About Jenny Atkins Expertise If your guinea pig has stopped eating, is having fits, looks puffed up or listless, is bleeding, has lost weight suddenly or is squeaking in pain then please, do not delay in taking him/her to a vet. Preferably a specialist small animal or exotic pet vet, but don't worry if you can't find one.
If you suspect your guinea pig is pregnant, has mites, is losing hair or you have a question about diet, cages, toys, exercise etc then look at my past answers before you ask your question, as it may save you time.
Otherwise, go ahead and ask me a question! My areas of expertise are in how to choose your guinea pigs, where to get them from and what you need before you bring your new pets home. I can also help with general care and dietary questions, with treating common illnesses (especially skin complaints), pregnancy and baby guinea pigs (though I do not approve of purposeful 'at home' breeding), and how to introduce two males.
I'd recommend The Really Useful Guinea Pig Guide by Myra Mahoney and Piggy Potions by Peter Gurney to all guinea pig owners - these books will tell you everything you need to know to ensure your guinea pigs have happy and healthy lives. I practically memorised these before I was allowed my first guinea pigs as a teenager!
Experience I absolutely love guinea pigs, and I think they make brilliant pets for the right owners. They are incredibly sociable animals and should always be kept in pairs, or a larger group (females only). If you spend lots of time with your guinea pigs, they will become very tame and friendly little creatures. I am very much a pet owner, and provide answers based on my personal experiences with my pet piggies, and what I've learned from books along the way. I'm not a breeder or a vet, so I can't answer questions about breeding, breeds or complicated illnesses. I have kept both boars and sows, and have had my share of unexpected newborns in the early days. I've had a total of 11 guinea pigs over the years - all adorable in their own way - including my current two boars (Almeida and Simba) whose cage has pride of place in my living room. When you have guinea pigs you learn something new about them every day!
Education/Credentials 2:1 Honours Degree in Creative Arts with English
Question QUESTION: My guinea pig, Ozzy is a cage biter and I think is because of that, that he started to have scubby mouth (like a crust). It started to be very bad now and I can see he suffers a lot when I take it down.
What do you recommend me to do? How should I make him not to bite the cage? He takes walks in the morning and evenings, but he doesn't seem to like a lot to be on the floor...
Thanks for you advice.
All the best
worried owner
ANSWER: Hi Angel,
Some guinea pigs do love to bite their cages, but this in itself should not be causing him injury. Do you feed him a lot of fruit? This is the most common reason for mouth scabs in guinea pigs - fruit is simply too acidic for them and should be fed a maximum of once a week.
If you do feed him lots of fruit, please stop. There may be a lotion at www.gorgeousguineas.com that can help his mouth to heal. If not, take him to see a vet.
If you don't think this could be the cause, please tell me a bit more info about Ozzy's diet and living environment.
Jenny.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hi Jenny,
Thank you for your answer. It is true we feed him fruits every day (1 or 2 slices of nectarine or pear,plum,watermelon (mainly the green part), etc.
His menu consists of: parsley, lettuce, tomatoes, baby carrots, pellets, hay. We give him two times a day the veggies.
Ozzy has a very strong personality...he will do anything to get what he wants, if he would hear that you are peeling a fruit or anything, that's when he starts to bite the cage and cry loud.
Your advice on the Ozzy's menu will be highly appreciated.
Thank you so much for your help,
Angel
Answer Hi again Angel,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I'm going on holiday next week so have had a very busy time at work!
As well as stopping feeding him fruit, I'd recommend you cut out tomatoes too - as they are also very acidic. And please stop feeding him lettuce - it has no nutritional value and in excess can cause stomach problems.
Hay and pellets are essential - and carrots and parsley are great. To replace the things you are cutting out (as guinea pigs like variety) you could try broccoli, cauliflower leaves, celery (cut up small so he doesn't choke on the threads), salad peppers and cucumber.
