We are considering getting a Guinea Pig..Some Questions.

[Book Crazy]

My son has cat and dog allergies, and we would like to get him a pet that is a bit more exciting than fish.

 

Before we jump into this, I would like some advice and questions answered by someone who owns them. Web sites are o.k., but not all the time.

 

I've been looking around on the web and most sites say not to buy from a pet store. Is this correct and if so, where should we look for a Guinea Pig?

 

Is it best to have two Guinea Pigs?

 

Where do you buy your hay and feed from?

 

What would you say is the weekly/monthly cost of owning a Guinea Pig?

 

Are they friendly and like to be picked up?

 

Is there any advice/tips that you have for owning a Guinea Pig?

 

Alot of question I know, but I don't want to rush into this.

 

 

Thanks

 

Sarah

[SBP]

If your son has allergies, he might be allergic to guinea pigs. Some people do have significant allergic reactions to guinea pigs. Guinea pig lovers try to work around this, but that would be a deal-breaker for me.

 

Guinea pig web sites do recommend that you get two, so that they can keep each other company. They also usually recommend that you give each guinea pig what I thought was a HUGE amount of space. When we looked into it, I decided that I didn't have the space for two guinea pigs, but I did try to get a nice-sized cage for our one so that she'd have plenty of room. They absolutely cannot be kept outside, so whatever cage you have has to fit somewhere inside your house.

 

We bought hay and feed and supplies from a little local pet store, or from Wal-Mart, Target, etc. You also have to buy them vitamin C supplements, which I can't remember if Wal-Mart carries, but if you got a big bottle, you wouldn't have to buy it very often.

 

Monthly cost was probably somewhere around $25. The bedding/litter was the most expensive thing, and since the guinea pig is in the house, you'll really want to keep it changed often. Our girl was litter trained, which helped, but even that is kind of expensive - they can't use cat litter, or any litter which generates a lot of dust, so you're limited in the kinds you can buy. Also, I'd recommend getting a good cage - one that's sturdy and most of all, easy to clean. It's worth the up-front expense IMO not to have to wrestle with it every time you clean it. We've really liked the Marchioro Cage we bought for our guinea pig. We've had it in constant use for three years now and it's still in great shape.

 

Our guinea pig was very tame easily handled. We got her as a baby, and I think that helps. However, I wouldn't say she was "friendly." I always had the impression that she'd rather have been left alone. She never bit or scratched, but she was kind of shy and seemed relieved to be put back in her cage. Sweet, but not a lot of personality is how I'd describe her. However, my sister had a guinea pig when we were growing up who had TONS of personality, loved to be held and played with, and was like a member of the family. So I think it just depends on the one you get.

 

We got a pet store guinea pig for my DD, and even though we researched it thoroughly and the guinea pig had absolutely everything she was supposed to have, she died suddenly before the first year was out. It was kind of traumatic for my kids, frankly, and it put me off having another guinea pig. We got a rabbit next - a mini-Rex - and his breeder told me that guinea pigs are very, very fragile, regardless of where you get them from. Rabbits are much hardier, and IMO much easier to care for. Ours has the run of our screened-in porch. His cage is out there (the same one the guinea pig used) and he hops in for food, water, or litterbox, as needed, and then hops out again. He has infinitely more personality than the guinea pig had and seems to genuinely like us. He doesn't especially love to be "cuddled" (even though he's the softest, most cuddly thing imaginable and you wish you could just carry him around all day) but he tolerates it in doses and has certainly never bit, kicked, etc. He'll chase a ball, try to untie our shoelaces, and just generally is cute and fun to watch. Don't know if you've considered a rabbit at all, but we've enjoyed ours thoroughly!

 

Hope something here helps :)

 

SBP

[Elisabeth in IL]

We have 3 guinea pigs in a C&C cage which is approx. 28" X 56". http://www.guineapigcages.com/index.htm and http://www.guinealynx.info/index.html are two site from which I recommend for getting guinea pig information. The how to build information on a C&C cage (which is the cheepest way to go) is in the upper left hand corner of the first site's home page.

 

Like the previous poster, I'm afraid your son might be allergic to guinea pigs as well. Definately check that out first. I'd say that you'd want 2 guinea pigs as they are herd animals and do better with a friend. My boys go through spots of playing with the pigs an ignoring them so it is nice to know that the pigs aren't lonely when the boys don't want to play.

 

We have the minimum space required for 3 pigs not the recommended. The bigger the cage the easier it is to keep clean. I use fleece bedding with mattress pads underneath and Cell-sorb under the "kitchen" area. This helps cut down the cost of the bedding.

 

Guinea pigs do need vitamin C but you don't need to purchase supplements unless they are sick. If you give them vegetables including green and yellow peppers, they will get all that they need. The first web site (forum section) has a list of vegetables and fruits which are good for guinea pigs.

 

Sorry that this is disjointed. I'm not fully awake. I hope that these sites at least will help you find the information that you need. :)

 

When you are looking for guinea pigs do a search on petfinder.com or craigslist as you can always find guinea pigs that need new homes or rescueing. In our area there is a rescue that has over 50 pigs including babies or young pigs.

 

[rafiki]

.

[Lizzie in Ma]

We did get the recommended minimum size caging and it was a lot bigger than I would have thought they needed. I am glad we did though because they play and be silly when they have enough room. Ours are in the main living area and are extremely social and call to us to either come play or when they hear me rustling in the refrigerator. They interact with us vocally a great deal . Read aloud times are when they get cuddled the most. They belong to our oldest dd who has to clean the cage, take care of them and clean the bathrooms in exchange for their food. We use newspaper on the bottom in a thick layer than lots of hay over that (cheap by the bale at the feed and grain store) and then a nice big armful of fresh timothy (also by the bale $8) every day to both munch on and play in. We use a food that is $10 a bag but lasts a month or so and they just share our fresh fruits and veggies daily.

[Book Crazy]

Thanks for the advice.

 

I thought that there might be an issue with the allergies, dh said other wise. :rolleyes:

 

Ds eyes water and the sneezes start as soon as he walks into his Grandma's house. She has just one cat. More than likley holding a Guinea Pig will have the same reaction.

 

Back to the drawing board then. Any ideas on a good pet for a kid with allergies?

 

Sarah

[Stacey in MA]

One died last Nov., and the other just died this Sunday. (Where are you now - Want our cage?? We're in MA....)

 

Both were females, purchased at an independent pet store when we lived in CA. (These piggies made the journey from CA to MA on a plane in a pet carrier! People couldn't understand why in the world we would bring our guinea pigs on "vacation" with us! ha!). FWIW, ours got regular "cycles", so be aware that every so often, you will see a touch of blood in the cage for a day or two! (wasn't expecting that!)

 

DH is very allergic to dogs and cats, but never had an issue with the piggies. He even shared cage-cleaning duties with me!

 

We changed the cage once a week, but have to put plenty of bedding in to make that work.

 

Spent about $25/mo (some months it was $30, other months, nothing, depending on what we were out of). They always got the scraps from the veggies we ate (peppers, green beans, lettuce, etc), though we did have to buy lettuce specifically for them, as their staple.

 

Had to clip one's nails often, but the other's didn't grow as fast. If you leave it go too long, the nails start to curl under and around, and piggie will start limping!

 

One was nicer than the other - didn't mind being handled. They weren't particularly personable in general, though. They ARE fragile though. My then-4-year-old (when we got them) could not safely pick them up w/out supervision. I guess (from what I've read) their backs are fragile, and if not supported on the bottom when lifting, can damage or break their backs.

 

A friend who's a vet just got one for her kids from a client who didn't want it - she said she'd never buy one since there are so many unwanted ones. You could contact a vet office and put your name in, in case someone comes in trying to unload their piggies. FWIW, She says they are fragile too, but so are rabbits. She says sometimes rabbits come in to her vet office, and it's very tricky to treat them b/c they die so easily - even from just being handled when they're scared. I don't think she's worked on a piggie before though.... :-)

 

HTH and GL! Let us know what you come up with.

 

- Stacey in MA

[Perry]

We got two from a Petco. They were terrified of us from the beginning and we never could get them used to being handled. They are eating machines and they stink. They also fought with each other and we had to put a separator down the middle of the cage. They can be really noisy at night.

 

If you can find nice ones, they might be fun. I would look for a breeder though. This site has great information. I'd recommend building a cage instead of buying one.

 

I've heard great things about rats. Seriously. I wish we'd have gone that route.

[rafiki]

.

[Pamela H in Texas]

We have 3 guinea pigs. We used the cavycages.com site to learn how to put a cage together. Recently, we upgraded and they now have a 4ft by 7.5 ft mansion. It is lined with fleece because I couldn't stand the shavings for another second!

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75649042@N00/2294920856 (all 3 in new cage)

 

A couple things:

 

1) I wouldn't assume son is not allergic to piggies...also, what about hay, shavings, etc?

 

2) Definitely go to a rescue or someplace to get a piggy. We got our 3 as babies from a rescue about an hour and a half away. They also had the coroplast CHEAP there. They also were able to give us food, hay, etc for THEIR bulk price rather than having to pay for smaller amounts, mark-up, etc. But we usually get stuff more locally.

 

3) Definitely get 2.

 

4) Ours still seem skittish about being picked up, but once we have them, they are friendly. They do pay attention to us a lot: looking out at us, wheeking for our attention, being silly about food, begging (heehee), etc. Ours have SUCH personality, all so different. Even if pics you can see it in them.

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75649042@N00/2294132607 Zippy (mine)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75649042@N00/2294134347 Reven (my son's)

[Elisabeth in IL]

Recently, we upgraded and they now have a 4ft by 7.5 ft mansion. It is lined with fleece because I couldn't stand the shavings for another second!

 

Great cage!!!! I wish that we had the room to have a bigger cage. We have a 2 X4 grid cage with a 4X1 grid upper level for all the food and water stuff. Upstairs, I have Cel-Sorb litter but down below it is all fleece. I love the fleece as it is so much easier to keep clean. I or the kids dust bust the little poops every day.