About guinea pigs
(average info)

Guinea Pig Life expectancy: 4 – 8 years

Body temperature: ~37°C to ~39°C (99°F – 103°F)

Ideal Environmental temperature: 19°C – 22°C (68°F – 72°F)
*NOTE: more tolerant to lower than higher temperatures

Acceptable Environmental temperature 15°C – 18°C (59°F – 64°F)

Heart rate: 240 – 350 beats per minute

Respiratory rate: 40 – 150 breaths per minute

Adult body weight: 700g – 1200g

Birth weight: 60g – 110g

Adult body length: 10 inches (25 cm, or 0.8 ft) – 14 inches (36 cm, or 1.2 ft)

Breeding age/weight for sows: 6 months, >750g

Pregnancy: 59 – 72 days

Birth: 10-30 minutes, usually over night

Litter size: 1 – 6

Lactation period: 2 weeks; should commence immediately after birth

Weaning: 1-3 weeks (animal must be at least 6 ounces, or 170g)

Teeth: 20 teeth, open-rooted (continuously growing throughout life)

Food preferences: strict herbivores (vegetarian)

Hearing abilities: better than human (especially at higher frequencies), range  of 125Hz – 33kHz (suspected even to 50kHz), Human range: 20Hz – 20kHz

Visual perception: color vision, 340 degree range of vision, poor depth perception, 33 images per second (humans see 22)

Smelling abilities: highly developed, somewhere between that of a human and that of a dog

Tasting abilities: among the animals (like rabbits) with the greatest amounts of taste buds: about 17000 (humans have about 9000, cats 473)

Muzzles sensors: six rows of irregularly aligned vibrissae (whiskers) for navigation in the dark, width measurings, etc

5 Important Health Instructions:

1. “NORMAL” means that your guinea pig is operating within normal parameters.
2. “NOT NORMAL” means that owner must take his/hers guinea pig to the veterinarian for maintenance.
3. It is NOT recommended to ignore symptoms listed under NOT NORMAL
4. It is NOT recommended to try to DIY maintenance/healing methods or/and buying medications in pet stores without veterinarian instructions.
5. Guinea pig is depending on its owner to know when it is ill. Owner must see a veterinarian immediately if he/she suspects that the pet is sick.

EYES

NORMAL:

• Symmetrical, Open, Bright, Clear with no discharge
• Milky type liquid is also considered normal (produced during the grooming process and usually wiped away with their front feet)

NOT NORMAL:

• Crusty, red/swollen eyes: Possible bacterial infection
• Watery or crusty eyes: Possible upper respiratory infection
• Dull and/or receding eyes: Possible upper respiratory infection
• Bulging eyes: Possible infection, injury, or tooth root problem
• Sunken eyes: Possible dehydration
• Opaque/Cloudy eyes (blue/grey in colour): Could be protective covering due to an injury to the eye. Appears quite quickly and normally disappears once the eye starts healing
• Cataracts: Possible sign of diabetes or old age
• Foreign objects in eye(s): It is not recommended to try to remove objects from your guinea pigs eye without veterinary expertise.

HAIR, SKIN, BODY

NORMAL:

• Healthy, normal looking hair and skin
• Some modest amount of shedding is considered normal

NOT NORMAL:

• Dandruff. Dandruff can be identified as white flakes in the fur, similar to human dandruff. But, debris on the skin may be there for several reasons, and it does not necessary means that it is a medical condition. Beware of the other symptoms: a parasite or fungal infection is possible if the guinea pig seems shedding more than normal, is very itchy, or has a lot of dandruff. Veterinary examination is recommended in any case.
• Excessive hair loss  (possible in patches, or general hair loss): Combined with excessive itching could indicate guinea pig mites (parasites which are extremely common and very painful, but treatment is easy. Owner should treat mites as soon as possible.)
• Lumps
• Scabs
• Dry flaky skin
• Scratches
• Sores
• Rough or puffed-up coat: Possible upper respiratory infection
• Swollen abdomen: Bloat (intestinal blockage and/or a dangerous build-up of gas, painful and potentially fatal)

NOTE: It is recommended to also check under the guinea pig undersides and under the chin.

EARS

NORMAL:

• Smooth and clean
• Not scurfy

NOT NORMAL:

• Inflamed
• Crust on edges of ears: Possible parasite infestation, fungal or bacterial infection
• Build up of wax: Could attracts the parasites. Owner is authorized to clean the wax using warm water, with gentle movements. It is not recommended to poke cotton buds in guinea pig’s ears. This could cause significant amount of damage inside the ears.
• Head tilt: Possible ear infection

NOSE

NORMAL:

• Clean nose
• No signs of discharge or watery liquid

NOT NORMAL:

• Snotty noses, frequent sneezing: Possible bacterial infection
• Watery or crusty nose: Possible upper respiratory infection

FEET

NORMAL:

• 4 fingers front feet, 3 fingers back feet
• Normally looking, clean, soft footpad
• Nails trimmed at a proper length: Need cutting if too large

NOT NORMAL:

• More than 4 fingers on front or more then 3 fingers on back feet (polydactyly, could be the result of inbreeding); however, this should not harm the animal and is not a reason for concern
• Swelling, Scabs, Crusts: Could indicate Bumblefoot 
• Long nails: Need cutting, check out the Care page
• Limping

BREATHING

NORMAL:

• The normal respiration rate for a cavy is about 80 per minute
• It is normal for some cavies to hyperventilate at times to almost double this rate

NOT NORMAL:

• Laboured breathing
• Wheezing
• Clicking sounds

EATING

NORMAL:

• Guinea pig is normally eating its regular food
• Feeding more or less continuously 
• Chewing on paper, cloth, rubber and plastic (and everything in the known Universe) is normal, but try to limit this and keep it under control

NOT NORMAL:

• Struggling to eat: Possible dental problem
• Refusing to eat anything: Alerting situation, taking your pet to the veterinarian is highly recommended

WATER DRINKING

NORMAL:

• Water consumption differs for each cavy
• Consumption is dependent on several factors:  temperature (during summer, water consumption is naturally higher), taste of water, activity, and preference
• Guinea pig extracts water from vegetable matter. For this reason it may appear that guinea pig drinks very little during the day
• If concerned, owner can check for signs of dehydration

NOT NORMAL:

• Drinking a lot more than normal (if taking weather temperature into consideration): It would be wise to have your guinea pig checked for diabetes.
• Possible causes of excess water consumption:

1. Diabetes
2. Kidney failure
3. Pain
4. Hunger

NOTE: Ill guinea pig (especially if having molar problems) may be unable to eat but will drink excessive amounts of water. If owner suspects that the animal is drinking too much, it is recommended to insure first that that the water bottle is not leaking.

DROPPINGS

Guinea pigs excrete 2 different types of feces: one which contains “normal” waste, and second which is produced in the animal’s cecum and is called caecotroph (also called cecotrope or night feces). Technically, caecotrophs are not a poop; they contain vitamins, minerals and some proteins that were not absorbed when firstly ingested and are reingested by the animal. They are usually greenish in color, but this is not a general rule.

NORMAL:

• Uniform and oval, medium to dark brown
• When begin to dry out, droppings turn black
• Frequent excretion is normal

NOT NORMAL:

• Clumped droppings: Possible  impaction (males)
• Teardrop shaped droppings: Possible dehydration and/or malnutrition
• Pitted soft droppings: Possible overgrowth of yeast in the intestinal tract
• Bleeding from rectal area: Red alert
• Diarrhea: Can be life threatening. Temporarily withholding vegetables may help if the droppings are merely soft
• No droppings for more than 12 hours

URINE

NORMAL:

• Color clear to cloudy
• Cloudiness is caused by calcium compounds in the urine. It is recommended to rub the dried calcium deposits between the fingers to determine if deposits are powdery or gritty
• Very young guinea pigs often have an orange or brown tint

NOT NORMAL:

• Strong smelling urine: Possible dehydration or infection
• Gritty compounds (feels coarse and sandy): Possible sludge in the bladder
• Blood in urine: Possible urinary tract infection, bladder stones, or reproductive problems like pyometra (in females). To check for blood, put some light colored towels on the cage floor.
• Incontinence (Unable to urinate): Possible bladder stones

NOTE: Guinea pig’s hair should be relatively dry, but if it is constantly wet, there is a possibility of a urinary tract infection.

BEHAVIOR, BODY LANGUAGE, other

NORMAL:

• Please reference Guinea Pig Behaviour Page for general behavioural patterns, and learn from your pet by observation.

NOT NORMAL:

• Changes in behavior
• Not eating favorite foods
• Constantly hiding it its house
• Loss of balance: Possible Ear Infection, Injury, Poisoning
• Limping, hopping: Possible Injury, Vitamin or Mineral Deficiency, Arthritis
• Lethargy, hunched posture:  Possible upper respiratory infection
• Drooling: Possible Malocclusion

ADDITIONAL 4 HEALTH TIPS

HEALTH TIP #1: Observation

Know your pet. Unusual behavior patterns could mean something is wrong and symptoms could worsen very quickly. If some of the symptoms from Guinea Pig Manual Health page is recognized, consult your veterinarian immediately.

HEALTH TIP #2: Weigh Your Guinea Pig Weekly

Weighing is one of the best, simplest and cheapest tools available for monitoring small animal’s health. Owner must be aware for dramatic changes in weight.  Small fluctuations from day to day are normal. Pattern of weight loss is a reason to be alert.

Reference weight fluctuations:

1 ounce (~ 28 grams) weight fluctuation: OK

2 ounces (~ 57 grams) weight fluctuation: Alert

3 ounces (~ 85 grams) weight fluctuation: Red Alert

4 ounces (~ 113 grams) weight fluctuation: Get your guinea pig to a vet

HEALTH TIP #3: Weigh Your Ill  Guinea Pig Daily

HEALTH TIP #4: Prevent the Spread Of Illness And Parasites by Quarantine

• It is recommended that any new guinea pig which is about to be introduced to a resident guinea pig is submitted to a quarantine procedure.
• The quarantine insures that the new guinea pig does not introduce any illness or parasites to the resident guinea pig(s).
• It is recommended to quarantine new guinea pig for 2 to 3 weeks.
• Owner is advised to wash hands well in between handling the new and the resident guinea pig and consider changing shirt or wearing a removable cover-up when handling the new (or sick) guinea pig.
• Quarantine procedure is specifically recommended if new guinea pig is bought in a pet store.