Paper Trained : Guinea pig cage should stand up to cleaning
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Q: We would like to get a guinea pig for our kids. What size and kind of cage should we get?
A: Most commercially available cages are fine as long as they are made of a material that withstands regular cleaning and is resistant to gnawing like stainless steel. Standard sizes for wire cages are 1 to 1½ feet wide by 2 to 3 feet long.
Open aquariums or pens also work but should be at least 10 inches deep and placed where the guinea pigs are protected from other household pets.
Wire cages are sanitary but special attention should be paid to the flooring, typically a wire mesh. Some portion of the cage bottom should be solid to minimize the risk of foot injuries or infections from the wire.
Regular cleaning — twice a week is usually adequate — and frequent changing of bedding materials (wood shavings, shredded newspapers or straw are all acceptable) will also reduce the incidence of infections. A complete disinfection with a dilute bleach solution of one part Clorox to 30 parts water should be accomplished monthly.
A sipper bottle for water and fresh food that supplies recommended daily allowances of Vitamin C is also essential.
Questions? Send them to Dr. Sandeman, Home & Garden, Quad-City Times, 500 E. 3rd St., Davenport, IA 52801. Or, email to papertrained@mchsi.com. Dr. Sandeman cannot answer letters or email personally, but questions of general interest will be answered in this column.
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