Guinea Pigs?????

Question

I would like some Guinea Pig owners to give me some reasons to own or not to own one. my daughter is four, but very mature and has had a hamster, but it died of old age(over 3 years old), so we looking to get her something else. I have read up on care, and they seem fairly easy to take care of, but I want some personale experiences.

I am well aware that I would be the main caregiver, which is actually good because i miss having a baby (I know that is a whole nother issue).........

Answer 1

Guinea pigs have a lifespan of 3-6 years usually. They are good pets for a child of four because they will sit still and take alot of petting. In fact, some we had fell asleep on us. They are social animals and require a friend. Two females usually get along better than two males.I would suggest you have your females neutered to insure their longevity if they will not be bred before 9 months. Guinea pigs are very friendly and give a "week, week" sound when they hear things that catch their ears. We had some that "weeked " if they heard a plastic bag rattle. Piggies are big time veggie eaters! They eat the greener lettuces like romaine, escarole,endive not iceberg...carrots, bananas, blueberries and regular guinea pig pellets. They need a salt block and some wooden toys to chew on to keep their teeth healthy. They make quite a few poops but don't be shocked if your piggie eats some! They eat the green looking poop because this is the way they get their vitamins from their food. These poops haven't been processed like the regular ones, they just go through their body and come out more digestible. They don't even smell. Piggies can be taught some tricks like standing on their hind legs and begging for food and occasionally you can get a small one to roll in one of those big hamster type balls. I had one who would sit on the palm of my hand and eat a peeled banana balanced perfectly. Chose a pet store that is reputable and choose a baby one. Babies need to be 6-8 weeks. Choose one with clear eyes and nose as well as no wet places on their bottoms and good teeth that are white. It's usually obvious who the boys are in the cage. Pick from cages or tanks that have same sex animals. In the event your piggie girl is pregnant it will have one or two babies which will look like an mini mom! Again that is another story.....Good Luck on picking a piggie that suits you. Hold it, love it and be with the piggie before you choose one. Soon it will be making a purring noise similar to a cat , happy in its new home!

Answer 2

Guinea Pigs are great, loving pets with great personalities. They need care of course and it seems like you have read up on it. Do not use pine shavings with them - it will kill them. they usually like to be in pairs, two girls = no babies no trouble, 2 boys = trouble, 1 boy 1 girl = babies without a doubt! I own and breed Guinea Pigs. They love attention and the kids in my family and in my neighborhood are always playing with them. The only bad thing about Guinea Pigs that I can think of that I should let you know is that they can and will bite, some have chewing problems. This all depends on the animal itself, out of all of mine I have had only one "chewer" he chews on everything, including whoever is holding him. So make sure that you hold it before you get it. It is best to see if the pet store can get you one at a young age about 3 months or so would be good. So that's really the only thing that I can say you should look out for when picking out a Guinea Pig. On a different note Guinea Pigs love paper bags! Take a paper bag fold the top down a little throw it it the cage and they will have a ball. Good Luck! I hope you can find a great family pet!

Answer 3

I know this was posted in 2006 but I want to give some tips to people who are reading now.

Don't feed guinea pigs too much of fruits with high natural sugar e.g. Strawberries.
If your guinea is is wriggling and/or biting at your clothing it may need to go to the bathroom so it is best to let it back in it's hutch.
When holding a guinea pig you must support their bottom with one hand and put the other on their back.
You should always adopt at least 2 guinea pigs because in the wild they travel in large groups.
If your guinea pig gnaws on their hutch then you should get them something like a chew toy to gnaw on because they need to wear down their teeth so they don't get overgrown.
Guinea pigs have sensitive ears so it is best to house them in a quite room or as I do, in the summer my guinea pigs live outside in a hutch so they can eat lots of grass and they can get shade in the hutch if they want to.
I hope I helped! ^-^

Answer 4

Guinea Pigs are absolutely fabulous! I had a male piggy when I was about 8 years old that lived about 3 years! My little brother had one as well. We both loved just playing with our guinea pigs. They're fun to cuddle with and play with. Make sure that when you are buying your guinea pig that you take it out and pick one that is friendly...some guinea pigs will bite and fight. You should get them out and play with them first to see if they're hyper/calm.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Guinea pigs are great! They are harmless and cute. They are very sociable with each other and should be bought in pairs of the same sex so they can adjust to each other early on. This means they will be able to chat to each other with chirrups, purrs and squeaks. They need warm, dry shelter, and appreciate some space to run around. It is satisfying to see them munch on various vegetables, and weeds such as dandelions. They need regular gentle handling to stop them becoming shy.

Answer 6

if u have time to play with it then yes.
don't if you have a dog that isn't friendly w/other animals (my guinea pig can curl up to my miniature yorkie).
don't if u don't want to buy two or more (if u buy more than two males then they might fight).
do if you have a lawn that u don't geting eaten up (guinea pigs LOVE grass and clovers) it dosen't need to be given fresh grass but if u gave it to the guinea pig make sure the grass dosen't have pestcides on it.
i don't no but my guinea pig likes getting a bath about twice a month.
remember to clip its nails.
if u have a long hair guinea pig remember to brush it everyday.

Answer 7

I've had two guinea pigs, I have one right now, I think you should, they're really easy to take care of and they very rarely will ever bite unless you like squeeze them or threaten them badly, I've never been bit. Good luck.

Answer 8

Guinea pigs require lots of care. They are herd animals, and do much better in a same-sex pair than alone. Guinea pigs live, on average, 5 to 7 years. Do NOT house your guinea pig on a cage with a wire bottom. These types of cages can cause bumblefoot, which is a serious and painful foot injury. Make sure you have a large enough cage to house your new friend. Pet store cages are often too small. You can build your own cage, which will be bigger and less expensive than anything you can buy in a store. See www.cavycages.com for information.

Guinea pigs require vitamin C in their diet. Make sure you are feeding a high quality pellet, such as Oxbow, with fortified vitamin C. Stay away from food with colored bits and dried fruit/nuts in it. This is just like junk food and doesn't have very high nutritional value to it.

Do not put vitamin drops in your guinea pig's water bottle. Vitamins degrade quickly in water. Also, the drops can change the taste of the water so your pig will not drink as much. It is much better to feed your guinea pig foods high in vitamin C rather than add supplements. Guinea pigs should get one cup of fresh veggies per pig per day. Again, stick with foods high in vitamin C, such as bell peppers, cilantro, parsley - and feed dark leafy greens like kale, romaine lettuce, dandilion greens. Things to avoid are iceburg lettuce (can cause diahreah), broccoli and cabbage (too much can cause bloat).

Your pig will also need hay at all times. If you are getting a younger pig (under 1 year), alfalfa hay is good. If your pig is older than one year, stick to timothy hay or orchard grass. Alfalfa is high in calcium which is good for a growing pig, but too much calcium is believed to lead to bladder stones in adults.

Things NOT to buy: Do not buy a leash for your guinea pig. They absolutely hate them. Most pigs will either run right out of them, or hurt themselves trying to get out of them.

Do NOT buy one of those large running balls or wheels. Guinea pigs' backs do not bend like hamsters or rats do. Both can cause serious back injury. Guinea pigs can also get their little paws stuck in the bars of the wheels and break them.

Do NOT buy a salt wheel. It is not necessary and guinea pigs rarely use them. Save your money.

Do NOT buy seed sticks or any other type of processed treat. Seeds are very high in fat and pose a choking hazard. A much better and more natural treat is fresh fruit. My pigs go absolutely nuts for apples!

After owning guinea pigs for ten years, I've found that pet stores know next to nothing when it comes to animal care. Their main goal is to get you to buy stuff in their store. Also, many of the food and exercise items sold as being safe for guinea pigs really are not. Again, these companies are trying to get you to buy their products so that they can make money.

Guinea pigs need time outside of their cage. Make sure you have a room blocked off so that they can run around and exercise.

I know it is a lot of information, but it is very important to research the animal you want to keep so that you can give it the best care you can. Please visit the links below for more detailed information. There is really quite a bit to know about guinea pigs than most people realize.

Please also consider vet care when choosing to accept an animal into your home. From time to time, guinea pigs will need medical treatment just like a dog or cat would. It is very important to find a cavy savvy vet (many vets have little or no knowledge about small animals, some have prescribed deadly antibiotics because they didn't know any better).

Lastly, visit your local animal shelter or Petfinder to find your new pal. There are so many guinea pigs already in shelters waiting for a forever home. Please do not buy from a petstore. Petstores often sell sick animals. Don't promote the cycle of reckless breeding.

It is a myth that two boars will always fight. I have two boars that get along famously with each other (and no, they aren't siblings). Many people have had sucess bonding two boars. See the Cavy Spirit link for introduction information.

Answer 9

They are really good pets, and easy to take care of. they can eat fruits and fresh vegetables. i really cant give you any good reasons to own one. they are easy to care for. i have three guinea pigs cocoa, mocha, and coffee. they are just so cute. they really love little kids, because my nephews like them. my nephews are 4 and 3.

Answer 10

They are much like hamsters. I had a pair growing up, and had a male and female, which I don't suggest, because they will mate as soon as they give birth, and have more babies, the cycle goes on and on.