Guinnea Pig===do we want one?

[Ottakee]

My daughter wants one. A family at church even "blessed" us with their old cage, etc. The question is, do I want one of these little critters? How much do they cost? Are they smelly? Annoying?

 

We already have 2 cats, a dog, 10 chickens, several fish, and 3 horses. Do we really need another critter?

[Susan in KY]

Well, of course you don't "need" another critter, but they can be quite endearing little guys. Just keep the cage clean or it smells, and when you clean the cage in the summer, don't leave the piggies in the sunshine thinking they will nibble lush grass contentedly.... It will kill them within a half hour, everyone will cry, and you'll feel like a total heel for years to come. :tongue_smilie:

[rwjx2khsmj]

Guinea pigs are wonderful pets as long as you don't mind the smell and are not allergy prone in your home. Guinea pigs tend to bring out allergies in people so be cautious, you might want to "borrow' one before making a decision. As far as rodent go, they are pretty sturdy, don't move too fast so they are fun for kids without worry of escape and they purr, which is kind of cool.

 

You can put cat litter under the bedding to help with the odor.

[ereks mom]

We considered getting one, but we have friends who had them, and they smelled AWFUL. And they poop on you while you're holding them, and that's disgusting.

[Parrothead]

They squeak - often and loudly.

[MaMa2005]

They squeak - often and loudly.

 

:iagree: I had one as the class pet when I taught first grade. When were doing oral phonics review, he could really get wound up with his squeaks and squeals!

[hornblower]

I find their squeaking loud & kind of annoying but they are awfully cute. They can be very friendly & inquisitive and will squeak for you to come see them when they see you coming into the room.

 

They need FAR MORE space than most people realize. Odds are the cage you have been given is probably far too small - the guinea pig people recommend 7.5 sq feet minimum for one piggie.

 

You can make good cages yourself out of the snap together metal shelving units sold in dept stores. Pix & instructions as well as size guidelines are here: http://www.guineapigcages.com/

 

They do not smell if they're housed in appropriately sized enclosures and their bedding is changed regularly. A stinky pig is either sick or being neglected.

 

They can eat pretty much all your veggie scraps & need a pellet base diet as well.

 

Like so many animals, they're smarter than we think. A woman I know clicker trained her piggie:

http://www.vickysclickertraining.com/guinea_pig_training.html

Sparkle has learned to pick up a little basket. She's so cute.

 

They shed & need to be groomed, esp long haired ones. The poops are dried little pellets - I don't mind being pooped on while cuddling a piggie. Some are cuddlier than others. Some just want to run around & will benefit from having a large playpen area where you put in toys and let them explore under supervision.

 

Piggies can live 4-8 years.

 

They can require vet care for teeth problems, sprains, breaks, skin infections, GI upset etc. Vet exam fees are usually the same as for dogs/cats. Meds are usually a bit cheaper because the dose is smaller.

 

There are many in rescue & in shelters as people get them for kids & then get frustrated when kids don't look after them etc etc .

 

Pls don't buy from a pet shop. If you get one from rescue which has been in a foster home, you can get one whose temperament is well known & which is suited to your family.

 

best wishes

[Liz CA]

Have to agree that I would take a rabbit (dwarf rabbits are great) over a guinea pig. Life span is longer too - not so many funerals! ;)

 

 

[i.love.lucy]

Awww, we love our Piggie! Hornblower is right. The cages they sell at the pet store are too small, although Harry did fine for 6 months. But he's SO much happier now that he's in a larger cage. We made ours from instructions at the link provided by hornblower at guineapigcages.

 

Our doesn't smell. Males can "mark" their territory, but since we only have one, he doesn't do that. We also have his cage divided (I posted a pic once in another guinea pig thread) so he has a "kitchen" where his hay and veggies and pellets are, and he does most of his poops there. It's super easy to clean.

 

Our only squeaks when he wants his salad for the day, usually around noon. He pops around ("Popcorning") and runs laps in his cage, but it's not disruptive. He's in our school room, so he doesn't bother the rest of the family and I can close the door if we have guests and he's not part of the decor of the house. He doesn't run away but if he is left to roam around he will try to hide under something. They are VERY timid and sort of nervous, although ours is getting better over time. He also doesn't bite at all. That was a concern with us with a hamster.

 

He's a nice pet, but honestly I would have just as soon gotten another dog or a cat. We already have a dog, so that would have been easy, and my dh is allergic to cats. Harry does seem to bother him a little if he holds him and then rubs his eyes. My dd wanted a GP so we went for it and haven't regretted it at all, I just don't know that I would replace him if something happens. Not sure.

[Twinmom]

We really enjoy our guinea pigs! They've been a great learning experience for DD and they are SO cute! We have two sows, both under a year and both with short hair. They don't smell when cared for regularly, they cuddle nicely (hold them in a towel if you are worried about poops), talk to us, eat out of our hands, etc. They are not very noisy nor particularly nocturnal, so they do well in DD's room.

 

I second (or third!) what Hornblower mentioned about the cage size. The minimum recommendations for a healthy piggie is a 7.5 ft sq cage so that they can get enough exercise. Also, they do best (and are more fun) in groups of two or more as they are herd animals. We easily built our cage out of the materials listed at Hornblower's link and found that our girl was SO much more active and healthy with the extra room! Once we added a second piggie, she was in cavy heaven! You can spend a bit on set up or medical care if you have sick piggies, but the cost of routine feedings, etc. is reasonable. IMO, the cost of Care fresh bedding over a 7.5 ft. cage is NOT reasonable! Fleece has been terrific for us. If you have a problem with smell, try out the instructions on the link for using towels under fleece as bedding instead of the expensive pet store bedding. It is super easy to clean the cage when using fleece (DD can do it herself), low on long term cost, healthy for piggies and looks good. Urine soaks through the fleece into the towels, keeping the surface dry and almost odor free. Daily sweeping or hand-vac use on the poops (we vacuum, then flush them) keeps the cage attractive and odor free. Some piggies can also be litter trained!

Edited January 7, 2010 by Twinmom

[Heather in WI]

No, you don't want one.

 

I really, really, really wanted one as a youngster. I grew to really, really, really dislike that poor little guy. He was loud and stinky.

[johnandtinagilbert]

sweet, but stinky...you decide ;0)

[MIch elle]

Just keep the cage clean or it smells, and when you clean the cage in the summer, don't leave the piggies in the sunshine thinking they will nibble lush grass contentedly.... It will kill them within a half hour, everyone will cry, and you'll feel like a total heel for years to come. :tongue_smilie:

 

 

We had our g. pig for 6 yrs! Dc loved him for about a year or two then it just became a thing in our home that needed to be taken care of.

 

I vote NO!

[mom2jjka]

We had one for awhile but got rid of him.

They need a lot more work than you'd think!

 

First of all pet store cages are way too small! You need a bigger cage.

You need to change their bedding about twice a week or their cage WILL stink - so there is some expense for new bedding. Also they tend to run around and 'kick' their bedding ( and poop) everywhere. I got so sick of the mess.

 

They need more than just the food that the pet stores sell. They need fresh fruits and veggies daily, vitamin C supplements, and they must have LOTS of Timothy hay - not only to eat, but they like to burrow in it.

So be prepared to buy those as well.

 

They need things to chew on to whittle down their teeth.

They need their nails trimmed regularly

If you have a long haired piggy, it will need to be brushed regularly.

Ours even needed to be bathed and 'trimmed' (Not an easy job!)

 

They need to be handled/socialized regularly (and they can be very skittish and hard to catch! ...so be prepared for a 'chase' when you go to catch them)

 

They will 'chatter' at you if they are angry/upset (a warning they may bite!) Ours made this sound when we tried to catch him so my kids were too afraid to play with him.

 

I think, like any animal, if you have the time, space, and money to devote to their proper care -that they will be a great pet.

But if you are just expecting a low-maintenance animal that will sit on a table and look cute....a guinea pig would not be the right fit.

[AngieW in Texas]

I had piggies as a kid and have had piggies twice since having kids of my own.

 

The piggies we have now are the first to have a cage of proper size. A large cage makes all the difference in the world in terms of smell and the health of the piggies.

 

We built our own cage using the directions at http://www.cavycages.com . We have a 2-story cage. Downstairs is about 2.5'x5'. Upstairs is 2.5'x1'. Their kitchen is upstairs. We give them water in a bowl rather than a bottle. The bowl is a lot easier to keep clean and it doesn't drip like water bottles do. You just have to get a tip-proof bowl. We have a hay rack mounted upstairs along with their food bowl.

 

We use bath towels instead of litter, but we actually change them out every day. I have enough towels that I only have to do their laundry every 5th day. My kids just shake out the towels outside and then throw them in a box in the garage until I'm ready to wash them.

 

When our piggies were little, we changed out their towels every 3rd day, but the towel changes became more frequent as they got bigger.

 

The only part I don't like is trimming their nails. I'm always afraid I'm going to cut too far.

[Cindy in the NH Woods]

I recommend getting females. Our geriatric male is a sweetie, but gets impacted with poop ALL the TIME. It is a gross and smelly business cleaning him out. :tongue_smilie:

[Erica in PA]

My daughter wants one. A family at church even "blessed" us with their old cage, etc. The question is, do I want one of these little critters? How much do they cost? Are they smelly? Annoying?

 

We already have 2 cats, a dog, 10 chickens, several fish, and 3 horses. Do we really need another critter?

 

We had a guinea pig for a couple of years, mainly because we couldn't have any other furry pet, and none of us ever got attached to him. We spent $100 on a vet bill because he wouldn't eat, and then I had to squeeze his rear end over the toilet every day. :ack2: We finaly gave him away to another family, and to be honest, we were all relieved to have him go. Cats and dogs are much more interactive and personable pets, in my opinion, and you already have those.

[Lucy in Australia]

Yes, they are very smelly, much more than you would expect. Our youngest son got 2 females a few months ago. He wanted them in his room; that lasted about a week before the smell and noise got to him. We then put them in our garage. We had a heatwave, and one died. Of course, it had to be the week we had our old dog put down.:glare: We won't be getting any more guinea pigs.