Guinea pigs - talk to me!

[fluffynotebook]

Hi,
I'm thinking of getting Guinea pigs for my youngest daughter who's 9. She's very caring and loving and our family cat doesn't seem to want to go to her so she's been hankering after a pet of her own for some time. I've considered rats before but know they're more work due to them needing a lot of stimulation, I feel rabbits aren't that good at being handled and we've already had a hamster but they're a bit skittish so thought Guinea pigs might be the way to go. What are they like as pets? I've never owned them so any advice would be much appreciated! And should they go inside or outside? Thank you

Guinea pigs and a cat in the same house are probably not a good idea. Guinea pigs last 6-8 years so possibly worth thinking if she’d still be keen on them when shes 15/16/17 ? If not you might end up taking on the piggies 😂. My husband finds our piggies very loud and “squeaky” as they starts wheeking for food everytime the fridge opens but kids (14+16) and I find them very entertaining. It’s sometimes a chore to persuade the younger one to clean them out when necessary but the older one has no issues. All in all we love ours and they are a great addition to the family. Beware that they are not “starter pets” in the way that hamsters are. They require large cage areas to live in, access to fresh grass as often and possible and plenty of veggies inbetween. They also require brushing, nail clipping, weighing and hair trimming in a way that a hamster doesn’t. We love ours inside because they really feel part of the family and you get to see their personalities much more then when they are outside. Ours used to live outside but came in on a cold winters night and only go back out now when it’s sunny enough to put them on the grass to eat to their hearts desire.

Hope this helps !

I’ve had rats and my sister has indoor piggies and I don’t think rats are more work , they are a lot more interactive and fun though .

I am tempted with rats as I've heard boys are very cuddly and my DD would love this. How are they to look after?

We’ve had Rabbits , Guinea Pigs, Rats and Hamsters ( not all all at the same time !)
My now adult DC think that the Guinea Pigs were the most boring.
They loved the Rabbits and Rats as they had real characters and were the most interesting.
As the parent who did the majority of cleaning and feeding I’d say rats were easier as they were indoors - no going outside in the garden in all winds and weather.

Thanks for your reply this is really useful to know. I would adore rats as I've heard how lovely they are but kept reading they were harder to look after! If I've got two dcs, working full time etc will I have enough time? My DD would love a pet but I imagine she's going to need help only being 9 x

Guinea pigs need a big cage. Look up C&C cages to get an idea. Nothing you can buy in PAH is anywhere near big enough. They need constant access to hay which gets everywhere, and lots of fresh veg. Honestly, my dog and cats are cheaper to feed than the GPs were. They don’t use a litter tray or corner of the cage so you have a lot of washing of fleece liners for the cage etc. And mine all lived for min 6 years and the eldest for 9, so they’re a serious commitment.

Honestly, rats are easier. I’ve had all the small furries over the years and rats are by far my favourite. Again, they need a big cage and you need to get them from a breeder not a pet shop, but they are less of a commitment (sadly) as they only live 2-3 years and they have lovely personalities. They love people in a way that GPs just don’t, really.

I found rats and guinea pigs equally rewarding.

Guineas are alot of work, they also need lots of space. Not an easy pet. If you think rabbits are hard to handle then guineas aren’t for you.

My friend’s guineas (who I sometimes look after) don’t have a cage they have an enclosure (no lid) which takes up about a third of their lounge!
they also have a garden one which they are mostly in during the day April-October, but they sleep indoors

pampered pigs.

I can’t see how an open enclosure would work with a cat. Or how you could have a cat and guineas at all tbh unless they were going to be in the cage/hutch the whole time which would be mean.

I wouldn’t have outdoor guineas as frankly for much of the year they will get minimal interaction and IME they need a lot of interaction to get them friendly and confident . A couple of piggies will take up way more space indoors than a pair ( or 3 ) rats as the rats can have a large tall cage and guineas prefer one level .

We have a house rabbit and I would agree they are not the cuddliest of pets but ours is wonderful. He has a cage to sleep in at night but is in a big run in our lounge all day with free running souled at night. He is so clever and has such an awesome personality.

Long term guinea owner here. They are lovely and endearing but need more space than you might imagine (as a PP says, nothing from PAH will be big enough, C&C is the way to go) and their care does take up a reasonable amount of time. Best description I've ever read is that a guinea pig is a Labrador in rodent form - essentially sweet natured and fundamentally motivated by food

Any cage would absolutely need a lid - cats can and do kill guinea pigs- we have a sturdy lid on our C&C as we sadly lost a pig to a random cat attack when a cat got into our house without us realising.

Whatever pet you opt for, though, you absolutely need to be mindful that the responsibility will ultimately be yours. And that there is a strong possibility that your DD will lose interest (I once read a statistic quoting that 9 out of 10 DC will lose interest in any new small furry pet within 8 weeks of ownership). If that happens, are you happy to do all the animal care? And even if DD remains interested and engaged, a 9yo will need help, are you happy to do that?

I can't advise on any other small furries but for pigs, have a look at The Guinea PIg Forum as the advice on there is excellent. They have a whole section about information for new/wannabe pig owners, including a guide for parents and children. Definitely worth a look.

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/forums/new-and-wannabe-guinea-pig-owners-corner.52/

Fellow long term guinea-pig owner here .

I have two cats ( who are more independant but less friendly)
No way would I have had guinea-pigs and cats together , it isn't fair on either .

Guinea-pigs are amazing little animals but they are considered Exotic by Vets for good reason. You need to protect them from everything
Cold. Damp. Heat. Draughts . Can all kill them.
They need careful handling especially by children. My DD was 9yo when we got her boars .
They need a careful diet including loads of hay (messy) unlimited .
Vit C in veg and pellets
They cannot vomit . They are prone to bloat if they overdo grass

*They don't kick, jump, run fast or climb ( *some can do all of these though )
And though they have big rodenty teeth they rarely bite . Usually if they do the human deserves it .

You always get to the stage of one dies and you need another (The Guinea Pig Spiral) Our last three oldies were a boar (he'd lost his wives) and two bonded sows (who wouldn't bond with the boar) Over six months we lost one sow , married the other two , lost him then the last girl . She was our last one we decided we'd come to the end of piggies DD was 16-17 so I didn;t want more .

Your DD will say she;ll look after them and no doubt she will . But there will be times when you need to .
DD and I shared the guinea-pigs and the work . Sometimes she was at a sleepover , ill , doing himework . If that was the case I did them all ( we had 8 over eight years , at one point 5 in our herds ) .

They aren;t the most dynamic or exciting creatures . But seeing them dive into clean fresh haybeds , wheeking with joy . Or going out into their grass runs .
Made my heart leap .

Those tiny piglets in P@H in the perspex tanks . They look no trouble . But they grow . They are so so untidy (hay bloody everywhere) and they shouldn't be on shavings or sawdust , bad for their breathing .

Would you be averse to a second cat ?
Maybe a kitten ? I hear eveyone who has ginger boys say they're very affectionate but share one brain cell .

Our malecat adores my DD she is his No1 Favourite Person.
FemalCat adores DH .
DS is tolerated
I am viewed with utter contempt bordering on disgust !

I am whistful for the Guinea-Pigs Years at least I could bribe them and they were really motivated to be people pleasers . Cuddly till they wanted a pee then they wanted to go to their cage . Very chatty . (noisy)
Thick as Mince but that's part of their charm

Why would you even consider putting a cat with a natural form of prey in the same house? 1) the guinea pig (should be more than one anyway as they are herd animals) would be living in constant fear - and 2) of the cat does get your daughters new pet, surely she would be traumatised? Why not add another cat or kitten to the family instead?