Reference Books - Part 1 | |||||||||||||||||||
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For anyone wanting some extra knowledge on health problems piggers are prone to, and how to treat them, this book is a gem. It's not exactly light reading but is jam packed full of information about a multitude of diseases and ailments and their various treatments. It has a comprehensive section on medications including dosage and potential side effects, and also includes information on alternative therapies. A great general learning tool so you can acquire more knowledge, learn to recognise symptoms and use this to seek prompt and appropriate veterinary attention. It is also an invaluable referencing resource to accompany any treatment. Buy Diseases of Domestic Guinea Pigs at Amazon.co.uk. | ||||||||||||||||||
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A comprehensive and affectionately written book on how to care for guinea pigs. Sections include housing, groming, taming, behaviour and breeding. Also contains a healthcare section including some home remedies for common ailments. As the book emphasises, the health advice is to be used in conjunction with advice/ treatment from a cavy savyy vet and is not a substitute for proper attention, especially for those new to guinea pigs who won't have the experience to recognise ailments reliably. In addition to a wealth of information, experiences and anecdotes, this book contains lots of beautiful photographs of piggers. If you are looking for a general book to learn about piggers, how to care for them and make them happy, this (in my opinion) is the best one out there. Buy The Proper Care of Guinea Pigs at Amazon.co.uk. | ||||||||||||||||||
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This is a nicely written and comprehensive care book. It covers all the basic needs of a guinea pig including sections on housing, diet, handling, language, behaviour, grooming and health and the author’s love of guinea pigs is quite obvious. It gives clear yet concise explanations about why certain things (foods, beddings etc) are recommended, and equally why some are not to give a full understanding. There are also some interesting sections on travelling with your guinea pig, how guinea pigs get along with other pets and children, and information on common medical ailments. The only negative things I found with this book are that the cage size is a little minimal (but larger is recommended, and information for building cube cages is given) and also the photos aren’t of a great quality. But all in all it was enjoyable to read, advocates a good standard of care, is a thorough guide and enjoyable to caring for guinea pigs.
Buy A Grown-up’s Guide to Guinea Pigs at Amazon.co.uk. | ||||||||||||||||||
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This is an excellent book on guinea pigs - if you follow the guidelines in this book you will have a vey happy, healthy and stimulated pig! It covers all their care requirements, not focussing on the minimum as many books do, but instead on what makes the pig happiest and minimises stress to them. Sections include understanding their behaviour, both with humans and with other pigs, and taking care of your pet in its old age. It advocates the importance of good cage sizes, exercise, a good diet and play and has quizzes such as ‘How well do you know your guinea pig?’ And ‘How happy is your pet?’. There are wonderful photos throughout of some very contented looking piggers. The only thing that lets this book down (in my opinion), is that the author recognises the biological need of a male piggy to reproduce before he is neutered. Considering the vast number of homeless piggers we have in many countries, I think the biological and emotional needs of those sitting in shelters and rescues is slightly more important! It is definitely amongst the best books you can get on guinea pigs and the author's love for these little creatures is very apparent.
Buy My Guinea Pig and Me at Amazon.co.uk. | ||||||||||||||||||
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This is a well written and comprehensive guide to guinea pigs. It covers their history and also aquiring, housing, feeding and grooming and grooming your guinea pig. Also includes sections on behaviour, breeding and healthcare. As with all Peter Gurney’s books it is well written, and his affection for piggers is very apparent which makes it a pleasure to read. There are lots of lovely photos in this book and great hints and tips throughout. The healthcare section is more geared around veterinary visits than home remedies than in the author’s other books and it would be an ideal read for anyone keeping or planning to keep guinea pigs.
Buy the Collins Family Pet Guides: Guinea Pigs at Amazon.co.uk. | ||||||||||||||||||
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I’m not actually very interested in breeds of guinea pigs but I really enjoyed this book. It covers the basic features of all the main breeds illustrated with the kind of superb photos you always find in Peter Gurney’s books. It’s not just about physical attributes of the different breeds though - there are plenty of warm and funny tales of his own guinea pigs along the way. What I especially liked about this book compared to breed sections in other books is that there is no snobbery about the mixed breed piggers. It’s all about their characters and individuality, jsut about the ribbons they can win for you on the show tables. For people wanting to learn about the different breeds, or find out what breed their pets are, this is a great book.
Buy What’s My Guinea Pig at Amazon.co.uk. | ||||||||||||||||||
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A very good practical guide for younger children, to taking care of guinea pigs. Sections include life in the wild, breeds, feeding fresh foods, grooming and understanding your guinea pig. It covers what to do when you first get your piggy home and how to perform routine health checks. Instructions and pictures are well illustrated which would really help younger children learn from this book.
Buy ASPCA Pet Care Guides For Kids: Guinea Pigs at Amazon.co.uk. | ||||||||||||||||||
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Years of experience dealing with a variety of health problems in guinea pigs using home and natural remedies have been written in this book. It's important, as is stressed in the book, that this book is not seen as a substitute for proper veterinary care. But if it is used in conjunction with that, you will find some very useful tips for common health problems. I have to admit when I first read this book I was pretty dubious about the use of some of the human medications, and I know that many people remain outraged by some of his suggestions. There are still some parts I'm not entirely convinced about and it worries me that people will try to diagnose and treat their pigs rather than consult an expert with training, experience and the necessary equipment for some diagnoses. However, since getting this book I have had the misfortune to experience some of these health problems in my herd and have seen some of the suggestions work wonders. The first move with a poorly pig should always be to consult the vet, but alongside veterinary care, the suggestions in this book have undoubtedly made my pigs at the very least more comfortable during short periods of minor illness. There are many great ideas and tips for taking care of poorly pigs and administering medications. Used responsibly and not as a cop out to avoid seeing a vet, this is a very useful reference book and is delightfully illustrated. Buy Piggy Potions at Amazon.co.uk. | ||||||||||||||||||
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