Tips on Choosing a Guinea Pig

The following points should be considered before falling for a cuddly little guinea pig in the pet shop.

Age - Young guinea pigs should be fully weaned and are best bought between six and twelve weeks of age. At this age they are well able to look after themselves without their mother, yet are young enough to be easily tamed, provided they are handled frequently and gently.

Health - Guinea pigs should be healthy, so their owner will get the utmost enjoyment from them and not be dogged by worry or veterinary bills. Anyone selling a guinea pig should let the purchaser handle it to check over the following points.

A six-week-old guinea pig should weigh about 250g, with a plump, well-fed body. The coat should be sleek, with the hairs sticking neither up nor out unless the animal is an Abyssinian. The fur should have some shine to it, even if the guinea pig is a rough-haired breed, and there should be no bald patches. The skin should be smooth, not dry, with no scaly areas, visible wounds, sores or abscesses. There should be no signs of nasal discharge or diarrhoea, the ears should be clean, the eyes bright, and the teeth clean and not overlong.

By holding the guinea pig close, it should be possible to check for noisy breathing: a guinea pig that wheezes is in poor health.

Breed - Unless the guinea pigs are wanted for showing, cross-breds will do very well for pets. However, it is important that a cross-bred be healthy. Many cross-bred guinea pigs are available simply because they do not meet the stringent requirements of the breed but unfortunately others may have been bred from old, immature or underfed stock, and consequently be small and frail.

For a first venture into keeping guinea pigs, a smooth-haired breed is probably best. Rough-haired guinea pigs need grooming every day, and long-haired Peruvians are definitely not for beginners.

Sources - Many pet shops sell cross-breds, or a friend or acquaintance may have surplus guinea pigs and be pleased to find them a good home. However, top quality show guinea pigs will have to be purchased from a specialist breeder.

Sexing Guinea pigs may be sexed if cradled in the crook of the handler's arm so that the genital opening is accessible. Gentle pressure around the opening will show up the Y-shaped slit of the female, and will extrude the penis of the male. The presence of nipples is no indication of sex in guinea pigs. Both males and females have two, positioned low down on the abdomen. The males may also be expected to be larger than the females right from birth.

Even pet shop owners have been known to make mistakes in sexing an animal, so it is a wise precaution to double check for yourself.