Caring for your cavy is relatively simple. You need a suitable hutch and if the hutch is ideally placed in a garage, the cavy does not need a separate sleeping or breeding compartment. Four solid sided hutch is the best with a wire front. The floor of the hutch should be treated and made waterproof. Cover the floor with a few sheets of newspaper on top of which you place woodshavings, and grass hay.
A drinking "Lixit" bottle, suitable for rabbits and cavies should be placed on the wire front of the cage. This should be filled with fresh water daily. The hutch should be placed in a draft proof area, yet well ventilated. Keep in mind cavies do not tolerate excessive hot climates and provisions should be made to keep them cool. A frozen bottle of water placed in the hutch for cavies to lie on, during the heat of Summer will help, as will a fan, to keep them cool. Cavies do not sweat.
Cavies, like humans, cannot produce their own Vitamin C. Therefore it is important that they are fed good quality fruit and vegetables daily. Also they should be fed good quality cavy grain mix which is available from most pet shops or produce supply stores. If fruit and vegetables are low, they may be supplemented orally with Incremin Liquid Vitamin C. This is available from your chemist and is formulated for human children.
If cavies are well looked after, common sense is used they should live between five to seven years. If a problem occurs with your cavy, the best person to contact would be the breeder you purchased the cavy from. If they do not have an answer, they will probably refer you to someone else knowledgable with cavies or a veterinarian.
The best place to learn more about cavies, health, breeding, and all that pertains to them is at a cavy club. Westside holds monthly lectures which are very educational and there is always knowledgable breeders on hand to answer all your questions at any time. |
