Any guinea pig owners out there?

Chantilly0379

Chantilly0379

Cajun Mama
Apr 2, 2009
2,434
4
#1
My son has been begging us for a guinea pig for the past year so I finally broke down and decided to get him (2) for his birthday...now we;ll be up to (5) pets...(1) toy poddle, (2) cats (2) guinea pigs and A partridge in a pear tree...lol (couldn't resist):lol:

If you have/had them whats your experience.
 
#2
There is a guinea pig thread in this subforum, here's the link :smile:
http://forum.purseblog.com/animalicious/guinea-pig-topic-633929.html

I've owned Guinea Pigs since I was five (now 21), I think they are an excellent pet for younger children, however just a few things to consider- make sure you have a proper cage for your guineas, and emphasise to your son that it cannot be left unattended since you have cats and a dog. Pigs live on average about 5yrs but I've had some that were 8-9yrs old when they passed away. They don't do well in very hot or very cold climates and need plenty of fresh vegies/fruit in their diet (as well as dry food, you can look up on any guinea pig website what fruits etc. are okay).

Make sure you get either 2 boys or 2 girls ;) They're hardy animals but just teach your son he does need to be gentle, and not to drop/throw them back into their cage.
And if it makes you feel better, when we were breeding guineas, we had- 2 dogs, 2 cats, 17 guineas, 3 birds, 2 frogs and plenty of fish... so you're not alone on the animal front hehe!

Btw, if you have any questions about guineas just PM me or post on this thread! :smile:
 
#3
jen_sparro said:
There is a guinea pig thread in this subforum, here's the link :smile:
http://forum.purseblog.com/animalicious/guinea-pig-topic-633929.html

I've owned Guinea Pigs since I was five (now 21), I think they are an excellent pet for younger children, however just a few things to consider- make sure you have a proper cage for your guineas, and emphasise to your son that it cannot be left unattended since you have cats and a dog. Pigs live on average about 5yrs but I've had some that were 8-9yrs old when they passed away. They don't do well in very hot or very cold climates and need plenty of fresh vegies/fruit in their diet (as well as dry food, you can look up on any guinea pig website what fruits etc. are okay).

Make sure you get either 2 boys or 2 girls ;) They're hardy animals but just teach your son he does need to be gentle, and not to drop/throw them back into their cage.
And if it makes you feel better, when we were breeding guineas, we had- 2 dogs, 2 cats, 17 guineas, 3 birds, 2 frogs and plenty of fish... so you're not alone on the animal front hehe!

Btw, if you have any questions about guineas just PM me or post on this thread! :smile:
Click to expand...


Thanks for the info!
 
#4
Ive had 8 lol. (No, they didnt die... it was an unplanned breeding program)... Its very hard to tell the sex when its a small baby, so instead of two girls it turned out to be a boy and a girl.

Guinea pigs are GREAT pets. They dont bite or scratch and they can get very tame (mine (the male we had) used to follow me around when I set him down on the floor, and if I sat down on the floor with him he'd jump on my lap.

You dont write how old your son is, but it is important that he has an understanding of how frail they are. Like I said: they dont bite or scratch and many children have on accident killed their guinea pigs by being too affectionate.

They are fun pet and Im sure he'll love them:biggrin:

I do recormend seeing if you can find adult "pigs"... when they are young they can be skiddish and an impatient child might have trouble turning the young animal into a playfriend. An adult pig will be relaxed and pretty much put up with anything as far as play and being carried and lifted.

Good luck.
 
#5
I've had 5 guinea pigs, no longer do but I have had the best experience with them, very big cuddle monsters, but I suggest you get a food scale and monitor their weight, because GP's when they get sick they go down hill very quickly and the very first sign is weight loss. Make sure you are providing them with plenty of Vitamin C (DO NOT DO THE VITA DROPS) that you put in their water, when the water is exposed to sunlight the drops aren't very effective so stick with plenty of fresh veggies and fruits. Make sure you aren't using pine shavings as their bedding, this can cause allergic reactions in the pigs and irritate their eyes, stick with carefresh bedding which is recycled news paper.
If you have any more questions I'd be happy to help!!!!
 
#6
New piggies
 

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#7
jen_sparro said:
There is a guinea pig thread in this subforum, here's the link :smile:
http://forum.purseblog.com/animalicious/guinea-pig-topic-633929.html

I've owned Guinea Pigs since I was five (now 21), I think they are an excellent pet for younger children, however just a few things to consider- make sure you have a proper cage for your guineas, and emphasise to your son that it cannot be left unattended since you have cats and a dog. Pigs live on average about 5yrs but I've had some that were 8-9yrs old when they passed away. They don't do well in very hot or very cold climates and need plenty of fresh vegies/fruit in their diet (as well as dry food, you can look up on any guinea pig website what fruits etc. are okay).

Make sure you get either 2 boys or 2 girls ;) They're hardy animals but just teach your son he does need to be gentle, and not to drop/throw them back into their cage.
And if it makes you feel better, when we were breeding guineas, we had- 2 dogs, 2 cats, 17 guineas, 3 birds, 2 frogs and plenty of fish... so you're not alone on the animal front hehe!

Btw, if you have any questions about guineas just PM me or post on this thread! :smile:
Click to expand...

Serina said:
Ive had 8 lol. (No, they didnt die... it was an unplanned breeding program)... Its very hard to tell the sex when its a small baby, so instead of two girls it turned out to be a boy and a girl.

Guinea pigs are GREAT pets. They dont bite or scratch and they can get very tame (mine (the male we had) used to follow me around when I set him down on the floor, and if I sat down on the floor with him he'd jump on my lap.

You dont write how old your son is, but it is important that he has an understanding of how frail they are. Like I said: they dont bite or scratch and many children have on accident killed their guinea pigs by being too affectionate.

They are fun pet and Im sure he'll love them:biggrin:

I do recormend seeing if you can find adult "pigs"... when they are young they can be skiddish and an impatient child might have trouble turning the young animal into a playfriend. An adult pig will be relaxed and pretty much put up with anything as far as play and being carried and lifted.

Good luck.
Click to expand...

Jeannam2008 said:
I've had 5 guinea pigs, no longer do but I have had the best experience with them, very big cuddle monsters, but I suggest you get a food scale and monitor their weight, because GP's when they get sick they go down hill very quickly and the very first sign is weight loss. Make sure you are providing them with plenty of Vitamin C (DO NOT DO THE VITA DROPS) that you put in their water, when the water is exposed to sunlight the drops aren't very effective so stick with plenty of fresh veggies and fruits. Make sure you aren't using pine shavings as their bedding, this can cause allergic reactions in the pigs and irritate their eyes, stick with carefresh bedding which is recycled news paper.
If you have any more questions I'd be happy to help!!!!
Click to expand...


Introducing Carly & Samatha...my son is 6. I only let him enteract with them when I'm around. I don't really allow him to pick them up. I've been taking them out of their cage everyday and letting him play with them on the floor in an enclosed area and I give him treats to give to them so they can get use to him, like bell peppers, carrots & starwberries.
 

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#9
I just thought I would add, I had one and my cousins had one from the same litter.
My aunt keeps her house very cool, and hers had stunted growth and was sick a lot.. they need to be kept in a warn environment. They are, after all from tropical climates.
 
#10
Too cute. Congrats on the new pigs. We have one we got in early fall. He's a crack up...cuddles, kisses, runs laps in his cage. The first I've ever had, and I'm delighted with his/her personality and socializing.
 
#13
I want some guineas but my bf told me I had to choose between getting cats and getting guineas so I chose the cats. Hes just a meany!!!! Trouble is if he wasnt here I would probably end up with a house full of all sorts so its probably best he draws a line (I wouldnt)

I have told him that when we have kids later on in life I am getting them guinea pigs as pets. Clearly I will have to deal with most of their care but they will be for the kids, honest :angel:
 
#15
Guinea pigs are SUCH great pets. I had 2 when I was a kid and still love them. They're much hardier, gentler, and sweeter than hamsters. I find compared to a lot of rodents, they actually have quite distinct little personalities.

The biggest thing is to make sure you hold them properly-you always have to support their bum when you pick them up rather than just grabbing them by the middle.
 
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