Grooming, bathing

Question
QUESTION: I feed my guinea pig a handful of pellets and 2-3 lettuce leaves or other vegetables 3 times a day. Is this too much?
I don't know if she is overweight or not, because I've read guinea pigs eat their soft poo straight from their anal unless they are pregnant or overweight, and I've never seen my guinea pig do this. Also, half a year ago I noticed one of her front paws grew really big and swollen. Its been like that ever since. I took her to a vet, but they didn't know what was wrong. She is 4 and a half years old. Also, how do you entertain guinea pigs? Also, how many years do guinea pigs live for? One last thing, I recently noticed that one of my guinea pigs eye had gone dark blue and had a white spot in the middle. It's gone now, but what happened? Thanks.

ANSWER: Hi Sarah

I will answer your questions in the order you have asked them.

You need to limit the amount of lettuce you feed as it can cause an upset tummy and has little nutritional value.

If you weigh your pig and let me know what she weighs i will tell you if she's overweight or not if you like.

It sounds like the foot problem is pododermatitis or bumblefoot. This can be treated by giving the patient the same antibiotic used for dealing with fungal infections.

I recommend that you provide your pig with tubes to run in/out of, one of those piggy igloos to hide in and plenty of things to gnaw on. The most important thing is to spend plenty of time with your pig yourself.

The eye probably got injured, perhaps by a piece of hay. To heal itself the eye naturally turns pale white to protect the surface.

Andy

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QUESTION: Thanks, but I had another question:
How long do guinea pigs live for?
ANSWER: Hi again Sarah

You can ask as many questions as you need.

A healthy guinea pig will live between 5-8 years.

Andy

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QUESTION: Hi again Andy,
Thanks for answering my questions, you have been very helpful. I have another question though.

How do you tell the difference between short-haired and long-haired guinea pigs?
Do long-haired guinea pigs have hair which reach the ground?
Also, if my guinea pig is short-haired, does that mean i do not have to groom her?

Recently, after I bathed my guinea pig, I noticed there were milky coloured tears coming from my guinea pigs eyes.
Was she crying, or was it some sort of reaction to her guinea pig shampoo?

Thanks again.
ANSWER: Hi Sarah

Thank you for your kind words, you are very welcome.

Long haired piggies have fur that overlaps their bodies usually, but it does depend on the breed. Perhaps you could send me a picture of your piggy so I can determine the breed and advise you further. If you want to do this, my email address is jesusguitarking@hotmail.com.

If you pig is short-haired then there is no real need to groom, although I tend to lightly brush my pig's coats as part of my health check, to see if there is any dandruff etc.

Guinea pigs dont cry with tears like we do. So we are left with two possibilities. Firstly, some shampoo got in her eyes which caused them to water, in which case, monitor the eyes, clean them with water gently and feel free to let me know if anything else happens.

The more likely answer is this: A guinea pig actually produces a milky liquid to use to wash their faces, which would make perfect sense seeing as you had just bathed your piggy.

Thanks

Andy

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi again Andy,

How do guinea pigs cry?
Also, do you have to put shredded newspaper in a guinea pigs cage? Because I don't.

Another thing, my guinea pig's water bottle kept dripping, and i kept buying new ones, until i stopped for a while.
Recently, i bought a new one but she hasnt been drinking from it. Is this okay? I think she's gettng enough from her vegetables, though.

Thanks again, Andy.

Answer
Hi again

As I say, piggies dont cry, when they are sad they tend to sit fluffed up in the corner of the cage.

You dont have to use shredded paper but I recommend it as it is a cheap bedding.

Most bottles do drip a bit, just check the new one is releasing water by touching it yourself.

Andy