How Do Guinea Pigs Get Through Winter? A Detailed Guide to Winter Feeding and Warming Methods

The guinea pig, also known as the Dutch pig, is a fairly popular pet at present, and many people keep guinea pigs, so how do guinea pigs get through winter? Let's take a look below.

1. How do guinea pigs get through winter

In winter, just put some food with a slightly higher fat content into the guinea pig food! There is no need to increase the amount fed; just feed as usual. In winter, if you find that the Dutch pig drinks less water, that is normal too, so there is no need to worry.

Generally speaking, guinea pigs like room temperatures above 20 degrees, and if it is below this temperature, then the Dutch pig needs to be kept warm appropriately.

Guinea pigs feed on plant-based food and have no special requirements when it comes to food; they have a strong constitution and are not prone to illness. They mainly eat the green parts of plants, with weeds as their staple food, and they like to eat fresh fruits and vegetables such as green peppers, lettuce and cherry tomatoes, but foods with too high a water content, such as fruits and vegetables, must not be fed in excess, as this easily causes diarrhea in guinea pigs. Do not feed them cruciferous or starch-containing things.

2. Living habits of guinea pigs

1. They like living in groups, have a large head, a short neck, round ears and no tail, with the whole body covered in fur, relatively short limbs, four toes on the forelimbs and three toes on the hindlimbs, sharp short claws, and a habit of scratching people. They do not like climbing or jumping, so they can be kept in a small uncovered cement pool. They are docile by nature and timid and easily startled, sometimes making squeaking cries, and they like a dry and clean living environment.

2. Their sense of smell and hearing are relatively well developed, and they react extremely strongly to various stimuli, such as being very sensitive to sound, smells and sudden temperature changes, so in turbid air and cold environments they are prone to pneumonia, which can also cause miscarriage, and they are also prone to miscarriage when startled.

3. Guinea pigs are herbivorous animals, with well-developed chewing muscles but very thin stomach walls, and a particularly enlarged cecum, accounting for about 1/3 of the abdominal cavity volume. Their crude fiber requirement is even greater than that of rabbits, but unlike rabbits they are not so prone to diarrhea.

4. Guinea pigs eat a relatively large amount, and have a strong appetite for food they are used to, but they are particularly sensitive to spoiled feed, often reducing or refusing food because of this, and even miscarrying as a result.

Guinea pigs are still fairly easy to keep, with a docile temperament, and are a kind of pet relatively suitable for keeping, but in winter attention must also be paid to ventilation and warmth.