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.

It’s pretty divided. Some people keep them outdoors and bring in for cuddles and attention. Some keep indoors and take outside for fresh air.

I can’t keep an animal in a small cage, so I’d rather they’re kept in a large hutch and run outdoors, which is moved into a heated shed or garage for winter.

Someone asked how long they’d be left alone for whilst everyone’s at school or work. I suppose the same amount of time someone’s lone pet dog is. Except the Guineas have eachother for company for a few hours every day, and would be brought indoors and petted incessantly

God I’d not. I used to look after someone’s when they were away, and they smell. No matter how much you clean their hutch, and they make a mess. Knocking their food over etc. Also you get the issue they need to be kept in pairs, so if one dies you’ve the dilemma of buying another companion or having one sad little pig on its own. Totally pointless pets.

There will be a lot of information online. I'd suggest you read. A LOT.

We have rabbits and researched them for months before getting them to ensure we understood the responsibility we were taking on.

Research is the key.

I'm quite alarmed that you managed to buy a pet hamster without knowing they are nocturnal. It's about the only thing everybody knows about them!

I think they're very cute and I like them but I wouldn't have them indoors other than garage or utility because they do smell, even with daily hutch cleaning. I'd rather have rabbits.

Guinea pigs are great pets for kids. We had several and I found long haired ones tended to have more cuddly, less skittish temperaments, but that might just be my experience. Had a few short hair ones that were very jumpy indeed and we never could get them used to being handled. None of them ever bit though which was good compared to hamsters etc.

Don't keep them outside in winter - some people do but they are warm blooded mammals. They will need to be indoors or in a warm, sheltered place when the weather gets cold, not just left in an explosed hutch in the garden.

@ADandyHighwaymanmi didn’t buy the hamster. Kids nan did without any consultation .

No you can't leave them outside in winter. That's really cruel. They will get super ill. A garage would be the minimum. Otherwise they'll just keep getting mange from stress and poor treatment.
You can't really let them roam free as they will try to run away. Get a hutch

Just a tip... if you do keep them inside the way to stop them smelling is to line their cage floor with wads of newspaper and then on the top of this use extra large puppy training pads. Soaks up all the wee and the poops are dry anyway. Lots of people still use sawdust but this goes soggy and smells awful. Many use washable cage liners but I didn’t fancy that.

My sisters indoor pigs aren’t in a small cage they basically have a room in the house .

Ourslive indoors in a 2 meter by 3 meter playpen type run in the living room 6 nights a week and in a 1.5 meter by 1 meter indoor cage upstairs on night per week to wash their blanket and the living room floor. In the living room they're on a ground sheet with a blanket on top. They have a hay rack and bowls and various houses and a see-saw... The kids do everything (teenagers) except actually buy the hay.

You need to keep them in the middle of your main family room to get the full benefit of having them - they are very sociable and friendly and vocal and incredibly comical. There's no point having them if you keep them in the garage/ garden unless you're all out there more of the time than indoors.

Guinea pigs are lovely, but please don't keep them outdoors in the winter. It's much better to get a large indoors cage and allow them to free roam in a safe room.
They're very sweet and delightful pets, but you need to spend time with them

i love my gees. they are sweet and squeaky and fabulous.

I adore GPs but it's rare you'll get one who is friendly and unafraid from the off, so the DC will need to be very calm and patient around them and work to gain their trust. If they are scared, they freeze and aren't fun for kids and you run the risk of them losing interest. I would only get them if you want them yourself really.

I think the issue with having them in the shed is that when you bring them in for cuddles, they'll be going from a warm temp (in the shed) to a cold one (outside) and that's really not good for them as they're so sensitive to stress. Plus there's the risk you won't be motivated to go out in the cold and hold them every day in winter. They will have bonded with you, so it would be very sad if they suddenly were seeing less of you.

They also need a great deal more space than commerical cages allow and ramps/different levels don't compensate. Mine do mad laps of their cage every night and make full use of their space.

I've always thought anything you need to cage is not a pet it's a trapped animal and a bit pointless.

Guinea pigs are gorgeous. They are very cute, very placid, don't mind being cuddled. They squeak with excitement if you peel veg and when you clean out their cage and they find the new bedding hay.

But ime, DC get bored of them after a year or so. I did all the cage cleaning and in the end, they got very few cuddles. I felt sorry for the one who lived longest. I think he was pretty lonely at the end.

The most low maintenance pet is a cat. Ours is very very affectionate with DC - cuddles them, purrs at them, tucks them in at night, wakes them up in the morning. But he does his own thing if people are busy.

@towers14 I assume you think dogs and horses ( except wild ones ) are also pointless then as they are not allowed to just roam about at will

@littleredberries

Nobody said they will ‘run free’ and live in the garden without a hutch

There would be an enormous hutch with a run that will be moved into a heated shed for winter.

No. Never a single one because they are social animals, very unhappy alone. Gentle but quite vulnerable. Agree with pp that rats would be better.

I've had guinea pigs since a child and think they are a great pet! Down to my last one now, she was 7 in February! She was originally in a group of 4, who lived outside in a double storey hutch year round, with access to a run. In winter I just securely covered the hutch and used 2 heatpads at night. I only moved them inside when they got to about 5, but I was down to 2 by then so could get an indoor cage. I find them a very easy, low maintainence pet to look after. Just make sure you get 2 (or more) the same sex, thought i had 4 girls, one turned out to be a boy so had lots of babies at 1 point!

Unless the ground floor of the cage is something like 160cm minimum in length, it's too small (don't think most commercial hutches are suitable; if pet shops did stock large enough cages I doubt they'd sell many guineas). The shock to their systems caused by going from heated shed to outside is also dangerous, I think it's because they can't regulate their body temperature well.

Just wondering why you ruled out a cat? We have a dog now but had a cat before DS born and we were both out at work all day. She was playful, loved a cuddle in the evening and very little work to take care of her. Okay so she scratched the furniture a bit and once or twice had a wee behind the sofa when she didn't want to go out in the snow

No. They're time consuming and hard work and I'd end up doing everything. Plus the ones I've had have been too lively and energetic for cuddles and they still need exercise even in winter so you end up bringing them inside to run about because it's been pissing down with rain all week or its snowing and icy.

Not given their age. They are old enough to help look after a cat or a dog, assuming you have appropriate space.

It personally depends on your household. The main question to ask yourself is, are you able to take care of the guinea pigs if your child is unable to adequately care for them? Guinea pigs can be incredibly rewarding pets, but they arguably, require more TLC than other pets like dogs and cats. Guinea pigs are naturally skittish than others as they have prey instincts. If you and your child/children are willing to put in the time and effort to bond with them, they can be very loving and affectionate (they are funny to watch and have unique personalities). There is a good Kavee article on Top 10 tips to help your children caring for their guinea pigs that may be helpful here!

Guinea pigs make great pets. I had them all through childhood up to uni years! The are pretty simple to keep and live a good number of year - typically ours lived around 7 years. Ours lived happily outside all year round as long as they have a cosy house to retreat into if they want it. We didn't feed hay but they had constant access to grass, pellets and were given a mix of veg from the garden; things like kale, sprout stalks, cabbage, carrots, beetroot, etc. Make sure they have fresh water and that's about it. As long as you handle them regularly they are very cuddly. They are talkative little things. Ours had free run of the garden but if you do that it needs to be secure and contain plenty hidey holes for them to stay safe from predators. A moveable enclosure is often better for most scenarios. They don't dig out like rabbits do, which is a bonus!