Dutch rats are often considered to be fun pets. Generally, Dutch rats have friendly personalities and tend to have a relatively long lifespan when compared to other small pets. However, like any other pet, guinea pigs need a safe, clean and healthy living environment in order to survive and thrive.
Step
Part 1 of 4: Providing Comfort for Dutch Rats
Step 1. Hold and hold your guinea pig properly
To hold it, carefully place one hand in front of her chest, with your thumb under her jaw or chin. Use the other hand to hold the back of the body (buttocks area), then lift the guinea pig with both hands.
It's important that you hold him tight enough so he doesn't fall, but not too tight so he doesn't hurt his body. Keep in mind that if your guinea pig tends to get nervous or scared easily, it may try to squirm when you hold it and jump. This is certainly a risk of causing serious injury
Step 2. Remove the guinea pig from its cage
Once you've got a good grip on it, move the guinea pig to a safe, covered area so it doesn't escape. Make sure that someone is watching you, and that there are no loud noises that could frighten your guinea pig. If you want, you can have someone hold it.
Step 3. Comb the fur if necessary
Long-haired guinea pigs need to be brushed every day. If you need to brush or bathe your guinea pig, it will be easier to do so when your guinea pig is outside of its cage.
Your guinea pig only needs to be bathed (most often) 2-3 times a year, unless your guinea pig's fur is very sticky or smelly
Step 4. Make room for the guinea pig to hide
Your guinea pig must be accustomed to having a special place to hide in his cage. When you take him out of his cage, there's a good chance he'll freak out. If you can't find a hiding place in a temporary enclosure, create a small temporary enclosure by cutting and punching holes in the bottom of the cardboard box.
Part 2 of 4: Cleaning the Cage Every Day
Step 1. Clean the dirty area or parts of the cage
Remove any remaining food and debris, and clean the soiled area as necessary using a damp paper towel. In addition, make sure the base of the cage used is completely dry (not damp).
Step 2. Refill the food and drinking water
Recharging must be done every day. If a guinea pig spills water on its food bowl, throw it away and refill the bowl with fresh, dry food.
Step 3. Wash the food and water bowls with hot water mixed with soap
Wash the food and water bowls every day to prevent the growth of bacteria in food or drinking water containers.
Part 3 of 4: Doing the Weekly Cleaning
Step 1. Schedule a thorough cage cleaning once a week
While you'll need to take care of the cage and remove any debris on a daily basis, you'll also need to thoroughly clean the cage once a week. This is to ensure that your guinea pig remains healthy and happy, and that the environment in which it lives is odor-free.
Step 2. Remove all items from the cage
When you do a thorough cleaning, you will need to remove all toys, including food bowls, water bottles, and guinea pigs hiding places.
Step 3. Wash the water bottle and food bowl
Often, guinea pigs accidentally drop cage mats or their droppings into their food bowls. Therefore, you should regularly clean the food and water bowls.
- Discard any remaining food and water. After that, turn on the hot water tap and immerse the water bottles and food bowls in the hot water (or you can water them first and soak them in the container). After that, place the bowls and bottles on the edge of the sink and let them dry while you clean the cage.
- If your guinea pig hides can be washed or cleaned, it's a good idea to wash and rinse thoroughly.
Step 4. Take the cage to the wash area and prepare a large plastic trash bag
Carefully sweep all dirt into the bag and remove all natural materials (eg cage mats) from the cage.
For a very large cage, it's a good idea to prepare a shovel that is usually used to pick up cat litter to remove all natural materials from the cage. However, don't use the shovel you normally use to pick up cat, dog, or other pet waste
Step 5. Spray the inside of the cage
You can use a mild detergent, or a 3:1 mixture of warm water and white vinegar.
For stubborn stains or dirt, use undiluted vinegar. However, make sure you clean and rinse thoroughly after spraying
Step 6. Rinse the cage thoroughly
Make sure you rinse all sides of the cage, especially after you use a cleaning spray.
Step 7. Dry the cage with a paper towel
If you have enough time, you can dry the coop by aerating it. It is important that you make sure the cage is completely dry before you re-cover the bottom of the cage with newsprint and cage mat. The remaining moisture can easily trigger the development of mold so that your guinea pig can get disease.
Part 4 of 4: Resetting the Cage
Step 1. Line the bottom of the cage first with new newsprint, then cover with the cage mat
You will need to cover the bottom of the cage with cage mat until it reaches a thickness of about 2.5 to 7.5 centimeters.
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Never use cedar or pine wood shavings!
Although both types of pieces of wood are widely sold as cage mats, they both contain chemicals that are harmful to guinea pigs.
- In general, dry green grass can be a good choice of bedding. However, damp hay can promote the development of mold, while dry grass that is too dry and dusty can cause breathing problems.
Step 2. Make sure the cage is completely dry before you load the newsprint and bedding
If newsprint and bedding are introduced while the surface of the cage is still damp, mold can develop quickly in the cage.
Step 3. Reassemble the cage parts (if you disassembled them) and put toys and other items back in the cage
Hide your guinea pig's favorite treat in a toilet paper tube or hang the treat from a string (make sure the treat is hung at a height that it can easily reach).
Step 4. Take control of the environment in which he lives
Keep in mind that guinea pigs need to live in a constant temperature environment, and their cage should not be exposed to direct sources of heat or cold. It's best if you keep the room temperature not lower than 21 degrees Celsius and not exceeding 32 degrees Celsius.
Tips
- Provide something the guinea pig can bite or chew in its cage. Wooden sticks that have not been exposed to or coated with chemicals can be a good choice because objects made of plastic can harm guinea pigs if swallowed.
- Use a small (clean) sponge or rag and white vinegar to wipe or spray the cage. Do not use cleaning spray products such as Cling, CIF, or other products as they can be harmful to guinea pigs.
- To facilitate the process of cleaning the cage, first line the bottom of the cage with newspaper before you insert the cage base. This way, you only need to roll up or lift the newspaper when you need to clean the cage and throw away the dirty bedding.
- If you don't want to use a cleaning spray at home (or make your own), there are plenty of pet-safe spray cleaning products available at pet stores.
- Most veterinary experts advise owners to prepare or include a hiding place for guinea pigs in their cages.
- If you have more than one guinea pig, clean the cage thoroughly twice a week.
- Leave a small space with a rough surface in the cage so that your guinea pig's nails can be removed. In this way, the length / size of the nails is maintained.
Warning
- You should clean the guinea pig's cage-at least-every week to keep it healthy.
- Do not use wood chips or sawdust as bedding as they can be a serious hazard to guinea pigs. Like pine bedding, cedar bedding can also cause a lot of health problems. If there is no other choice of bedding, pine wood that has been burned can be used as an option.
- Always make sure someone is watching the guinea pigs when you clean the cage. Keep in mind that guinea pigs are instinctively curious and, because of their curiosity, can cause a lot of trouble if their activities are not supervised.
- Dutch rats must live in a place with a constant temperature. Do not place the cage in a place that is exposed to a direct source of heat or cold.
