Guinea Pigs?

[ChiTownZee]

Does anyone here have a guinea pig? How are they as pets and what kind of care do they require?

 

[jamsmom]

I had one when I was growing uo, but that was a long time ago. I am sure that someone will be able to help

 

[vellamint]

Don't do it.....,I have just finished cleaning those &&^$&%(& pigs cage.....all they do is poop and eat. Heaven forbid we actually try to "TOUCH" them....they run like crazy. They are petrified of us. We tried to get them used to handling and all we got was bitten (not horribly - it was scared). One child is allergic (who knew!?) and its all MY JOB.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

PS. THey are alive 2 1/2 years and counting.....counting....counting...

PSS. I LOVE our dog and cat though!! just so you dont think I am anti-animal!

 

[helenabear]

I have to echo the DON'T DO IT!!!! thought there! I am such a fuzzy creature lover, but these guys are terrible!!! Almost all that I have dealt with won't let you touch them no matter what. And a guinea pig squeal is not a pleasant sound. Very dirty animals and not very loving. If you want a caged creature like that truthfully a rat is probably your best bet. All those require about a weekly cleaning of the cage and I believe we just made sure they had water in their bottle and food in their dish. Funny as I wrote that out it sounded like I was talking about my cats too... just as easy but at least they will cuddle me Good luck deciding

 

[fklhou]

We had a couple when growing up. They were okay pets.

 

[vellamint]

they KICK their bedding and POOPIES out all over your floor....everyday.....and I have tried cardboard all around the bottom of the cage to keep it in and it STILL gets out.....

I had to buy a new vacumn a few weeks ago and it was only 5 years old....I swear it was from vacumning up their daily messes...

And for those of you that had them as a child.....I am sure they were okay for you but did you clean up after them.....my kids wont and even if they would I wouldnt let them.....impossible to clean their cages "cleanly".

YUCK YUCK YUCK

 

[nancy679]

No experience with a guina pig, but we do have a hamster. It takes them a while to get used to being handled, we just put our hands inside the cage for the first week or two so it gets used to the scent. THen its best to take them out later at night when they are active. Ours sometimes didnt wake up till 8 or 9pm. The cage is smaller than a guina pigs, therefore easier to clean.

 

[jsmith]

Ok I am going to be the disenting voice here-we had one that we loved. We got him very young and handled him alot and the only family member he ever bit was the cat. (she sat on top of the cage with her tail hanging down in and he munched on it) He was sweet and affectionate and used to whistle at my son whenever he came in the room.
My older DS got him for his 7th birthday after much pleading. he had been warned that he would have to take care of the animal or we would get rid of it and he did a great job-I only cleaned the cage once while he was ill (they can catch colds from people) and once while he was visiting his grandparents.

You can avoid the bedding and poopies all over issue by getting a rabbit cage with a drop through floor-they are easier to clean too!
The only specail care they require is that they must have supplemental vitamin C in food or water because they do not manufacture their own. They are long lived for rodents-ours was more than 8 years old when he passed on.

 

[luvflorida]

Guinea pigs are getting a bad name here! We have two and they are adorable. They are both female and we got them when they were only about 8 weeks old. I agree, tho, that they can be messy, and my daughter swore she would take care of cleaning their cage, but I find myself with that chore. She would have a hard time with their cage, tho, because it is quite large. I toss in a handful of clean shavings every few days, and clean the cage thoroughly once a week.

We've had them for almost two years and they have become quite friendly. Guinea Pigs, by nature, are shy, but if you take the time to pick them up and play with them each day, they'll get used to you. Ours squeal everytime we walk past their cage. They know that they get carrots every morning and they'll stand on their hind legs and stretch up with their front paws against the bars and squeal. My daughter likes to wrap them up in a towel and carry them around like little babies. One of them is a little more social than the other and she will even let my daughter put her in a tiny wagon and pull her around the house. Pretty funny looking!

Guinea Pigs are really gentle creatures and are known for being non-aggressive. We have never been bitten by them, except once when it was an accident. One of the piggies mistook a finger for a carrot. Of course I would still be careful and avoid putting fingers up to their mouths. The only care they require is a clean cage, daily food and water, and some playtime. They also need to have their little nails clipped once in awhile. I also think they would be better with older children who could really be gentle with them.

Good Luck on whatever you decide!

 

[mamamia]

I highly recommend guinea pigs as a pet. We have a guinea pig. She is 4 years old and she is wonderful. We got her when she was about 5 or 6 weeks old and handled her from the very beginning. She loves to sit on our shoulders when we watch T.V.
I have brought her to the kids' bus stops (wrapped in a towel) - the other kids on the bus get such a kick out of it.

Our guinea pig has different squeaks for different things. We can usually tell when she's squeaking because she's hungry, and when she wants to be held. Sometimes if she's hungry and hears the refrigerator open she will start squeaking for her lettuce/carrots. She sort of purrs when you pet her too. She definitely has a little personality going on.

Changing the cage is very simple - it takes all of 5 minutes. We change the cage once a week. Changing the cage is supposed to be my daughters job, but I would say I do wind up doing myself many times, but never minded doing it.

We also have a dog and cat and they all get along.

 

[ChiTownZee]

Where did you all get your guinea pigs and what kind/size cages do they need?

 

[luvflorida]

I bought both guinea pigs at PetSmart. I'm not sure if they're a national chain. They were quite small when I bought them, so they only needed a small cage. Of course they quickly outgrew it! It was a wire cage with a plastic bottom. The cage they are in now is about 40 inches long and 20 inches wide, and 20 inches tall. You can buy a special stand to put it on, but we have it sitting on an old wooden table. The bottom is plastic, with high sides to keep shavings and droppings from being pushed out, and the sides and top are wire. The top opens as well as the front. I bought it at PETCO.

 

[aunties]

Guinea pigs can definitely make good pets. If they are cuddled when they are babies, they become very-people friendly. Our last one was very unique. He was house-broken. He loved to roam free and never left a mess any where but his cage. If he was hungry, he would nudge your foot and then run to the fridge and squeak. He would also let you know if you were on the phone too long. He'd give you about five minutes and then squeak like crazy. My dad loved this built-in feature. He did like to annoy the dog by sitting in her water dish. The german shepherd was far more afraid of the guinea pig than he was of her. The ending to our pet is funny now, though not so then. My mother always threatened to make pork chops out of him if we didn't clean the cage. One night Mother put a platter of pork chops on the dinner table and we sunddenly heard a loud thud. The guinea pig fell against the cage and died. It was months before any of us could even look at a pork chop. But we all have great memories of Fluffanutter (he was brown and white).

 

[Bunchkin]

We have been thinking about getting one of these little fuzzy creatures for a while now. Lots of good info here.

Of course ever since seeing Dr. Doolittle with Eddie Murphy, my DD has wanted a 'Rodney'!!! We had to remind her that in real life guinea pigs do not talk!!! LOL!!!!

 

[epcotfan]

I have one (Hamish) that I rescued from a relative whose kids ignored it and were allergic. Poor thing was left in the cold basement. The thing they were probably allegic to was the cedar bedding. It is full of added aromatic oils. It made me sneeze when I brought him home. Cedar bedding is not good for rodents. It can cause resperatory problems. I switched him over to Aspen bedding which is free of any oils and absorbs moisture well. I strongly recommend Aspen bedding to prevent future problems.

I totally fixed him up. He gained weight, his coat thickened, and he's doing well now. His cage is right beside my desk.

Guinea pigs need lots of gentle attention. They are social animals. Your best bet would be to have two females.

Their diet should consist of alfalfa pellets, Timothy hay, and a cup of fresh veggies every day. Don't buy the mixes that have seeds and other dried fruit in them. This causes selective eating (they don't get enough nutrition from the good stuff in their food) and they can also choke on some of the seeds in that kind of food.

Guinea Pigs love to eat. If they have Timothy Hay to graze on they will be quite content. Make sure it is placed in a pile in the corner and kind of flattened so your new buddy doesn't poke his eye on it.

Best to have a flat bottomed cage as wire bottoms are very hard on their little feet. Don't place the cage where there is a draft.

I've occasionally trimmed my boy's nails with cat scissors. I've also given him a bath on a couple of occasions.

Do not place sharp objects in the cage. My little guy poked his eye on some hay. I was able to clear it up with a special eye wash.

This site has lots of excellent information on diet and care.

http://www.aracnet.com/~seagull/Guineas/careguide.html

 

[Pembo]

My 10 yo niece just got "Coco" for her birthday in May. My s-i-l is complaining because the cage smells and the cage they got has bars and it is always a mess.

My niece loves the thing though and they bought it a leash?! Haven't tried to use it yet.

Good luck!