Experiences with guinea pigs?

[mamaandthegirls]

We are considering getting our DD’s 2 guinea pigs (they’re 3 and 5) and want to know your experiences (good and bad please!) on them? Do they make good pets? Are you able to keep them outside, or is inside best for them? How do you clean their cages out? Best places to get cages? Do they bite?! EVERYTHING and every detail! They won’t stop bleating on about these bloody guinea pigs they want us to get

GPs dare quite fearful skittery things. I would suggest a hamster instead. Much friendlier.

We have had GPs for 3 years and although they don’t mind being petted they don’t love it. They have never bitten and the like to eat from our hands.

We have a 2 storey hutch which needs cleaning at least every fortnight. It’s a smelly job but fairly easy. Takes about 1 hour.

They are lovely pets and soon get used to being held and stroked/combed. They need a good hutch and a covered run in the garden, preferably one you can move around so they can nibble the grass. Cleaning the hutch weekly is a smelly job but not too unpleasant. They do need some shelter or good insulation in the winter though.

I have had both and currently have 3 guinea boy pigs.
Depends on how much time you have and space. Guinea pigs do need more time as cages bigger and it’s better to give them a run as well so they be free. Nehemiah they k or you hen can be really friendly .
Hamsters are cute but can nip if not trained well.

I couldn't disagree more with the comment above. They get to know you quickly, and start to enjoy being handled once they know you. They make cute noises and enjoy being on your knee and brushed. They seem to all have their own sweet personalities, and make cute little chattering noises. I think they're fabulous pets for kids.

However, I wouldn't recommend them At ages 3 and 5, unless you're prepared to do all the feeding and cleaning. The reality is although my kids love playing with them and cuddling them, I get to do all the looking after of them! I clean the hutch once a week, with fresh sawdust and hay, and top up food, water and hay daily. In winter the hutch goes into the shed. I wouldn't want them in the house as they do stink a bit. They do come into the house for a run around and play sometimes. They go out on the lawn in their run to eat grass, 3 or 4 times a week. So they're pretty low maintenance.

From experience with my 4 year old I would say they don't particularly like having bows put in their fur ha ha.

Bloody hell Toomanydicks - If your comment was aimed at me please do realise my message didn’t come through clearly as you can probably see. I was actually saying Guinea pigs were better for younger children.
All animals should be treated with respect and given a good life - a little run around in winter and bows in their hair isn’t really appropriate 😊

Awww their little squeaks are so cute!😻

Sorry, no offence meant. Tone doesn't always come across in text does it? Ha ha.

Should have clarified, it was in regards to the comment about them being skittish. Not our experience at all. Totally agree, they're lovely for young kids.

They are a lot of work cleaning wise if keeping them indoors. They will have to be left alone while they settle in which might be hard with young kids. They are very cute though. Mine don't really like to be picked up but like being hand fed and a quick rub.

Oh and the poop a LOT. When I used to read that I didn't take any notice but my God do they poo.
Also think what you do with them on holidays. They can't be left alone for long periods as need access to a lot of hay and some veg.

We have 2 boys. They were good together with the odd scuffle but one has ripped the others ear open so had to seperate them. Luckily they have a c&c cage so I have had the ability to reconfigure it so they are in the same cage next to each other but cannot physically hurt each other. They are also skitty but fine once picked up and come for treats. They are incredibly noisy at a rustle of a bag or the fridge door opening as they ALWAYS want more food. Rememger they live upwards of 6 years too so not a short turn around pet. We love them but we won't be getting any more as they take a lot of space. We keep ours indoors in our living room on fleece which needs swept daily and washed every week sometimes twice weekly depending on how messy they have been. They are not really an easy pet to look after. You also need to ensure their nails are clipped and if they are long haired they are brushed and checked for mats. Also boys can need grease glands on their bum cleaned. Girls may be easier but standard cages you buy will not be big enough. We have spent hundreds on ours so far and no doubt the cost will continue to increase!

Ours are amazing. We have two girls who get on wonderfully. We got them out every day for a cuddle when we got them and they are super tame and friendly. They squeak when begging for food and take it out of our hand. They are skittish when getting them out but as soon as you have hold of them they settle and sit quite happily on mine or the kids knees. I put them on a cushion for the kids. When they were babies they would move a bit but now just sit for as long as we have them out and make cute little chirpy noises when stroked. We have an indoor cage and clean it once a week to prevent smells. I think having them indoors has made them tamer but if we had them outside they would be fine. They don't cost a huge amount, especially as we learnt to trim their nails ourselves.

We have 2 girl guinea pigs & we keep them outside in a playhouse. They are lovely pets & my 10yo dd does most of the caring for them and has since she got them on her 9th birthday. I think they are a great starter pet but they do poo a lot! We put warmers in with them in the winter & put them in a run outside when we are around in the summer.
We recently lost one of our original gps which was very sad & got a new one from pets at home and they were absolutely amazing. Great advice and follow up calls to make sure everything was going well. I was really impressed with their knowledge & care.

Go have a look and perhaps join up to theguineapigforum.co.uk Truly excellent website with extremely knowledgeable and authoritative specialists that you can ask questions and read the handy and informative guides on absolutely everything guinea piggy....oh and lots of cute pics too!

A lot of work. Not ideal for preschoolers.
Most shelters won’t rehome to you if your going to keep them outside as outside is too cold for them.

Depends on which part of the country you live in I think. Guinea pigs can live outside all year round but you must make sure you have a good sized hutch for exercise when it's too cold and wet to go out in a run on the grass. They don't tolerate changes in temperature well, eg taking them inside your home in the winter for a play and then put outside again in the hutch in the cold. It's important to insulate the hutch with a good cover, and pack it full of hay and put snugglesafe microwaveable heat pads. I like to do a bit of both inside in the winter as you get to know their personalities having them around you in the home, but they do love being out on the grass if you have a garden and munching away! I think like any pet, when you really care for them and you need to want them as much as the children do, It will be a lot of work, but they become a part of your family.

I've had 50+ guinea pigs in my life (I dabbled with breeding on a very small scale at one point).

No, they don't bite, unless they mistake fingers for food (so if you poke your finger in the cage). I never had a guinea pig bite me and draw blood, just the very occasionly nibble when they thought I was edible.. they are very greedy creatures!
They can be outside for part of the year, but not in all weathers. In winter it gets too cold and in summer they can suffer heatstroke.
They are nervous by nature so they do make good pets if you prefer a pet that will sit still and you can feed them by hand.
For cages I recommend c&c cages (google it!). Petstore cages and hutches just aren't big enough. Guinea pigs need quite a lot of room to 'popcorn (google this.. it's adorable!)

Don’t get any pet unless YOU want it.

@atalune Hamsters!? Friendly!? Friendly than guinea pigs!? 🤣 ...oh, you're not joking are you?

First time I've ever heard that. You must have been unlucky with guinea pigs, that's all I can say.

They will live longer than your children's interest in them!
They are a lot of work for not much reward unless you really love them yourself too.
They don't really like being mauled played withby young children.
They stink indoors even if you clean them regularly
When they are indoors you end up with a house full of bits of hay constantly.

Cute though

And one of ours does bite! It doesn't take your finger off but she can hurt if she's feeling grumpy or thinks you're food

My sister currently has 3 , 2 boys and 1 girl . Originally the girl came to us a singleton as she had been attacked as a baby and the boys were supposed to share a cage but they kept fighting ( well one kept attacking the nice one ) so they now all living alone but within view of each other to chat . They are indoor piggies except in good weather when they go out to graze in their runs . They are extremely tame and friendly but are creatures of routine and habit . I don’t think they make great pets for small children as they don’t do much and they do take a lot of work to get them really friendly . Rats make much the best caged pet for children , they are like little dogs , love humans and very rarely do you find a rat that bites .

@Nohomemadecandles
'They will live longer than your children's interest in them'
Not necessarily. I wouldn't say that like it's a fact.
My parents' bought guinea pigs when I was 4 (I was the youngest, so they weren't for me in particular). I never lost interest and by 13 I started breeding and exhibiting them (under my parents supervision of course). At 30 now and I just lost my last 2 piggies. For some children it can be the start of a hobby.🙂

We have had 2 lots of 2 girls. They live indoors and go in a covered run most days for a few hours. We’ve loved them, no biting and like being stroked. We bought little cat cushions for them to sit on which might be good for younger children. Chatty and very vocal for snacks. They do poop a lot but the poop is dry and not smelly but the urine is smelly. Ours have lived between 4 and 6 years.

Had them all my younger and adult life op.

They are delightful pets. They can be skittish as babies but are easily tamed, (I've never been bitten) and very tolerant generally of little ones and lots of handling (though if you're holding them for a while I would recommend a towel on the lap until they learn to hold it in a bit ).

They love routine and get to know when to expect food and all the noises that mean food and will squeak with excitement!

They also adore having the run of the house (if you're brave) or garden if it's a secure area and are so fun to watch.

As with any pet their nature and resilience health wise varies depending on the breed and the breeder, so I would recommend a bit of research before you buy.

Enjoy if you do

Thank you everyone for your replies! We ended up purchasing 2 girls and they’re absolutely adorable! So far so good. My kids have enjoyed them so far, but it’s mostly me who cleans them out etc 🤣

Their personalities have definitely come out more - light brown one is more confident and vocal
Dark brown one - more shy and nervous but none the less still adorable!