15 Ways You Are Hurting Your Guinea Pig Without Realizing

In this video, we will talk about 15 common mistakes that guinea pig owners unknowingly make when they are caring for their guinea pigs
The wrong diet
A guinea pig’s digestive system is very sensitive.
Guinea pigs should have a constant, unlimited supply of high-quality hay, such as Timothy and orchard hay, to graze on throughout the day.
Hay is critical not only to help wear down their continuously growing teeth, but also to keep their digestive system healthy.
It is important to remember that guinea pigs cannot make their own vitamin C, so they require vitamin C-rich foods in their daily diet. Without vitamin C, guinea pigs can become very ill with scurvy.
A dirty or smelly living space
Maintaining a clean environment is vital to your guinea pig's health. Dirty, smelly homes will create mental and physical health problems for your pet.
Feeding them too many fruits
Fruit is also high in sugar. Feeding too much high sugar content may lead to obesity and an imbalance of intestinal bacteria and may cause serious and potentially life-threatening diarrhea.
Keep in mind that some vegetables and fruits such as avocados, mushrooms, rhubarb, and garlic, onions are unsafe for piggies and should be avoided. Fruit seeds should also be avoided. Grass clippings from your lawn are also a serious health risk.
Poorly set up housing
Guinea pigs need well-ventilated living space; this means no aquarium-types.
Hard or wire flooring can cause discomfort and damage to guinea pigs’ feet with a condition called Bumblefoot, so provide an enclosure that has solid floor with bedding or blankets in place.
Suitable options for bedding include soft grass hay, fleece fabric, and shredded paper. Sawdust can cause respiratory issues and should be avoided.
Exercise balls and wheels
Wheels and exercise balls are deadly for guinea pigs.
Guinea pigs have a different anatomy, and they can badly injure their backs with a wheel or an exercise ball. On top of that, there may not be enough ventilation in exercise balls for your guinea pig’s comfort.
Bathing them
Guinea pigs are known to be very clean animals who groom themselves often. Therefore, they rarely need to a bath. These animals also have sensitive skin and unnecessary baths may result in dry fur coats and skin.
Poor handling
Poor handling includes chasing a guinea pig around their living space with your hands, not supporting their abdomen while holding them, and allowing children unsupervised playtime with guinea pigs.
You can get your guinea pigs used to you by hand-feeding them.
Warm environment
Guinea pigs are very vulnerable to heat. Piggies cannot sweat because they have no sweat glands. If it gets hotter than 80 degrees Fahrenheit, your pet could get heatstroke. With high humidity, heatstroke can happen even at lower temperatures.
It is advisable to keep your guinea pig in a ventilated room, but do not to aim a fan directly at your little pet.
Lack of attention
Guinea pigs are prey animals, so they instinctively hide signs of pain and illness to avoid attracting predators’ attention.
Unfortunately though, this also means that it’s very difficult for guinea pig owners to tell if their pet is sick. Any change in their posture, eating, grooming, urination habits, or even increased aggression or a lack of energy, can be a sign of illness.
Not enough space to exercise
Although guinea pigs are small, they need plenty of room to exercise, explore tunnels, and play hide and seek. This is because their bodies are built to run and jump around. Be sure to provide them an environment as large as possible.
Free-roaming them in an unsafe place
An unsafe place is any space you haven’t guinea pig-proofed. This means any area with toxins, accessible power cords, sharp objects, toxic plants, and rooms with other pets such as cats or dogs. Some rooms such as bathrooms and garages should be off-limits to your pet because they often contain toxic chemicals and cleaning products that may be hazardous to your little pet.
Keeping them outside
The outdoors are full of dangers for guinea pigs.
There are predators like owls, stray cats or dogs who want to eat your little pet.
And remember, outdoor guinea pigs may also face extreme weather conditions which lead to heatstroke.
Keeping their enclosure in a high traffic environment
As prey animals, Guinea pigs can be prone to stress, so their enclosure should be placed in an area where there isn't a lot of noise or traffic. Like where there aren’t many people and young children constantly walking around.
Yelling at them
Yelling is another thing you should never do to your guinea pig. Piggies don’t understand the word “No”. When you yell at your pet, you're just frightening them.
Lack of socialization
Guinea pigs are very social animals, and they need constant companionship.
Ideally guinea pigs should be kept in pairs.
Credits:
The footage at 3:32 is from Skinnypigs1 channel.
Licensed under Creative Commons

[@heatherdeep8367]

Clean environment is a big one i noticed. My pig gets really happy when I start vacuuming his poop.

[@strawheartmila5105]

I agree. Mine popcorns when I clean because she knows that food will be provided after the cleanup lol. But also because it’ll be clean for her to run around and poop again 😊!!

[@DiamondDollie]

I have a question what kind of vacuum do you use? is it made special for them or just a normal one?

[@vannem2688]

I also would like to know what kind of vacuum. Maybe a handheld one?

[@meganhicks1118]

I have these little mats that are sooooo soft and whenever I give my one pig a fresh one he squeaks so loud and his mouth is wide open 😂 it’s hysterical

[@heatherdeep8367]

@@DiamondDollie normal small one for quick clean up.

[@outmobile8100]

I love guinea pigs

[@somone2674]

cool

[@kam_yargamer1020]

haram dude

[@zombz_on_marz.]

I reccomend seeing a hamster too

[@savethemonkeys1463]

Same (:

[@samd6332]

@@kam_yargamer1020 what does haram have to do with loving Guinea pigs

[@pandjara2843]

Me: *must be awake in 7 hours* Also me: let's see what mistakes I shouldn't do with my non existing guinea pig

[@seanotoole7267]

I feel this but less than 7hrs more like 5hrs 😂

[@corrinealexander885]

lmaooooo

[@lennycorner3287]

😂❤

[@mspears_bobobuddytheseniorcat]

I’ve never had a Guinea pig but love seeing them in person and watching videos of them! Their little “weep weep weep” noises are sooooo cute! 🐹

[@meganhicks1118]

I have two babies and I love them so much! I adopted them from a coworker and am wondering why I never had one till now! Their little noises bring me such joy

[@kaiiandthepiggies5464]

the weep, weep, weep noises you hear are called wheeks! they do that when they are hungry haha

[@mspears_bobobuddytheseniorcat]

@@kaiiandthepiggies5464 Awww! I think their “wheeks” are some of the cutest noises in the animal kingdom and just want to cuddle them against my heart, but I guess the best response would be to feed them! Haha! Sweet little babies!

[@mspears_bobobuddytheseniorcat]

@@meganhicks1118 That’s so awesome you have these precious creatures and get to here their wheeks! What are their names?

[@meganhicks1118]

@@mspears_bobobuddytheseniorcat there names are Norman Stewart and Hamish James

[@frenzyglee666]

These videos are so educative. Like 15 years ago in my country there was only one thin book about guinea pigs and that was it. I was making a lot of mistakes and I feel very sorry for that. But now I know... Education is very important!

[@Luv.Ann4]

you are very Smart!

[@manar4120]

it's okay now you now :)

[@frenzyglee666]

@@Luv.Ann4 🤓 every day you learn something new

[@Luv.Ann4]

@@frenzyglee666 ok lol

[@vanitamvelayudhan5638]

Those day my neighbor had piggies nvr knew what they were

[@wahwah837]

I was very worried that I was hurting my Guinea pig but I found there’s only a few things I need to change. Thanks for the video!

[@kaylajspruill]

Me too, this was very helpful

[@rosechloe355]

Dear please dont listen to this channel they are giving you horrible stuff to do to your pig 80% of this video is incorrect and you can really make your pig sick or even die

[@impudentstrumpet2655]

For #9, I don’t recommend using treats to lure a guinea pig out of their cage because then they’d associate food with having to come out, which can be stressful for rescues and more skittish guinea pigs. BUT, instead of hovering your hand over them, in my experience it’s best to have your hand with your palm up and reach underneath them to scoop them out so you’re supporting their feet and abdomen. Being pet during this process can also help a guinea pig relax. ❤️

[@121VeNoM121]

Too right.. the advice for handling in this video is so wrong.

[@kathleenrogers7136]

I have trained my pigs to go into an open carrier. They hop right in then out when I place the carrier on the floor. When floor time is over I simply place the carrier down and they take turns to hop back in. Has made it much easier to transport them cage to floor. One little guy gets too excited and launches himself in/out of it. Lol. Gotta be careful with him. I only use a certain carrier for floor time. The others are for vet visits.

[@xXCookiePlayzAdoptMeXx]

Yeah very very true

[@Nibbliess100]

@@kathleenrogers7136 same

[@KCMO1994]

How did you get your piggy to trust you and not run when you try to pick them up? My piggy loves me and crawls into my lap when she wants to but when I try to pick her up (even by scoop method) she runs around in a circle and won’t let me lol maybe I shouldn’t try?

[@stupidityinaglass]

The Guinea pig crying animation just broke my heart 💔 thankfully I keep in check with these things and most of them are not true, however, we did chase them with our hands so we could clean their cage, so I will make sure that doesn’t happen again, thanks JDF! You taught me well! Also, what kind of monster would yell at their guinea pig? If any of you yell at your guinea pig(s), stay 5 planets away from me.

[@keinsatzohnetippfehler9656]

Very good tips, excluding that last sentece. Humans will never be a proper substitute for a partner. Some things that come to mind: Exercise balls: Trapping an animal in some unescapable object, so that they have no choice but run around in panic is not something owners should do. Do not ever buy those torture devices for ANY pet. Swimming: Guineapigs don't like it. Any animal can swim if they absolutely have to. Still, swimming for their life is not something they enjoy.

[@Lovinlife1234]

Exercise balls..will break their backs..happens all the time..surprised others don't know that..pet stores don't offer that info..shame on them!!!

[@RiptornRory]

Exercise balls are strictly a no for guinea pigs due to their short legs and fragile bones. All you will do is end up with a pig with a broken back or leg(s) if you use a ball or wheel. It's not about the panic of the situation, it's about basic anatomy of the animal. And humans can never be a proper substitute for a partner is crucial and key. I've owned them exclusively for over 17 years now and have never seen them as happy when they have someone they can talk to and interact with on their own level. Yes, a human can provide some of that, but if you've never seen multiple piggies running around and popcorning, you don't realize how much they are truly social animals and it's actually illegal to own guinea pigs by themselves in some countries around the world. Which should be a standard for the pet.

[@keinsatzohnetippfehler9656]

@@RiptornRory What I mean is that those balls are not suitable for any animal. Hamsters physically may be able to handle them but it's still cruel to put a living being into a tiny closed object they have no control over. Wheels are ok for Hamsters because they can leave them.

[@annesophiejp]

@@TORTUREDSTONERDEPARTMENT13 they're not suitable for rats. There aren't balls big enough to be suitable for rats.

[@trevipp]

@@keinsatzohnetippfehler9656 I used to have balls for short periods of time and checking on them but other than what you say I know it’s not as fun as running freely since freely they can run, climb and hide which you’re not feeling really hidden in a ball, and I realised they can get stuck with nails in ball so true never good, we threw it away after so not recommended to have running balls at all for hamster, but wheel is crucial, aslong as it’s not to small, even if they’re free they like wheel, but should not sleep in them

[@ashtitan2344]

Also who would yell at a guinea pig??!! They have sensitive ears and stress equals shorter lifespan! Plus look at how cute guinea pigs are!

[@toyinfoyeh8277]

I work with a vet and I think it’s safe to wash your Guinea pigs once every 2 months especially long haired guinea pigs just make sure the water isn’t deep and blow dry them afterwards to avoid the risks of getting pneumonia

[@kimberlieverschoor3814]

Yeah, sometimes, they just NEED a bath!

[@hathhath2444]

And if you're blessed with old piggies, they struggle cleaning themselves and their sack gets compacted and grease glands dirty. As long as you research first and keep them warm afterwards it's ok to bath them. I wrap mine in towel, in pet carrier with snugglesafe, some tasty veggies, and keep them in warm bathroom until they dry.

[@z4ngetsu314]

It's better if you burned them alive or boil

[@danaondrackova3431]

Took me plenty of time to get to the ideal place with my piggies and now I think they both are happy and healthy. In this horrible heat I have always a frozen bottle ready for them and fresh cool veggies. Since my flat is tiny, I cant put a big cage here so I made the whole flat their cage. Now everything is piggyproof and they are happy and actually roam around like cats or dogs :D Also you should NOT pet their butts or back of the head without them knowing its you, it freaks them out. Pigs fight by nipping other butts and touching their neck you make them feel unsafe, also dont pet them against fur growth, they hate it. They can learn so if you say "NO!" to something they do, they actually learn not to do it (my pigs were chewing furnature before I taught them not and gave them rich chewing toys instead)

[@meganhicks1118]

I have an AC in my room and it has its own app so I’m able to keep track of the temp. If I see it gets to 75 or higher I turn it on right away. I also like it super cold in there so the boys have a small blanket I put on top just in case.

[@waranah2198]

I also have precious little piggies that i love with all my heart, but i wish i could let them roam around just like you do with yours. How do you make the entire flat Piggy proof? And where do they make their needs?

[@osetia20]

Wow! Thank you for letting us know, about the petting

[@appleholic1553]

This is the second year I'm piggy sitting for my neighbors three Guinea pigs. I watched tons of videos and had a great time with them last year. They got to know my whistle when I came over. What amazed me is they rembered me when I whistled and were happy to see me. They are very smart little guys ✌🏼️

[@aiiqden]

Used to have 2 guinea pigs in the past, after getting the first one - I actually got a second one for it which at the time was about a year old, I did this to not make any of them feel bored or lonely since I could not always be giving them a lot LOT of attention which I believe they needed. After like 4 years, the first guinea pig which was already nearly 2 years old at the time I got it has sadly passed away due to old age, I noticed a change of behavior in my second guinea pig. I was not sure why but my suspicions were that it had sadly fallen into depression after the passing of his companier. I tried my best to do everything I could to help it. At one point he stopped eating and would refuse to even move from his little wooden house, every time I passed his cage at that point I made sure to sit down and try to encourage him to do anything. I would take him to the vet (before he stopped eating too) and definitely received suggestions and tips on how to help him but nothing seemed to work. That's when one day I was told that my guinea pig has cancer + depression (like I suspected) and sadly there's nothing to we could do about it, at this time he was already about 5-6 years old. I had to put him to sleep on an unlucky date as it was my birthday, but letting him be in peace was more important than keeping him in pain for longer just so I could celebrate my birthday without worrying about this. I though could not get myself to drive him to the vet, my father did it for me. I remember after they left I spent an hour crying. Once my dad came back he told me that our little guinea pig was calm when he was put asleep, as if he knew what was coming and was okay with it. It's really sad for me to talk about this especially remembering the fact those two treated each other like brothers while not even being exactly ones, but I learned to live with their deaths, promising myself to remember about them no matter what and I am planning to get a guinea pig in the future maybe. Forever loving those little creatures.💓

[@audreyfairchild8526]

This is all such great advice for guinea pig owners. I have 5 piggies and am so over protective of their well being. Great for people to watch this video and learn all these important care points. Thank you for making the video.

[@crystaljankowski7518]

Thank you for putting a transcript into the description! Sometimes my attention span is lacking so I enjoyed being able to read everything at my own speed without using captions and speeding the video along.

[@hathhath2444]

Cavies are such a complex pets. I can't believe they were given the first pet status. I have kept rescue piggies over the years, oldest was 10years old when he passed away. If you look after them to high standard their life expectancy can easily exceed 7 years!

[@beatricecarolinedoidge5649]

What were your top tips for keeping your piggies going so long?! anything besides what’s in the video? would love to know ♥️

[@magdalenam3474]

I wish more people were aware of these. So many are still ignorant. Great video!

[@magnusdiridian]

2:17 "an occasional treat, a few times a wheek" So every time mine wheeks I give it a few treats. gotcha.

[@noneyabness8761]

Haha CUTE, I see what you did there. Actually, if I did that, mine would be round.

[@samanthaoconnor1982]

I currently have a herd of 8 & wouldn't change it for the world!!

[@philosophie608]

Thank you for this video. I'm currently preparing for the adoption of guinea pigs and I find this advice quite useful!

[@Riley98414]

If you haven't already I have 4 and they will make your life happier then it may already be✨, their kinda hard to take care of but it's worth it💞

[@stargazingcatgirl3233]

Thank you for this information. I just wanted to add to make sure that the pet is pooping normally. Not pooping means time to go to the vet.

[@helennunnally1552]

I love my piggy (Coco Chanel)! ♥️ This video reinforced my care of her and she loves, romaine lettuce, parsley, green bell pepper (she doesn't like red), one strawberry - I didn't know about the blueberries! I clean her cage (penthouse) once a week and that's when I give her the fresh vegetables & fruit. She loves us because she's always coming to front or upstairs to greet us when we come home and the sweet creeking of her voice lets me know she's happy! This video was great!!♥️♥️❤️‍🔥

[@yotetoob]

Guinea pigs are social animals that need others of their species, keeping one is cruel

[@beezwax7094]

@@yotetoob not true because my piggies have their own cages and are much happier. Some fight and don't get along and now they don't interact because they are separated but are much happier and they are over 6 years old. False!

[@tharris9074]

Omg my piggy name is cocoa Chanel too! I thought this was my comment at first lol

[@Blomm11]

There are a few things in this video that can be discussed: -Our pigs have a cage outside and we put them there when conditions are right. They love it. Popcorining and zoomies occur almost instantly. The cage outside is closed off, but a street is close by. Our piggies don't even notice cars passing by anymore. -High traffic area in the house: Our piggies wheek when we approach the cage and they are really curious. They want to se what's going on. -Piggies can never get companionship from a human. It must have an "inmate" piggie. In fact it is illegal to keep solitary piggies in some countries.

[@gijaninenonoyabusiness656]

yep! I studied animal care and behavior and this video is not entirely correct

[@hathhath2444]

Rescue is best. They can tell you their personality. Some will be very shy their whole lives, others are social and inquisitive. So I think the idea was not bringing new, shy pig home where they're constantly scared due to improper handling, other pets and people constantly making noise around. Once they settle, this can be changed.

[@angelali1963]

[@hans7856]

About having at least two guinea pigs: in my experience it depends on the guinea pig. I followed these kind of video's advice years ago and got two guinea pigs. One would just constantly fight the other, scratching and biting it, but he was very social towards me and other humans, he liked to be picked up and would never bite a person. I tried to put other guinea pigs with him, giving them (even) more space, seperate food bowls, but it was always the same response. I keep him alone now and he is completely fine. At the pet hotel (where they keep him seperate too), they said they'd never seen such a social guinea pig and they're sad when I come home from holidays and he has to leave again. In short: it completely depends on the guinea pig, and if I lived in a country where keeping a pig alone is forbidden, another guinea pig would have to suffer greatly.

[@Blomm11]

@@hans7856 You’re absolutely right! There are lone pigs and those should be alone in the cage. The majority of peegs however are not and can suffer greatly from loneliness and depression if left without an inmate. So of course no rule without honorable exeptions.

[@lilacana720]

Yep I never made one of these mistakes. It's really important to know these things. Thanks for the video

[@OmnipotentSag]

I had a skinny pig for nearly 6 years...she couldn't care less about loud noises, and she loved attention (she had no problem with us walking by her often--she'd even start begging for treats!)...we had her enclosure at chest level to us, so we didn't look so big...my wife used to tease her and she would jump around--she'd never run away, and if anything she'd be like "stop that."

[@mousemetal1679]

I have one piggy who doesn´t get stressed by the new year fireworks. He even jumped on the top of his hideout to have a better view. :D

[@heatherhinsdale]

My piggy is very chill about noise she has heard our dog bark and she purrs when e does that

[@OmnipotentSag]

@@mousemetal1679 Nice! -=80)

[@OmnipotentSag]

@@heatherhinsdale That's pretty cool. My current skinny is chill as well. Didn't phase her a bit when we had our roof redone. -=80)

[@hearts_em]

@@mousemetal1679omg i wish my guinea pigs did thattt

[@miya13213]

Thank you for the educational video! It’s so important as Guinea pigs have become a popular pet in Asia, but not many people are familiar with how to keep them.

[@lunarminx]

C&c cages are the best for piggies. Huge cages for mini herds as they are herd animals. I have had 3*6 =42*84". It was that big for 4 boars. As I started adopting elderly pigs they were mainly sows. I ended up with 5 sows and two boars, with one old male being neutered, I had the younger male neutered too. After a month both went in with the girls and the ladies ruled. They protected my old man if huggle tried anything. Now we are down to one girl left. Thought she'd be lonely and introduce two pigs we were sitting, she hated them so we decided that her last year's are going to be alone. Her cage is in the middle of our lives, right in the middle of the dinning room and across from the kitchen and she loves it.

[@ITIsFunnyDamnIT]

Watch Saskia from Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue youtube channel if you really want to learn everything there possibly is to know about guinea pigs. She's really really great with guinea pigs and all her advice is priceless.

[@Ran_Out_of_Floor]

For real. Her channel has the answer if you have one.

[@ITIsFunnyDamnIT]

@@Ran_Out_of_Floor Absolutely she is the guinea pig expert.

[@nhvnaturalpet]

Thank you for the informative video 🧡 This is very helpful for many who are new to being pet parents 🙏

[@benmasur2495]

I love this video beacuse it helped me to learn more about my piggies.THANK YOU so much.At first I thought that I could just give them any fruit and veggie,but this video was vital to my understanding.I thank you again.

[@ElfMadness728]

I’m a guinea pig owner I make sure all three are extra happy!

[@BethTheAdorkable]

So very helpful! I’m considering getting a Piggie and I am doing a lot of research.

[@beverleybalshaw9119]

Well done researching!But please get two. And even better if there's an animal rescue centre near where you live, they will help you in giving your pets the best life. Good Luck 🤞

[@beaterbikechannel2538]

I've got three and one skinny pig .i love them.

[@jenniferreel656]

Excellent!!! Bravo!!! Comprehensive & all true!! 👍🏼💯🙂

[@may6569]

I grew up with Guinea pigs, they are great swimmers! in the summer they would swim around in the pool, they loved it! very smart little creatures they are. they would also open their cage by themselves and run around if it wasn't locked properly hehe. we thought all our babies were all girls, but actually one was male... they bread so often!! we even needed up with 20 of them at one point. miss them very much & hopefully get some more soon. :)

[@Lilliz91]

Don’t depend on the pellets to vitamin C as it would disintegrate if it gets into contact with Sun.

[@maddiepleska8163]

Thank you so much! This helped out a lot. I just got a Guinea pig for my birthday! :)

[@ocieltalavera5761]

Yeah 😎

[@piggiesinblankets2675]

Please get a second one

[@Skyladoesvlogs]

I’m so happy I have mastered all these tricks and now I know that I’m not hurting my little piggy’s

[@youtuber3328]

thanks a LOT for the USEFUL information SERIOUSLY

[@emilyrose6546]

I own two! I love them so much!

[@aggierowe9574]

Yay! I do none of these harmful things for my 2 rescue Guinea pigs!

[@beerfish109]

This list is really good and covers a lot of the basics incredibly well. For the handling part; please do remember that they don't enjoy being picked up. You may be able to "train" them to it. But it is fully against their nature to want to be picked up. They enjoy being held though and being pet that way. What we do in our household is that we have "trained" them to go into a tunnel whenever we need to get them out of the cage. Be it for floor time, clipping their nails or when we need to clean the cage. They get a pea flake at our household to confirm that it's a positive thing to do.

[@user-bx1tj6cw6e]

These animations are too adorable i cant focus on the video

[@RasmusGuineaPig]

I remember one of my guinea pigs (her name was Happi), we didn’t notice any changes in her behaviour other than not coming out from her hiding spot to eat etc, but since she barely ever ate, we were planning to take her to the vet, but it was too late, when I was in school one day, my dad came to me right in the middle of a lesson, and told me Happi had died, I cried so much that I was almost weeping. And then we took her dead body to the vet, and the vet told us that Happi had a tumour inside the throat, might have been cancer, we don’t know, all we know is that it was a tomour sickness, I’m still really sad to this day, and this all happened in late 2019. Sometime in 2020 I think it was, another one of our guinea pigs (Nougat) lost appetite, we were worried, I think we took her to the vet, we didn’t want the same to happen to her what happened to Happi. But after a while she got her appetite back. But May 6th 2021 our oldest guinea pig, Heini, died, she was 6 years old at the time, so it was probably just from old age, but I still got really sad, and we don’t know what made her die, but it was, as I said, most likely old age that killed her. But even after all this, we still have 3 guinea pigs left.

[@rocketleaftherlfreestyler6151]

My guinea pig lost his apotite and we fed him through a tube of paists but his stomach stopped now im worried it was because we didnt think hay was important but then he who made the vid said it kept the stomach moving and thats how he died so now ím worried that me and my family could have saved him

[@RasmusGuineaPig]

@@rocketleaftherlfreestyler6151 aww, poor u!

[@laurynbennett1169]

i got 2 guinea pigs back in 2018, named honey and coco. we adopted coco because she was getting to big for the cages that they have for the guinea pigs at the pet store. i had only had them for about a year and sadly honey passed away suddenly. we don’t know her cause of death or how it happened. she looked and acted perfectly well a few days before. about a year ago a found a bump or something like that under my other guinea pig, coco’s neck. i didn’t think much about it and we didn’t go to the vet to get it looked at. then, a few days ago coco sadly passed away, i was really sad considering i had had her for about 5 years and loved her so much. it might’ve been from old age but we weren’t sure how old she was when we had got her (maybe like 1-2 years old). i now realize we should’ve kept track of that bump and probably gone to the vet to get it looked at. i still miss them so so so much and i still think about them 24/7.

[@rocketleaftherlfreestyler6151]

@@laurynbennett1169 mine who I mentioned got a tumor (that bump on his tummy but I relized my feeling it that it felt as if it were a seperate body part and guessed cancer the next day was an operation which was successfully but we saw no poos for hours untill finally 1 grate big one which we thought was good but that was the sign of all the poo not going trough the stomach untill there was so much of it building it that it forced itself out and that was how he died, the trauma of the operation made him lose his apotite and we gave him food liquid squatted through a tube and that worked, he didn't start eating again yet but he showed interest in his hay when seeing his brother eating who he loved very much then one day it stopped working now I relize it was because we didnt think about the hay and as my mum noticed his back legs were disabling I looked it up online and as I kept reading all the horrors of what supposedly were about to happen thay did and in the time of 5 míns he could no longer stand up so we took him to the vet but the vet could only vaccine him to make it like 5% chance of him living the vacine was about 20 dollars which of corse we paid for but we had to put him down under a warm blanket then he got a seizure and it was as if the worst death had acquired but then that stopped and his death was not from a vacine he luckily peacefully died and slowly his heart stopped beating and I even admitted to myself that he was much more special to me than all my other guiny pigs and it felt as if I had just lost a real family member

[@laurynbennett1169]

@@rocketleaftherlfreestyler6151 I'm so sorry about that! I feel you though, when my guinea pig passed away it felt like I lost a best friend. That's probably the worst part about owning pets.

[@ghostdoodles]

The clip with the hamster running in the wheel had a wheel and cage way too small, hamsters need a large cage space as well and larger wheels to run in.

[@kellyb.1484]

I just got one today and this helps A LOT!!!

[@theisbetterthenu1849]

Its 3 am and a school night, i needed this. ( i dont own a Guinea pig…)

[@Apokal031]

Something to add about fruits. Especially dangerous is a high acid content in some fruits and simply too much. To many high acid fruits can burn their throats, leading to swelling. We lost a 2 weeks old piglet we rescued with its sister and mother. Its throat was burned and swollen and it could not feed anymore on it's mother or anything else. Not even the doctor could do anything and we needed to put her down before it starved slowly to death. The previous owner fed them grapes and apples.

[@michixlol]

Hm, why is nobody talking about them loving grass. I mean, hay, sure, if you live in a city or something it's hard to get fresh grass, but if you are in the countryside and and gather fresh grass for them, they absolutely love fresh grass over nearly anything else. Although they should also always have hay. It's something to hide in and they love it and also it's something they can eat all the time but also just let it be without it getting bad. Great video tho!

[@guineapigcuteness6887]

Great videos ❤ Great advice ❤

[@anandukrishna3332]

Thanks for information

[@helenwhite2957]

I love my two little piggies to death! Sometimes When they here my voice the start wheeking😊

[@christinanguyen1534]

samee!

[@ShrekToePreppy]

Same

[@bryerbrybryhickel2852]

Have you accidentally touched a rapper at 3 am and knew what was next

[@noneyabness8761]

@@bryerbrybryhickel2852 haha truth! When my hubby goes to eat a snack during his workday, my guinea boys hear it from ACROSS THE HOUSE and start wheeking wildly. lol

[@babypieval8040]

I can relate. I have 2 girls Gwendie and Lily and I love them to pieces.

[@hans7856]

My pig does not like other guinea pigs at all. He bites or scratches them, leaving them wounded. He's fine with humans though, he likes and even asks to be picked up, and would never bite any person. Also, bathing guinea pigs is fine and it makes clipping their nails a lot easier. Mine loves the shower! Just don't use shampoo.

[@sorrybjoke450]

Cold water is chilly for both broken hamsters and guinea pigs. Hamsters are the most hatred pet, because hamsters hate living with guinea pigs.

[@Nilatez]

Thank you for this video💌🙏

[@guineapiglady2841]

My little Wiggy was just fine by herself. I gave her plenty of attentions.

[@tammylines2779]

🐹🥰and I forgot that if the place you live in has copper piping the copper piping depletes vitamin C, I used spring water, i gave them extra vitamin C i also love ❤️ guinea pigs they are one of the sweetest little animals,

[@pkcell5688]

If your pet has sickness, go to the vet, but do not rush it or if coming to a vet that is closed permanently and also, going to a vet without money is a no-go

[@busterboi5720]

Why would you go to a vet that is closed permanently and wdym by "do not rush it"?

[@pkcell5688]

@@busterboi5720 Yes it is true, but going to the vet without money is a no-go.

[@sakuraelo9159]

i forget ot clean my ginuea pig home alot, my poor baby has a really dirty house. college makes its hard to take care of him, but these videos really make me care and rememeber how much i need to be a better mom. tysm.

[@lysi.777]

thank you for this video!

[@coldphsycopath2900]

Thank you for the educational video! I might adopt a guinea pig soon and I want to make sure my piglet will have the best life. However I have a question (it’s for anyone who sees my comment); if we don’t have a garden or a balcony or anything of that sort, should we take them to the park and watch them closely or should we just keep them at inside with lots of sunlight and fresh air? Because in the video, it said prays are after them always - like stray cats, birds and other predators; and even if they’re in a cage, they’ll get anxious. So what would you recommend I should do?

[@nyoko2926]

Hi Cold Psych how nice of you that you are planning to adopt a guinea pig. Concerning your question I have some suggestions. First, do adopt two pigs, they are always in need of a friend and will do so much better in pairs. Second, taking a guinea pig outside is ok, if (!) they don't have stress. The last one is almost impossible to insure. When you want to make guinea pigs happy, look closely to their body language and you'll know. Good luck!

[@coldphsycopath2900]

@@nyoko2926 thank you sooo much for the reply! I’ll keep your points in consideration and will be sure to extra-examine it’s body language and make it feel as comfy as I can! However, I am only able to adopt a SINGLE guinea pig as for now - hopefully in the future, I’ll be able to have more. Another question I have is that, even though it’s highly recommended and would be better to have 2 or more, is it actually OKAY to only have one? I know I cannot (?) replace another guinea pig’s company, however I’ll give it lots and lots of attention, will take it out often (if it’s comfy with it), will take it to the park (if it’s not stressed out by it) and will make sure to hand feed it and play with it a lot. So can a single guinea pig still feel loved and social IF the owner (aka me) makes sure to be really extra affectionate with it? And thanks again!💖

[@nyoko2926]

@@coldphsycopath2900 You're welcome. Well, I cannot decide for you, or for a guinea pig. But in the past I had one solo, that resulted in apathy quickly. Despite of my affection. I'm sure you'll take good care of it, but two guinea pigs live longer and happier lives, and it's way more fun. Another tip: if you want to 'take out' a pig (mentioned in this video) please insure that they want to, and don't chase them. For example: give a snack, or make the guinea pig a safe way to climb out of the cage so it can decide for itself. Pigs are very curious, when feeling safe.

[@rithchankolboth4902]

this is probably harder than raising a child

[@kathrynletchford5114]

You clearly haven't had children. I would rather have a hundred guinea pigs, instead of a child. 🤣

[@BrunaDanielle]

amazing content thanks for helping

[@Travatain]

I made a guinea pig carrier from a piece of 4inch plastic pipe with one end stopped off with clear plastic. The guineas love it and are used to diving in as soon as I put it down. They know they will be put out on the lawn (in a covered pen) or going back in their cage when they are tired. It is their instinct to run for cover when you want to catch them, so they go in. Of course you have to hold your hand at the back end and carry it very carefully so you don't drop the pipe, but it does work!

[@ShrekToePreppy]

I love my 2 piggies sooo much

[@Ray-cl1er]

My guinea pig loves my cats for some reason. She hops around when she sees them and she loves to lay on top of them. Idk if it's because the grew up together and I let them get used to each other or what but she loves cats.

[@SproutFlower]

I’m gonna going to get two Guinea pigs so thank you this is useful

[@hearmeout1767]

Thank you 💖

[@debsy41yearsago40]

Our neighbour gave our guinea pigs grass clippings and they ate it, and all of our guinea pigs got paralysis, only a few of them survived this. We feeded them by putting liquid food in a tube and try to get them to eat (they couldn't move at all) My mom told me to not pick them up, it was very sad to see this happen :( it is now a few years ago and one of my favorite guinea pigs is still alive, she is called Maika, she is 4 years old now and she is becoming old, I'm scared she will die soon😥

[@Fernziii]

Seriously??😨 I would beat the living shtt outta that neighbor!!

[@hathhath2444]

One reason not mentioned in the video is- grass clippings start to ferment, this can cause severe gut issues. Any gut issues must be treated by a vet as emergency.

[@hathhath2444]

You piggies isn't old at 4 years old, please take her to the vet that is knowledgeable about piggies.

[@kacklina]

Thats it, I tried my best and did almost all you shouldn't do in the video...im sorry for my guinea pig....im never going to have an other guinea pig, im not prepared for it.

[@ICE_CANDY023]

@@oberscharfuhrer8917 .

[@trich7852]

@@oberscharfuhrer8917 it’s okay to need attention sometimes. Probably take care of that trauma before trying to get a reaction from strangers on the internet❤️

[@lol32scbw]

You can actually do everything and pigs will love you anyway if you give them tasty food. Pigs taught me that simple truth.

[@staystrongpeople4942]

This is great info.

[@gogh84]

I do not think that last advice of the video is something that should be adviced when it comes to guinea pigs. Human companionship can never substitute piggie companionship. Piggies need to be in at least a pair or a herd. But otherwise very informative video as always ;)

[@chelseamarker9181]

What should be done if the guinea pig is aggressive towards a new friend? I just learned recently that piggies do better in pairs or groups. So a few months ago, we added a new addition. They’re both female. But the older female is extremely aggressive and refuses to bond. They’ve needed to be in separate cages since day one. Whenever we try to re-introduce them in a large/neutral area (every 2 weeks), it just causes the older one to chase/bite and she gets very stressed. The new one tries to sit beside her or share food, but she gets bitten… I feel like I need to get a third piggie, so the new one has a friend. She’s very social. But I feel like getting a third might throw our first piggie overboard with stress. I’m just at a loss for what to do.

[@audrey-gh9jj]

@@chelseamarker9181 I have three male piggies and they haven’t gotten along since the first day we’ve gotten them. it’s been 10 months alr. :(

[@chelseamarker9181]

@@audrey-gh9jj I’m sorry to hear that 😞

[@source987]

@@audrey-gh9jj (this reply got long, sorry) Male guinea pigs generally do not do well together in groups larger than 2. If you’re aiming for having more than 2 pigs, a neutered male and several females is the best option, or all females. Male guinea pigs are very territorial and tend to only bond with 1 other male since in the wild their herds have very few or only 1 permanent male member. It can POSSIBLY work with multiple males, but you will need tons of cage space (or more likely 3 separate cages close together) and plenty of hiding spots spread out from one another, and laid out in such a way were confrontations are kept to a minimum, and even if you do that, it comes down to the personality of the pig(s). If you aren’t in a position to greatly expand their cage, you, and the pigs, unfortunately would be better off downsizing. Guinea pig fights happen very quickly and can turn deadly or physically debilitating in an instant. If they stay in this agitated environment long enough, the risk of them never trusting and therefore bonding with another pig down the road drops significantly too. It’s a painful thought, but potentially risking a dead or mangled pet over a fixable problem isn’t worth it.

[@audrey-gh9jj]

@@source987 we actually have separate spacious cages for each one of them bc they fight a lot. we take them out to our backyard (grass) for fresh air everyday so they can move around more. they actually get along pretty well outside and we tried multiple times to have them live together in a bigger cage but it never happened bc once hideouts were put in they started getting feisty with each other.

[@adrianacosta4807]

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

[@michixlol]

Very important things you point out!

[@alexapatexa]

Finally a big (non Guinea based) channel with good advice.

[@Meetmyfourguineapigs]

My one Guinea pig died of pellets.

[@sophiasrobloxworld2805]

Oh no I'm so sorry for your guinea pig 😭🥺😢

[@Meetmyfourguineapigs]

@@sophiasrobloxworld2805 thank u

[@WeeklyEdits33]

The thing about the bedding is sort of wrong because you shouldn’t use hay as bedding because it can get in their eyes.

[@Zambocolortoys]

They're so cute ❤ I always just wanna cuddle them

[@beezwax7094]

Guinea pigs are so beautiful and delicate animals. I have 2 and both are over 6 years old. One had cancer and had the surgery to remove the lump years ago and now he has it again but he's still healthy. These tips are great! Cages should be cleaned several times a day because they are poop machines. I don't give them a lot of fruit and they eat twice a day fresh vegetables. Piggies don't like all veggies/fruits. My piggies are picky. A piggies life is eating, sleeping, hiding and pooping.If you keep the cage clean they will not need any baths and I've given them a bath twice a year. Also, if they stop eating you need to take them to the vet. This is how I know when something is wrong. They have been to the vet about 3 times in over 6 years and that's because they are taken care of. These tips are great because not many people know how to take care of piggie. I had no idea they would live over 6 years because they are so delicate. They don't need to have a companion because some piggies love being alone. I had to separate my piggies because they kept fighting and now they are separated and much happier. You will know if they need a companion but it's not true because I also have friends that have 1 piggie and they are happy not depressed. Again, it depends on the piggie and if you give it enough attention and take care of it.

[@alfredoalejandro87]

When I was young, I had a guinea pig which my mother had found outside hurt. Guinea pig made itself at home but unfortunately I had a drugged up father (cocaine) who was also an alcoholic. One day he picked up my guinea pig and smashed it against the wall. All I remember was lots of blood and me crying. I don't think that trauma will ever allow me to have another guinea pig. Lucky for me I live over a thousand miles away from that excuse of a man I called a father.

[@madjack8893]

That’s awful.

[@user-ou5zx9ed6u]

Hi Julia take it easy one day at a time everything going to be fine❤all my love to lumi❤lulu❤Fitz ❤and wilby ❤Gatsby and nugget all ways be in my heart ❤take care Julia and please don't stop rescue Guinea pigs you are doing a marvelous job ❤❤❤❤❤

[@misslc6750]

I own 4 guinea pigs and i love them alot

[@sallyengen1212]

I love guinea pigs sweet gentle animals

[@aubreegallucci8343]

This was very helpful! I've had several throughout my life. The one I have now doesn't like me 😔

[@jojovaso9209]

I saw this on my tablet and it makes me know what to do to my 2 guinea pigs Daist and Kevin.

[@livibratsis7645]

Great video thanks

[@Starrypuppy272]

We used pine bedding when we were new to piggies but several turned out to be allergic so now we use paper bedding, it’s been much better

[@Keenen-jd6dr]

Thank you

[@CBGPOFFICIAL]

i have 2 guinea pigs so thanks for the information

[@SevenTheMisgiven]

The frozen bottle of water with a towel is definitely a must in the current summers we are having. Guinea pigs handle the cold much better than they handle the heat and 27 degrees is easily reached in even Northern Europe nowadays. And make sure to place a new bottle when the frozen one has thawed. Also guinea pigs are just not pets for really young children and older children also generally aren't that happy with a guinea pig. It's more a pet for adults in my opinion. When I was a boy I just barely had time for guinea pigs with all the things you do there is no time to actually connect with the guinea pigs because they require a pretty intensive bonding process and many guinea pigs may stay skittish or at least become uncomfortable with your presence again just because you are doing normal boy things all day, like doing sports 3-4 times a week and generally not being home all the time. Of my latest guinea pigs only 1 of them actually was tame and mostly stayed that way. The others generally just didn't like too much attention besides feeding time. :)

[@catherinelebrunmckinnon4128]

Wow!!!! Merci pour le beau vidéo!!!!!💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

[@cookiesiblechi6649]

Thanks for making the video is so good i own 2 piggies and it just help’s me and when i se the video and i see the crying piggy it just it make's me sad and he loking like one of my piggy! 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥺🥺🥺🥺

[@Fly40]

I never knew shooting bright explosions of light out of my fingertips at my crying hamster hurt him. Thanks!

[@x.ur.local.idot.x7506]

I got a Guinea pig on Craig’s list and he is a little demon. He has a perfect cage and he can free roam around my house ( and he can’t chew on wires), he has enough food everyday, and he has many hiding places around the house like cardboard houses, and cat tunnels. Yet he is such a loud little turd. He screams SO LOUD every morning until he gets hay. Even though he has enough hay, he will squeak super loud when a bag crunches or rattles. We can’t get him to quiet down when we are in the kitchen. He doesn’t want love, he wants food. And I can’t pet him because he runs away. But we do have cats that he bonds very well with ( they don’t try to kill him) and they play with him a lot.

[@JackOffiicialChannel]

I love guinea pigs, and I love guinea pigs because they look like hamsters but they are not small so they are not bad at all and also they keep rolling around the floor like a cutie! They love being safe and they do not want being hurt for their life! Please take care of your guinea pig so they will be safe! Please ask your parent to buy a pet or a guinea pig and you will play with him and you will not do anything dangerous for your guinea pig!

[@Rand0m_Artgirl]

Thx this help3d a lot!

[@tristanmisja]

8:19 I can personally confirm that piggies being outdoors unsupervised is dangerous. I lost my guinea pig by doing that

[@davidwas77]

Bouta study up, doing a speed run of all of these, any percent.

[@michaelkurtz6858]

I got one and I love it❤