Reference List and Links
I always state seek the advice of your vet or referral to a specialist vet with regard to guinea pig health and welfare. However, before deciding to own guinea pigs, it is so important to do background reading. So I have compiled a list of links to key cavy resources, provided below. Even if you already have piggies, then the sources will only serve to expand your knowledge :)
Please note disclaimer that I may not agree with everything stated or advocated by non-scientific sources I list here, but I have included them because they provide some useful advice or background information. Most of the scientific sources I have listed are open access so you should be able to download the full paper/pdf via the link provided, otherwise there will be a research summary. Sources are listed alphabetically (based on surname if a scientific article).
Helpful Pointers
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For general care tips please check out the Guinea Pig Awareness Week (GPAW) site, an annual event run by Burgess Excel, UK. There are lots of fun family activities during the week and useful resource packs available. Dates for 2023 yet to be announced. Wood Green (The Animals' Charity) also provide resources on wild forage for guinea pigs via the website and their YouTube channel. The Webinar Vet provides some free webinars on guinea pig care (although these sources are made for veterinary professionals, they are useful for owners).
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The first link in the list below, the Animal Training podcast with Annette Pedersen, helps us appreciate that guinea pigs are prey animals and experience fear due to handling. They show how Copenhagen Zoo has taken this into consideration in their training.
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I am an 'adopt don't shop' advocate. All my piggies are adopted from rescue services, including The Same Star Sheep Sanctuary, Norfolk, England, UK, and Coseley Guinea Pig Rescue and Sanctuary, based in Bilston, near Birmingham, England, UK. The owner, Reta, has many years' experience. She is always inundated with calls to help guinea pigs. See her Facebook page listed below.
Reference list:
Animal Training Fundamentals Podcast (2020), with Annette Pedersen, Animal Training Coordinator, Copenhagen Zoo.
A thoughtful way of introducing guinea pigs to handling. See here:
https://www.animaltrainingacademy.com/podcast/training-tidbits/annette-pederson/ (go to 36.30 of the podcast); a short video on the method here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdDw29xjscI
Oliver Adrian and Norbert Sachser (2011) Diversity of social and mating systems in cavies: a review. Journal of Mammalogy. 92, 1.
A good paper on wild guinea pig ecology. Link here: https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/92/1/39/944612
Salomé Azevedo, Bairbre O’Malley, Claire Greene, Helena Moran, Tomás Rodrigues Magalhães, and Felisbina Luísa Queiroga (2023). Lower Urinary Tract Diseases in Guinea Pigs: A 14-Year Retrospective Study (2004–2018). Animals 13, 112.
Full-text here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9817880/
Adam M Barbera, Mariane G Delauney, Gary Dougill and Robyn A Grant (2019). Paw Morphology in the Domestic Guinea Pig (Cavia porcelllus) and Brown Rat (Ratus norvegicus). The Anatomical Record. 302, 12.
Article discusses guinea pig paw morphology and ramp design. Link here: https://anatomypubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ar.24271
Zaimah Begum-Diamond, Johanna E. Neuhauser, and Kristie E. Cameron (2022). Measuring ramp use in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus). Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behaviour. 118, 2.
Article discussing ramp slopes and comparisons between findings and online forum suggestions, which are not evidence-based. Link here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jeab.783
British Small Animal Veterinary Asscoiation (BSAVA) article on Fireworks in the Healthy Pet Guide (2022)
This is an article (pages 29-31) on the effect of fireworks on companion animals including guinea pigs. This was co-written by myself and veterinary professionals during my time at BSAVA as Scientific Editor. Please see link:
C and C Cages, UK
This company make enclosures rather than cages. Please visit their website for cavy pens: https://candcguineapigcages.co.uk/
Coseley Guinea Pig Rescue and Sanctuary, UK
A guinea pig rescue in Coseley, West Midlands, UK. The owner Reta is always inundated with calls to help piggies.
Hans C Dringenberg, Devon P. Richardson, James F. Brien and James N. Reynolds. (2001). Spatial learning in the guinea pig: cued versus non-cued learning, sex differences, and comparison with rats. Behavioural Brain Research. 124.
Research on spatial learning in guinea pigs, see link here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11423170/
Luis A Ebensperger and Loren D Hayes (Editors) 2016). Sociobiology of Caviomorph Rodents: An Integrative Approach, First edition. Wiley Blackwell, UK.
A scientific textbook on the sociobiology of cavies and their relatives.
Analisa S. Edell, David G. Vella, Joanne C. Sheen, Sarah E. Carotenuto,
Talon McKee, Philip J. Bergman (2022). Retrospective analysis of risk factors, clinical features, and prognostic indicators for urolithiasis in guinea pigs: 158 cases (2009–2019).
You can download the PDF here: https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/260/S2/javma.21.09.0421.xml
Gorgeous guineas
'gorgeous guineas' is a UK based company which produce skincare solutions for guinea pigs. See https://shop.gorgeousguineas.com/
Guinea Pig Awareness Week (GPAW), run and managed by Burgess Pet Care.
Many really helpful resources provided via the GPAW: https://guineapigawarenessweek.com/
Winnie Gut, Lisa Crump, Jakob Zinsstag, Jan Hattendorf and Karin Hediger (2018). The effect of human interaction on guinea pig behaviour in animal-assisted therapy. Journal of Veterinary Behaviour. 25.
Thinking about the effect of human-piggy interactions on our furry friends. Link here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1558787817300928
Heidi L. Hoefer, (2006). Urolithiasis in Rabbits and Guinea Pigs. CABI Digital Library.
Discussion about Vitamin D, diet and urinary tract calculi. https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/pdf/10.5555/20063121862
Emma Keeble (2021). Osteoarthritis in pet guineapigs: an update on diagnosis,treatment and management. Companion Animal. 26, 6.
Important article on osteoarthritis in guinea pigs and how it can be missed by both owners and veterinarians. See: https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/abs/10.12968/coan.2021.0010.
LA Guinea Pig Rescue, USA (LAGPR)
A very large guinea pig rescue centre in California, USA. Some useful aspects of cavy health covered: https://www.laguineapigrescue.com/
Lars Lewejohann, Thorsten Pickel, Norbert Sachser and Sylvia Kaiser (2010) Wild genius – domestic fool? Spatial learning abilities of wild and domestic guinea pigs. Frontiers in Zoology. 7, 9.
Very interesting article on guinea pig spatial abilities. Paper link here: https://frontiersinzoology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1742-9994-7-9
Anne McBride (2017). Small prey species’ behaviour and welfare: implications for veterinary professionals. Journal of Small Animal Practice. 58.
Excellent scientific article, easy to read by an expert in small mammal welfare: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28513850/
David J Mellor (2016). Updating Animal Welfare Thinking: Moving beyond the “Five Freedoms” towards “A Life Worth Living”. Animals. 6 (3):21.
Full description of The Five Freedoms and the move beyond these basic minimum guidelines to advance animal welfare. Link here: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/6/3/21
David J Mellor, Ngaio J Beausoleil, Katherine E Littlewood, Andrew N McLean, Paul D McGreevy, Bidda Jones, Cristina Wilkins (2020). The 2020 Five Domains Model: Including Human–Animal Interactions in Assessments of Animal Welfare. Animals. 10(10):1870.
For further reading. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/10/1870
Andrea Minarikova, Karel Hauptman, Edita Jeklova, Zdenek Knotek and Vladimir Jekl (2015). Diseases in pet guinea pigs: a retrospective study in 1000 animals. Veterinary Record.
A very useful article but not open access unfortunately, however, the abstract can be read here: https://bvajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1136/vr.103053
Rosemary Norman and Alison P. Wills. (2016). An investigation into the relationship between owner knowledge, diet, and dental disease in guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus). Animals. 6, 73.
A key paper on guinea pig health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5126775/
Piggie Parcels
An environmentally conscious provider of Natural Forage Foods for Guinea Pigs and other small animals. They offer a variety of forage such as dried botanical herbs, leaves, flowers, and now feeding pellets. All forage is stated to be 100% natural, no additives, preservatives or sweeteners: https://piggieparcels.co.uk/
J. P. Rood (1972). Ecological and behavioural comparisons of three genera of Argentine cavies. Animal Behaviour Monographs. 5(1).
Abstract available here: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1974-29608-001https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1974-29608-001
Scotty's Animals
Scotty volunteers for LAGPR and provides a foster home for rescued guinea pigs in California, USA. https://www.scottysanimals.com/
The SHAPE of enrichment Ltd.
Organisation promoting worldwide environmental enrichment for captive animals. Excellent source of information: https://theshapeofenrichmentinc.wildapricot.org/
The Webinar Vet
This veterinary site provides some excellent webinars on guinea pigs and other animals. Some are free so worth checking out :) https://www.thewebinarvet.com/
Nikolaus Von Engelhardt, Gabriele Joanna Kowalski and Anja Guenther. (2015). The maternal social environment shapes offspring growth, physiology, and behavioural phenotype in guinea pigs. Frontiers in Zoology. 12, 1.
Some great cavy biology facts presented here: https://frontiersinzoology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1742-9994-12-S1-S13
Megan K. Watson, Adam W. Stern, Amber L. Labelle, Stephen Joslyn, Timothy M. Fan, Katie Leister, Micah Kohles, Kemba Marshall, Mark A. Mitchell (2014). Evaluating the Clinical and Physiological Effects of Long Term Ultraviolet B Radiation on Guinea Pigs (Cavia porcellus). PLoS ONE. 9, 12.
A Witkowska, J Price, C Hughes, D Smith, K White, A Alibhai and C S. Rutland (2017). The Effects of Diet on Anatomy, Physiology and Health in the Guinea Pig. Journal of Animal Health and Behavioural Science. 1:103.
The data and review gives novel insights into how guinea pig husbandry affects health and welfare. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/162663051.pdf
Wood Green, the Animals' Charity. A range of resources on guinea pig care.
Various resources on guinea pigs can be found through this charity's website, as well as their YouTube channel, such as what food to give and which wild plants are safe. I have given a couple of examples here related to forgaing and food. https://woodgreen.org.uk/advice/guinea-pigs-your-day-to-day-guide/ and
https://woodgreen.org.uk/advice/poisonous-food-and-plants-for-guinea-pigs/