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Step 1: Become a PayDotCom Guinea Pig Resource Affiliate. Remember, becoming an affiliate is 100% free and requires no obligation. This account is strictly necessary in order to receive your unique tracking link and receive your monthly payments.

Step 2: Let your friends know about Guinea Pig Resource…and get paid for it. Obviously we are not suggesting you go out and spam everyone you know – not at all! But if you know people who are thinking about getting a guinea pig, someone struggling with their guinea pigs, or anyone who would benefit from learning how to take care of their guinea pig the right way – then by all means let them know – they will likely thank you!

Here is an example:

Subject:

Message:

{CONTACT_NAME} here. I have something you might be interested in. I just found a website called Guinea Pig Resource.com. It teaches you the insider guinea pig care secrets that the pet stores won’t tell you (I won’t get into all the details now…but its some pretty interesting information.)If you just go here [insert your affiliate link] you will find all the information you need. When you visit, make sure you don’t miss out on the free 10 part email mini-course! Lots of the tips are really simple and some can even save your guinea pigs life!Anyways, if you have questions about this, let me know. I am pretty excited about this website and I think its perfect for you.Talk soon,[Your Name]

Looking for more emails? Try these:

Hi again {!name}, In this section, we’re going to talk about choosing a guinea pig, and how many guinea pigs you should house. While one guinea pig is probably enough to keep you entertained and alert, you should put some serious thought into purchasing two or more guinea pigs. Not only are guinea pigs extremely social creatures, they love the company of others. They can get lonely by themselves, and their health will suffer if left alone. ”Well, two guinea pigs are more work!” Many parents cry when their children ask for not one, but two, of the adorable rodents. However, that entire mindset is completely wrong. Guinea pigs need attention, and if you have just one, your guinea pig is going to get lonely very fast, and cry for your attention. If he or she has a partner or playmate to keep them entertained, you don’t have to spend quite as much time with them. And considering that guinea pigs are extremely inexpensive pets to begin with, it’s not going to strain your budget like getting a second dog might do (especially if it’s a large one!). When choosing a guinea pig (or guinea pigs) make sure that they’re plump and firm, with no eye, ear, or nose discharge, and they’re alert. Guinea pigs will naturally shy away from strangers, too, so don’t let this dissuade you. And most important, choose those that you like. Their personalities are an important part, and these little guys do have distinctive personalities! By following the above guidelines, you’ll be sure to pick a healthy guinea pig that’s right for you. Of course, there is a lot more to it, that and I couldn’t possibly lay out the entire system in this email. Fortunately, it’s all laid out for you in an easy, step-by-step format in my new eBook: ”The Complete Guinea Pig Handbook” Not only do my methods work great for guinea pigs but they’re also really fun. You can get the full scoop here: [Your affiliate link here] Talk soon, [Your name here] P.S. Don’t forget, the Complete Guinea Pig Handbook is 100% guaranteed. Try it for 60 days and if you don’t like it for any reason you will receive all of your money back. Oh, and the book is yours to keep. Not too bad, huh?

Hi {!firstname_fix}, Why is it So Hard to Find a Breeder? Information on guinea pig breeders and breeding is surprisingly difficult to find on the internet. If you have been thinking about buying a guinea pig from a breeder, you may be wondering why this is. Most of the popular guinea pig web sites and forums are strictly “anti-breeding.” Breeding pets is very unpopular with a lot of animal enthusiasts, including those who run great websites, for practical and ethical reasons. These same people frequently run guinea pig rescue organizations and every day they struggle to take on pets from owners who are no longer able to care for them – especially inexperienced breeders. Too Many Babies Typically when people decide they want to start breeding guinea pigs they do so with the idea that there will only be a couple babies. The reality is that the average litter size can be from three to eight babies. Having more guinea pigs than one intended leads to a cascade of problems. First, all opposite sex animals must be separated as baby males can actually impregnate the mother at three weeks of age. This means an additional cage (and maybe more) will be need in addition to the current set up as the babies are young and vulnerable. Cage size is going to be dependent on the number of guinea pigs to house – one guinea pig needs 7.5 square feet (about 3 feet by 3 feet), two need 10.5 sq ft, three need 13 sq ft (approximately 3 feet by 6 feet), and four will need even more. There is always the possibility additional cages might be needed if the guinea pigs inside develop a tendency to fight all the time. Secondly, the more babies, the more homes need to be found. Finding good homes for guinea pigs is not as easy as it sounds. Before guinea pigs are actually ready to adopt it seems like there are opportunities and potential families everywhere. Everyone “says” they are interested, but when the time comes many do not come through. This leaves the breeder trying to find good homes among people they don’t know. How do they effectively screen the potential new families? Over time many breeders become more desperate as the babies become adults. What happens if an additional unplanned pregnancy happens because the sex of one of the puppies was misidentified? How many full grown guinea pigs can one keep? As breeders become more desperate they turn to pet stores and rescues for help. Pet stores will sell guinea pigs to anyone for any reason – even if the use is for reptile food – because they don’t ask questions or screen owners. Pet stores also tend to keep animals in substandard conditions such as poorly ventilated, overcrowded cages where disease and parasites spread like crazy. Rescues and shelters are frequently already over burdened and struggle to take in additional animals. The Dangers of Pregnancy Many guinea pig lovers do not consider breeding to be ethical due to the high risk of death and other complications for the mother and babies. As many as one quarter of all guinea pig pregnancies experience complications. Almost all of the complications related to pregnancy and birth will require treatment by a veterinarian, and this is expensive. There are many inexperienced breeders who do not anticipate these problems and who later do not have money for treatment. This results in the suffering and even death of one or more animals. In the vent only the mother dies, then the breeder is left to hand feed the orphaned babies as he or she is best able. This is a difficult situation for everyone. Preventing and Dealing With Genetic Problems There are certain types of guinea pigs that should not be breed together at all due to the high likelihood of deformity. Babies are frequently born with deformed or missing eyes and/or teeth. Other animals suffer painful problems with internal organs. This leaves the breeder with the burden of an animal that cannot be adopted out but that also suffers and requires medical care. [Your name here] P.S. If you would like to quickly and easily find a great guinea pig breeder, don’t forget that my guinea pig book comes with an entire guide to finding guinea pig breeders by breed or by location! And even better, it comes free with the entire book! You can find it here: [Your affiliate link here]

Step 3: Set up simple, non-intrusive forum signatures. That’s right, you can earn commissions just by posting in forums. Don’t spend a ton of time posting in forums, but sometimes it is fun to spend time talking about guinea pigs with like minded people. If you do end up posting in a forum, you can use something called a signature. A signature is something you can add to most forum accounts and will be added automatically to the bottom of any of your posts. If anyone clicks on your signature and makes a purchase, then you can make money. Just make sure if you do post a question or response in a forum that it is on-topic and contributes to the ongoing conversation – otherwise your post is likely to be deleted.

Here is an example:

<a href=”your affiliate link here” mce_href=”your affiliate link here”>Click Here To Learn The Secrets to a Healthy, Happy Guinea Pig That Pet Stores Won’t Tell You!</a>

Your signature will look like this:

Click Here To Learn The Secrets to a Healthy, Happy Guinea Pig That Pet Stores Won’t Tell You!

Popular guinea pig forums include:

http://cutiecavies.proboards.com/index.cgi

http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/

http://www.guineapighome.com/forum/

http://www.guinealynx.info/forums/

Step 4: Start a Hub or a Squidoo Lens devoted to guinea pigs. Both hubpages.com and squidoo.com all users to make free “lenses” (or “hubs”) which are essentially like single page blogs. Its very simple and easy to get started with either site – no technical skills required. Good topics include ideas like:

“5 Things You MUST Know/Do Before You Bring Home a Guinea Pig”
“Is a Guinea Pig the Right Pet For You?”
“Seven Mistakes All New Guinea Pig Owners Make”
“Who Should NOT Get a Guinea Pig”
“Which is Better – A Male or Female Guinea Pig”

Here are graphics you can use on any of your sites:

Use this image!

Use this ad on your page!

Step 5: Submit an article on guinea pigs or guinea pig care to an article directory. Its easy to get lots of clicks on your affiliate link if you write and submit a brief article to an online article directory. The topic of your article can be simple – just like the ideas suggested above. Plus, articles don’t have to be long – 350 words is perfect. I recommend starting with an article directory like goarticles.com as they are one of the most popular and easy to use.

Here are a few articles to get you started (keep in mind, these are articles I wrote and published. Yours do not need to be the same. This is just some stuff to get you started. These articles have some of my highest “clickthrough” rates. What does that mean? It means they have a high number of people who click on the link to my web site.):

Caring for baby guinea pigs can be an experience that is both exciting and fraught with anxiety. This is normal! All you need is the right information and supplies to make your experience as successful as possible. Preparing For Birth This is a good time to read up on what to expect during birth and to make sure you have all the necessary supplies put aside and ready to go. In the weeks leading up to birth you will see the mother quickly increase in size as each baby she is carrying is a few inches in size. At this point it is a very good idea to move her to the birthing cage and avoid handling as much as possible as it is easy to accidentally trigger a miscarriage. The average pregnancy lasts 65 to 70 days with babies born before the 60th day considered premature. Before birth, take steps to baby proof the birthing cage. Baby guinea pigs are small enough to easily sneak through the grids on the average C&C cage (gaps of about 1.5in by 1.5 in.) This situation can be very dangerous for the babies as they are small and defenseless. The easiest way to baby proof a C&C cage is to line the interior cage walls with at least a foot of cardboard starting from the floor level to the top of the cage. If you want an even more secure option, double layer your cage wall grids and place cardboard in-between. You will need to leave the cage set up like this until the babies grow large enough that they cannot sneak out or get stuck between the bars. This can take from four to six months. Birth It is not uncommon for birth to occur in the middle of the night. Many people wake up to find the mother caring for her new litter of puppies. If however you are awake and there to participate in the birth – the following is a description of what you should expect. Birth begins with labor contractions followed by each pappy emerging head first. You will notice that each baby is enclosed in a membrane. The mother will reach down and tear open the membrane with her teeth; this allows the fluid in the sack to be released and for the baby to start breathing. If the mother is not able to tear the sack open for whatever reason, you will want to intervene and do so – this is not indication that a baby was born dead. Carefully break the membrane open over the nose of the baby and gently do a little “mouth to mouth resuscitation” – i.e. blow a few breaths into the baby’s mouth while gently moving the back legs back and forth. Your goal is to get the baby breathing on his or her own. Keep the baby gently cupped in your hands for warmth and gently clean with a washcloth. Squeaking is a sign that the baby has come through just fine. Have a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel set aside to keep any babies needing special care warm. After a couple hours you should expect to see all healthy babies trying to stand up. Go ahead and try returning the baby to the cage. Once birth is over, do not be surprised to see the mother eat the after birth – this is normal. Try not to disturb the babies any more than necessary. When very young, babies need to stay close to each other and their mother for warmth. Make sure to weigh both the mothers and babies right after birth and then daily going forward in order to see if some babies are not growing as much as the others. Possible Problems Rejected babies – Sometimes a mother will reject babies with health problems such as blindness. Other times there is no clear reason why the mother has chosen to not to care for one of more of her babies. In this instance you will need to move the babies to a separate cage and care for them yourself. Larger babies preventing the smaller from feeding – If you see a couple babies failing to gain weight you may need to give them special nursing time with the mother. This is why weighing babies daily is a good idea. Large stronger siblings will frequently hog as much of the milk for themselves as possible. Not passing waste – After every feeding the mother will clean the genitals of her babies. This causes their bodies to past waste. During the first weeks this is completely necessary as the babies will not pass waste without this trigger. If you notice the babies are not passing waste try to simulate this care yourself by gently washing their genitals with a wash cloth. Mother Becomes Weakened – Sometimes mothers have trouble producing enough milk for all of their babies. In this case you will find the mother’s nipples actually can get chewed up and this can lead to permanent damage. If this is the case you will need to separate the babies from the mother and hand feed. Food and Weaning Unlike other animal young, guinea pigs are born with teeth and are capable of eating solid foods. This is a skill that will be taught by the mother. Be sure to keep plenty of healthy fruits and leafy greens on hand so the mother has enough to support her own needs and to share. You will need to increase your daily feeding to three times per day – making sure to still clean out uneaten vegetation. Babies can be weaned within three or four weeks. If at all possible remove any males from the cage at three weeks as this is the point at which accidental pregnancies can and do happen. Feel free to leave the females with the mother indefinitely or until she stops producing milk.

Guinea Pigs and Children Guinea pigs can be great first pets for children if you know what you are getting into. The most important question to ask oneself is “Do I want a guinea pig?” Why? As the adult, no matter what you tell yourself or how you imagine the situation, the pet will likely end up as yours (or you will find yourself having to make difficult decisions if the family has to move, a new baby comes, etc.) Make sure this is not something you would regret or resent. Don’t forget, guinea pigs make great pets for adults! Guinea pigs can live as long as eight years – an eternity in child’s terms. Most children, even sweet, mature, animal loving children with struggle with the responsibilities of care and be somewhat whimsical in their interests. That’s okay; it’s part of growing up after all. Your job as a parent is to be a role model and gently keep your child on course. This is going to be much easier for you if you find yourself personally involved. What Parents Need to Know Avoid buying your guinea pig at the local pet store if at all possible. Pet stores accidentally places males and females together in cages all the time because they are unable to tell the males and females apart. This means you may think you are bringing a male guinea pig home but actually it’s a pregnant female. This can completely disrupt your plans and leave you scrambling to find homes for up to eight babies, or even worse, the mother might die leaving you to care for orphaned babies on your own. Now, this is not meant to discourage you from getting a guinea pig – absolutely not! Instead, you want your first pet to be as successful as possible not stressful. Instead look up a local shelter or rescue in your area and see what guinea pigs they have available. Frequently rescues are run by very committed, passionate, well informed people who will make every effort to find the best guinea pig for your family. Guinea pigs need larger cages that you would think. Most people think because they are small pets they don’t need a lot of room. This is true but not the extent that a one foot by two foot cage is large enough. Instead, this is the single largest factor contributing to unhappy, boring, smelly pets. A single guinea pig needs approximately three feet by three feet. While this may sound like a lot, it’s really not, and you’ll be glad you took the extra effort. Avoid buying a standard pet store cage and either buy one online or make your own. The cost is ultimately the same or even cheaper. The reason many adults think guinea pigs are boring pets is due to the fact they are stuck in tiny cages with no way to play, exercise or explore. You’ll find guinea pigs a lot more interesting (if not downright addictive) if you set up a spacious stimulating cage environment. While guinea pigs don’t need to be walked like a dog you will find there are still necessary daily and weekly tasks. As a parent it will be your job to buy the fresh fruits, vegetables, hay, pellets, and bedding for your guinea pig. On top of that, a guinea pig needs about an hour of playtime outside his or her cage per day. Depending on the age of your child there are tasks that can be delegated such as washing the vegetables and cutting them into small pieces. There are also other bedding options that you can explore like fleece, which are reusable time and again after a quick trip through the washing machine. Lastly, do not place the guinea pig cage in your child’s room not matter who much they beg. That is just not a healthy set up for your guinea pig. Why? Despite your best intentions this will make it much harder for you to monitor the guinea pigs health and living conditions. Overtime the rest of the family will feel like the guinea pig is only “Timmy’s” pet and not a regular member of the family. Guinea pigs also need quiet living environments as their hearing is very sensitive. Constant exposure to loud noise can cause them to become stressed and constant stress can lead to serious health problems.

The average guinea pig lives anywhere from five to ten years. Spending time providing excellent care, nutrition, and cage conditions can extend the lifespan of average piggy considerably. Other times, despite your best effort pets can still pass on due to a genetic predisposition to certain illnesses that can cause premature death. Typical signs of aging include moving slowly, showing fewer signs of excitement, eating less, moving less, and sleeping more. This is not inherently a bad thing. You may find that over time you have also mellowed and are eager for a less active or needy pet. The Secret to Longevity Do you want to know what it is? Is it spending lots of money on food and supplies? No! The secret to extending your guinea pig’s lifespan is observation. Know what is normal so you can spot potential problems quickly. This is advice that one will want to follow no matter the age of one’s pet as illnesses always develop with astonishing speed. Observation is even more important as one’s pet ages as immune systems will weaken over time making your guinea pig more vulnerable to disease. Older guinea pigs will also not be able to recover with the same ease as during the early days of youth. What to Watch Out For Weight and appetite are two “early warning” indicators. Many guinea pig experts recommend weighing your pet weekly so that any changes can be spotted quickly. All you need to do this is a simple twenty dollar digital postal or kitchen scale. Do you measure exactly how much food you feed your guinea pigs at every meal? This may sound complicated but it’s not. All you need to do is measure out pellets or chopped up fresh veggies using a measuring cup. This way you know that you are providing the same amount of food at each meal. This means when you return to clean up after meals you can get a rough estimate of how much food is left uneaten. If one day you find this amount starts to change for the worse, this is an early indicator that your pet may be ill. Another bad sign would be a sudden disinterest in treats. Water Consumption Drinking too much water can be as much a sign of illness as drinking too little. First of all, rule out any obvious problems like a leak in the water bottle, or a stuck ball in the water tube. Drinking excessive amounts of water while also losing weight is frequently a sign of diabetes. If water consumption patterns change noticeably a veterinary visit is recommended before the problem becomes truly life threatening. Teeth As guinea pigs age their teeth can become brittle. It is not uncommon to find signs of broken teeth. While teeth will grow back on their own, seek the assistance of a veterinarian if teeth are jagged or you see signs that there are regrowth problems (uneven or crooked.) Make sure to chop foods into smaller pieces than usual if your guinea pig is experiencing tooth problems. Even if the front teeth appear fine, if you notice your guinea pig is not eating, be sure to check the rear molars for problems. Molars can overgrow, break, or grow in crooked – all of which can be treated by early intervention. Eyes Just like people, guinea pigs can develop cataracts – which you can recognize as a hazy, blue, white or opaque appearance to the eye. Unfortunately, there is not a treatment for this condition. Any signs of eye infections or inflammation should be brought to a doctor’s attention immediately. Stiff Joints Make sure your guinea pig does not have trouble climbing over bedding or any other obstacles in his or her cage. If you are concerned your piggy has arthritis, there are treatments for this condition including anti-inflammatory and pain killing medications. Feet Watch for calluses and foot sores. Calluses can be caused simply by walking over rough surfaces repeatedly. Unfortunately simple calluses can turn into infected sores pretty easily. Replacing rough bedding and the application of antibiotic ointment can be very helpful. If you suspect infection is present do not hesitate to visit your veterinarian as these types of conditions can quickly become life threatening.

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