How to Trim Guinea Pig Nails
Guinea Pigs’ nails need to be trimmed at least once a month to prevent them from becoming too sharp and interrupting normal behavior. In addition, long nails can get broken by accident and cause unnecessary bleeding. As the nail grows, the blood supply also grows, meaning that you cannot just cut the whole nail off back to normal length. On pale-colored guinea pigs it is relatively easy to spot where the “quick” stops – it is a cloudier white area of the nail – but in darker cavies it is almost impossible. Trim a little of the nail every few days so that the blood supply has a chance to recede and continue doing so until the nail is of a normal length again. It is a good idea to have a little styptic powder on-hand in case you accidentally cut into the quick. Use a guillotine-style trimmer or human-style nail clipper as opposed to scissors to prevent fraying the end of the nail.
What to do if a Guinea Pig Stops Eating
A guinea pig can stop eating for a variety of reasons, and it can be a symptom of many different diseases. Sometimes, however, it can be non-specific. A swollen abdomen can also be caused by quite a few different things, such as bacterial infections, colic, or a problem with the bladder. You should therefore take your guinea pigs to the veterinarian to see if treatment is necessary. If your veterinarian finds that nothing specific is wrong, you may be able to stimulate your guinea pig’s appetite with a mixture of live natural yogurt, vitamin C and a little soaked dry food. The mixture gives a boost to the normal flora found in the intestines and can stimulate a guinea pig’s appetite.
Did You Know
Guinea pigs are not pigs! (They are rodents.)
Guinea pigs don’t sweat.
Guinea pigs don’t sleep for long periods of time, they just take lots of short naps.
Guinea pigs are vegans.
Baby guinea pigs are born fully formed with fur and teeth and are ready to run around after a few hours!
When guinea pigs are excited, they might ‘Popcorn’. This is when they jump up in the air and often do a little twist too.
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