What can you tell me about Guinea Pigs?

[Lewski709]

I was thinking of getting one for DS (almost 5) for Christmas. I would care for him as well. Do they stink? How often do you have to clean the cage? I hear they are not typical biters as opposed to hampster/gerbils.

 

[mamamia]

Our guinea pig, Jasmine, just passed away in November. We had her for just over 5 years. We got her when she was 6 weeks old and she was wonderful. We changed her cage once a week. If we let the cage go longer than a week it did get smelly. We had gotten her for my DD's 8th birthday. In the beginning my daughter needed help changing the cage, but it was really easy. It took less than 10 minutes to do it. There were many weeks where I did change the cage for her but I never minded. My DD was mainly responsible for making sure it had water and food.

As far as biting, ours didn't bite. Once in a while she would nibble on your finger thinking it was a carrot or something. We loved all her little sounds she made. They typically live for 3 to 5 years. On nice days I would even carry Jasmine (wrapped in a towel) to the bus stop. I did get some strange looks from people for it, but it was fun. She had such a personality, which I hadn't expected. She loved to be on people's shoulders.

I would definitely recommend one. I would suggest you try to get one that is only a few weeks old.

 

[epcotfan]

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

The above link is a wonderful site for information and care.
I took in an adult Guinea Pig a couple of years ago from someone whose kids were allergic. They kept the poor little guy in the basement by himself. He is now about 3 1/2 years old. He is very sweet.

It is really important to read up on their diet and housing.

Mine primarily eats, Timothy Hay, Fresh Veggies and a small portion of alfalfa pellets. Guinea pigs should not be fed a huge amount of the pellets because they are know to cause bladder stones. Mine just a bladder infection recently so he was put on a high water content diet. He has improved greatly since then and is back to his old self. He loves his fresh veggies and fruit. The above site discusses diet and has a list of the appropriate fruits and veg that they can eat.

Hay is a good time occupier for guinea pigs. They love to eat and it keeps them occupied since they graze all the time. Don't get the chew toys that that are made of seeds and honey, etc...Many of these sticks contain pieces of corn or sunflower seeds which can cause them to choke. Same goes for pellet food with seeds, etc...

As for bedding I avoid cedar at all costs. I use Aspen for his bedding. Cedar bedding can cause severe skin rashes or severe respiratory problems in small animals. My little guy has some skin problems when I first got him that cleared up once his bedding was switched. I also found that aspen doesn't make me sneeze, unlike cedar. Aspen is more expensive, but healthier for him in the long run.

Guinea pigs are really social animals so if you could get two females they would keep each other great company.

While young, get them used to having their nails trimmed. I've also bathed mine on occasion when he gets messy. He's so good about it. I used a small animal shampoo.

He/she should also have a private hutch area or plastic igloo that they can hide in. They like those small animal huts for sleeping and keeping warm.

If you have any more questions post them here

 

[DocRafiki]

They're living creatures, not Christmas gifts.

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

We bought our two female guinea pigs at 6 weeks old. They are now 3 going on 4 years old. I second the suggestion of getting them young. You will need to get them used to being handled if they haven't been already. Ours were pretty shy when we first got them but we made a point of getting them out every night and holding them quietly. They are very social and love to "talk" to me (I think it's because they know I'm the usual food provider). We also let ours roam around the house occasionally. Once they find a "Potty" spot in their cage they tend to only go there - so they are pretty (but not completely) housebroken.

Read up on the information available - they have some particular dietary needs. They don't retain vitamin C so you either need to provide vitamin drops in their water (or we choose to feed lots of parsley - which is high in vit. C). I was also told not to feed them potatoes- the breeder we bought ours from claimed that it could cause them to choke & die. We also feed hay (we have horses too so that's easy for us to get) and I use pine shavings for bedding. I have heard that sawdust is not good to use.

PM me if you have specific questions...
and DO check out the link listed in a previous post - great information there. Pay special attention to the climate concerns - they don't do well in extreme heat or cold and they do best between 60 & 70 degrees.

 

[Lewski709]

What a beautiful gift for Christmas....a precious life. Isn't that what Christmas is all about anyhow DocRafiki?

Thank you all for the info.....I have been researching them after seeing a sign at the grocery store for free baby Guinea Pigs. I have never owned a hamster/gerbil/rat/mouse/etc. But I have had the $8 lizards and loved them and we have a dog. I just think I would enjoy it as well as DS, so it isn't really totally for him. I know at age 5 he isn't ready to be resposible for it all, but can begin to learn and I love looking at the little critters.

 

[mamamia]

"I have bean researching them after seeing a sign at the grocery store for free baby Guinea Pigs"

Yes, and then they charge you $89 for the cage!!!

Only kidding.

I also did a lot of research before we got our guinea pig.

Ours mainly ate the Timothy Hay, pellets, veggies (romaine lettuce, parsley, red & green peppers, she loved canteloupe. I also did not use the cedar bedding. Instead I used this stuff called "Care Fresh", it felt like shredded egg cartons (the cardboard ones).


epcotfan: that's so sad that the previous owners kept him in the basement, and by himself. It sounds like you have given him a good home

 

[Lewski709]

I have looked at the cages and can get one for 30.00, made for guinea pigs....so it should be fine. Called My First Cage, the large model. The sign was by a child, can tell by the handwriting. I don't think it is anyone trying to make profit by sucking you in to make you buy the cage (although, I know about that scam), probably just truly needs to find good homes so they don't reproduce again like mad.

That is VERY about the one in the basement.....that's no place for a pet or life. Thank you for rescuing him.

 

[Keli]

Everyone has been giving good info on the care of guinea pigs so I won't add anything to that but I did want to back up what someone else said about their personalities. They like interaction with people and have definite likes and dislikes. And they recognize individuals. Our guinea would whistle (some don't though). He would whistle everytime I walked past his cage or if my dd did but he wouldn't if my dh did, lol. My dh never played with him or fed/watered him and I guess that's why he didn't rate a whistle . He would get excited when we pulled out his favorite treats too. He was a lot of fun and if my dh hadn't developed an alergy to them (and a whole lot more stuff, poor guy!) we'd probably have another one now.

 

[MerryPoppins]

We had a male and a female growing up. She hated him so we had to keep them in separate cages. They were great pets and we loved them.

The only advice I can add is that you need to warn your son to be very careful. We left ours with friends while we went on vacation and they dropped one. The fall broke his front teeth. He was unable to eat properly until the teeth grew back out. The vet had us grating carrots and such so he could gum his food. So enjoy and handle with care.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I am another person who is not a fan of a pet as a gift (Christmas, birthday, etc.). Have you thought about bringing a Guinea Pig into your family before, or is this just because you saw the sign advertising them?

I do applaud you for seeking information though before making a decision.

 

[Melora]

I raised some "show quality" piggies for awhile (never showed them, just got them from a breeder.) I LOVED mine. We had a climate controlled shed in the back yard for them (I had almost 30 at one point).

I would rather have one inside as single pet though. They are very personable and fun!

 

[jsmith]

We had one for years-My older DS got him for his 7th birthday-after a lot of reseach and we had him for 8 years. He had a great personality and loved my DS-he would whistle at him when he came home from school and at feeding time. DS would still like to have another but he lives in the dorms at college right now.

 

[Lewski709]

Did any of you have problems with biting?

 

[MerryPoppins]

Ours sometimes would nip if they were getting tired and cranky. They also would bite if you stuck out your finger in front of them - I think they thought it was a carrot. Nothing that was ever serious or too painful.

 

[Melora]

Only time I ever got bitten was when one thought I was offereing my finger to eat... (while I was giving them something else). Also if I had one the didnt get handled a lot they might be more nippy, but that was VERY rare. A pet thats held a lot really shouldnt be a biter.

 

[disneygals]

We have 2, William and Henry, that we got in October. They are very cute and absolutely have their own personalities. They bit each other until we got them their own cardboard tubes to hide in.

I think giving a living creature as a gift is fine if you're the primary care-giver. And let's face it, if you're the mom, you are.

Vivienne

 

[Chim Chiminy]

We have Pegasus, who is 1 and 1/2 years old now. A good friend gave him to us, they have seven little pigs. She started out with them as a pet for her son, who has some developmental disabilities and they have been wonderful pets for him.
Pegasus, or Peggie for short, has a very sweet personality. He squeals and coos whenever we walk past him. He loves his veggies and fruit. Whenever my DS 10 holds him, Peggie likes to snuggle into his shoulder and coo, or hide under his shirt. He loves to be cuddled like a baby. We have a small pet fence, so in the warmer months we take him outside and he will graze on the grass.
We change his bedding once a week, we use cedar and have had no skin problems with it. He hides in empty juice boxes (like Capri Sun comes in).
Whenever we go on vacation and can't take him with us, he stays with our friend and she swears he cries for at least two days after we leave. When we arrive to pick him up, he recognizes our voices and starts squealing like crazy! Then he wants to snuggle into our shoulders when we hold him again.
He has been the perfect little pet for my two kids (and me!).
He has only bitten me once, really just a nip, and I think it was because I had just handled some carrots. He mistook my finger for one.....