Addressing guinea pig misconceptions through story

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OM91

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Hi. Primary school teacher here. I've been looking at guinea pig books for my class and have been pretty shocked by the misconceptions about guinea pig care that are accentuated.

With this in mind, I thought about writing a book for children that actually shows the real care that guinea pigs need, especially as families seen to often buy them under the mistaken belief that they're low-maintenance.

I've started noting common misconceptions but was wondering if there are any particular points that experienced owners feel should be addressed?
 
Personally I've noticed a very unrealistic expectation of how quickly they should be settling, forming bonds etc with their humans. For some piggies it takes years! Especially in a household with loud children. And this is often misinterpreted, even by adults, as their new furry family members hating them, as opposed to just being genetically predisposed to believing everything is going to eat them. I think a lot less piggies would end up in rescues if their owners were able to form meaningful bonds with them by not rushing.

I feel a lot of impulse acquisition of piggies wouldn't happen if people understood the realities of forming a close bond with a prey animal as opposed to what they see on social media, too. It would be nice to see people understanding that adopting adults from rescues who are already a bit more settled in life with people can (and most often is) a better fit for their family, rather than purchasing skittish little babies from petshops who are still learning to be guinea pigs away from their piggy family unit, but do so just because they're 'cute'.

It might be a bit of an advanced topic for a children's book but it's important when bonding too, to learn the difference between a genuine bond that both parties enjoy, instead of learned helplessness from flooding the little piggy with unwanted attention they can't escape from, until they sit and allow whatever attention is thrown at them, although I'm sure the basic concept could be simplified for kids :)
 
Eriathwen said:
Personally I've noticed a very unrealistic expectation of how quickly they should be settling, forming bonds etc with their humans. For some piggies it takes years! Especially in a household with loud children. And this is often misinterpreted, even by adults, as their new furry family members hating them, as opposed to just being genetically predisposed to believing everything is going to eat them. I think a lot less piggies would end up in rescues if their owners were able to form meaningful bonds with them by not rushing.

I feel a lot of impulse acquisition of piggies wouldn't happen if people understood the realities of forming a close bond with a prey animal as opposed to what they see on social media, too. It would be nice to see people understanding that adopting adults from rescues who are already a bit more settled in life with people can (and most often is) a better fit for their family, rather than purchasing skittish little babies from petshops who are still learning to be guinea pigs away from their piggy family unit, but do so just because they're 'cute'.

It might be a bit of an advanced topic for a children's book but it's important when bonding too, to learn the difference between a genuine bond that both parties enjoy, instead of learned helplessness from flooding the little piggy with unwanted attention they can't escape from, until they sit and allow whatever attention is thrown at them, although I'm sure the basic concept could be simplified for kids :)
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Thank you for this. This is really helpful.

This did cross my mind. I was thinking that it's important to show how human behaviour can distress them and how the piggie's apparent lack of response actually masks a very real and substantial fear.
 
What a wonderful idea! I apologise if this is a little obvious but my first thought is just the amount of hay they need. A handful in a hay rack is just not enough. And yes we know that a big hay pile is messy but it is just such a fundamental basic health and enrichment need.
 
Zanzan said:
What a wonderful idea! I apologise if this is a little obvious but my first thought is just the amount of hay they need. A handful in a hay rack is just not enough. And yes we know that a big hay pile is messy but it is just such a fundamental basic health and enrichment need.
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Thank you for this. This is a good idea. I've added that into my first draft but need to make the recommended amount more obvious. Thank you for that!
 
Piggies&buns said:
They may be small but they need a lot of room from the beginning. Thinking you can get a small cage initially and then getting a bigger one as they grow is not a good idea
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Thank you! I've added in references to space and not having room to run or zoom.
 
Some vets (I had one!) told me to stop syringe feeding one of my piggies who wasn't eating for herself as I would fill up her tummy so she wouldn't want to eat as her tummy would be full. That may be how it works with dogs and cats but not piggies. Piggies need to be constantly eating and if they don't you have to do it for them.
 
The cost of vet care. So many people think they are cheap pets. I have had years when the vet bills have run into thousands of pounds. These days a scan can easily cost £1,000 and an xray at my vets is now £500.
 
What a lovely idea to write a book.
I completely agree with the others’ suggestions for what to include,
so my contribution is;

Good illustrations, either photos or drawn help make a book readable and attention holding.
Is it aimed at adults or children ?
Is it a story that teaches as well, or an informative book ?
 
Thank you for all your replies. It's really useful. The aspects of veterinary treatment would be useful to include.

It's going to be a picture book aimed at children (I'm very lucky to have an extremely talented artist as a girlfriend) with rhyming sentences.

It's often children who ask for guinea pigs so I thought targeting them as an audience would address the misconceptions at source.
 
Here are a few extracts so far:

"At least his bottles of water were there,
Hanging on the cage as a crystal glass pair.

But as he approached one, it was much too low.
He couldn't reach the bottle for the water to flow.

He tried the other bottle. It was much too high.
He sat and looked thirstily as time dragged by."

"His bedding was fleece, as soft as wool.
His cage was kept clean twice a day and stayed cool.

But when it was cold, his owner made sure
That he stayed nice and warm. He wasn't sad any more."

"The hay that he had wasn't just a pile
But a nice, big mountain that made him smile.

He ate his veggies - half a cupful a day -
But he couldn't get enough of that timothy hay!"
 
This sounds like a great idea for preventing neglected “children’s pets”!
I think something that is quite important and often misunderstood is the fact that guinea pigs are prey animals, most of them will never enjoy being held and it is much better to find ways of interacting with them in the cage/during floor time.
 
Funny you should say that! I've just been writing more where his owner strokes him in the cage and uses a bed to lift him out of the cage rather than grabbing him.
 
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