How To Choose Guinea Pig Accessories

Hi. My name's Marie. I'm the deputy manager of the Small Animal Department of Wood Green Animal Shelters in Cambridge here.

I'm going to advise you how to care for guinea pigs. I'm going to show you how to choose guinea pig accessories. First of all, you need to start off with the correct accommodation so you'll need a large hutch and a large run for them to grass in the garden.

Then, you'll need to accessorize their home. Most importantly is the water bottle. Always have at least 2 or 3 of these in your home.

In case that one breaks or it's damaged, you'll have a replacement straight away. Second you'll need is a bottle brush cleaner. Your bottles will need cleaning at least once a week as algae can build up inside them.

You would require a food bowl for them to place their dry mix into and this should only be filled about halfway and this will need cleaning once a week as well. Also for your water bottle during the winter months, it's likely if the guinea pigs are housed outside that their water bottles may freeze. So you can purchase items such as these and you can actually wrap inside your water bottle and that will keep the water completely warm and it won't freeze over.

So always have one of these in stock ready for winter time. Another great accessory during the winter is a snuggle safe. These are provided in these heat covers here.

They can be placed in the guinea pig accommodation and completely safe for pets and they'll keep your guinea pigs real nice and snuggled during the winter months. You'll need enrichment for your accommodation for your guinea pigs to keep mentally and physically stimulated so you'll need tunnels, all sorts of little houses and hiding areas as well. Wooden tunnels like these are brilliant and guinea pigs can run inside and underneath them, they can also climb over them and they're safe for them to chew because they're made of willow and fruit tree wood.

You can also have different types of plastic houses and you should have at least 2 or 3 different houses and tunnels in their accommodation so they've got a choice to go between different ones. Guinea pigs don't like to grace openly in open areas because they like to know that they've got a few areas where they can go to if they are a bit frightened. One of the most important things you will need in your accommodation is good quality hay.

Your hutch or your indoor cage should be lined with newspaper and good quality green fresh hay. Straw and wood shavings are not required for guinea pigs. Other enrichment could be plant pots and fruit tree wood and paper bags, and in these, you can place all these different types of dried herbs and they're fantastic for your guinea pig's digestive system.

Lastly, all guinea pigs should be bathed at least 3 to 4 times a year to help protect them against any skin issues and get rid of them. There are many different guinea pig shampoos on the market nowadays but by far, one of the better products would be Gorgeous Guineas products. So, that's how to choose accessories for your guinea pigs. .