Guinea Pigs

Personally...............not knowing anything about guinea pigs...............I would not.

We had a rabbit (8 yrs) and it is a lot of work and a responsibility for someone in the family for the lifetime of the animal for however long they may live.

They take a lot of routine care which gets old FAST for the primary caretaker.

Think carefully.

Hi N.,

II used to raise guinea pigs and love them. They are adorable, and the more time you spend with them the more sociable they become.

One thing that I did not see mentioned here is the fact that guinea pigs often will associate certain noises with food (like the fridge door opening, or rattling of a bag) and will make VERY loud squeeking noises. They squeek at other things as well. The noise bothers some people and may indeed wake a napping child.

They are adorable pets and tend to live longer than rats or hamsters.

You might also want to be aware that they have been known to die of a heart attack from a sudden shock. So, you might want to consider your child's personality; if he or she is a very active child it might not be a good match. They also have to be picked up just right and that is sometimes hard for young children. This really depends on your child's personality.

The comments about cleaning the cage are very accurate. 1-2 times a week minimally...and if you don't do it, well....everyone will know it.

As far as maintenance, cats are a lot lower maintenance.

B.

N., we just went through this about 5 months ago. Guinea pigs are great pets, but they really are not that easy. The cages must stay clean, and it has to be changed at least once if not twice a week. The one we got came from a friend of my 10 y/o daughter and they gave us all the supplies, but they are not cheap by any means. She is a great guinea pig but it did take a while to get used to them, being very snippy, but after about 3 weeks she got used to us. It does take patience, and attention. Ours stays in our daughters room because it is her responsibility, however we pay for the supplies and it does need a lot. You must have the bedding and a bag will last us about 2-3 it costs about $30 a bag, they have wood shaving and things but ours wont use it, picky little bugger... lol. So, we buy the paper bedding, it also helps with the odor, because if her cage is not clean, WOO-WEE! We actualy ended up making our own cage out of a rubber maid container, it has a hole in the side for her water bottle and with the container it keeps the bedding from getting all over and to us it is much easier to clean. They must have the guinea pig food and ours is picky, so the bag we buy is $7 and lasts about a week. Guinea pigs also cannot produce vitamin C so we put drops in her water and so she gets it that way. The pig stays in my daughters room and is completely her responsiblity, and honestly we are on the last leg with her, because she does need attention, not just a pet that can be left alone and not loved on. I noticed you have dogs, we also have 2 big dogs and they do not like the guinea pig... hence another reason she stays in my DH room. So, I hope this helps, just realize that they are not as easy as they appear, if you have any other questions please feel free to message me and I will be happy to assist!
God bless and have a good one!

I had guinea pigs for years, and loved them. Their personalities were vastly different. Some were very affectionate and enjoyed attention, while others were pretty skiddish. As for care, their cages do get pretty nasty, and I noticed we had a lot more fly problems in our house when they were alive. Keeping the cages clean is probably the biggest chore involved in owning guinea pigs. They also shed a lot and need to be brushed if possible. As for health, the only problem we encountered was a vitamin C deficiency. Feed ONLY guinea pig food. While rabbit food says it is good for guinea pigs, it does not have the vitamins they need, and they will eventually get very sick. The only other issue with guinea pigs is that they really don't live very long. Average lifespan is 4-5 years, although I did have two that lived to be around 6. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any additional questions.

I'm a pet sitter for a friend that has guinea pigs. They are cute, they are friendly. They stay in their cages. They don't do much. They don't live many years. They are cheap.

However, the bedding stuff does get on the floor. You have to clean the cage weekly. And they do have a smell. Not horrible, but I wouldn't keep them in the room that is slept in, because they have a smell and they do make little noises that could keep people awake.

That's all I have to say about them. I think cats are an easier first pet.

We had 2 that just recently passed away. They are great pets if you have the time for them. It is better to get 2 because they are social little ones and they like to be in an active area of the house. The cage does need to be cleaned 1-2 times per ____@____.com say you can litter box train some of them, but that never worked for us. There is a guinea pig rescue in grapevine, look them up, they have tons of guinea pig info.

Just be sure you get 2 of the same sex because they multiply like crazy!!! We thought we had 2 boys and ended up with babies.

I would try a rat as a first time pet. They are lower maintence, groom themselves, can be litter box trained in their cage and are pretty smart. The average life span of the pet rats is about 3 years. Ours wears a little iguana leash/harness and does just fine. Doesn't bite, nibbles but has never bitten. Very sweet little guy. We love him dearly. But they do need lots of social interaction from their owner. But love to be handled, petted and carried around. Easy to care for. Get one young. We have ours in a bigger aquarium with aspen bedding, litter box and some toys, sleep hut. My son loves him. Cat doesn't even bother him. email if you want more info.
Good luck,
L.