To get guinea pigs even if dd2 doesn't want them?

[Dancergirl]

Youngest dd (11) is a real animal lover. We have a cat and she would love other pets. Ideally she'd love a dog but for various reasons it's too big a commitment at the moment.

We have nearly agreed that dd can get a pair of guinea pigs which she is very excited about (as am I, I really like animals too).

However dd2 (15) is really against any more pets. She's just not interested in animals and I respect that. She doesn't like the cat but they keep out of each other's way. The guinea pigs will be even more out of her way as they will either be in the spare bedroom or in a secure run in the garden. Dd2 won't have to interact with them at all.

Little dd is probably on the autistic spectrum, we are getting her assessed at the moment. Apart from being cute pets, I think the GPs will help relax her and keep her calm.

How do I keep everyone happy??

essietopcoat We had GPs for several years and actually found them pretty easy to care for. We kept them inside during the winter and they certainly did not smell, mind you we cleaned them out very, very regularly. Some are more talkative than others but we never had one that was unfriendly in the sense of being aggressive. All ours were lovely, fairly docile creatures.

essietopcoat is right. The cage can stink if you don't clean it often enough. There is no problem putting them outside in winter but do take them inside at night. We used to put ours out all year round, provided it was dry. We had a mobile cage (bottomless and movable) so they could eat grass etc and all be safe. Ours born lived over 5 years.

They do need lots of careful handling when young top ensure they are friendly. They were really cute. They used to chirp when they heard me cutting carrots for them 😁

But under estimate the work involved.

Typos - all be = be and top = to and under estimate = don't under estimate

It just seems so unlikely that she'll never ever be asked to do anything relating to them

No she will never be asked.

We have researched what is involved pretty well. If we go ahead we are getting rescue GPs, our local rescue centre is fantastic and they have explained exactly what we need.

Not too worried about any potential smell. They will be in our spare bedroom which we rarely use and it is well ventilated.

Get the piggies but get your other dd something as well. What does she like?

You need to get to the bottom of the actual problem, because it’s not two GP’s that she’ll never have to do anything for.

I would get the GP’s because you want them and they will be good for DD2 and DD1 doesn’t get to over rule that.

I’d try to deal with the actual problem though. Maybe DD1 needs more of your time/attention than she gets or equal ‘treats’ to DD2 or is just trying to see how far she can push you.

I love GP’s & had them overseas where they could stay outside all year, a few years ago I got some when I was back in the UK and kept them inside (with an outside daytime run). I LOVED having them inside, but the smell did drive me mad. I cleaned them out daily and tried everything in the cage, but they still has a ‘pet whiff’. They were both boys so I’m not sure if that made a difference? Despite the usual ‘two boys are not good’ advice, these two adored each other. I miss the little tykes (but not the smell).

Why does DD1 think she’s in charge of your household?

As a teenager I would never have considered this any of my business.

Does DD1 have a desire to turn the unused spare room into her den for when friends come over or something?

Your GP’s might get very bored and lonely in a spare room. We had ours in the large utility room between the back door & kitchen and we used the back door as the main door, so they were really in the heart of all the comings & goings. Always coming to see what was going on 😊. Then they had the run of the main (actual) entrance hall which was a wood floor a couple of times a day (needed supervising or they’d bolt up the stairs 😂 (too wide to gate etc) and obviously outside in nice enough weather.

Does your elder DD perhaps feel a bit left out, and that her little sister just gets what she wants?

You call your younger child DD1; the numbers usually go in age order starting with the eldest so I can’t help but feel that you prioritise your youngest child. Get the piggies but make sure you do nice things for yor other daughter, too.

Does DD1 have a desire to turn the unused spare room into her den for when friends come over or something?

No. The spare room was her old room; she has just moved upstairs into a lovely big loft room which we have decorated how she likes. Lucky girl.

annie we did consider putting them in the utility room but the cage we're getting is huge and it won't fit. They will get plenty of attention from dd3! And we'll put them in the outdoor run in the daytime during the summer.

Sorry captain got a bit mixed up with the numbers! Animal-disliker is actually my middle dd (15). Oldest is 17 and away at boarding school (and then university next year), she's keen on pets too so would be happy with GPs but she is obviously away most of the time.

I don't think dd2 is hard done by. She loves theatre and we often treat her to tickets. She got Hamilton tickets for her birthday, she's going with older sister. And dh is taking her to see Chicago in June.

I wouldn’t get Guinea Pigs with cats in the house. I have seen that road ending in tears more than once. Cats, guinea pigs and children who don’t remember to shut doors and windows to keep them apart is a vvv bad mix

I also worried about that mighty and discussed it at length with the rescue centre. Dd is actually pretty responsible and of course I will check carefully.

It's strange. My middle daughter, although much older than yours, got really upset last year when we got another dog. This was to be very much my husband's dog and she never had any responsibility for the two dogs we already had so why she was so angry about the new one we never really understood.

But as for guinea pigs themselves - I would recommend them. They are less skitty than hamsters and easier to handle than rabbits. We have 5 - four belong to my daughter and one is mine!

Thanks ithink Little dd likes them because they are bigger than hamsters/gerbils and more cuddly. I think they will be really good for her.

Does your elder DD perhaps feel a bit left out, and that her little sister just gets what she wants?

This is what I thought too but I wouldn't just dimiss it as jealousy, I'd wonder if she feels displaced.Not in terms of material goods but in terms of attention and her place in the family.

There's no reason not to put them outside in the winter provided it's not raining or really, really cold. Ours would have had at least an hour or 2 outside 3 or 4 times a week at a minimum.

Re the cat - don't know much about cats but our dogs (both terriers so designed to chase vermin) loved the gps. They were very protective of them. We did take time to introduce them slowly though.

Yes maybe spiteful I do try and balance my time and attention between all three. I'm wary that the middle child often gets overlooked so I try very hard not to do that. I make an effort to treat her sometimes, take her for a milkshake or ice cream or whatever, or sit and watch something with her.

Is DD2 often awkward just for the sake of it?

Yes very! She has been struggling with teenage angst for some time. I was worried for a while she was depressed but the psychologist she sees says it is not clinical depression. It's just to do with social stuff. She's not very happy a lot of the time, but then at other times she's ok. It's very difficult.

Hi op. I highly reccomend giving a c&c cage a whirl for gps -especially as you have a room to devote to them.
You can get correx/coroplast from your local sign writers shop and the grids from Amazon (I think songmics is the current brand). Easy and cheap to do. A good option is fleece with towels underneath. Easy to wash and easy to clean out. Ours loved having their hay dumped into the middle of the cage for them to charge into. :)
www.guineapigcages.com/

Thanks pinga we did consider C&C but have bought a Ferplast cage.

Wow, I’m amazed at all the posters who think guinea pigs are great pets.
I have two- they’re wee bastards.
And they do stink. And I change the regularly.
I completely resent the space they take up in my house- which is why I’m building a new shed to house them outside.
Dd is so disappointed with them as they aren’t loving or cuddly or friendly.
They bite and they hate being handled. We put loads of effort into trying to socialise them when they were young but it’s obvious they find it really stressful.
And they aren’t cheap, easily £50 a month on bedding/hay/nuggets/fresh veg and treats.
It could be because they are boars though, I’ve since heard they are a bit miserable. Can’t send them back now though.....

Hi OP,

I wouldn't let your 15 year old dictate and that's coming from someone who hated (jealous) of her little sister growing up and would have said the same thing - we get on really well now!

We also had guinea pigs and they were fine with the cats (PP said there could be issues). We were always careful when they were in the same room together but eventually they took no notice of each other and the cats never went with the guinea pigs.

I found them very easy to look after and ours didn't smell anymore than the rabbits did - we had a lot of pets!