Guinea Pig Lifespan Indoors

Although the young can scamper about and eat solid food the day they are born they are not fully weaned for about three weeks.

Guinea pig lifespan indoors. Guinea pigs originated in south america where they were domesticated long ago. The gene causing hairlessness in skinny pigs is a recessive gene and breeding two skinny pigs together will always result in all offspring being skinny pigs breeding a skinny pig to a standard haired guinea pig will result in offspring that all carry one copy of the gene but none will express hairlessness. Still kept for the same reason in many areas the guinea pig variant we are familiar with no longer exists in the wild. Is your guinea pig ill.

Here is our guide to keeping guinea pigs indoors. Guinea pigs need a high fibre diet that is. Guinea pigs are social animals. These offspring are generally called skinny carriers.

Wild guinea pig lifespan. Guinea pigs are happy living indoors at the temperatures that we are used to in the home. Guinea pigs are active. Guinea pigs are sensitive to hot weather and can get stressed if they temperature goes above 27 c.

In the wild they live in close family groups of 5 10 individuals though several groups may live in close proximity to form a colony. Surprisingly guinea pigs and pigs have one thing in common. Protect your guinea pigs from cold winter weather by bringing them indoors. A well cared for guinea pig will have much more opportunity of living a long healthy life but longevity is also affected by their genes.

Originally the first domesticated cavies were farmed as a food source. Guinea pigs are highly social. Keeping guinea pigs indoors. Do it the right way and adopt a rescued guinea pig.

Looking for a pet. Start with the care guide raising a healthy guinea pig. You can expect a guinea pig to live for 4 to 8 years. Find out more about caring for your guinea pigs in summer.

By keeping them in the house you don t need to worry about changes in the weather. No natural population of this species exists in the wild. Once you decided that a guinea pig is a suitable pet for you here stars the dilemma should i keep my guinea pig indoors or outside while some pet owners strongly agree that guinea pigs should live indoors there are people who disagree and prefer outdoor hutches. As guinea pigs are more robust than their smaller cousins they can live longer than hamsters that stay alive for around 2 3 years.

Consult the emergency medical guide for signs of illness. However some guinea pigs don t live that long whereas others make it to a much riper old age. The average lifespan of a guinea pig is around 4 8 years. Guinea pigs are active up to 20 hours per day and sleep only for short periods.

Females mature in two months males in three and captive guinea pigs live up to eight years although three to five is typical. In hot weather move the hutch into a shady area and make sure your pigs have some shade in their run.