Questions about my guinea pig.

Question
Also, how much exercise does a guinea pig need? My cage is quite small, so i'm worried it won't get enough exercise. (I'll have to make a big cage soon.thinking of making a C&C cage for it).

Also, is it okay if I change the bedding once a week and every day take its poo out of it? Because changing the bedding every day I realised requires too much bedding.

Also, today I bought some hay for it to snuggle up in. What's the real purpose of Hay for a guinea pig? Does it chew on it? Eat it? Or does it just use it to snuggle up in when it's cold? I don't know if it's Thomson..hay? I went to a pet store named "Pets paradise" and i asked for a bag of hay and they gave it to me. However it doesn't have any label, and it looks like long straws, light brown, is this the right hay to give?

Sorry that i asked so many questions. It's just so cute and I really would like to take good care of it. I hope I'm not too much of a hassel.

Thank you for your support.

Answer
Hi Katherine,

You should give your guinea some exercise time in a safe area at least once a day. The smaller the cage, the more exercise needed. C&C cages are absolutely brilliant, so until then aim to give at least 2 hours of exercise time a day. You can give her this in one long stint, or in a few shorter sessions.

Just remove and replace all the wettest bedding each day. You can pick out all the poops each day if you want to; depending on the bedding you have this may be more or less relevant.

Hay is an essential part of a piggy's diet. The percentage of hay they should have is around 75%. Then 20% veggies and 5% dry feed As you can see, hay is the most important part of the diet. It keeps the digestive system flowing (they are designed to graze on and pick at foods, and hay is a pefect forage for doing that), and it also keeps all the teeth at a good length. Gnawing helps keep the incisors in check, but hay is the one thing which can keep the molars healthy. Hay is also a fun toy for piggies to play in and snuggle in.

The name of hay you are probably looking for is Timothy. It is a good hay for piggies, as is meadow, brome, oat, rye, orchard-grass and bluegrass. Always have lots of hay available to your guineas, 24/7.

The greener the hay, the more nutritious it is. Always look through all the hay available and buy the greenest, freshest-smelling, dry hay you can find. Moldy, damp, brown hay isn't good. Brown hay is better than none, but not very nutritious.

You're not a hassle at all. I enjoy advising people on looking after their piggies, and I appreciate the people who get in touch asking for advise. It shows that they do really care and want to do the best for their guineas. Even if the question seems silly to you, no question at all is silly.

Best Wishes,

- Laura