[Gpdd] [RE: ANNOUNCE] I'm writing an article!

[Lauren Cordeiro]

Congratulations Donna!
You took the words right out of my mouth - trying to combat the myth that guinea pigs are "half pets" or "starter pets" who only children can enjoy. Another appropriate topic along those lines would be common ailments of guinea pigs and the fact that guinea pigs MUST be taken to the vet at the sign of illness - small animals are just as entitled to proper vet care as cats and dogs, and in this sense are really not a whole lot cheaper than cats and dogs. Their "price tags" - $25 - are deceptive in implying that $25 is all they are worth or all one will ever need to pay in order to care for them. Also, talk about many homeless pigs that exist and where to look for a pig in need - www.cavyrescue.com , www.gpan.net , www.petfinder.com , and local shelters, humane societies and even newspaper classifieds.
One of the most important topics you could cover is cage size - how they should be, in my opinion, at least 4 feet long and 2 feet wide to accomodate the physical and mental needs (a happy gpig loves to run, hide and find new places to sit). Talk about basics, like how gpigs need fresh veggies high in vit. C., and lots of grass hay, and a good brand of pellet like Oxbow that does not have a lot of junk in it, animal by-products, or corn as the first ingredient. Also mention that gpigs are social animals and most of the time do better in pairs or groups. Mention that they make lots of cute noises and are cuddly. Be sure to add NO CEDAR BEDDING. There are so many things to cover but I'm sure you're familiar with it all! Maybe you could go to www.guinealynx.info/healthycavy.html - it's a basic "owner's guide" and you could use it to double-check that you covered all the basics.
Some books are getting better at providing good information, but unfortunately a lot of them don't cover enough of the illnesses that guinea pigs can acquire. That would be something to consider for your article.

Hope this helps!
~Lauren, Pig and Pooh