There is a huge misconception when it comes to comparing guinea pigs to pet rabbits and the common mistake is the fact that most people don’t realize that there are jumping guinea pigs. They may not have the clearance and hop that the rabbit does but with that said, jumping guinea pigs are really not as uncommon as it may sound. Let’s have a glance at many other guinea pig characteristics and traits that you may not be aware of and may help strengthen the relationship you can potentially have with your pet guinea pig.

The Guinea Pig Environment
There are several things to remember when fabricating your pet’s home because there are a number of factors to consider such as the jumping guinea pigs. You need to make sure that the guinea pig habitat is high enough that the little fellow can’t jump over the walls and be free as this could cause serious potential danger for the guinea pig. As mentioned earlier, most people don’t realize that the guinea pigs have the ability to jump but rest assured they can jump and do jump! Ensuring high walls is a definite must so that you don’t have an escapee on your hands that can be trying and difficult to recapture.

It only has to be a reasonable height to properly house any type of jumping guinea pig and although they are not notorious for bounding high into the air, they can get some height to the jump so use common sense in constructing your guinea pig home. Always ensure that there is plenty of hay available in the guinea pig home so that he can use it as a supplement for the diet as hay contains necessary vitamins and minerals for the jumping guinea pigs.

Although there are not potentially severe elements to jumping guinea pigs, it is a fact that one should certainly be aware of when deciding if a guinea pig is the right pet to get and most don’t realize the jumping factor until it is too late. If you are pondering acquiring one of these fantastic jumping guinea pigs, visit your local pet store and spend a few minutes with each of the guinea pigs to see if they are suitable to your personality and if you will enjoy the time, effort and dedication that a guinea pig requires before you go and build a home and decide that it perhaps isn’t the best choice of pet for you. Owning a pet is a long term investment both emotionally and financially so it is best that you take the time to research all aspects of pet owning before committing a pet to your life; for life.

There are two options when owning a guinea pig and deciding where to house them and those are keeping guinea pigs outdoors or inside the main family dwelling. Many people believe that guinea pigs smell quite offensively and nothing could be further from the truth although if you plan to only clean the cage once in a while it is probably better that you look into other pets that don’t require as much maintenance. Having said that however if you plan to clean your guinea pig cage daily or several times a week at very least, there will be no foul smell and no need to keep guinea pigs outdoors. Lets take a closer look at the pros and cons of guinea pig housing and habitats in the indoor as well as keeping guinea pigs outdoors.

Indoor VS Outdoor Housing of Guinea Pigs
Theoretically a guinea pig can both be housed outside or inside as the are naturally a outdoor dwelling animal however it is highly imperative to remember when planning to keep guinea pigs outdoors that they have much weaker hearts than most rodents and are very susceptible to contracting pneumonia. Always be sure to keep the guinea pig out of the wind and rain because this can actually promote sickness and always be certain that when keeping guinea pigs outside that you provide plenty of shelter in the way of hay so that they can burrow down and protect themselves from the elements. Hay is a perfect example of something for the guinea pigs to hunker down in because they not only need hay daily to provide health to the teeth, it also provides warmth in the winter as well as shade in the summer away from the blazing sun.

The other thing to remember when intending to keep guinea pigs outside is that they are also very likely candidates to suffer from severe heat stroke to the point of death. These animals can get heatstroke in record short periods of time and direct sunlight is not a good thing for them to suffer through for even a brief period of time so make sure that you keep them out of the sunlight. As well, if it is incredibly hot it is wise to give the guinea pigs that you keep outside some ice cubes in order for them to get some relief from the heat. They really do not do well with heat and this is a major downfall when deciding whether or not to keep guinea pigs outdoors.