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The Guinea Pig Handbook
Barron's "Pet Handbooks" are written, designed, and illustrated in much the same attractive style as Barron's best selling "Complete Pet Owner's Manuals." However, "Handbooks" have a larger page-count and with it, more extensive and detailed coverage of each title's subject pet. This brand new handbook for guinea pig owners provides a wealth of information on the animal's anatomy and life cycle, plus advice on caging, feeding, breeding, and health care.
176 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 20, 2013
on page 51:
DONT EVER BUY A WHEEL OR BALL (like the kind you put a hamster in) FOR YOUR GUINEA PIG 1)they don't like them and 2) it can cause serious damage to their spine!!
on page 27 there is a picture of a piggy... his nails are WAAAAY TOO LONG! its disgusting that no one was caring for him. I cant believe that they didn't clip his nails! he could get hurt with nails that long!
also: you never want to buy a piggy from a pet shop. they are notorious for bad piggy health care, so the piggy that you get will usually be sick or pregnant or have some other problems.
breeders are also bad places to get a pig from because they usually don't take very good care of their pigs either.
rescue pigs are the way to go! with so many homeless pigs around who desperately need a loving caring family you should really look towards the shelters and rescues before you go hunting for a breeder.
and more advice: NEVER NEVER NEVER buy a pig from a person who wont let you hold it first! holding a piggy before you buy him/her is a way to test his/her temperament and to find out if youre a good match!
and one more thing: two or more males CAN be pared together! don't have a lonely man pig!
a good way to find out if your piggies are going to get along is to introduce them on neutral territory (aka somewhere that doesn't smell like guinea pig aka somewhere they've never been before)
before putting ANY two pigs in a cage together, make sure that you thoroughly clean the cage (again with the aka somewhere that doesn't smell like guinea pig).
this is a good site to buy a pig cage from: http://www.guineapigcagesstore.com
DONT EVER BUY A WHEEL OR BALL (like the kind you put a hamster in) FOR YOUR GUINEA PIG 1)they don't like them and 2) it can cause serious damage to their spine!!
on page 27 there is a picture of a piggy... his nails are WAAAAY TOO LONG! its disgusting that no one was caring for him. I cant believe that they didn't clip his nails! he could get hurt with nails that long!
also: you never want to buy a piggy from a pet shop. they are notorious for bad piggy health care, so the piggy that you get will usually be sick or pregnant or have some other problems.
breeders are also bad places to get a pig from because they usually don't take very good care of their pigs either.
rescue pigs are the way to go! with so many homeless pigs around who desperately need a loving caring family you should really look towards the shelters and rescues before you go hunting for a breeder.
and more advice: NEVER NEVER NEVER buy a pig from a person who wont let you hold it first! holding a piggy before you buy him/her is a way to test his/her temperament and to find out if youre a good match!
and one more thing: two or more males CAN be pared together! don't have a lonely man pig!
a good way to find out if your piggies are going to get along is to introduce them on neutral territory (aka somewhere that doesn't smell like guinea pig aka somewhere they've never been before)
before putting ANY two pigs in a cage together, make sure that you thoroughly clean the cage (again with the aka somewhere that doesn't smell like guinea pig).
this is a good site to buy a pig cage from: http://www.guineapigcagesstore.com
March 3, 2017
Probably the best handbook for guinea pig care (formatted for Kindle) available on the market. I can't speak to books that are only available in paperback. In any case, this is an extensive guide to food, behaviours, and even a history of the various breeds. Highly recommended as a one-stop shop for anyone who has just brought a guinea-pig into their lives.
April 26, 2020
3.5 stars
Lots of good info about the history of GPs, breed information, identifying health issues, etc. This will be a useful reference guide. I think the food section could have been organized better and maybe included a concise list of safe foods. I've found good guides online.
I also didn't see a mention of boar cleaning, which I didn't know was a thing until I watched some videos on YouTube by Saskia from LA Guinea Pig Rescue. Helped in my decision to go with 2 girls instead!
Lots of good info about the history of GPs, breed information, identifying health issues, etc. This will be a useful reference guide. I think the food section could have been organized better and maybe included a concise list of safe foods. I've found good guides online.
I also didn't see a mention of boar cleaning, which I didn't know was a thing until I watched some videos on YouTube by Saskia from LA Guinea Pig Rescue. Helped in my decision to go with 2 girls instead!
May 24, 2008
We had Guinea Pigs; Trixie and Pixie.
February 9, 2019
As a parent, it is hard to turn down the excitement my kids get over cute, fuzzy critters. Also as a parent who onky jad fish growing up, i highly recommend the Barrons books if you need more factual info on whatever pets are right for your home.
Now the proud owner of two golden Silkies, i know and feel more prepared for giving them a wonderful life. I now also understand the different noises they make so i can better ascertain what they need.
This book is short, thorough, and informative. It has handle reference tables and explains the why behind some of the recommendations based on the evolution of this cuddly rodent.
Now the proud owner of two golden Silkies, i know and feel more prepared for giving them a wonderful life. I now also understand the different noises they make so i can better ascertain what they need.
This book is short, thorough, and informative. It has handle reference tables and explains the why behind some of the recommendations based on the evolution of this cuddly rodent.
November 19, 2017
I really like this series of books. All of them have great photos throughout (not to mention that they are so cute and fun!) and the information is presented in a way that is in-depth and descriptive, but still very easy to read, understand, and comprehend, which I appreciate in non-fiction pet/animal books like this one.
This one, no doubt, lives up to the above description of the series. I read this book right before I got my first guinea pig and it was a big help in me learning how to be the best caregiver I could for her. I highly recommend this for first-time guinea pig owners
This one, no doubt, lives up to the above description of the series. I read this book right before I got my first guinea pig and it was a big help in me learning how to be the best caregiver I could for her. I highly recommend this for first-time guinea pig owners
February 18, 2019
A nice, basic book on Guinea pigs. A good place to start if you're just beginning with piggies or if you're thinking about them.
September 19, 2024
A handook indeed.
How can there be so much infrmation about cavies?
Definitely worth a read for a cavy owner.
It talks about housing, food, diseases, breeding. Lots of stuff.
Read it.
How can there be so much infrmation about cavies?
Definitely worth a read for a cavy owner.
It talks about housing, food, diseases, breeding. Lots of stuff.
Read it.
January 11, 2011
Adult book, although older juvenile readers may also find informative. I learned some from this book and found it a quick and easy read. Don't know if I agree with everything that was said, such as some of the diet comments. It got me interested in setting up a bookshelf for my animal books, and visiting some online guinea-pig sites like guinea pig daily digest (gpdd). Dick King-Smith, recently deceased, was an avid guinea-pig owner. He was actually part of my inspiration to get a guinea pig, as he wrote a great easy reader nonfiction book - I Love Guinea Pigs.
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June 11, 2009I have a almost 3 month old guinea pig so i got this book to learn about them and to learn how to care for him better :D
March 30, 2014
Basic info. Helpful for new guinea pig slaves.
May 11, 2013
Best guinea pig book I have ever read. It is complete and a big read for such a small book. There is a lot packed in this tiny package. And it blew my mind up.
May 7, 2018
Worth investing in if you live with one or more guinea pigs or cavies. Most guinea pig care books seemed to be aimed at children, but this one is aimed for more mature guinea pig caretakers. This isn't the best book on guinea pig care I've read (that would be books by Peter Gurney) but this is still very good -- and may be easier to find than Peter Gurney books.
Nice that it is written by a vet -- someone that actually knows something about guinea pigs. (Sometimes in reading books on guinea pigs I have a sinking feeling that the author doesn't actually know anything about them.) There are also many nice photographs of guinea pigs.
Nice that it is written by a vet -- someone that actually knows something about guinea pigs. (Sometimes in reading books on guinea pigs I have a sinking feeling that the author doesn't actually know anything about them.) There are also many nice photographs of guinea pigs.
January 10, 2016
Excellent book for an introduction to guinea pigs.
March 22, 2016
A bit outdated and fairly American-centric but still a good, educational read
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews