Talk to me about guinea pigs

[Anonymous]

Us: a family of four (7 year old and 4 year old). I grew up with lots of dogs, as well as the occasional hamster and rat. I love animals. This is the longest I've gone without a pet in my life (6 years now since our dog passed away.). My oldest (7), clearly has the animal compassion I do. Huge heart, loves any and all of them, and has been begging us for a pet.

We have determined that a dog is not an option now. We don't have a fenced yard, DH travels for work a lot, and I simply can't walk a dog and two kids constantly, nor do I really want to hire a full time dog walker.

After a lot of research, we're thinking of adopting a pair of guinea pigs. Honestly, I go back and forth. I can't make up my mind. There are many benefits to having a pet free zone. At the same time, I don't want my kids to grow up without a pet, and learning how to interact and be responsible for animals. (And I also totally have the itch to care for a pet again)

For those of you who have had guinea pigs - what are your thoughts? I'm prepared to clean the cage once per week/as needed and don't plan to put that on my kids. What is their food intake like? Did they ever prevent you from traveling? How about vets? Is there a vet in the NW DC/MoCo area that sees Guinea pigs? I know so much about dogs, but nothing firsthand about guinea pigs.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

We got Guinea Pigs 2 years ago and they are ALOT more work than I thought.
First you have to clean the cage atleast twice a week, unless you are prepared for a powerful smell!!!!! Today I spent more time than I would care to admit cleaning their cage (I take them outside and put them in the outside cage I purchased from Wayfair while I clean the cage. Then I take out the old bedding and soak the bottom and the other plastic pieces in water and vinegar to disinfect.) And the bedding is not cheap!
They need veggies twice a day, along with a constant supply of pellets and hay... and the hay gets EVERYWHERE!!!!! Oh - don't forget to put vitamin C drops in their water bottle.
Not only did I clean the cage today, but I also gave them both a bath outside... because you are suppose to do that too; along with trimming their nails!! If you are gone for longer than an overnight you need someone to come in and feed them. If we do a weekend trip I usually leave a couple extra carrots Saturday am and then give them veggies on Sunday night.
My suggestion is to get a hamster unless you have the time... and they are social creatures. So they should be out and about for around 30 minutes a day

[Anonymous]

Such great insight - thank you, PP

[Anonymous]

OP, also - don't forget their daily vitamin (you get it at the petstore and put it in their food - it is liquid). And never put them in water - they get pneumonia very easily and will die from it, FYI. Found out the hard way (giving a shallow bath).

[Anonymous]

We had 2 and I HATED THEM!!! So much work. Hamsters were way easier.

[Anonymous]

We had them when I was young. They aren't that fun, and they live a very long time. Ours lived 7 years!

[Anonymous]

We have had them and they are a lot more work then you think. Me and my daughter were both allergic to the hay. Ours although never bit also were not very enthusiastic about being held. Very skiddish. We ultimately did rehome them do to not being able to find anyone to watch them while on vacation.

On a side note a hamster is super easy compared. And we've left our hamster with an extra water bottle and bowl of food with no problems. Mainly because they could care less about you.

If a dog is out of the question and you truly want a pet I suggest a cat. Very easy compared to Guinea pigs and loving. We had a cat for over 10 years and we would leave her while on vacation. Never a problem. Although I'm sure I'll be bashed for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We had 2 and I HATED THEM!!! So much work. Hamsters were way easier.

Same here (although no hamster). Hate guinea pigs. Super skittish and stinky.

[Anonymous]

They can be a little stinky. They're not that noisy. Good pets.

[Anonymous]

We had two. The kids didn't play with them much because they are totally boring. The box stinks, and you need a huge one to comfortably house two. What about a couple of kittens from the shelter? Extremely low maintenance (just scoop the box every couple days, kids can do it), and infinitely more interesting. They can also be very affectionate. I prefer dogs also, but cats are a good alternative with your busy lifestyle. The only good thing about the guinea pigs was they only lived four years!!

[Anonymous]

We have two and they are great. So much easier than a dog. I hose the cage down once a week - maybe 20 min or so? Our kids handle them a lot. They are 8 and 6 years old, we've had the GPs about 1.5 years.

[Anonymous]

We have two - I love them! I bonded with them more than my kid did.

[Anonymous]

I have had guinea pigs for more than 10 years. They are so easy. I have a big cage (6 ft by 2 ft) for just 1 guinea pig. Though people say guinea pigs are social, somehow I always end up with pigs that hate being with other pigs. So far all my pigs learn to pee/poop at 1 single corner of the cage so I just put a tub filled with pine shavings (at least 4 inches deep) in that corner and change out the pine shavings when it gets dirty. The rest of the cage gets spot cleaning when it gets dirty. As for food, if you get quality pellets, you do not have to feed any vitamins. Fresh vegetables every day, though they will not fall sick even if you skip a few weeks of fresh vegetables. The key is unlimited hay. I stuff a the hay into a big box to prevent hay from going everywhere.

They need "special" vets, my vet is out in Purceville but I know Pender Vet in Fairfax does have vets who specialize in guinea pigs.

They have never prevented me from going on vacation. The longest I was gone was 3 weeks. I stocked the cage with multiple water bottles, multiple boxes of hay and a big bowl of pellets. I did have people come by to just check on them once a week. When I came home, the cage was dirty but pig was perfectly happy. I just got a bunny this year after my last pig passed away. If you think pig stinks, wait till you get a bunny.

If you handle your guinea pig enough, they will not be skittish. All my pigs knew to call when they saw me every day near feeding time to "remind" me to feed them.

[Anonymous]

A dust buster is useful for cleaning up their poop.

You need C&C caging with the specially lined fleece bedding. Costs around $250 to set up the housing.

[Anonymous]

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.