Besides enclosures, food, and care, guinea pigs also need a variety of accessories, such as guinea pig bridges. Five of the best books on guinea pig care will tell exactly how to care for them, what their language means, and they prove to be useful for both kids and adults.
Guinea pigs are cute little animals that have made their way into our hearts and our homes as beloved family members. Although they are named guinea pigs, they are not native to Guinea, nor are they related to pigs in any way. Guinea pigs are native to the Andes in South America and have been domesticated a long time ago as livestock, a source of food.
It was in the early 16th century that they became a part of the trade market between Europe and America, and they were introduced to the European families, that quickly took a liking to them as pets, rather than food. From that point on, people started being interested in the wellbeing of these animals and did a lot of research on the best ways to care for them.
Studies were made on the proper living conditions guinea pigs should be provided with, the food they are supposed to eat, and types of food that should be completely avoided. Also, studies showed that guinea pigs need a social life too, whether they are kept in small groups, large groups, or they are given the chance to interact with their owner.
Guinea pigs are known for forming social bonds with their other group members and with their owners too. If a guinea pig is kept as a single pet, he or she will display signs of joy when their owner comes home, such as funny whistling noises and jumping around in the cage. They also make purr-like noises when they are happy, enjoying their food, or are handled properly.
There are many published books out there on the proper ways these tiny creatures should be looked after, some of them proving to be quite an accurate information treasure, while others may not contain a lot of valuable information. We took the time to list the five top-rated books on how to look after guinea pigs, so here they are!
1. “Guinea Pigs: A Complete Pet Owner’s Manual”
This book was written by Katrin Behrend, as a part of the “Barron’s Complete Pet Owner’s Manuals Series”, and translated by Helgard Niewisch. This is quite an inexpensive book that comes as a great addition to any guinea pig lover’s bookshelf. The book is available on different websites and in bookstores across the world, as it is in high demand.
Katrin Behrend presents in her book a wide variety of interesting facts and advice on how to better understand and care for guinea pigs, from their history to housing requirements guinea pigs have, what types of foods best suit them, and how to establish a mutually beneficial relationship with your pet guinea pig.
This book is meant for both first time owners and people that have had guinea pigs before alike, as it presents what elements future owners need to prepare before welcoming their first guinea pig. It also gives in-depth advice on how to properly care for and nurture your tiny friend to help him/her thrive and stay happy and healthy for a long time.
2. “The Proper Care of Guinea Pigs”
This is yet another highly useful guide to owning and breeding guinea pigs, written by Peter Gurney. He is considered to be an expert in guinea pigs and has been a respected public figure on the subject for a long time now. The author brings to the book his own enthusiasm and knowledge on properly owning and breeding these tiny and cute pets.
The book comes with over 250 pages of illustrated and fully-colored pictures that make it both a comprehensive guide on guinea pigs and fun to read too. Children will find this book interesting too, as they will be mesmerized by the high-quality photos showing interesting details from the life of guinea pigs, both in the wild and as beloved pets.
The book is easily available online and in some bookstores, and it is considered to be fair-priced given its size, number of pages filled with valuable information, and the high-quality images it contains. By choosing this book you make sure you enrich your knowledge on the topic of owning guinea pigs while having a good time reading it.
3. “A Grown-Up’s Guide to Guinea Pigs”
This book is written by Dale L. Sigler and at first it may seem that is has a very weird title, but once you start reading it, you will notice that the meaning of the title is an irony to the fact that many times guinea pigs are taken in by families as pets for their kids, but parents end up caring for them all the time, as kids quickly lose interest in the tiny creatures.
Readers find this book to be a delightful one, that contains valuable information, up-to-date advice, and interesting pictures on the topic of owning and breeding these cute rodents. The tables of information this book contains prove to be highly useful, especially to first-time owners that need some guidance as they are learning how to care for their new pets.
The book is 156 pages long, making it quite easy to read and the pictures inside make it fun for kids too. It is available online and in bookstores across the nation while coming with a fair price tag on it. If you are looking for valuable information offered in a conversational manner that is easy to read and understand, this book might be the right choice for you.
4. “ASPCA Pet Care Guides for Kids: Guinea Pigs”
This is an educational guide on how to properly care for guinea pigs that proves to be ideal for children aged nine years and above, and adults have a lot to learn from it, as well. Although it is not the cheapest book on guinea pig care on the market, purchasing it will prove to be money well spent, as it provides the reader with a lot of valuable information.
You can find it online and in bookstores across the nation, and you will surely be able to fully enjoy learning a lot of new and interesting things from it, about the needs and requirements of these cute and beloved pets. Ideally, any person looking to get a pet guinea pig will take the time to read and learn about them before actually welcoming a pet into their homes.
Yet another benefit this book comes with, for children, in particular, is that by getting caught up in the pleasure of reading it to learn more about their pets, they might actually discover a passion for reading books in general, which comes as a huge plus in today’s world, where everything became digital and available online.
5. “The Really Useful Guinea Pig Guide”
Although this book was written over a decade ago, the information it covers it still very much up to date. The author, Myra Mahoney, based her book on over 30 years experience as a guinea pig owner and breeder, and it provides the reader with highly useful information on the basics of caring for a pet guinea pig.
The book is only 48 pages long, making it an easy and fun book to read, that covers in detail the topic of guinea pig language. This is the great advantage that this book comes with, as it helps other guinea pig owners understand what their beloved pets are saying and the needs they have at a specific moment.
Some readers stated that this is one of those books that will save you many veterinarian bills if you carefully read it and apply the knowledge inside it to everyday caring of your beloved pet guinea pig. As it comes at a great value for money, and it is widely available both online and in bookstores, this might just be a winner for many of us.
The text in this book is accompanied by funny pictures and illustrations that help the reader get a better understanding of the information the text is transmitting. For this reason, this book proves to be an excellent choice for adults and children alike.