea pig smoothly. Dry it well with a soft towel, dry it cleanly with a hair dryer, and put it in the cage in a dry state as the moisture is gone.

  It has been two weeks since our lovely guinea pigs, Pinky and Squash, came to our house. They still run away to warn me when I approach them, but sometimes they come and sniff my fingers instead of running away. If I give them carrots that piggy likes, they ask with Cuy Cuy sounds for more. Even after only two weeks had passed, they quickly gained weight because of their good appetite. It pops as if happy, and sometimes weeps happily.   

  ​Usually like a cute little puppy, sometimes it is curled up like a yarn, but when it gets up or moves like this, its body lengthens like a spring.

  In appearance, it can be said that it looks like a hamster with a larger body and a longer body.  Just by looking at his face, he strangely resembles a rabbit. Guinea pigs need to keep several. Because they are animals that live in groups, if you only raise one animal, he will feel lonely. So, having two is ideal. Because fertility is good, if possible, raise guinea pigs of the same sex. 

  On the left, a slightly larger, white and brown piggy is pinky, and on the right is a dark brown squash. Pinky is slightly older and eats anything with great appetite. But he hates exercise. Squash is more active and curious than Pinky but he is picky. 

  ​This is how my daughter sits in the middle with a playpen spread out and teaches astrology to the piggies. She gave a class on planets today and she likes Pinky's reaction to Mars.

  ​At first, I was very worried because squash was smaller than Pinky and didn't eat well. It's a lot better now. If I give him a carrot, he steals Pinkie too.

  ​Guinea pigs cannot produce vitamin C on their own. Therefore, it is common for guinea pig-only feeds to contain vitamin C, but vitamin C is destroyed when the feed comes into contact with air and rancidity begins.

 Guinea pigs love hay. There are two major types of hay, Timothy hay from the Grape family, and alfalfa hay from the Legume family. ...
How to feed guinea pigs You should give them twice a day, morning and evening, at a set time. Originally, guinea pigs are nocturnal.

​ Our Pinky comes and eats as soon as I put Timothy in the bowl. Just by opening the bag to get Timothy, he knows and sits there in advance.

  I let  them take a bath with shallow warm water with caution, they can't wet their ear and nose  in two weeks. After bathing, I wiped it with a grooming tissue and brushed it.

  ​The area around the piggy's cage should be cleaned frequently using the cleaning tool below.

  Because guinea pigs are rodents, their teeth grow steadily, so they have a habit of grinding their teeth by gnawing hard things. In the end, they grinded all over the cage, so I have to hung toys for teeth grinding. 

 The most important thing is exercise. Guinea pigs can get geriatric diseases just like humans. It is important for small animals to eat, but it is also important to exercise so that they can properly consume the energy they get from eating and maintain a suitable weight.

 We set aside time regularly so that the piggies run in the playpen.

  Today, I would like to share with you how to make a guinea pig playhouse using paper boxes commonly found in Pet  stores. I made this with my daughter and she loves it. 

  The box below has regular patterned  holes and has a handle on top.

 Below is inside of the box. I cut the whole bottom of the box. 

 Next, cut the front area like a door as follow as below. 

 As shown below, I applied duct tape to the edges surrounding the door to make it softer.

  ​While I was attaching the duck tape, my daughter drew around with the paints.

  The squash on the left seems very satisfying. Pinky on the right looks like he is still uncomfortable and scary when he shows  the whites of his eyes slightly visible.

 ​My daughter and I tried making a playhouse in different versions below.

 This play house is made for hideout of guinea pigs. It's made of paper and will be fragile and brittle to put in a cage, so I used it for temporary play with their play pen. Pinky and Squash are very fond of this hideout we made. It seems like a good idea to try making it with children.

  Finally, I finish today's post with cute pinky and squash pictures. 

 What will I need fro my Guinea pig?  

Note: This article is based on my case. Most of the products in the checklist below were purchased from Amazon.

1. Habitat or pen sized 24 x 36 x 24 inch or larger. 
Pace the habitat in a low humidity area that's cool - between 65-75 °F (18-24 Celsius)-and out of direct sunlight(important!). 

2. hay feeder and hay : As herbivores, Guinea pigs feed on grasses/hay, plants and greens.

 Note: 

• Your guinea pig should eat a pile of hay as big as his body every day.

 

3. fortified Guinea pig pelleted diets (these have supplemental vitamin C) 

4. Vitamin C supplements (critical for their health) : Supplement your adult Guinea pig's diet with 25-50 mg of Vitamin C per day. ​

5. food bowl : ​It is recommended that it be made of a ceramic material that does not easily fall over or that it can be fixed.

 6. water bottle

7. hide

8. bedding/ water proof pet pad

9. prepared treats

10. grooming kit and shampoo

11. wood chew

12. Litter training tray : placing a litter pan in the corner of habitat. 

 13. Portable carrier. 

 14. Vegetables : 

• Arugula lettuce
• Beet greens
• Bell Pepper (no more than 1 tsp/day)
• Broccolini stems
• Carrot tops
• Cilantro
• Dandelion greens
• Kale and Parsley
• Spinach
• Strawberry tops (NOT the berry!)
• Turnip greens
• Watercress

 Reference: ​https://www.vmamodesto.com/blog/feeding-your-guinea-pig/