[Gpdd] (CARE)new guinea owner questions

[ehsan al-asmi]

My daughter(5yrs) recently "inherited" a young male guinea from a 
friend of ours that was moving out of the country. I believe that the 
previous owner was very loving to his pet but I don't think he was very 
knowledgeable about guinea care and health. i have a few issues that I 
am a bit unsure about so, I would like to check them out with some pros.
Soon after getting "Mr.Al Crispy" home and settled in, I had an 
experienced guinea owner come by and demonstrate how to trim his nails. 
She said it seems the previous owner had never cut his nails, because 
the vein running underneath the nail was quite long, which shouldn't 
happen if his nails were regularly trimmed.  In addition to this, his 
front nails are black (he has white back paws and black front paws)  so 
this made trimming his nails safely impossible. My friend who has 
experience with guineas was unsure how to advice me about the cage 
because she had raised her guineas as a child in a much milder climate 
and so she had always kept her guineas outside in a large pen. The 
climate here is extremely hot and that just isn't a possibility . The 
cage Mr. Crispy came in is 18inches  by 12inches . It has slits at the 
bottom with a removeable tray underneath for cleaning. Sometimes, Mr. 
Crispy wants to hop and skip around but he is kind of cramped. I also, 
am concerned that standing on the bars all the time with out a good 
flat surface to support his feet, is going to hurt his feet. If you 
could advise a space efficient way of making him a more suitable cage, 
I would appreciate suggestions. I have seen some of the pictures and 
read about the cage designs others have made for their guineas, but 
they are a little too elaborate for a one lone guinea, I don't really 
have the space, and I have a young toddler who should NOT be able to 
reach the cage( a little play pen on the floor is a definite no)
In a addition to his living space, I would appreciate any advice given 
on other general issues I might not be aware of. Some of the things I 
have been concerned about are:
When will he need to be neutered and what process does that entail(not 
surgical details, I mean does he have to stay at a clinic overnight? 
will he be given a complete of local anesthesia? etc..)
What is a good measurement of fresh veggies every day? ( I have read 
already a lot about good veggies and no no foods, vitamin c tablets and 
hay ..but I am not sure on the measurements of his foods, so that I can 
ensure that he is receiving a balanced diet)
What kind of exercise should he have and for how long? (So far, he 
doesn't like floor time, he just sits in the same spot and looks 
around. My daughter carries him like a baby for a while everyday and he 
really likes that. He burrows in his blanket and crawls around in her 
lap.)
I know these are a lot of questions, but i kind of need like a starter 
course on guinea parenting.
Thanks for the help.
Zahra, her mom, and Mr. Al Crispy