Guinea Pigs: Complete Care Made Easy-Practical Advice To Caring For your Guinea Pig [Paperback]

Virginia Parker Guidry (Author), Carolyn McKeone (Photographer)

Book Description

Series: Complete Care Made Easy | Publication Date: December 1, 2004

Filled with fascinating historical facts and up-to-date information on how to care for your Pet, Complete Care Made Easy: Guinea Pigs addresses all the major concerns about owning a a guinea pig. This book offers practical advice, emergency first-aid tips, fun activities, and more!

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Guinea pigs are a bundle of fun! their sweet faces and good-natured personality make them an ideal pet. This easy-to-read book is loaded with invaluable information on buying, caring, and training these adorable creatures. Guinea Pigs is filled with tipso n how to keep your pet healthy, happy, and living longer. Some of the helpful information you'll find inside includes: Up-to-date information, fascinating historical facts, tips on choosing the right pet, helpful resource guide, emergency first aid tips, fun activities and tricks, simple training tips, diet and nutrition, communicating with your pet, 80 full-color photos, and much more.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: BowTie Press (December 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931993327
• ISBN-13: 978-1931993326
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,015,639 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #39 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science > Agricultural Sciences > Animal Husbandry
  • #63 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Home & Garden > Animal Care & Pets > Rabbits

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lacks Expert Advice, June 7, 2007

By 

Sunny Sewing Honeybee - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Guinea Pigs: Complete Care Made Easy-Practical Advice To Caring For your Guinea Pig (Paperback)

Having owned guinea pigs for 20 years, collecting books about them is a hobby. Unfortunately, I don't feel that this title is among the best. It seems the author may not be a cavy owner. On page 5, for example, she mentions having to consult with guinea pig owners to write the book, and frequently says "enthusiasts recommend" rather than authoritatively relaying what she has learned through personal experience.

There are several errors and photo repeats in the book, but I'll skip over those. The main problem is the feeling that the author has never owned guinea pigs. There's a lack of definite advice; the author is hesitant to merely recommend a type of animal bedding or whether or not to feed a guinea pig alfalfa hay. Illness? Prevent it. Pregnancy? Prevent it. These sections should be broader, because sometimes people accidentally adopt a pregnant sow, and illnesses cannot always be prevented--and a vet is not always close at hand for emergencies. Rather than coming across as helpful, these oversights came across as someone not knowing about the topics, and thus finding a way to skirt around them. Much of the information is basic and could apply to any companion animal, such as teaching parents how to work with kids when handling pets.

One need only look at guinea pig books by Myra Mahoney or the late Peter Gurney, or (to recommend another Bowtie Press title) Gerbils by Donna Anastasi, to see how people who love and own animals write about them in a way that someone who doesn't simply can't. This book is definitely well written, but it comes across as if it were written by a detached reporter rather than an expert sharing a passion. It's a pretty book with charming photos, but it doesn't convey a love of the subject matter, or the authoritative understanding that a writer needs to have in order to teach his or her readers. As the author writes, "But appreciating the guinea pig isn't the same as owning one" (p. 21). My hope is that the author will adopt some guinea pigs and find out what a joy they are . . . and then, several years from now, rewrite and re-release what could be an amazing care book. Until then, a guinea pig care book by definite cavy owners like Katrin Behrend, Myra Mahoney, or Peter Gurney might prove more helpful to new owners.

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Book About Proper Care for Guinea Pigs, July 25, 2006

By 

Jeffrey T. Munson (Dixon, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Guinea Pigs: Complete Care Made Easy-Practical Advice To Caring For your Guinea Pig (Paperback)

I just purchased a guinea pig for my 7-year-old son, and I purchased this great book as a guide on how to properly care for his new pet. This book has everything that the beginning guinea pig owner needs to know. From proper feeding to cleaning the cage, this book contains everything the owner needs to know to raise a healthy, happy pet.

Perhaps the most relevant passage of the book for me was the section dealing with proper handling of the guinea pig. I sat with my three children and read this passage aloud to them so they would know how to properly hold their new friend. In less than a day, my son has become an "expert" at correctly holding his pig, thanks to the tips found in this book. I've also found myself referring to the book for such things as which types of vegetables to feed (guinea pigs need lots of vitamin C) and how to properly trim their nails.

I highly recommend this fine book. I knew basically nothing about guinea pigs before I bought this book, but this book will help the novice guinea pig owner successfully raise a healthy and happy pet. If you're looking to purchase a guinea pig, make sure you buy this fine book first. It will give you all of the necessary information so you can enjoy your pet and make sure he's happy, too.