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.

I wouldn’t get a Guinea pig they die too easily and it’s a nightmare

I wouldn't. Guineas live a long time and when the novelty wears off you'll be the one going outside in the winter to feed and clean them out and play with them. Id get a pair of rats and give them plenty of time outside the cage. Rats are much more playful and just better than guineas.

I have two indoor Piggies, no kids (!), and I love them to bits, but my word there's a lot of work involved. I have two boys, we lost one boy end of last year and so had to get a new companion..

1. Are they cuddly for kids (older kids age 11 and 13): Not cuddly, but some will tolerate being handled far better than others
2. Can you keep them outdoors in winter: NO, unless you can keep them consistently warm; they need at least 15C temperatures
3. Do they have fleas: No
4. Are they noisy at night time: Not really, they rummage around but don't make loads of noise, unless they know it's food time and then they're super squeeky!
5. Buy as babies, or adopt from animal shelter: Adopt if you can
6. How much does their hay cost and where’s best to buy hay from: Tricky, I pay £35 per month for an 8kg subscription box delivered monthly
7. How much to buy a pair: Depends on adoption fees, I'd guess around £50ish
8. Are certain breeds better for cuddles than others: No, some love it, some hate it. You need to handle regularly regardless though to healthcheck, weigh, groom (especially long-haired) and trim nails
9. Are they safe to let loose in the garden for exercise: NO unless they're in a fully enclosed pen (with a lid) with plenty of shade, and on dry grass
10. Do they poop everywhere like hamster do if let loose in house: YES! They poop and pee wherever they are, mostly where they eat, but wherever really!

Also bear in mind vet care - some piggies live for far more than 7 years, and vet care can be expensive. You need an experienced exotics vet who is cavy-savvy. Some people save monthly into a vet fund, I have mine insured through Exotics Direct (£32 per month for both).

They are lovely, lovely creatures but are a lot of work, far more than hamsters, but very rewarding. I wouldn't necessarily recommend them for children of any age - they would be your pets (potentially for the next decade!)

I had guinea pigs as a child, mine were very tame and responsive but they got lots of handling and attention. They can live a long time. My oldest was 9 so bear this in mind with the age your children are.
They are also stinky so need lots of cleaning out and must be kept as a pair or group. Their squeaking when they recognise your footsteps is very cute. My kids had piggies and we discovered on the day we got them ds was allergic so if you're going for it, make sure they've handled one before you commit.

I'm a rabbit fan, they have attitude and can be litter trained. They need handling to be tame.

As others have said cats are the easiest pet. Independent but especially if you adopt a shelter will choose a cat whose character meets your family's need.

My mantra , never buy something that has to live in a cage.

We have 3 guinea pigs, I love them!

1. Are they cuddly for kids (older kids age 11 and 13), yes, particulary if you get them as babies. Our baby is the most cuddly, she loves to sit on your lap for a chin scratch.
2. Can you keep them outdoors in winter. Ours live indoors, but I know some people keep them outside in insulated hutches.
3. Do they have fleas. No
4. Are they noisy at night time. Not really, you might here them skittering around the cage a bit.
5. Buy as babies, or adopt from animal shelter. I'd buy as babies from a reputable breeder.
6. How much does their hay cost and where’s best to buy hay from. It's about £2-3 for a big bag. I buy from petshop, and make sure it is 'dust-extracted'.
7. How much to buy a pair. I bought a mum and baby from breeder for £65. Much cheaper in pet shops but there is a reason for that.
8. Are certain breeds better for cuddles than others. Not that I've noticed.
9. Are they safe to let loose in the garden for exercise. No, they need to be in a run.
10. Do they poop everywhere like hamster do if let loose in house. Er, yes.

We had two female guinea pigs. They were sisters from the same brood. One of them died earlier this year, just short of her 4th birthday, but the other one is happy and healthy.

Neither of the DC have helped with the care of them after the initial interest wore off and it's been DH who does the cleaning out of the hutch.

However we would definitely consider having another pair after she's gone. They make for lovely friendly pets and they're not really hard work to look after.

I assume the op has managed to make a decision after 6months...

We have 2 guinea pigs, they are lovely responsive pets, very vocal and social creatures. They make a wide variety of vocal calls, I find them fascinating. We have them in a hutch indoors and get them out into an indoor pen (winter) and an outdoor pen (summer) most days. They love snuggling into blankets and towels and my dd brings them into the lounge most evenings where they explore (mostly they run laps around the coffee table which they like as they can hide underneath it when the mood takes them) and sit on laps for quite a while. They aren’t cheap, one of ours has a chronic kidney problem and vets aren’t cheap, then there is the needed expenditure ( hay, veggies, nuggets, bedding) and then I spend quite a bit on treats for them - cardboard carrot cottages and sea grass tunnels and hideys, which they love and destroy rapidly with great enthusiasm. Plus I tend to buy them fresh herbs because they get so excited about them. They do take quite a bit of cleaning out and you need to think about what you will do for holidays and weekends away, we use a local guinea pig boarding service, the pigs seem to enjoy their holidays there. I wouldn’t be comfortable leaving them for more than overnight by themselves. They are not noisy at night, unless you are worried by constant hay munching and they burble/chatter to each other a lot night and day. They start squeaking for food well before dinner time most afternoons! We’ve had them 3 years and they have never had fleas and they smell nice. They poo everywhere (poo is easy to brush up and not offensive) , the problem is wee, which can stain things. They don’t tend to wee when out of the hutch for a while, but accidents happen, so you need to be careful with sofas for example and use towels when they are up off the floor sitting on laps. We got them when they were about 4/5 months old from a local (& responsible) animal farm.

@Peanutsandchilli hadn't noticed how old this thread was! Haha!

I am not keen on guinea pigs or hamsters or even horrible pet rats, and thankfully my two children never asked for them when they were youngies. Cats were always a favourite, and couple of dogs over the years.

I have three cats myself now, as an oldie, they are all peaceful and lovely, and are all related, a Mother cat and her two boys, all getting on a bit now.

I used to have two lovely cockatiels years ago, they were nice pets to have, hardly ever in their cage in the daytime.

If you put them on the lawn make sure they have a secure mesh over the top of their run,. One of mine was taken by a cat dislodging the mesh. Never forget the noise it made

Bu**er I had not noticed it was an old thread either