Ask a Guinea Pig: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Lamium (dead-nettles)?

It's time for another installment of Ask A Guinea Pig! For today's question, Tavia R. asks: "Can my piggies eat Lamium (Dead Nettle)?"

Answer: According to Wikipedia, "Lamium (dead-nettles) is a genus of about 40–50 species of flowering plants in the family Lamiaceae, of which it is the type genus. They are all herbaceous plants native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa, but several have become very successful weeds of crop fields and are now widely naturalised across much of the temperate world." Some of the species are noted as being edible (for humans), including:

• Lamium album (white nettle): "The young leaves are edible, and can be used in salads or cooked as a vegetable."
• Lamium amplexicaule (Henbit dead-nettle): "The leaves, stem, and flowers of the plant are edible and have a slightly sweet and peppery flavor, similar to celery. Henbit can be eaten raw or cooked."
• Lamium purpureum (red dead-nettle, purple dead-nettle): "Young plants have edible tops and leaves, used in salads or in stir-fry as a spring vegetable. If finely chopped it can also be used in sauces"

Purple dead-nettle. (source)

We've also heard of people feeding purple dead-nettle to rabbits (although that doesn't necessarily mean it's safe for them). But what about guinea pigs specifically? It seemed like a lot of people just did not know. However, we did find warnings about one Lamium species (Lamium amplexicaule) for alpacas and sheep. And, according to Toxic Plants of North America, "Because of the uncertainty regarding their intoxication potential, the other species of Lamium should be considered suspect as well." So it looks like there's just not enough evidence to say for sure, but what evidence does exist is cause for concern. I'd avoid feeding your piggies dead-nettles if I were you!

There are lots of things that you can safely feed your piggies instead of dead-nettles, such as these pink pearl apples!

Got a question for us? Just leave a comment!

Ask A Guinea Pig: Guinea Pig's Average Heart Rate?

It's time for another installment of our Ask A Guinea Pig series, where we answer questions from our readers! Here's today's question: Kathy Newman asks: "What is a guinea pig's average heart rate?"

Answer: We actually found a fair bit of variation in the answers out there, but the general consensus seems to be that it's somewhere around 200 - 319 beats per minute. (For comparison, in humans, "A normal resting heart rate for adults ranges from 60 to 100 beats a minute," according to the Mayo Clinic. So guinea pig hearts beat quite a bit faster!)

According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, a guinea pig's resting rate rate is 200-300 bpm:

Doctors Foster and Smith's pet education website gives slightly different numbers: 240-310 bpm. Also, an article in Nature claims that: "guinea pigs have a heart rate of 200–250 beats per minute." In The Biology of the Guinea Pig (Joseph E. Wagner, ed.), they reported that in a 1971 study, "They recorded a mean rate of 275.5 beats per minute as a normal resting heart rate. A range of 229 to 319 beats per minute demonstrated wide individual variation. They also reported that the guinea pig, while often appearing quiescent, is keenly aware of environmental changes as reflected in heart fluctuations. Introduction of a rat into a guinea pig cage caused a distinct bradycardia (25% less than resting rate)" This reminded us of one of our previous Ask A Guinea Pig posts on dogs and guinea pigs, where we cited an anecdote about guinea pigs been much less scared after the dog passed away.

Interestingly, in The Biology of the Guinea Pig, they also note a 1972 study "reported that the heart rate was significantly (P < 0.001) slower in summer than winter." This might help partially explain the different numbers. They also provide the following table, summarizing past research on guinea pig heart rates:

And, if you were curious how you might actually go about measuring a guinea pig's heart rate, we found an article from 1998 describing their process:

"The investigated animals were familiar with a daily standard procedure which included weighing in a plastic basin since their first day of life. In order to avoid disturbing the animals we used this procedure as base for our heart rate measurement: The head of an electronic stethoscope (Bosch, Germany) was built in the weighing basin in a way, that it was directly under the chest of the Guinea pig (figs. 1 and 2). By using an underneath accessible adjusting device the stethoscope’s head could always be adjusted in an optimal position without touching the respective animal with the hands. The electronically amplified heart rate sounds and the animal’s identification were recorded with a commercial two-speed dictation machine (Sanyo, Japan)."

Keep those questions coming!

Ask a guinea pig: Are lime peels safe for guinea pigs?

It's time for another installment of our Ask A Guinea Pig feature! Andi Rogynous asks: "Columbia doesn't like limes either, but she did eat the rind. do you know if that's safe?"

Thanks for the question, Andi. It's always good to do your research before feeding something questionable to your piggy. As you know, we did a review post on limes a while back, which included the rind. Of course, we hated limes and barely touched them, so eating the rind was a bit of a moot point for us. Still, just in case there are some piggies out there who feel differently, let's dig into this lime peel issue.

Research has shown that citrus peels are "a good source of molasses, pectin and limonene," and have lots of health benefits. Lime peels in particular are a good source of fiber compared to other citrus peels:

Of course, this seems to be human nutrition research, and doesn't necessarily mean that guinea pigs should have it. We've read that a study showed that limettin, a substance found in lime peel, was not found to be toxic to guinea pigs, but haven't seen any other research specifically on guinea pigs and lime peels.

However, we also know that guinea pigs can eat the rinds of other citrus fruits. For example, guineapigcages.com's food chart has orange peel listed as a 2-4 times per week food. In addition, when asked about lemon peels, their diet expert said: "The rind can be fed in small quantities as well."

In addition, we found a thread on the Guinea Pig Forum where someone fed their guinea pig a small lime slice, peel intact, and no one on the forum raised this as an issue:

Image source: PiggieWigs12 on the guinea pig forum; caption: "so apparently special needs Norman loves limes but especially loves lemons!"

Therefore, although the evidence is not 100% ironclad, we're going to say that lime peels are probably safe to feed occasionally (assuming your piggy actually likes them!). However, we should note that limes may have waxy coatings added to them, and should therefore be organic and cleaned very thoroughly. In addition, citrus peels may be high in oxalates, and should therefore only be fed in small quantities.

Ask A Guinea Pig: Guinea Pigs Outdoors and Dog Friendships?

It's time for another installment of Ask A Guinea Pig, where we answer your questions! chewy pig asks: "I have a male guinea pig named chewy who we take outside once every day. We just got an outdoor dog and would like to keep taking chewy out. Any tips for getting them to like each other?"

Answer: Before answering your main question, we wanted to talk a little about bringing your guinea pig outdoors. Guinea pigs should not be housed outdoors due to temperature fluctuations, predators, and other issues, although bringing us outside occasionally for things like pignics is fine. I hope you're not using a leash or harness to walk us like a dog since those things can injure us. Also, make sure that you take a look at what we said before about guinea pigs eating grass if you're going to let us graze outdoors; grass is generally fine, but you'll want to avoid grass that's been treated with chemicals, or come into contact with other stuff that's bad for us like dog poop. Also, you'll want to take care to make sure that your piggy doesn't escape into the wild. Broccoli was living in the wild when we first found him, and as he can tell you, it's not fun.

Now, onto your main question: Can guinea pigs and dogs be friends, and can you do anything to encourage this? The important thing to keep in mind is that dogs are natural predators and guinea pigs are prey animals. There are some differences in dog breeds; we've read that terriers are known for chasing rodents, while Shelties tend to be a gentle breed. Even within the same breed, individuals may vary; you might have a gentle terrier or a vicious Sheltie. No matter the breed, you should consider training your dogs if they are going to be around guinea pigs. We also generally recommend that you never leave your dog around your guinea pigs unsupervised. This can get your piggies killed. While we have read some sweet stories of dogs and guinea pigs getting along, it's better to be safe than sorry. Even a gentle dog could be careless and accidentally hurt your guinea pig by stepping on them or laying down on them if they're large enough. Also, because your guinea pigs are prey animals, they're probably going to be scared around a big predator like a dog. One person who had both guinea pigs and dogs noticed that after the dog died, the guinea pigs seemed more relaxed and noticeably less scared.

We're not saying it's impossible that your guinea pig and your dog could become friends. But we are saying that you're playing with fire if you're encouraging this friendship. Your guinea pig is better off being friends with another guinea pig.

Guinea pig friends are best! A dog would probably want to chew on us rather than the log.

Anyone have any experiences with dogs and guinea pigs? Got another question for our next Ask A Guinea Pig? Let us know in the comments below!

Ask A Guinea Pig: How Do Guinea Pigs Get UTIs?

It's time for another installment of Ask A Guinea Pig! Today, Christina asks: "Did the vet say how guinea pigs can get a UTI?"

Answer: When the humans brought me in and the vet diagnosed me with a UTI, the conversation was more focused on treatment options going forward. However, you raise a good question, so we will do our best to answer it!

We should point out that there are actually a few similar, related urinary tract conditions that are relatively common problems for guinea pigs:

A Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is when the urinary tract gets infected, most commonly by E. Coli, but sometimes from other viruses and fungi. For guinea pigs, the reason this usually happens is a combination of our short legs and contact with wet bedding and droppings.

Bladder stones are hard accumulations of calcium carbonate (90%+ of the time) or calcium oxalate that form in the bladder. Stones can be especially dangerous in male piggies because they can block the flow of urine more easily than they do for females. The cause of bladder stones is not well-understood, but factors that contribute to bladder stones include:

• Bad diet - A good diet of grass hay, fresh vegetables, and reasonable servings of low-calcium pellets are important. Too much calcium and oxalates may lead to stones.
• Insufficient water - Drinking plenty of water can dilute the urine and prevent stone formation.
• Obesity
• Genetics

Bladder sludge refers to gritty, calcium particles that form in the bladder. The sludge can form into stones if left untreated. Think of bladder sludge as the early stages of bladder stones; both are caused by the same factors. Bladder sludge and smaller stones may be able to be passed through the urinary tract.

Sometimes stones and sludge are found alongside infections, and sometimes not. Stones and sludge might lead to a UTI, but we've never heard anyone suggest that UTIs can lead to stone or sludge.

Ask A Guinea Pig: Should I Sneak Guinea Pigs into College?

Q: Matilda, Sunny, and Stella asked on behalf on their human, Emily: "Our mom will be heading off to college next Autumn and we're going to miss her very much. We'd love to come with mom, but her school probably won't let us. Is it worth it to sneak in with her? Do you guys have any thoughts on this? We're not sure we'll get the best care when she's away."

A: There are some places where pets, even ones as adorable as us, just aren't allowed. There are many apartments where pets are not allowed, for example, and if you get caught, the landlord is "entitled to act upon the consequences laid out in your lease – so if your lease states that your landlord can evict you, keep the entire security deposit, charge you for property damages, and hold you responsible for covering rent for the remainder of the lease, guess what? You have to pay up AND move out."

The situation in dorms is pretty similar to regular apartments, but even worse in many ways. According to an article in the GW Hatchet, students with pets in dorms have to worry about surprise visits from Facility Services, and usually have one day to give the animal to a friend or family member if they get caught. Articles from NYU Local and The Harvard Crimson point out some other considerations:

• College students tend not to have a lot of money. Can you afford a guinea pig on a student budget?
• Some dorms have security guards at the building door, and/or have security officers patrolling the hallways. Are you prepared to sneak in your guinea pigs (as well as their cage and other supplies)?
• In addition to room checks, you'll also have to worry about loose-lipped neighbors and visitors snitching on you. And, unless you have your own room, you'll probably have a dorm roommate. Are you being assigned someone randomly? If so, how do you know this person will be okay with living with guinea pigs? 
• Even if your roommate is okay with you having guinea pigs in your dorm room, what if they turn out to be allergic?
• At NYU, pet policy violations have no assigned penalty, "Which means you’re subject to any sanctions deemed reasonable, ranging from a written referral to dismissal from housing." (Although they also say that the most likely punishment is you'll be forced to get rid of your pet, rather than being kicked out of dorms altogether. It is possible they could go for the harsher option, however.) Harvard appears to be similar.
• Colleges have long breaks built into their schedules, in which your guinea pig will still need to be cared for. Will you stick around during the breaks? Will you entrust your guinea pig into the care of someone else during the breaks (assuming you can even find someone)? Will you transport your guinea pigs back and forth every single break?

Another factor to consider is whether your guinea pig is considered an emotional support animal (ESA). If a mental health professional diagnoses you with a major impairment that a pet would be helpful for, then the pet can be considered an ESA, and the human can bring the ESA into some places where the pet might not normally be allowed, such as airplanes and dorm rooms. Having your guinea pig be designated an ESA could remove the risk of getting caught, although you would still have to deal with the various pet care issues.

We can't tell you exactly what to do since we don't know the specifics of your situation, but we can say that you should fully consider your options to determine which one is best for the guinea pigs. Ask yourself if the care your piggies would receive back at home would be worse than being in a dorm environment where you'd have to worry about all the issues we've mentioned. If neither option looks good, perhaps you can look into a third option, like educating your parents (or whoever would be looking after the guinea pigs) on how to care for us properly, or finding a pet-friendly apartment off-campus. In the end, you should ask yourself, "What's best for the guinea pigs?"

A good, spacious cage is important, but it's also important that we don't get evicted from it!

Got questions for us? Leave a comment, and we may answer you in our next Ask A Guinea Pig!

Ask A Guinea Pig: Is Baking Soda Harmful to Guinea Pigs?

It's time for another installment of Ask A Guinea Pig! 

Today's question comes from GiannaPiggies, who asks: "I read that many people complained about baking soda in beddings like carefresh and said that is not good for piggies or bunnies ..What is your opinion on that?"

Answer: 

The FDA notes that while baking soda is generally safe for humans, "Studies of mice suggest that large intakes of calcium carbonate [a similar substance] may interfere with reproductive performance. Such effects could be indirectly attributable to certain trace nutrient deficiencies." In fact, we even found some websites recommend using baking soda as a rat poison because it becomes carbon dioxide gas in their stomachs, which they are unable to eliminate from their systems. 

We also found an article online claiming that baking soda could be dangerous for rabbits, potentially leading to respiratory damage and stomach rupture. A reputable source (from a Ph.D. in biology) said that rabbits who eat a very small amount of baking soda should be fine, although: "Sodium bicarbonate is used as an emetic (to induce vomiting) because it produces tremendous amounts of gas when it hits the acidic stomach.  Humans can vomit, but rabbits cannot.  So there is the very real risk of stomach rupture if the bunny ingests enough to generate too much for the volume of the stomach."

So what about guinea pigs specifically? One person on a guinea pig message board claimed: "Before I began using the baking soda, I asked the advice of my cavy savvy vet. They said that they've never heard of an instance that proved baking soda to be dangerous, but cautioned me to rinse well and let it sit out for a while before returning my pigs to their cage." In addition, like rabbits, guinea pigs are also unable to vomit, so it would make sense that there's also a risk of rupture from guinea pigs eating too much baking soda.

Another concern that has been raised about baking soda in litter is that guinea pigs might accidentally consume some while cleaning themselves, possibly leading to an electrolyte imbalance. 

So it sounds like too much baking soda could be harmful to piggies if they breathe it in or consume it. Therefore, definitely don't go pouring baking soda into your guinea pigs' cage to reduce odors! However, just because the loose powder could be bad, does this also mean that products like Sunseed Fresh World Bedding (which you asked about) are bad because they contain baking soda? Perhaps not; Carefresh introduced a bedding formula with baking soda, and when pet owners raised questions about it, they claimed: "our new odor control has baking soda in in it but it is not in a form that can cause any harm, so the bedding is perfectly safe."Hopefully, this is true since we've used some bedding products with baking soda in the past, but it would be nice to see studies confirming this.

Our conclusion is that there's probably no need to freak out if your guinea pig gets exposed to tiny amounts of baking soda, but it could be harmful in large amounts so it's probably best to avoid exposure altogether. Similarly, baking soda in beddings are supposedly in a form that is harmless, but why take a chance? Just stick with regular bedding without baking soda and you'll be fine. And if you're really concerned about cage odor, you can always try cleaning our cages more often.

That litter behind me is safe, right?

Keep those questions coming!

Ask A Guinea Pig: Can Guinea Pigs Sense Emotions?

Question: riordan77piglove asks: "can guinea pigs sense human emotions, like dogs?"

Answer: Great question!

Many humans seem to think so. Some of their comments include:

• "Oh yes, I have found they certainly understand human emotion...also when one has died, they behave differently too. They are very intelligent and sensitive."
• "I think they absolutely respond to our emotions. When I first got Elsa, and thought something was wrong with her, I started crying while I was holding her, and Miss Elsa crawled up and snuggled under my hair like she knew I felt bad and needed cheering."
• "My girls know my moods. If I am down or depressed they snuggle more with me."

According to a poll of of TED community pet owners: "48.7% percent of you said that your pet has a good understanding of your emotions. And 71.5% of you said that your pet helps you through hard times often—with an additional 14.2% saying that there’s one major event in life that your pet helped you get through." We should point out that the poll respondents were mostly dog and cat owners, and only a handful had guinea pigs, however. Still, the poll fits with the aforementioned comments specifically from guinea pig owners.

There was also a scientific study that looked at how the brains of dogs responded to human emotion, which found: "It turns out that both species have an area of the brain that is tuned to the 'emotional valence' of a voice, meaning it responds more strongly to positive emotions than negative emotions. And for this region, it doesn’t matter whether the voice is human or canine; a burst of laughter is equivalent to a playful bark." The author argues "that because dogs and humans... have regions dedicated to processing voices, this skill probably dates back 100 million years, to the common ancestor of humans and dogs." Let's take a look at the chart of mammal evolution from the article:

You may notice that "Guinea Pig" is also listed on the chart (last entry under the brown "Rodentia" section) as sharing a common ancestor. The article states that if this "theory is correct, then all or most of those species also carry the voice-sensitive brain area." As far as we know, there have yet to be any equivalent studies on guinea pigs where scientists scan our brains while exposing us to human emotions. We should also point out that this scientific study was hearing-based, and some of the humans who felt guinea pigs could sense emotions claimed that we "can also tell how you're feeling by scent." Therefore, scientists might also want to consider having humans physically present when they study guinea pig emotions so it's not just restricted to hearing.

I'm sensing a human who loves me!

Or, they can just skip the scientific studies and ask us directly on this blog. Since you asked, we'll answer directly. Yes, we're sensing that you all feel a sense of incredible awe at our cuteness! (Did we get it right? We did, didn't we?)

Ask A Guinea Pig: Are Guinea Pigs Afraid of Thunderstorms?

It's time for another installment of Ask A Guinea Pig, where we answer your questions from the comments section! riordan77piglove asks: "Do guinea pigs get scared from thunder and lightning? I'm pretty sure that it is a little scary."

Great question! Yes, guinea pigs can get scared from thunder and lightning, just as we would from any loud noise. Sometimes, one of the humans will sneeze or cough, and we'll immediately run for cover! They don't understand what the big deal is, but keep in mind that we're pretty small and defenseless in comparison to a human. When they make sudden loud noises, our instincts kick in and we bolt!

In terms of loudness, sneezes are perhaps 90 decibels, while a thunderclap can be as loud as 100 to 120 decibels. Some other things that fall within this decibel range are motorcycles, power saws, and rock concerts.  In addition to being louder than sneezes, we may have to put up with lots of thunderclaps in a row, which we wouldn't have to do with sneezes (unless the human is having a sneezing fit, in which case, you should leave the room and stop scaring your poor piggies!).

We found that one person claimed, "I have heard of pigs literally getting scared to death," although we haven't been able to find any evidence of that actually happening. (Another person speculated that they would probably have to have a preexisting heart condition for that to be possible.) Keep in mind that reactions may vary. Some piggies aren't phased by thunderstorms, while others will huddle together, shaking in terror.

So what can you do to keep your piggies calm during a storm? Here are some tips:

• Make sure your guinea pig has at least one piggy companion. We tend to feel safer in numbers.
• Make sure we have a pigloo, or other enclosed space where we can hide. We tend to find it comforting if we can put distance and covering between us and things that make scary loud noises.
• You could try feeding your guinea pigs vegetables and/or holding them if they like being held. (Buffy doesn't like being held, and wouldn't find this comforting.)

Hey, we can't all hide from loud noises in the log! Someone is going to have to pick another hiding spot.

These tips are also applicable to fireworks, by the way. (I wish we had answered this question before July 4th!)

How does your guinea pig react to thunderstorms? Does anything calm help them down? Let us know in the comments section!

Ask A Guinea Pig: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Frozen Fruits and Veggies?

Kelly B asks: "Can [guinea pigs] eat frozen raspberries?"

Answer: Good question, Kelly! Ordinarily, we can eat fresh raspberries in small (25 gram) portions almost daily. However, does freezing fruits and vegetables like raspberries change anything? As it turns out, this subject is a bit controversial. Here are a sampling of different opinions on this subject:

• One person who's studying chemistry says: "There is actually no harm in feeding your pets frozen vegetables." 
• The diet expert at guineapigcages.com says: "Fresh veggies have high content of vitamins. When you use frozen veggies, the vitamin content doesn't hold up well and degrades and like someone else said, frozen veggies often are mushy after being thawed." 
• A former moderator at guineapigcages.com says: "Feeding a GP frozen veggies can cause severe gastro intestinal upset which can have grave consequences... [including] severe illness, even death"
• Several people report feeding frozen fruits and vegetables to their guinea pigs, apparently without incident.

So frozen foods are either harmless, or can kill us? Hmm...

Let's explore some of these issues.

Nutrition Loss
One of the major concerns some people have about freezing foods is that they lose their nutritional value from being frozen. Some scientific studies show that this is not necessarily the case, however. In addition, fruits and vegetables that are sold fresh in supermarkets out-of-season often lose a lot of their nutritional content during transport, while the freezing process can help stop this nutrient loss. On the other hand, during the blanching process (see below) that frozen produce usually go through, about 25% of the vitamin C may be lost, and vitamin C is especially important to guinea pigs.

Freezing Processes Changing the Chemical Structure of Foods
Another concern that some people have is the loss of natural enzymes in frozen fruits and vegetables, which make them difficult for herbivores like guinea pigs to digest. According to the Food Safety team at the University of Minnesota: "Fresh produce contains chemical compounds called enzymes which cause the loss of color, loss of nutrients, flavor changes, and color changes in frozen fruits and vegetables. These enzymes must be inactivated to prevent such reactions from taking place. Enzymes in vegetables are inactivated by the blanching process. Blanching is the exposure of the vegetables to boiling water or steam for a brief period of time. The vegetable must then be rapidly cooled in ice water to prevent it from cooking." (This process is more common for vegetables than fruits. Fruit are often treated with a chemical called ascorbic acid to destroy the enzymes that cause browning.)

Some people have asked about freezing the vegetables themselves in order to avoid the blanching used in commercially frozen vegetables. However, according to the former moderator at guineapigcages.com, "It's not just heat that cooks fruits and veggies, freezing does it too. It breaks down the cellular make-up and kills the good live enzymes. Essentially, freezing 'cooks' food too."

Bacteria
Some people also have concerns about bacteria from frozen foods. However, according to someone studying chemistry, the danger is no greater than that of fresh foods. Freezing does not kill bacteria on fruits and vegetables; it only keeps them from multiplying. Therefore, frozen vegetables will be about as safe to eat as they were at the time they were frozen. Whether you buy frozen or fresh, you should always be selective about your produce.

Known Safe Frozen Foods
Watermelon and cantaloupe rinds are safe for guinea pigs to eat frozen, according to the diet expert at guineapigcages.com. We haven't come across an explanation as to why these are safe while other frozen foods are supposedly not, however.

Conclusion
Frozen fruits and vegetables can actually have certain nutritional advantages in certain circumstances, although they tend to lose their vitamin C, which is one of the most important nutrients for us. In addition, commercially frozen vegetables are usually blanched and/or have preservatives added, and the freezing process itself can alter the contents in ways that some have raised concerns about. We would like to see some more evidence before we believe the claim that frozen fruits and veggies can cause "severe illness, even death," given that we haven't yet come across a single case where a guinea pig's GI tract was disrupted from eating thawed frozen foods. On the other hand, why risk it if fresh fruits and vegetables are readily available? Just stick to fresh produce, and perhaps some frozen watermelon and cantaloupe rinds if your piggy wants a cool treat as the weather warms up.

Let us know if you have any additional information on this topic, and keep those questions coming!

Ask A Guinea Pig: Can Guinea Pigs See Colors?

riordan77piglove asks: "Is it true that guinea pigs like the color green?"

Answer: Interesting question! We hadn't heard anything about this before, but we found this claim in a children's book called Stink and the Great Guinea Pig Express by Megan McDonald. It would also make sense, given that the majority of what we eat is green.

In order to have color preferences, you first need to distinguish colors, so let's start with the question: Can guinea pigs see colors? According to one scientific study:

"Guinea pig retinas contain rods with peak sensitivity of about 494 nm and 2 classes of cone having peak sensitivities of about 429 nm and 529 nm. The presence of 2 classes of cones suggests a retinal basis for a color vision capacity. Behavioral tests of color vision were conducted that verified this prediction: Guinea pigs have dichromatic color vision with a spectral neutral point centered at about 480 nm"

This is pretty technical stuff, but it basically means that we can see colors, although not as well as the average human. We found one blog commenter who claimed guinea pigs can't see red, although we haven't found any other evidence to support this. According to Guinea Pigs: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual by Katrin Behrend, guinea pigs are "excellent in differentiating colors, particularly yellow, red, blue and green" (p. 46). Another scientific study claims that guinea pigs have "green color sensitivity," so regardless of whether or not we can see red, we should be able to see the color green just fine. (For further debate on what colors guinea pigs can see, take a look at this Guinea Lynx thread.)

Also, scientists have tested guinea pig vision by putting lettuce, a vegetable without much of a smell, in the same colored bowl again and again, so that the piggy learns to associate the food with the color of the bowl alone. The piggy sought out the bowl with the lettuce, even if when the bowls were rearranged. If we couldn't see color and couldn't smell the food, then we'd have no way of running to the right bowl.

So the evidence is pretty clear that we can see most, if not all, colors. But do we have a preference? In our experience, we don't have strong color preferences. We will go into whichever pigloo is convenient at the time, rather than picking one color consistently, for example. However, we did find a high school honors thesis that attempted to test this question. For this thesis, the students had four colored food bowls and water bottles (yellow, red, blue and green), and measured which ones the guinea pigs ate and drank out of the most. They found that piggies ate the most out of the yellow bowl and drank the most out of the blue water bottle. It's a clever experiment, but we'd like to see more evidence before we're ready to believe that yellow and blue are the best colors. The authors admit they had a small sample size, which could be an issue. We're also wondering if there could have been a social aspect to their results; perhaps the dominant piggy picked the blue water bottle and the yellow food bowl, and the other piggies just followed his or her example. (Or maybe the smallest piggy picked those colors, and the dominant piggy kept coming over and purposely stealing from him or her!)

Yellow food on a blue plate, which are supposedly a guinea pig's favorite colors. (We tend to like red foods, to be honest!)

Have you observed your piggies showing a preference for foods, bowls, bottles or bedding of a certain color? Let us know in the comments section, and keep those questions coming!

Ask A Guinea Pig: How Frequently Should I Bathe My Guinea Pig?

Reilley Turner asks: "how often should guinea pigs be bathed? Currently we bathe them once a week, but we don’t use any shampoo. Is this a problem or is this fine?"

Please, don't put me through this more often than you have to!

Answer:
Guinea pigs should be bathed infrequently, if at all. In general, short-haired guinea pigs should only be bathed 1-2 time per year, although long-haired piggies like Buffy need baths more often than short-haired piggies (perhaps once every month or two). You don't want to bathe a guinea pig too often because it can dry out the skin, making it itchy and causing us to scratch ourselves a lot. We can even hurt ourselves if we scratch too much. To avoid drying out the skin, make sure you use a quality shampoo like Gorgeous Guineas that is made with guinea pigs in mind, and lacks bad ingredients like harsh sulfates. Please, no human shampoos! (Four Paws Bunny Bath is another acceptable shampoo.)

 Certain factors can cause us to need a bath more often, including:

• If you aren't cleaning your guinea pig's cage regularly;
• If we have long fur around our backsides that is trapping our waste products (in which case, it may be time for a trim);
• If our favorite sleeping spot doubles as a bathroom (in which case, you might want to do additional spot cleanings between full cage cleanings);
• If you feed us certain foods that cause us to have mushy poops, making it easier to get dirty;
• If your guinea pigs tend to spray their urine at each other; 
• If your vet recommends bathing due to lice or other parasites. (In which case, your vet will likely want you to use some sort of special medicated shampoo.)

The best way to know if your piggy needs a bath is to use the sniff test. If we don't smell bad, then we probably don't need a bath. Lola and Broccoli have never had a bath, but since I'm a long haired pig, I have to have a bath every two months or so!

Ask A Guinea Pig: Why Do Guinea Pigs Get Gassy From Certain Foods?

riordan77piglove asks: "Why do some certain foods make guinea pigs gassy?"

Answer: Good question! There are many foods that can make guinea pigs gassy, including:

• Broccoli 
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage, green 
• Cabbage, red
• Cabbage, Savoy
• Cabbage, bok choy
• Cauliflower

You may have noticed that the items on this list are all cruciferous vegetables. Feeding too many cruciferous vegetables can lead to serious bloat in guinea pigs, which can be fatal without treatment. Guinea pigs with bloat have distended bellies, and will sound hollow if you lightly tap on the side of them. Bloating is a symptom of gastrointestinal (GI) stasis, which is when the GI tract is thrown off-balance, allowing gas-producing bacteria to thrive and produce gas.

Why does this happen? Well, cruciferous vegetables contain a substance called raffinose. According to Wikipedia, animals with a single-chambered stomach like humans and guinea pigs lack an enzyme that would allow us to process raffinose. Instead, raffinose gets fermented in the intestines, creating gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and hydrogen.

Besides bloat, other symptoms of GI stasis include: changes in pooping or urination, drinking too much or too little water, drooling, hunched posture, and loss of interest in food. If you suspect your guinea pig might have GI stasis, you'll want to get them to the vet as soon as possible!

Clearly, GI stasis is a very serious issue, so make sure you follow the food guidelines we post here. There's no need to cut cruciferous vegetables out of our diet entirely, but if we tell you to feed small portions and/or only a few times a week, there's probably a good reason!

I know it's hard to say no to an adorable face like mine, but when it comes to gassy foods, you can't just let me eat as much as I want!

Can Guinea Pigs Eat Grass?

It's time for another installment of Ask A Guinea Pig! Heather Smith asks: "I love my guinea pig but I don't know if I can feed him fresh grass?"

Image via dybiz.com                          

Answer:

Yes, we can definitely eat fresh grass. In fact, fresh grass provides us with vitamin C. However, this doesn't mean you can just turn us loose on just any patch of grass you find and assume it's healthy for us. There are some other considerations you must take into account:

• Avoid grass that has been treated with chemicals like herbicides and pesticides.
• Avoid grass that is close to roads, as car fumes can pollute the grass.
• Avoid areas with mold, mildew and fungus.
• Avoid areas that other animals (such as dogs) frequent; their poop can spread parasites.
• Make sure you have identified the plants in the area as safe. 
• If we're not used to eating fresh grass, we might get a stomach ache if you let us eat too much to start with.
• Be aware that if you bring us outdoors, you'll want to get a pen of some sort so you don't lose us.
• Also be aware that it is possible for us to pick up fleas and ticks from the outdoors.

As you can see, there's a lot to consider before you turn your guinea pigs loose outside somewhere. Taking your guinea pig to a pignic is a good way to pick a safe place for your guinea pig to graze since organizers specifically choose locations with untreated grass.

You could also just cut some grass and bring it indoors for us to eat if you're sure it's safe; however, we've heard that you shouldn't use a lawn mower to bring us grass since it can cause the grass to ferment, which can cause stomachaches and bloating. Alternatively, you can probably find fresh wheat grass at your local pet store, which is a healthy option for your piggies. Some people have even grown their own wheat grass for their piggies.

If you want to be safe, feed us lots of dried hay instead. Guinea pigs should have unlimited access to hay, and when you think about it, hay is just grass that has been dried to use as animal food. As we explained in an earlier installment of Ask A Guinea Pig, timothy hay is the most common type of grass hay that guinea pigs eat, but there are several other types, such as oat hay and orchard grass. (Legume hay is another category of hay that includes alfalfa, lespedeza and clover; unlike grass hays, legume hays are high in calcium, and can cause health problems.)

Ask A Guinea Pig: What's Wrong With Guinea Pig Breeding?

It's time for another installment of "Ask A Guinea Pig!" Andrew Carpenter asks: "Do you guys think you could make a post about why you frown on breeding? ...i want you guys to tell me how you feel so i can show you my side of the pig pen."

Good question, Andrew. We want to make it clear up front that we think we are a pretty great species, and we're definitely not in favor of guinea pig extinction. Therefore, we're not claiming that no guinea pigs should ever breed again anywhere in the world.

The way we see it, there are two motivations for breeding guinea pigs: Either you love guinea pigs and really have their best interest in mind, or you're just trying to make a buck. We're not so cynical as to think that all breeders only care about money. We found a great essay entitled "That Truly Rare Breed: 'The Responsible Breeder'" by Serafina Cupido which lays out what it takes to be a truly responsible breeder of guinea pigs. Some of the points this essay makes include:

• Breeders must educate themselves about guinea pig care and health issues. Otherwise, ignorance could lead to tragedy.
• Guinea pigs should be kept in good living conditions, including adequate space, clean cages, clean water, a healthy diet, and all those other things we post about on this blog.
• Breeders must realize that pregnancy carries risk for the mother, and they must not add to the risk by breeding them too early or too late in life, or by having more than 1-2 litters in a lifetime.
• Breeders should continue to care for guinea pigs past their breeding age, and will not just dispose of them.
• Breeders that give or sell their guinea pigs should make sure they end up in suitable home.
• Breeders should realize that overpopulation is a problem, and find a positive way to contribute to addressing the issue.

If you're reading our blog, we're guessing this means you're probably one of these responsible ones since you're choosing to invest your time in reading about guinea pig care. However, if you're buying a guinea pig from a big pet store, how sure can you be sure that the breeders who supply them also adhere to these ideals? From what we read, many of them don't, and the results are truly horrible (warning: disturbing stories below). Highlight the space below to read on.

• One investigation revealed that "one of PetSmart's main animal suppliers, Rainbow World Exotics in Hamilton, Texas, also revealed that live animals were thrown into the trash, were deprived of desperately needed veterinary care, were suffering and dying alone in their cages, and were cannibalizing each other; that rabbits underwent crude neuter surgeries at the hands of a layperson in a filthy, dark room; and more." 
• A woman from Chester, NH had 33 guinea pigs that "were not being well cared for. The shelter deemed it a 'puppy mill' of guinea pigs: the animals were bred continuously only to sell to local pet stores... The adoption center is now busting at the seams with guinea pigs and is in need of fosters or adopters."
• U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection reports from 2004-2006 reveal a variety of Animal Welfare Act violations, including "11 guinea pigs housed inside a small tub only large enough for four."

That last story brings up another point we want to mention regarding guinea pig breeders. The Animal Welfare Act only applies to breeders who make $500 or more annually from the sale of guinea pigs (and/or other animals covered under the Act). Not all who should register do. Even if a guinea pig breeder does register and comply with the Animal Welfare Act, it only requires a cage size of 10" x 10" per guinea pig. GuineaPigCages.com recommends a minimum of 30" x 36" (more is preferred) for one guinea pig, so the Animal Welfare Act standards are pretty weak. A breeder could comply with the letter of the law and still keep their guinea pigs in pretty bad conditions.

Know where your guinea pig comes from. All guinea pigs should live in comfort like this!

Ask A Guinea Pig: Best Hay For A 10 Month Old Pig?

In today's installment of "Ask A Guinea Pig", human Bella asks,

Great question, Bella. We guinea pigs need unlimited amounts of timothy hay (or another grass hay) past the age of 6 months. Other types of grass hays include:

• Barley
• Bermudagrass
• Bromegrass
• Fescue
• Oat hay
• Orchard grass
• Praire grass
• Quackgrass
• Rye
• Wheat

Alfalfa hay is a legume hay, not a grass hay. Only give alfalfa hay to pregnant, nursing, or young guinea pigs under 6 months old. Alfalfa hay is too rich for adult guinea pigs because it contains high levels of calcium, and in excess can lead to health problems, such as bladder or kidney stones. Even if you have a young, pregnant or nursing guinea pig, certain piggies who are prone to stones or other medical conditions should not be given alfalfa hay. All of this goes for other legume hays, too. Other types of legume hay include:

• Clover, Red
• Clover, White
• Lespedeza, Common

In addition, make sure you choose quality hay. Quality hay should look green, not brown. It should also have a fragrant, clean smell; avoid hays that smell musty or burnt. Also avoid hay with clumps that seem "welded" together, since this means they've probably been exposed to mold. There are many good suppliers of hay out there, but we recommend Small Pet Select. They've always provided us with quality hay, and their customer service seems excellent.

The reason hay is important to feed your guinea pig is because the fiber helps keep our intestines healthy by promoting gut mobility. Also, the chewing promotes healthy wear on our teeth; otherwise, they can grow too long. Pellets, treats and chew toys are nice, but are no substitute for a regular supply of good hay!

Quality timothy hay! This is the life. Definitely better than running around in the wild!

Got any more questions for us? Be sure to leave a comment, and we may feature your question in our next installment of Ask A Guinea Pig!

Ask a Guinea Pig: What Should I Know About Diabetic Guinea Pigs?

Rosangela Sarno writes: "My guinea pig is 6-7 months, but I think he's diabetic. He's too thin and drinks a lot of water. I was wondering if you could write a review of diabetic guinea pigs, that would be amazing. Specially if includes a food guidance."

According to the American Diabetes Association, "Diabetes mellitus (MEL-ih-tus), or simply, diabetes, is a group of diseases characterized by high blood glucose levels that result from defects in the body's ability to produce and/or use insulin." There are two main types of diabetes, as well as gestational diabetes that occurs during pregnancy. In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin. In type 2 diabetes, the body fails to use insulin properly. In gestational diabetes, hormones from the placenta that help the baby develop also block insulin in the mother's body. For guinea pigs, Type 2 diabetes is probably the most common.

Here are some things you should know about diabetes in guinea pigs:

• The most common symptoms owners notice include: rapidly-forming cataracts, chronic wet bottom, and urinary tract infections. Other symptoms may include excessive thirst and urination, weight loss despite a normal appetite, bloody urine, and painful wheeking during urination.
• If your guinea pig is displaying symptoms, go to a cavy savvy vet to discuss your concerns. Don't just assume it's diabetes- it could be a number of things, and only a vet will be able to tell you how to help your guinea pig for sure.
• Remissions are common; about 1 out of 3 guinea pigs regain the ability to use insulin without medication.
• Type 1 diabetes in guinea pigs must be treated with insulin injections.
• Type 2 diabetes in guinea pigs can often be treated with oral medication. One medication that your vet may prescribe is called Glipizide (in the US; alternative names include Glyburide in Canada and Glibenclamide in the UK).
• In terms of diet, you should make the following changes:
• no treats with added sugar
• Stick with green and yellow peppers, but avoid red peppers because they're higher in sugar.
• Celery is fine for diabetic guinea pigs, but not everyday.
• Lettuces are fine for everyday feeding.
• Cherry tomatoes are low in sugar, and are fine to feed to your diabetic guinea pig.
• In general, eliminate fruit from your guinea pig's diet unless your vet says it's okay to continue giving them small quantities. With your vet's permission, you may be able to feed small quantities of some fruits with lower sugar amounts, such as raspberries, strawberries and gooseberries.
• no high fat foods like corn
• increase hay consumption by reducing the amount of green vegetables fed

(Sources: Guinea Pigs With Diabetes, Hazel and Ginger - Diabetes Treatment; Ly&Pigs - Re: Diabetic Guinea Pig; Janice Vannevel (Can Vet J Volume 39, August 1998) - "Diabetes mellitus in a 3-year-old, intact, female guinea pig")

If your piggy gets diabetes, they can still eat good stuff like red lettuce.

Ask A Guinea Pig: Why Did My Guinea Pig Stop Wheeking?

Kathy asks: "I was a lonely rescued pig, and my humans brought me home a friend. Now instead of wheaking like I used to do all the time, I just sit and occasionally rumblestrut. My humans say they miss the wheaking. What should I tell them?"

Answer: Let's start by talking about what it means when your guinea pig wheeks. According to Guinea Pigs: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual by Katrin Behrend, wheeking (or "squeaking," as she calls it) means: "Pain, fear, loneliness; begging for food (expressed towards humans only); warning" (p. 47). Insistent wheeking is more likely to be about food, while faint or timid wheeking is more likely about fear or loneliness (p. 43).

No lonely-wheeks for us. Only food-begging wheeks!

With this in mind, here are a few possible causes that could make a guinea stop wheeking:

* Your guinea pig was lonely before, but now has a friend. The rumblestrut could mean your guinea pig is interested in mating or establishing dominance with the new pig.
* Your guinea pig might have been hearing a distressing noise, like an air conditioner, but now it stopped.

* Your guinea pig is too hot or cold. Make sure you read our post on the right temperature for your guinea pig.

* Your guinea pig may be sick. Make sure you check their weights regularly, and ensure that they're pooping normally.

Guinea pigs also tend to wheek more when they are babies. When Lola was a baby pig, she wheeked every single night, all night. But now she is grown, and we luckily do not have to put up with it as much. 

Ask A Guinea Pig: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Scotch Fingers?

Myshala Forster asks: "my lil piggy Topdeck goes crazy when I'm eating scotch fingers and if I put them down to grab something for him to chew on he runs to the plate eating the scotch fingers, are they dangerous for him??"

Answer: We have to admit that we had never heard of a "scotch finger" before your question, so we had to use Google to figure out what it is. Apparently, Scotch Fingers are "the most popular plain sweet biscuit in Australia... The biscuit has a lovely melt-in-the-mouth texture, which is the result of our bakers using a combination of butter, eggs, condensed milk and a special soft flour."

This sounds like good human food (for an occasional treat), but not good guinea pig food. Processed foods in general should be avoided. Also, flour is typically made from wheat, and grains are not well digested by guinea pigs. In addition, dairy should not be fed to guinea pigs, with the exception of baby guinea pigs drinking their mother's milk, because we are lactose intolerant as adults.

Notice how we're eating the strawberries and Oxbow treats, and not the chocolates behind us. 

So we've established that they are definitely not good and should not be a regular part of your guinea pig's diet, but are they actually dangerous if your piggy sneaks in a bite or two while you're not looking? Probably not, but you should still be cautious. Here's the advice that was given to the owner of a guinea pig who ate some saltine crackers: keep a close eye on your piggy afterwards, and make sure that they're eating hay, drinking water, and pooping normally. If anything seems abnormal, take your piggy to the vet. Alternatively, you can call ASPCA's animal poison control number (888-426-4435). (Or, in your case, whatever the Australian equivalent of the ASPCA is.)

Got more questions for us? Feel free to Ask A Guinea Pig!

Ask A Guinea Pig: Why Are Guinea Pigs Skittish?

Delores asks:

Why does my guinea pig run from me when I try to pick him up - even though he loves to be held?

Answer: According to Guinea Pigs: A Complete Pet Owner's Manual by Katrin Behrend, "Guinea pigs are defenseless animals, and they must use flight as their sole means of survival. For this, nature has endowed them with speed and agility" (p. 41).

In other words,we don't have fearsome teeth or claws like some other animals, so our first instinct as a species is to run and hide if something seems like it could be dangerous. You're probably thinking, "But why would my little piggy consider me dangerous? I treat him/her well." I'm sure you do (you do read Cavy Savvy, after all!), but you humans are so much bigger than us that it's hard not to be terrified.

That said, there are some personality differences between piggies; some of us are more skittish, and some of us are friendlier than others. Sometimes we can learn to be less scared of you over time, especially if you feed us treats; on the other hand, some of us will always be fearful. The best thing you can do is to treat your piggy well, and accept them as they are, whether they become less fearful or not.

I could go outside, but I feel safer in here.