Guinea pigs can be very healthy little animals and this article is not intended to make you think that they often fall sick. I have been keeping and raising guinea pigs now for many years. I am a firm believer that a sound nutrition and a healthy and happy environment is an excellent way of making sure that your piggys have a better than average chance of keeping good health.
There are numerous ailments that can affect your pigs but a lot of these illnesses and conditions can be treated quite adequately yourself at home. It is always handy to have a friendly vet that you can call on if you have to. Check with your vet and see if you can assess his outlook towards small animals like pigs. Ask at your local pet shop or guinea pig club to see if there is a vet that is recommended to look after your pigs. You might even be lucky enough to have a guinea pig rescue station in your area and they would definitely know of a vet they would recommend.
Things that you should watch for regularly is the length of your pigs claws or nails. If you have hard rough surfaces in their cage then this will help wear their nails down and keep their nails short. Make sure that there are plenty of safe things that the pigs can chew. You can buy little wooden toys from the pet supplies that your pigs will chew and this will help to keep their teeth from growing too long. Guinea pigs will enjoy playing with and chewing the cardboard roll centres from kitchen paper or toilet rolls.
To treat small wounds try bathing the wound with some warm water in which you have dissolved three or four teaspoons of salt. This brine solution will not hurt your piggy and will help cleanse and seal minor wounds and acts as a natural antibiotic. A little hydrogen peroxide may also be used if you have it handy. Hydrogen peroxide is also useful for treating minor abscesses that may affect your pig.
Take care when handling your injured pig if they have been injured. Guinea pigs don't really like stress but if you wrap them up fairly firmly in a towel you can hold them without their struggling to much and they won't injure themselves or get too stressed.
With good care, good nutrition and a good general environment your piggys will live a long and happy life.
John Evans is a lifelong guinea pig lover. For more great guinea pig health information, visit my website.
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