Would you buy your kids a guinea pig pet? Be honest

[Rustygriswold]

Rustygriswold Tue 13-Apr-21 20:56:44

1. Are they cuddly for kids (older kids age 11 and 13)
2. Can you keep them outdoors in winter
3. Do they have fleas
4. Are they noisy at night time
5. Buy as babies, or adopt from animal shelter
6. How much does their hay cost and where’s best to buy hay from
7. How much to buy a pair
8. Are certain breeds better for cuddles than others
9. Are they safe to let loose in the garden for exercise
10. Do they poop everywhere like hamster do if let loose in house

My kids had a dwarf hamster which only lived for about two years. We didn’t know they were crepuscular/nocturnal almost, so of course it started being active just as the kids went to bed. Blardy racket with its spinning wheel and so on. Never again grin It didn’t like being cuddled or handled at all either.

But the kids are getting pet broody, they keep asking for a cuddly pet.
So I’ve researched all sorts, chameleons, rats, rabbits, ferrets, nothing is standing out except guinea pigs. Don’t want anything exotic, non-tactile or requiring equipment like heaters and so on.

Cleaning, poop scooping, diet all the rest of it that’s fine, we have fish and it’s far more stinky cleaning them out, so all I really want to know is:

If from animal shelter, couldn’t we possibly inherit any health or behavioural issues that caused them to be dropped at the centre initially??

Also, there will be nobody home daytimes whilst everyone’s at school and work. Does that matter to them? Next door’s dog whines like a good un’ all day when they’re both out, I don’t want to put guinea pigs through that sort of daily trauma.

Honesty, I only believe in cats or dogs as pets. To me, all other animals are a bit pointless. My DMIL has rabbits and I'm not a fan 😂

Guinea pigs are lovely pets, easy to keep. Mine lived in a large hutch in the garage at night and went into an outside run in the day.
They are delightful in every way except they don’t live very long. I would get them as babies.

Some cats are very cuddly but you would have to get a rescue one to know it’s temperament. Kittens are an unknown quantity

If you are going to get pets, guinea pigs are great. They are so tame, rarely bite. They need to be kept in pairs as they are very sociable animals. If kept outdoors in the winter make sure it is covered and sheltered as much as possible, lots of bedding and warmth for the coldest days (heat pads are good). They can let loose in the garden but only if there are definitely no predators that could come in, such as cats or foxes. You can buy hay from any petshop. I have never known them to have fleas, but could get mites which are easy to treat.

There are no difference in breeds in terms of which are better- the Peruvians have long hair and need more grooming. Yes they do poop everywhere like hamsters!

Guinea pigs can live up to 8 years, mine have mostly died around 5 years but my last one lived to 7.

Do you want a guinea pig?
Because that is what it boils down to.

Assume that it will be you that looks after it physically and carry the mental load and the decide.

Don’t get long haired ones
Not outside in winter
They are quiet
Fine home alone
Yes poo everywhere
Hay is £2-5 for a small bale. If you live near farms. Look in feed merchants and tack shops for advert. One bale will last all winter if it is kept dry. It will be better quality than the pet shop stuff.
I used to keep mine on shavings but now I would use bedwell which is chopped dust extracted rape straw. £13 for a bale. My mother uses one bale a year for her chickens
Only let them loose in your garden if they can’t escspe. Better to get a run or ark that you can just move around.

We have two lovely pet guinea pigs. They live in our living room in an indoor cage.

I'd suggest it might be worth doing some more reading about pets before getting some, as a few of your questions sound bit unrealistic. They will certainly poop, although they can be encouraged to do this mainly in one place, but they are animals! They aren't space to be outside without an enclosure to keep them safe. They will need to be kept warm in extreme weather (as any animal does).

Guineas can be very cuddly, but you need to handle them securely and gently and build this up so they develop a trusting relationship over time. Hay is fairly cheap, bit guineas need more than hay to live on (they need a constant supply of hay plus pellets and fresh veg).

They will only get fleas if exposed to another animal with fleas.

Guinea pigs are very dull, what you need are rats.

What about chickens op? They can be very tame if handled a lot and are easier to look after than you think.

Guinea pigs are great. Love their vocalisations. I still get a bit wistful when taking the leaves off a cauliflower or the end off a cucumber that I haven't got any guineas to feed it to.

@ThursdayLastWeek I’m not bothered either way. We have fish, and they’ve had a hamster before, now they want guinea pigs.

Our home is suitable and I’m the one that does the practical stuff (for instance fish are highly delicate and require regular tank chemical testing and careful monitoring of diet/behaviour/tank hygiene etc so guinea pigs sound like a doddle in comparison).

@Foxglovesandlilacs great idea did think about that but we are suburban renting so don’t think neighbours will take kindly to the noise.

@Temp023 I agree! We’d all love rats! But I don’t like caging animals and rats need a massive cage, big as possible, and our house just isn’t big enough sadly.

Wrt I found it cheaper buying from Wilkinson's as opposed to pets at home etc. Pets at home was more convenient for me to buy it but wilkos definitely cheaper.

Expect lots of poo and wee. Lots of it!! Guinea pigs are noisy at night time. In winter I kept mine indoors so that's how I know. I use it let mine (both dead now btw) roam free on my lawn during the warmer months and kept them in an outdoors hutch at night.

Pairs are best as they are social creatures. The don't bite. They need regular cleaning out as the cage/hutch gets stinky. Invest in some decent nail scissors for them.

Provide fresh veg along their hay and guinea pig mix.

They'll sit nicely on your lap and purr when you stroke them, nothing like hamsters.

They are delightful pets. Our kids were 10 and 13 when we got the first ones as babies, later on we had a single one we adopted who hated every other guinea pig. Boys were teenagers. She was a character and had DH wrapped around her claws
They lived in our conservatory, and had an outdoor run, and they liked to be outside if possible. Even if for just an hour in the middle of the day in winter. I got the hay from a local farm, a small bale lasted months. Never had fleas.
We didn't often have any poops when they were exploring the house, but always had a towel if they were on laps for a while.

@Temp023

Guinea pigs are very dull, what you need are rats.

I loved having rats but my god they stank!

I'm also considering guinea pigs for me/my DD so following for information.

Ours died at NINE AND TEN YEARS OLD, I was told by everyone they'd only last 5 or so years. The "kids" were long past the cuddly pet stage by then. Dd was also allergic, so would check that too.

Honestly, no I wouldn't do it again.

Ahhhh wrt to hay I was supposed to put.

Rats make much better pets for children . My sister has 3 guinea pigs , 1 adopted and 2 from babies they are all extremely friendly but that is because they live indoors and get heaps of attention everyday . She keeps hers on Carefresh bedding , the bedding, feed , hay and veg variety runs up quite a bill per week . They can be quite fussy only one of hers eats cucumber and another eats a certain type of lettuce but neither of the others eat lettuce , they all love parsley and Kale . When it’s warm they go on the grass in their run but they are not that keen .

Guinea pigs are lovely pets for kids. Generally very gentle and very endearing. Last 5-8 years so more of a commitment than a hamster.

1. Yes, once they are used to you, they are very content to sit on a lap for strokes. Mine used to sit on my shoulders. However, it will take time and patience to get them tame and relaxed. If they are left in a garden hutch and rarely given human contact, they will always be skittish. Feed them fresh parsley and they will think you are a God!

2. Genuinely don't know. We bought ours indoors in cold weather.

3. Not that I'm aware but they can get mites if their living environment is not cleaned regularly.

4. Not especially. They are not nocturnal like hamsters so are generally more active during the day and quieter at night.

5. Buy as babies, or adopt from animal shelter - your choice

6. We just bought large packs of hay from Pets at Home. Not that expensive.

7. Are they safe to let loose in the garden for exercise - absolutely not! They are burrow animals and will dig under the fence. Plus there's the danger from cats etc. They will need a secure run.

8. Yep, but the poop was never really an issue. It's like dry pellets so you just brush it up with a dustpan. The occasional wee is more of an issue. We only let ours out on Lino or hard floors so we could mop up and used enzyme spray to get rid of any smell. Beware they they like to chew cables. - we lost a phone that way.

I’ve been surprised by how easy guinea pigs are, we have 2 indoor pigs but we have a run outside for them for a change of scenery.

We got babies and use fleecy blankets on top of puppy pads which works well, just wash the blankets in high heat as we are allergic to sawdust

Guinea pigs are fabulous and make brilliant pets but they are not easy or cheap to look after well and I had several that lived to 6-7.

Cats are easier. In some respects dogs are too.

Rats make brilliant pets and they don’t live as long.

We had some. I wouldn’t do it again. They are a surprising amount of work. I did love them though. They are very sweet.

Only cats or dogs for me too from now on.

Cats are the best pet IMO. So easy.

We've had Gpigs for over a year now, they are lovely pets. Very chirpy and they get excited when you open the fridge door. Our 2 girls are in a large cage in the living room and are not smelly, the DCs get them out for a cuddle most days and spoil them with lettuce and cucumber. DH is quite taken with them too.