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The 11 Rules of Cavy Companionship

Guinea pigs are completely dependant on their carers to provide the love, attention and stimulation they need in order to reach their full life expectancy.

The 11 Rules of Cavy Companionship is an original list thought up by Laura as a quick guide to guinea pig care. The ideas mentioned may not be agreed by everyone, but when the 11 Rules are followed you will discover the huge benefits - for both piggies and you.

1. Adopt, don't buy

2. Keep piggies in groups of two or more

3. Don't breed

4. Don't keep rabbits and cavies together

5. Provide suitable, spacious accommodation

6. Feed a nutritonally balanced and complete diet

7. Groom your guinea regularly

8. Offer floor time regularly

9. Handle your piggies often

10. Prevent piggy boredom by providing plenty of fun toys

11. Be vigilent about health checks. If your piggie might be sick or is acting oddly, get to a vet!

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Case Study

In this Case Study I use the lifestyle of one of my guineas, Lottie-Primrose, to demonstrate how following the basic rules mentioned can make your pigs happy pigs. The numbers next to certain words/phrases indicate how that part of the sentence applies to the rules above.

Lottie-Primrose was adopted¹ by Laura after living with a rabbit in a children's nursery for two years (which could have caused one of the minor problems Lottie now has of damaged hair follicles and sensitive skin)⁴. Lottie now lives very happily with three other piggies² in a 4-level C&C cage⁵ full of dozens of fun, exciting toys¹⁰. All guineas get two 1-2 hour long floor time (exercise) sessions daily⁸, with a short cuddle each day⁹. She lives on a diet of Oxbow Cavy Cuisine, two helpings of varied fresh vegetables daily and unlimited amounts of 4 different types of hay⁶. Lottie is an English (or American) sow and gets a nail trim every month and a bath every 4-6 months⁷. To my knowledge, Lottie has never been bred and will definitely never be bred³. She has had numerous health problems, especially hormonally and with her urinary tract, but has received excellent, prompt treatment each time a problem has occurred. She gets a quick health check daily, and a thorough investigation once a week.¹¹

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	The 11 Rules of Cavy Companionship Guinea pigs are completely dependant on their carers to provide the love, attention and stimulation they need in order to reach their full life expectancy. The 11 Rules of Cavy Companionship is an original list thought up by Laura as a quick guide to guinea pig care. The ideas mentioned may not be agreed by everyone, but when the 11 Rules are followed you will discover the huge benefits - for both piggies and you. 1. Adopt, don't buy 2. Keep piggies in groups of two or more 3. Don't breed 4. Don't keep rabbits and cavies together 5. Provide suitable, spacious accommodation 6. Feed a nutritonally balanced and complete diet 7. Groom your guinea regularly 8. Offer floor time regularly 9. Handle your piggies often 10. Prevent piggy boredom by providing plenty of fun toys 11. Be vigilent about health checks. If your piggie might be sick or is acting oddly, get to a vet! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Case Study In this Case Study I use the lifestyle of one of my guineas, Lottie-Primrose, to demonstrate how following the basic rules mentioned can make your pigs happy pigs. The numbers next to certain words/phrases indicate how that part of the sentence applies to the rules above. Lottie-Primrose was adopted¹ by Laura after living with a rabbit in a children's nursery for two years (which could have caused one of the minor problems Lottie now has of damaged hair follicles and sensitive skin)⁴. Lottie now lives very happily with three other piggies² in a 4-level C&C cage⁵ full of dozens of fun, exciting toys¹⁰. All guineas get two 1-2 hour long floor time (exercise) sessions daily⁸, with a short cuddle each day⁹. She lives on a diet of Oxbow Cavy Cuisine, two helpings of varied fresh vegetables daily and unlimited amounts of 4 different types of hay⁶. Lottie is an English (or American) sow and gets a nail trim every month and a bath every 4-6 months⁷. To my knowledge, Lottie has never been bred and will definitely never be bred³. She has had numerous health problems, especially hormonally and with her urinary tract, but has received excellent, prompt treatment each time a problem has occurred. She gets a quick health check daily, and a thorough investigation once a week.¹¹ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ COPYRIGHT LAURA HUMPHREYS 2006-08