Guinea pigs often contain in urban apartments. These Pets features cute appearance, simplicity in food, Anatolevich. Animals adapt to the host and willing to contact with him, but can easily be left alone to pursue their own activities or relaxing.
How many lives Guinea pig at home, depends largely on the care of her. It is useful to know the highlights of their content.
Description and breed
Guinea pig belongs to the rodent family. In the process of selection breeders have brought about 50 species of these animals that have differences in the hairline, the color, weight and other characteristics. There are even completely naked (hairless) Guinea pig.
Some breeds are bred as a result of domestic breeding, they are not officially recognized. There are tribal animals. There are regular exhibitions of international format, where the idea owners both new and widely known breeds of Guinea pigs.
Among them:
- normal female;
- Abyssinian;
- Peruvian;
- sheltie;
- Ridgeback;
- crested;
- Rex and others.
As a result of crossing many breeds appeared hereditary predisposition to various diseases, which greatly affects their life expectancy. So, the usual female pig is a more long-lived. Among them was officially registered as the record holder, who has lived for 15 years.
Bald rodents live on average 5, but can live up to 8 years. Stronger of the hairless breeds is Skinny, appeared as a result of selection. A hairless Baldwin appeared as a result of random gene mutations, they are quite painful.
The conditions of detention and care
Life expectancy of Guinea pigs in captivity depends on several factors: heredity, health, nutrition, care and living conditions. Home pet necessary fitted cage or small enclosure. Minimum size house for a single animal should be 40 x 40 cm, a height of the cell should be 50 centimeters.
Install housing for pigs is better in the far corner of the room, where it is not exposed to direct sun rays and does not penetrate the wind. The bottom of the cage filled with sawdust or purchased filler. A pet pig should always have access to clean water and the ability to move actively, to do this in house set of stairs and mazes.
The cage and all the accessories in it, you need to regularly washand filling replace with fresh. If it is not regularly cleaned, there will be an ideal environment for the development of pathogenic bacteria.
The rodent is also necessary to periodically bathed with a special detergent, and wool after washing, dry with a hair dryer. As an alternative you can use dry shampoo. It is rubbed into the hair and massage gently, then gently combed.Also for the care you need kogterezki and a comb, if the animal is long-haired.
Extend the life of the pig may share your content with the kindred, because they so much more fun. Get along well with two females, especially if they grew up together since childhood. The female with the male it is necessary to periodically sit down. Guinea pigs are prolific, frequent pregnancy and childbirth will undermine her health and the pet will die before the deadline.
Feeding
To home piggy lived a long time, she needs a balanced diet.
The menu should include:
- special food;
- vegetables;
- fruits;
- hay;
- branches;
- crackers.
Purchased feed must be intended for pet Guinea pigs, and other grain mixtures can be not so useful, because the feed formulation takes into account the specific features of a rodent. The percentage of major share should take dry feed (hay) and 60%, the rest divided equally solid (grain, peas, corn) and juicy food (vegetables, fruit, herbs).
Many breeders are sceptical about the purchase of the advertised food, attributing to them negative impact on the gastrointestinal tract of domestic Guinea pigs. These animals love to eat, and prone to obesity, so do not overfeed them.
The effect of diseases on life expectancy
Before giving a list of diseases, it is worth noting that some diseases in humans and rodents shared. Mumps can easily infect the host or parasitic infectious diseasecaused by viruses. So, if your pet is unwell, it is required to show the vet.
Symptoms of diseases can lead to reduced activity, poor appetite, falling hair, itching and sores on the skin, tremor, diarrhea, increased thirst. So can exercise respiratory infection and gastrointestinal disease, pasteurellosis, rickets, worm infestation, conjunctivitis and other diseases. If not immediately start treatment, a pet pig can easily be lost, or cause disease of the host.
The effect on how many years of living Guinea pigs can have problems with teeth of a rodent. Their incisors grow throughout life, if not timely to file away the excess, the animal will die of starvation, as they will not be able to eat normally. This procedure will succeed in any veterinary clinic.
Well, if you have the opportunity to produce a home favorite to take a walk around the apartment. Accommodation in the stillness can accelerate the demise of the pet, and walking make it tougher and have a beneficial effect on the heart.
In General, summing up the answer to the question of how many years I live Guinea pigs, we can say that:
- If you have medical conditions, poor care and inadequate feeding, the pig is able to accommodate a maximum of three years.
- The average life expectancy of these animals is 5-6 years.
- In good conditions and timely treatment of rodent can live up to 8-9 years.
- Very rare instances survive this period and become centenarians.
