are guinea pigs inexpensive pets?

Question

ARe guinea pigs relatively enexpensive pets? I decided not to get a rabbit because I read that they have delicate health and I can't afford a lot of vet bills. Are gunea pigs cheaper by comparison? Are they hardier with less health problems. I know I will take them to the vet to get check ups. But are they less cost overall than a rabbit? How about compared to other pet rodents?

Answer 1

I would not say that they are inexpensive, because no pets truly are, but they are not very expensive either as compared to many other exotic pets. I'm not sure how they compare to rabbits in price, but I should think they are less expensive. If you are very concerned about cost, I do think a hamster or rat would be much less expensive in comparison, and make for good pets as well.

They do need proper housing. Most cages for guinea pigs in pet stores are too small, but you can make a cage for not that much money- around $50 or so. Check out this website: http://www.guineapigcages.com I got my cubes for free from my sister-in-law, and I purchased my coroplast from that website. They need good bedding such as aspen or Carefresh, but you can also use fleece fabric as a bedding. If you clean the cage properly and often enough they should not stink.

Pellets are not that expensive either, but guinea pigs need about a cup of fresh veggies everyday, so buying fresh vegetables can get pricey. You could shop at a food warehouse or wholesale, or stores such as Wal-Mart and always look for sales and coupons.

As far as veterinarians go, guinea pigs only need a check up once a year until they're 5, then twice a year. They are pretty hardy, but there are some things you need to watch out for such as upper respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, and parasites/fungi such as mites or lice. Guinea pigs can also get scurvy if they are not provided with the proper amount of vitamin c. The most common health problems for guinea pigs can be prevented with proper care, however.

For information on guinea pig health and care, check out this website: http://www.guinealynx.com Hope this helps.

Answer 2

I work at a vet clinic that sees guinea pigs and rabbits. The only reason I have ever seen a sick guinea pig is due to an upper respiratory infection. This is quite common in guinea pigs who are not kept in a proper environment. If you do a lot of research on guinea pigs, and be sure to buy the right kind of bedding, keep them away from cold drafts, and out of direct heat, and be sure to feed them the right kinds of food you should be fine. You also want to keep their cage clean, feed them plenty of veggies, and they should also have timothy hay at all times. And they also need vitamin C added to their food. If you do enough research to know how to properly care for them you should not have too many problems.

I have owned 5 guinea pigs, none of them ever had any problems. They are so sweet, they have such nice personalities. They are very social, and love to just sit on your lap and be pet. Good Luck finding your new pet!!

I also wanted to agree with someone who posted above about rats. They do make Great pets! And they require less maintenance than guinea pigs. Both are great pets, just be sure to do plenty of research on them both so you know which one fits you best.

Answer 3

guinea pigs are pretty expensive for what they are from a pet shop that is. there about $6-12 from breeder. you can find guinea pig breeders around your area by looking the up in the Trading Post.
in pet shops there about $25. so obviously u would wanna get them from a breeder. they definetley are cheaper than a rabbit rabbits are bigger which means they eat more, poop more and need more space. guinea pigs are also smaller they can fit perfectley in your hands and they are more tame(they like being cuddled and played with) and their cute little quiet squeaking
noises made my decision up to get guinea pigs instead of rabbits. guinea pigs dont really get any health problems but try to get the standard guinea pig they are much more stronger and can fight health problems easier if u get a different breed like a really fluffy one or a long haired they are not as strong. i've got an abbysinian and a standard one and just by holding them u can tell that my fluffy one isn't as solid. anyway you can get a fluffy on or long haired but they need more looking after like they need to be brushed and washed more frequently.
so good luck i hope i was a bit of help
p.s. be sure to do a lot of research on guinea pigs before you go and bye one. i did a couple of months research and my guineas are as healthy as can be.
also one more tip is to think that how about if u were in that cage on hot days you would want something refreshing. i put a wet towel over the cage and a silver metel sheet over them and make sure their water bottle and bowels is full

Answer 4

Well it depends on the pig, some are more healthier then others. Try getting one from petfinder.com. Guinea pigs live for about 5-7 years with proper care, they are very sweet and most love to be lap pets when you take them out of their cage. The only time they will bite is when they feel threatned, sometimes they nip but believe me there is a big diff between a bite and a nip.
www.cavycages.com
www.cavymadness.com

Answer 5

No. To give them quality care, you will spend at least 50 dollars a month. They are not hardy animals at all, susceptiable to respitory infection, scurvy and stones. They also easily become infested with mites which would require several vet visits to clear up. I have fostered guinea pigs for shelters and had my own for years. They would be just as expensie, if not more than, rabbits. They require a daily diet of hay (timothy, not alfalfa) and fresh greens chosen for their nurition such as romain lettuce, bell peppers etc. They should not be given veggies high in vitamin a (causes stones) or calcium (stones). They can not be kept on wood chip bedding (respitory) and require more space to live and play than other rodents. In fact, guinea pigs aren't even considered rodents.
For a inexpensive, hardy, easy to care for small pet, look at rats. They are smart, affectionate and are built to be scavengers so they are quite hardy.
For more info on caring for a guinea pig, check out www.guinealynx.com
Anyone that tells you guinea pigs are easy to care for, weren't caring for their guinea pigs properly. The life span of a guinea pig is 5-7 years. Not 2-3.

Answer 6

I Own One , He Was £59:99 < Including His Cage , Etc.
They Cost Bout £18 But Then You Need To Buy His Cage.
They Are Lovely Sociable Animals !
And It Only Costs Like £3 For Their Food !

Answer 7

I owned a rosette guinea pig once... I bought it clean debree for its cage (which i changed out every three days) and some wood blocks to chew on so he didn't eat his bowl... but they do tend to get restless, so I also bought him a large wheel... if you need to, go online, look up how long they live, then go to a petstore (or online petstore) and check prices for things like cages, toys, food, etc. My Guinea was VERY healthy, just keep the cage clean so that germs do not fester... but the answer is yes... they cost WAY less than rabbits... hampsters are remotely cheap as well and so are gerbils. there are different types of each, and each type might need certain care (just like birds)... so make sure you research their habits, foods, and play habits... good luck finding that perfect pet!

Answer 8

you can find one in the paper for cheap or even free. a cage is like $50 dollars. but we just got the largest storage container and put a hole in the top lip where the lid would go and use some sturdy string or yarn an attach the water bottle there. use pine shavings, get a heavy crock food dish that it cannot knock over and pay lots of attention to it so it won't mind not being able to see out. or you can cut a large hole in the side of the contained and attach heavy wire mesh to it so it can see out.. they are pretty healthy critters. in this type of cage you must clean it at the very least every three days

Answer 9

guinea pigs use alot of bedding and they stink really bad! If anything get a hamster or something that wont stink all the time... if they get sick they are cheap to replace, I had a bunny and 2 guinea pigs and i would definitely pick the bunny, but like any animals some are perfectly healthy their whole lives and some are sick from the get go... Good luck on your decision... but really think about guinea pigs before you buy, where is it going to be when you are sleeping...these things are very noisey!! They do sound like little piggys!! Good luck on your decision!!

Answer 10

they are much cheaper vet wise than a rabbit. i must tell you though that shavings can be costly. the cage has to be changed atleast twice a week. NEVER use pine of cedar they release phenols which are toxic.