To get or not to get 2 guinea pigs

[beckik01]

Hello,
I would love to get my little boy2 guinea pigs. He's 3 and half and has always had an interest in the them.
Will he get fed up of them in a few years?
He's going to be an only child so want him to have something to look after and show affection and concern with.
Thanks

The golden rule is: Never get a child a pet unless you want the pet as you will be the one doing the care.

So many animals end up in rescues because the children lost interest. Children often express interest in loads of things but move on to the next thing quickly. There are many guinea pigs and rabbits largely ignored in hutches at the bottom of gardens because once the novelty wears off no one really wants them any more. So firstly don't get him pigs if you don't really want the responsibility. If he does lose interest, are you happy to spend 4-5 years looking after them?

Do your homework and research them. Pigs need a lot more room than you think. They can't really be outside in winter so will have to come indoors then. They can live several years. They are good kids pets as they're chatty and friendly. Many people are allergic (either to them or the hay) so try to get some exposure to some first to make sure everyone is okay with them.

Think about the care involved. They're messy things (constant pooing) and need almost daily cleaning out (takes me 10 minutes). They need fresh hay, water, nuggets and veg daily. Where would you put them? Who looks after them if you go away? Etc etc.

I think he's a bit young. My DS was ready on his sixth birthday and they're a bit of an armful for him even now. They can also nip so he needed to be old enough to 'tame' them a bit (they like him now). They also need their indoor hutch (in winter) clearing out weekly and that is a job for 5/6 onwards IMO.

Comical little pets though! They're obsessed with where their next carrot is coming from and do an 'I'm dying!!' shriek if breakfast is late.

We’ve just got some for our seven and four year olds (and ourselves!) and the four year old is definitely the more interested of the two and has remained so. I do the main looking after but they are very willing helpers.

They fill their food bowls and water bottles and put fresh bedding in while I take away the dirty stuff.

They are quite a bit of extra work, I waited until the children were not quite so much work themselves to get them so I knew I’d have the capacity.

Mine are outside at the moment, I’m doing a full clear out and clean weekly but a mini clear out every other day, and spot cleans in between as necessary. Also making time to try and bond with them daily as they are quite new it takes a lot of patience that my kids just about have.

It’s a bit of a headache what plans we are going to make for them when the weather turns as well.

The kids do love them though and are really enjoying them so glad we did it.