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Because guinea pigs tend to urinate in water bowls, this is not a safe option. A water bottle will cost you between seven and nine dollars.
2. Food dish
When you are shopping for a food bowl for your cavy, look for one that has a wider base and a narrow top. This makes it difficult to knock over. There’s no need to place food directly into the cage when you can buy a very good bowl for between one and three dollars. If you want a fancier model that actually attaches to the cage with brackets, the price usually ranges from five to eleven dollars.
3. Other items
As you’ll learn about in the next chapter, hay can be an important part of a guinea pig’s diet, so you may want to add a hay dispenser to your pet’s cage.
Dispensers keep hay from getting mixed in with the bedding and becoming soiled. A hay dispenser costs around eight or ten dollars.
Chew toys are always welcome in a guinea pig’s cage. Keeping chew sticks in the cage helps the guinea pig keep its teeth trimmed down.
A salt wheel costs between two and three dollars. Most guinea pigs just love to nibble a little salt throughout the day.
You’ve built the nest! Before you bring the little furry friend home, sit down and make a list of what sort of foods you need to keep on hand for a healthy guinea pig.
Chapter 6 – Guinea Pig Nutrition
To plan your guinea pig’s diet you need to take two primary things into account: 1) The animal’s nutritional needs and 2) Their food preferences. Guinea pigs have their favorite foods, just like humans and it will take some time for you to figure out what they love to eat.
Essentially, a guinea pig needs to get these foods daily:
* 1-2 oz. of protein
* Hay
* 10% of their food from fresh fruits and vegetables
* 5 mg of Vitamin C per pound of body weight
Your best source of protein is guinea pig pellets. Feed your pet about one or two ounces of pellets a day. Pellets are readily available at your local pet store and even at large discount stores like Target or Wal-Mart. Pellets for guinea pigs are especially designed for their systems and are exactly what they need. Be sure to buy the bags clearly marked “Guinea Pig Pellets.” Read the ingredients before you buy because some guinea pig pellets are made with sunflower seeds or nuts. Cavies may choke on seeds or nuts, so you want to keep these completely out of their diet.
Guinea Pigs Previous Page (16)
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