“Startup” Shopping List

 

  1. 1)Cage – minimum 7.5 square feet – no wire floors. 10 square feet may be needed for some piggies who need more space to get along.


  1. 2)Bedding – Carefresh; towels & fleece; kiln-dried pine shavings, fleece on top of wood pellets, etc. I can show you various options and give you a sample of shavings to get you started.


3)High quality pellets. There are two approved types. The Oxbow brand is available at most pet stores

a)Oxbow Essentials Adult Guinea Pig Food for piggies over 6 months

b)Oxbow Essentials Young Guinea PIg Foodfor piggies under 6 months (not all stores stock this)

c)KMS Hayloft – timothy pellets for piggies over 6 months  (order online via www.kmshayloft.com)

  1. d)KMS Hayloft – alfalfa pellets for piggies under 6 months  (order online via www.kmshayloft.com)

Please Note: If you’re concerned about bladder sludge or stones in your piggies, I highly recommend going with the KMS Hayloft pellets as they use a different source of calcium that many people find decreases the amount of sludge in the urine.


  1. 4)High quality hay – timothy or grass hay for piggies over 6 months old; alfalfa or grass hay for piggies under 6 months;

        Oxbow and American Diner are usually all high quality.  Must have hay available to the piggies 24/7.

       While the KMS Hayloft pellets are always high quality, unfortunately their hay has been of uneven quality the past couple years. Many people are ordering their hay from Small Pet Select and Sierra Valley lately  and have been quite happy with it. 

        Guinea pigs will not eat brown hay, so look close at the hay you’re getting and get the greenest, softest hay.

     


  1. 5)Water bottle (Oasis, Lixit, etc ) . 16 or 32 ounce.


  1. 6)Ceramic Food bowl for pellets


  1. 7)Huts – can be cardboard, wood, plastic etc. Homemade or store-bought ok.


  1. 8)Hayrack – paper bag, Kleenex box, cardboard box, or hayrack made from bent grid. Or you can just put the hay on the ground and change it out daily..

  2. 9)

  3. 9) Nail clippers – cat clippers work greatl


  1. 10) Scale: Highly recommended; needs to measures in ounces or grams for weekly weigh-ins; weekly weigh-ins are one of the best methods for alerting owner that something might be wrong with their piggy.


  1. 11)Vegetables – Dark green leafy veggies; approx 1 cup dark green leafy veggies daily; red bell peppers have lots of vitamin C and should be offered as well


12)  Carrier – can be cardboard box, laundry basket, cat carrier etc


    Note on pellets and Hay:  Guinea pigs who are still growing (under 6 months), pregnant guinea pigs and nursing guinea pigs need extra calcium in their diets.  Older piggies shouldn’t have the extra calcium as it can contribute to stones.  So the younger guinea pigs need to have either alfalfa pellets or hay offered to them in addition to timothy/grass hay and pellets.  I have trouble finding good alfalfa hay so I usually opt for the alfalfa pellets.


Optional:

     Cuddle cups

     Hammocks (Some piggies like these, some don’t)