Pigs Ahoy! Guinea Pigs are the Greatest Pets!

While living alone for the last two years, I've had a pet guinea pig named Jackson. Jackson (named after the Johnny Cash and June Carter classic) kept me company and kept me in line through break-ups, career changes, and many other mood swings, and recently accompanied me as I moved to a new home, with a new love and a new job. He's been a constant companion and a consoling voice through it all.

Here are some tips you should know if you're planning on bringing one into your life.

Diet

Guinea pigs eat constantly. I often worry about overfeeding my plump little guy, but when I don't give him fresh veggies, he simply turns to the dish of pellets and keeps on plowing, so I guess its just hardwired into his system to eat all the time. They should have a plentiful supply of dried food, in the form of alfalfa pellets and seeds - look for bags of food labeled specifically for guinea pigs and small rodents. They also like a handful of loose timothy or alfalfa hay each day…. The rough fibers in this are necessary for their digestion. Apart from that, fresh vegetables are the glory of a guinea pig's diet. I give Jackson a handful or so of veggies or fruit each morning and evening, and usually toss in a bite or two during the afternoon. When guests come over they love to offer him a morsel as a hello. Dark green leaves are their favourite, and a necessity for their health - spinach, romaine lettuce, chard etc.

The white centre stalk of the lettuce is bad for them, however; I usually tear it out before giving him the leaf, but if it goes in accidentally he usually wont eat it. Tomatoes are a second favourite, and carrots, green and red pepper, grapes, apple and orange slices are all rotating staples. If he gets too much of one item, he will often begin to turn up his nose at it, so variety is advisable. There isn't much that is poisonous to guinea pigs, but I've read that they should never be fed avocado or chocolate, and I knew one who died once after its owner fed it dog kibble instead of alfalfa pellets.

Species

Pigs come in many shapes and colours. Black or calico is the usual, but I've also seen darling grey ones, white ones, and tawny orange fellows. Long or short haired varieties are available; while the long haired ones can be fun for style - their fur has a tendency to adopt spontaneous Mohawks - they can be harder to care for, as you must keep their fur clean and knot-free. Pigs can share cages, if the cages are large enough, but if you are getting more than one be sure to check the genders; females living together will be very aggressive, and females and males sharing quarters will, of course, produce babies.

Environment

Make sure your pig has a large enough cage that it has some freedom to roam around. I often bring mine out into the kitchen and let him run loose. He likes to sniff around my feet while I'm doing the dishes or preparing lunches. However, it's best not to let them run unchecked on carpeted areas, because little puddles appear frequently where pigs have been. The cage floor should be lined with newspaper and wood shavings, and these need to be changed very regularly.

I clean mine twice a week, and by the end of three days, it sure needs it. The only thing pigs do as much as eat is poo. I usually just tip the shavings and paper into the compost, as the droppings are essentially manure and are beneficial to your garden. If you catch sight of your pig eating its feces, don't be alarmed. This is actually a natural thing for them to do; it's a way of recovering a certain important nutrient that needs to be digested several times.

In the good weather I often bring Jacks outside with me and let him troop around in the backyard grass. He blissfully munches away, but I keep a close eye on him because I know he would dearly love to make for the hedges.

Love

Guinea pigs are friendly by nature, and if raised with frequent human contact, will be quite comfortable being petted, brushed, sitting on your lap, and playing with gentle hands. Mine never bites, even when foreign hands offer him food. If your children are frequently handling them, make sure they are not rough or loud with the pigs; I have heard that, when provoked or frightened, they can become aggressive. Make sure to hold your pig with a towel under it, because as I mentioned, puddles are frequent and appear without warning. Make sure also to wash your hands before and after handling your pig, to minimize germ travel.

Guinea pigs make small chirping and chittering sounds when theyre happy or excited. When Jackson hears the sound of plastic bags rustling, he begins to whistle and chirp loudly, because he associates that sound with the immediate appearance of spinach at his door. He chitters softly when held and brushed, similar to a cat purring. Oddly enough, the sounds sound a bit like the oinking sounds barnyard pigs make, although I have no idea if the two pig species are related.