Critter Crazy Rescue

Critter Crazy Guinea Pig Rescue and Foster Care- I have piggies available to good homes only. All piggies have been handled, bathed and toes trimmed prior to re-homing! Serious Inquires Only. I would be happy to answer any questions!

Oreo and Oscar- they are cage mates, I believe one is 3 and 1 is one, Short haired.Very cute, have been handled, but will need TLC so they are more comfortable with you! They come with a cage and all supplies needed. Oreo is gorgeous, he is black with a white band around him, Oscar is cream colored, with a small amount of orange, nice smooth coat! $40.00 Re-Homing Fee

Porky Pig- Large Brown and Orange Short Hair, I am guessing he is about 3. He is a funny pig, he does best alone! Loves to have carrots fed to him! 10.00 for him alone or 30.00 for him and cage! He has quite the personality! Since he is an older boar, he needs a "bum bath" about once a week, so that he does not get impacted.

Brown short haired female, she is 8 months old and she has 2 babies, a male and female, they are 3 months old. Can re-home mom and daughter together. They are available for a $10.00 re-homing fee per piggy. I do have a used cage available for $10.00, it is large, but does have a little rust on it!

We do rescue and foster as a hobby, we are involved in 4-H, and take care of the piggies daily, they get play time and lots of fresh veggies and hay daily! I do interview all those wanting to adopt, making sure the pigs are a good match for your family.

Thanks!
Michelle

Guinea Pig Information:

Food:

Guinea Pig Pellets (not rabbit pellets)

Timothy Hay

Fruits and Vegetables (no potatoes) We feed our guineas broccoli, carrots (from Costco) and apple slices.

They do need vitamin C, because they do not produce it on their own! Broccoli has vitamin C, you can try oranges, but our older ones do not like them!

No nuts!

Water at all times!

Bedding:

Bedding like cedar shavings can bother guinea pigs because of the harsh smell. It is best to use natural cotton like Cage Fresh, it is very expensive, so we mix with wood pellets and the cotton Cage Fresh,

I put new bedding in at least twice a week, in order to keep the cage clean. They do go to the bathroom near their food at times and this is normal. You can try and litter train them, our older piggies are doing pretty well with this.

You can also put down fleece material instead of the bedding. You want to wash the fleece at least 4x before placing it in their cage, so that it will wick the urine. You first want to lay down newspaper and then a towel and then the fleece material on top. This is great to help keep expenses down and you can choose lots of fun fleece prints.

See this link for more information on bedding

http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/bedding/52786-help-fabric.html

They make funny noises when they are happy, scared or hungry, you will begin to notice the different squeaks and what they mean.

You need to bathe them occasionally you can use baby liquid soap, do not get their ears wet as they may get an infection and keep their nails nicely trimmed!

Some interesting things about guinea pigs (also known as cavy)

They are native to the grasslands of South America

Guinea pigs love to be pet and get lots of attention, they can bond with their owner and their other guinea companions.

Guinea Pigs can get pregnant as early as 4 weeks old.

You should not breed a guinea after 10 months old, as she and the babies will most likely die.Due to the fact her pelvic bones fuse together before she is a year old. If this happens, she will still become pregnant but she will not be able to give birth. This ultimately spells doom for your sow. For her safety, it's best to make sure that she is bred before six months of age

It is very expensive to spay a guinea pig, average of $200.00.

You must keep boys and girls separate or else you will have babies. Guinea Pigs are fertile once a month for 8 to 24 hours, they are pregnant for approximately 68-72 days.

FAQ's

Do guinea pigs make good pets?
Indeed they do! guinea pigs are wonderful little animals, my list is endless to why I think guinea pigs make ideal pets. They are charming, very affectionate, intelligent, talkative, all have unique personalties, can be very comical, cuddly, inquisitive and they rarely bite. For me personally and from my own experience with other smaller animals, I would go as far as saying guinea pigs are the most ideal pet to share your life with. Of course I am biased and I do appreciate all animals are different and all have endearing qualities, but for me, a guinea pig is awarded 10/10 for being so idyllic. Guinea pigs can live up to 5 to 7 years, so you'll hopefully have many happy years with your little friend.

2) Where will my guinea pig live?
I personally believe that guinea pigs should live in-doors as part of the family. You'll notice more quickly if they are poorly and be able to give them care and attention throughout the day or night. Another option if you really don't have room in your house is that you have a secure hutch inside an out-building like a shed, with heating for the cold winter months. I would not keep guinea pigs in a hutch outside, they can be exposed to all sorts of weather and be vulnerable to predators. So please don't consider this as an option.

3) Will my guinea pig need a cage mate?
Yes, guinea pigs are a herd animal and need the company of their own kind to be truly happy. Even if your able to donate a lot of time to your piggy, you can't possibly give them 24hr attention, so getting another guinea pig as a cage mate will stop your piggy becoming lonely when your absent. Together, guinea pigs can develop a close bond with each other, play, talk and do all things piggy, even enjoy a game of tug war with a piece of carrot. Guinea pigs really do love the company of their own kind.

4) Can my guinea pig live with my rabbit? There are many reasons why you shouldn't allow a guinea pig and a rabbit to live together or even have their free range time together. Rabbits have very strong, powerful back legs and even a small rabbit could really hurt a guinea pig or even kill a guinea pig. You may think that your bunny likes your guinea pig and wouldn't hurt them, but rabbits only have to get excited and they can easily kick out by accident. Having been kicked by accident by our two bunnies, who are the most friendliest bunnies I have ever known, their kicks really hurt and can even cause bruising so imagine what they could do to a guinea pig! Rabbits also have different dietary needs. Rabbits have also been known to bully a guinea pig or try and mount them, so please don't consider mixing guinea pigs and rabbits at any time. 5) Can a guinea pig share the same household with other pets? Yes, but you need to be extremely cautious. If you have free range predatory animals like a dog or a cat, never leave them together unsupervised, not even for a few seconds. Cats and dogs have natural instincts to hunt and a quick moving piggy could arouse their natural instincts. Even if your cat or dog is very friendly, they may even think that they are just playing with the piggy, not realizing they are hurting them. A possible solution would be while your guinea pigs are having their free range time in a safe room ( for example: no wires, no household plants that the inquisitive piggy can reach ) then you could place your cat or dog in another room, leaving messages on doors to alert other family members. You will have to make sure you have a very secure cage for your guinea pig, as some cats or dogs might work out how to open the cage door! Remember young inquisitive toddlers can also learn how to open a cage door. Pets like rabbits, ferrets, hamsters, rats and mice should not be introduced to a guinea pig. Pets like hamsters can bite a guinea pig, even though they are much smaller. In the interest of the guinea pigs safety, its best not to introduce any other type of pet to your guinea pig and be very cautious at all times. 6) Can I afford to keep a guinea pig? You will need all the initial supplies, cage, bedding, food, accessories like food bowls, water bottles, toys, a secure carrier for vet visits. The accessories will last quite a while, but you will need a constant supply of bedding, hay, pellets and fresh vegetables. One of the most expensive as well as one of the most important things to consider are veterinary bills. If your guinea pig became poorly and needed treatment, would you be willing to pay the veterinary bills?. If the answer is no, please do not adopt a guinea pig or any other pet. As an owner of any pet, you should be fully be prepared to take on the responsibility of making sure your pet is well cared for, happy and trips to the vet when needed. 7) Do I know how to care for a guinea pig? If the answer is no, then you would be very wise to buy a book about guinea pigs before you bring a guinea pig home. Of course, the internet is also a great source of information, but its also good to have a few favorite books to curl up with and read.

A great book I highly recommend is “The Happy Healthy Pet- Guinea Pig” by Audrey Pavia.

8) Are guinea pigs good pets for children?
Guinea pigs can make wonderful pets for children, but because guinea pigs are timid by nature and also fragile, great care must be taken and very young children should be supervised at all times and be taught that a guinea pig is not a toy. If your child isn't mature enough to know that, then it would be better to wait until your child is older. Remember that even if your child has promised to look after their guinea pig, some children become bored within a short space of time and they forget about all the promises they made. So as an adult it would be you that is responsible for the guinea pigs welfare for the whole of their life. If you won't be able to take on that responsibility, ( just in case your child becomes bored ), then please don't bring home a guinea pig or any other pet. Unless your child is mature enough to take on the full responsibility of taking care of a piggy, then with younger children, you will still need to supervise and make sure the guinea pig has lots of care and attention.

Unless your child is well into their teens and is very responsible, always keep a guinea pigs cage where you can see it for much of the day and evening so you can keep a watchful eye on them. A childs bedroom isn't an ideal place. Often a child is out, attending school all day, so their room won't be frequently visited during the day. Guinea pigs can also be quite noisy, even just drinking from their water bottle can be a disturbance for a sleeping child.

Enjoy your new piggies, they are easy-going, loving little creatures! Give them lots of TLC, and they will bring you lots of joy!

If you have any questions please feel free to call me!

Critter Crazy Guinea Pig Rescue and Foster Care

Jay and Michelle Platt

509-361-3165