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This is only a basic care guide for your Guinea Pig - please refer to Peter Gurney's The Proper Care of Guinea Pigs book which every guinea pig owner should own as it has some invaluable information and has helped me out on more than one occasion!
CHOOSING YOUR GUINEA PIG
Young guinea pigs should be fully weaned and are best bought between six to twelve weeks of age. A six week old should weigh about 250g with a plump body.
The fur should have some shine to it and should have no bald patches, the skin smooth with no scaly areas.
There should be no sign of nasal discharge or diarrhoea, ears should be clean, eyes bright and teeth clean, straight and not overlong.
Guinea pigs are very social animals and should not be kept alone, it is best to have two young litter mates of the same sex. I don't think it is a good idea to keep rabbit and guinea pig together and have never done so there is a great risk of the guinea pig getting hurt if the rabbit decides to kick out as they often do.
HOUSING
Guinea pigs need a sturdy hutch, the bigger the better as they need plenty of room to run about, it should have two compartments - one with a wire mesh front admitting light and one solid front so it provides dark, sheltered retreat for daytime rest periods and night use. The hutch should be raised off the ground well clear of raising damp. On cold stormy days a panel or polythene sheeting should provide some protection to the front of the hutch. In very cold weather the guinea pigs will be at risk and as temperatures fall the hutch should be moved into the house, shed or outbuilding.
They also need a grazing ark/run so they can feed naturally outside during part of the day, by frequently moving the ark/run onto fresh grass guinea pigs are able to satisfy their very basic need.
FEEDING
I feed my guinea pigs on a dry guinea pig mix such as Gerty which contains the vitamin C that they need to survive, please don't feed them on a rabbit mix as it doesn't contain this. I also give them Vita-sol vitamin drops in their water.
They also need plenty of top quality hay every day as it is invaluable to these animals.
Raw fruit and vegetables also help to satisfy the guinea pigs need for a regular vitamin C intake such as carrot, cabbage, tomato, celery, apple - in moderation as this can cause mouth sores.
They also like some wild plant food such as dandelion, clover, groundsel, coltsfoot, cow parsley and shepherd's purse, but BE CAREFUL which wild plants you feed them as some are poisonous to the guinea pig such as bindweed, bryony, buttercup (unless dried), dock, dog's mercury, foxglove, laburnum, nightshade, poppy, privet, ragwort, sorrel, traveller's joy (wild clematis), wild arum, wood anemone and yew.
CLEANING
A guinea pig's hutch in constant use must be cleaned daily. This routine attention includes removing droppings, checking floor litter is dry, and replacing that in the damp corner if necessary. Replenish hay and feedstuffs and wash and refill the water bottle.
Once a week completely clean the hutch allow to dry then replace with new bedding.
HEALTH
Guinea pigs should live for between four and seven years or even longer, if they are well cared for in clean spacious accommodation.
To make sure the guinea pigs keep healthy, look carefully at and handle them every day, so the first signs of anything wrong can be easily detected.
When guinea pigs fall ill, promp veterinary attention is needed because, like many small animlas they deteriorate very quickly and have rather poor powers of recuperation. Warmth is essential.
