Talk to me about guinea pigs

[Anonymous]

^^Forgot about vets. There is one in Georgetown that does exotic pets. The biggest hassle has been getting nails clipped. There are Petcos that do this for guinea pigs but none we have found in DC and close in Maryland. So we have to have the vet clip his nails. There is also a vet on Wilson Boulevard in Bethesda that does exotics.

[Anonymous]

They poop. A LOT. Get a Chinchilla instead. They are much cleaner and easier to take care of, and MUCH less stinky!

[Anonymous]

Our daughter had one and loved it (and honestly, we liked the little guy too), but it only lived for four years and his death was a shock to both us and the kids. There's life lessons for kids when a beloved pet dies, but it came waaaay sooner than we wanted to deal with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They poop. A LOT. Get a Chinchilla instead. They are much cleaner and easier to take care of, and MUCH less stinky!

PP with guinea pig and rabbit. We also had a chinchilla as well and what this poster says is true. So dainty and clean--very much easier from that aspect. However, she was very skittish, wild almost, and not really an animal one could play with. IME chinchillas are rarely docile.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have one and he is very friendly--mostly because he is handled a lot. My DD calls him her therapig. He loves watching TV and will sit very still for hours watching. Football especially rivets him. She does all the feeding and cleaning--once a week for the cage.

When we acquired him we also had a very gentle rabbit and they lived together. When she died we got another rabbit, but male and he was too territorial so they have to be in separate cages.

We do put them in a pen to play together, which sometimes goes well depending on the rabbit's mood. We were concerned because of the well known social needs of guinea pigs but because he is so human friendly and gets lots of interaction he doesn't seem the worse for not having a cage mate.

This sounds wonderful, I love that he watches tv with your DD!

I think you have to handle them a ton, very gently, and very consistently, so they get used to being handled.

[Anonymous]

Loved our Guinea pig. Such a sweet anima and good vibe from him. Miss him every day.

[Anonymous]

OP here. This has been immensely helpful - thank you all. I'm still leaning towards adopting a pair. Question: would it work to have them in my daughter's bedroom? The only other option would be down in our basement, with less social interaction. (We only go downstairs for laundry and such.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They poop. A LOT. Get a Chinchilla instead. They are much cleaner and easier to take care of, and MUCH less stinky!

Or a ferret! They use a litter box.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. This has been immensely helpful - thank you all. I'm still leaning towards adopting a pair. Question: would it work to have them in my daughter's bedroom? The only other option would be down in our basement, with less social interaction. (We only go downstairs for laundry and such.)

We kept ours in the family room. They *can* make nose at night banging the water bottle or whistling if they hear noise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. This has been immensely helpful - thank you all. I'm still leaning towards adopting a pair. Question: would it work to have them in my daughter's bedroom? The only other option would be down in our basement, with less social interaction. (We only go downstairs for laundry and such.)

How big is her bedroom? Needs to be BIG.

http://www.guineapigcagesstore.com/standard-guinea-pig-cages

[Anonymous]

How about a cat?

[Anonymous]

They are disgusting. They eat crap out of each other's bottoms. They throw pee coated padding everywhere. Their cages are hard to clean. They do not cuddle. The chew wires if left out. Nobody will watch them for you, so you will find yourself dragging their nasty cage with you on trips indefinitely. And, if you take care of them properly, the live well past the three year life expectancy. Don't do it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. This has been immensely helpful - thank you all. I'm still leaning towards adopting a pair. Question: would it work to have them in my daughter's bedroom? The only other option would be down in our basement, with less social interaction. (We only go downstairs for laundry and such.)

You would put it in your daughter's room. Gross! They smell like pee and throw crap everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. This has been immensely helpful - thank you all. I'm still leaning towards adopting a pair. Question: would it work to have them in my daughter's bedroom? The only other option would be down in our basement, with less social interaction. (We only go downstairs for laundry and such.)

We have the cage in my DS's room. haven't had any problems. It's been better for social interaction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. This has been immensely helpful - thank you all. I'm still leaning towards adopting a pair. Question: would it work to have them in my daughter's bedroom? The only other option would be down in our basement, with less social interaction. (We only go downstairs for laundry and such.)

They are very social animals. If you go the rescue route, do NOT tell them you're thinking of putting them in the basement. They want to hear that you'll put them in the family room.