Are guinea pigs good pets for children?

[Dancergirl]

I keep reading conflicting advice about GPs. Some people say they make great pets and are very sociable affectionate creatures. But I have also read that due to the great amount of time involved, they aren't great pets for children.

Is it true you need 2 hours per day to care for them?

Also, we have a cat and I would be worried for small pets around her. Can you combine GPs with cats?

It depends on the cat, our cat's happily live with anything and everything (I foster small animals) some will constantly pester anything small and fury and attach if they get the chance. Guinea pigs are rarely given the space they need, unless you have a enclosed outside space for them to explore it are happy to give them time out of their cage in your house everyday I wouldn't recommend them.

Rats are the best small pets for small children by a country mile - and are equipped to stand up to curious cats, though wouldn’t fare well if the cat was predatory.

Guinea pigs have a bit of a prey animal mentality. You need to handle them loads to keep them cuddly.

Yes I agree rats make amazing pets.

They are lovely pets, I'm not sure if its the time that puts children off caring for them or the fact they are a bit (cover your eyes'n'ears here guineas) limited .
They don't climb or engage the way that rats do.
They are cuddly but you need to read the signs that they need to pee.

They are quite time consuming with all the cleaning, feeding, moving their outdoor runs and securing them,

If they are particularly shy (some are more confident than others) it takes a while to win them round.

If you already have a cat would a kitten be an option?

Mind you after writing all the negitives, I have to add that I love the pigs. DH wants cats when this group go across The Bridge but I'm not so keen to have cats again.

It is also worth noting that guinea pigs are not solitary animals. They prefer company. If you can't be the constant companionship they need, then you need two guinea pigs.

Love our GPs but they do make a mess and need cleaning out often - both of ours like being handled but really they just sit there until (as 70isa says) they need a wee - which happens often judging by the cage! They have fairly big bladders for there size and I have been the recipient of the content fairly often . Ours have an indoor cage (big) + an indoor run for wet weather and an outdoor run for the warmer weather so take up a lot of space. Plus they need feeding twice a day so going away is a problem.
The gerbils on the other hand use their sand bowl as a toilet so don't need cleaning out that often and can be left with a full bowl of food over the weekend while you go away. They also handle really well if it's done often enough and take up less space. The hamster needs checking every day as she drinks a lot but is also good to handle. Sort of in the middle effort wise.
Be warned though - whatever you get you will end up looking after it - however much your children promise that they will!!
Our cats would happily eat any of the other pets so are kept out of the room

Another vote for two GP's!

Also they are generally nervous creatures (I've seen some that are an exception) so depends on your DC age

You need a large space for them - don't even look at the pathetic cages you see in pets at home because they are NOT big enough!

We had guinea pigs for some years. I think they are lovely pets for children as they are large enough to be handled without crushing, unlike hamsters or gerbils. We had a portable outdoor run, which was placed in different positions on the lawn each day (almost making the mower redundant).
They need a supply of Vitamin C daily....grass, hay, dandelions.
Two non-pregnant females are best, as 2 males might fight, and females will mate with their new-born sons almost immediately.
Ours could hear my husband's scooter coming up the road, and would start tweeting before he was within human earshot.

eddie that's exactly why dd wants GPs - because they are bigger than other pets and more cuddly.

They are nice chunky beasts but because they are quite fragile it's best to wrap them in a towel for your DC to cuddle (also helps with the inevitible pee/poo ). They don't bite or scratch but they can be nervously so you can get the scrabbling claws, ours don;t like sitting on skin.
I had *one piggie who was gnaw-ey and when I collected her from Rescue she scratched my wrist trying to catch her but she was a terrified exBreeder . I'd asked for 2 feisty sows and that's what I got. She settled down well and we loved her to bits but I'd have never given her to a child to cuddle

Some are better to pick up, some you have to persue . Even after heaven knows how many years, my pigs are a nightmare to catch in their run (I have to send DD into the big run. GP6 hops into his housie so he's ok). Its better to corall them into a box or tunnel (we had HopInn tunnels which were brilliant , need to get another for summer) . They will usually head for shelter then you can secure them. I have never been bitten catching a guinea but some do squawk!

My DD is nearly 16, sometimes helps with the school piggies, and shows the pupils the way to handle the pigs. (We always say 'Two Hand Hog' one hand under the rump , one on the back to carry them)
Ours like to sit at your neck always on the left. If I cuddle 2 then the one on the right tries to shove the other pig off the left

They are lovely little souls. DD and I have had flu this last week so we've been useless PigMums. DH has been feeding the pigs (they're in the small bedroom next to me. They are noisy little critters especially as there's no door on their room) .
He's "I've cleaned the pigs/I've fed the pigs/text what to buy for the pigs".

They do take a couple or of hours a day at the start. I've got quicker at cleaning their cage so it doesn't take quite as long now. You need to remove their waste every morning and evening to keep the smell to an acceptable level and a complete clean out every 3 or 4 days. You also need to have time to handle them. I love watching mine running around, popcorning, chatting away to each other and exploring their surroundings. You can also go out for hours and they will be fine unlike some pets.
I would say good pets but they do take u a lot of time.

I love my two, it’s like having a pair of Trimble s that vibrate with delight when you cuddle them. My compost heap and garden benefit enormously from the dirty bedding and they recycle all sorts of veggie trimmings. Much more pleasant than hamsters, but I also agree that rats are great pets.

Spellcheck couldn’t handle ‘tribble ‘ as a word. Obviously not Trekkies then.

I just got two (no kids, I just wanted a pet) and I adore them. They nibble me and tell me if they’re not happy but actually I think they’d get on well with kids.

Head over to the guinea pig forum (google just that) for advice. Def get two but consider if you have room as they need big cages.

Thank you all.

Can I just ask where you all keep your GPs? We have plenty of outside space so I could get a massive hutch....but we don't really have anywhere inside they could go in the winter.

Someone told me they have a (£££) GP igloo which means they can stay outside all year.