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Advice before committing to buying guinea pig

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tinky75

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Sorry I was unsure where to post this thread...

I would like a little advice and thought you as owners of guinea pigs could best advise me!

I am thinking of purchasing a guinea pig for my daughter who is 5. Our cat (whom she loved dearly) died couple of months ago and I have been thinking of another pet for her. She is still young and I would never ever leave her unsupervised with any pet, so I know that I will also be the one to look after the pet! My first thought was a hamster, but a few people have said that guinea pigs are a good favourite with young children.

Now, we do have another cat, an older one, but he keeps himself to himself, is out most of the time (when this snow goes!). The place where he would be kept indoors is a place where my cat goes, but only when we are in the house, the cat is already used to being kicked out of the room everytime we leave the house and through the night. The cat has a cosy room during the night and access to the catflap all night and therefore would never be alone with the guinea pig. I just wondered if any of you also have a cat as well as a guinea pig and wondered if it worked! I would never let the guinea pig out loose with the cat.

Where it is best to keep a guinea pig, I know they need a lot of exercise, so of course in the warmer weather I will purchase an outdoor pen for the garden, but can they be kept in the house? And if they are downstairs or in a bedroom? I have seen indoor cages but didn't know what was best and whether they should be in a secure outdoor cage.

Just one more question, I read they are best kept in pairs, is that a must or can they be alone? I want to be sure I do the right thing.

Apologies for the long post!
Tinky
 
This is a guinea pig rescue center, you get guinea pigs that are unwanted, there, but you can adopted them, you need a cage/hutch, newspaper, bedding, hay, a water bottle and bowl, need more help, just ask!

Guinea Pig Shelter
Manchester. Rescuing and rehoming guinea pigs and rabbits. Tel: 07969 871471, Email: [email protected]
 
hi welcome to the forum,i wondered if you`d consider rescuing a guinea pig rather than buying from a pet shop as there are so many beautiful piggies in need of a home and with rescue you are guaranteed the animal comes to you in a good healthy condition wheras a lot of animals from pet shops can have problems.
guinea pigs are great pets although I'm not sure they are what could be called a pet for children,piggies dont always like to be cuddled,they prefer to run free by themselves and there are only certain places they like to be stroked.they can be quite lazy and boring at times although they have their crazy moments.
my piggies live inside i have an indoor cage but I'm also going to make my own c&c cage.
they are social animals so are best in pairs, again this is best done from a rescue as they know how to bond, you cant just throw piggies together as some dont get on.
there are a few members on here with cats who tend to look at the pigs but keep their distance.
its great you are looking into it before just goin and buying them there are loads of threads on here about diet,housing health etc any questions just shout as someone will help you
 
Hiya, welcome. It's great you are asking questions so you know what you are committing yourself too. Hopefully annswers to your questions: Yes you can keep a cat, I do and so do lots of others, you seem to have that sorted. Yes guinea pigs should be kept in pairs, they are by nature pack animals and love company of their own kind. Yes, guineas are good kept indoors. Outside, particularly in this weather is not good. For two guineas you would need a 4' cage, to give them plenty of space to run around in. Good to have a run for them to use in the warmer weather. Where you situate the cage is up to you really, away from drafts, not is direct sunlight, in the room with you, bedroom, living room, wherever you have space. Finally and MOST IMPORTANT, please have rescue guinea pigs, we have so many looking for homes. Take a look at these website www.becklenguineapigrescue.co.uk and www.sokelguineapigrescue.com I am just down the road from you and foster for both. Also check out the Rescue and Rehoming section here, there are some lovely guineas looking for forever homes. x
 
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I would definitely get a pair (obviously not a boy/girl combination unless one has been done). They are very social animals and would prefer a friend than to solely rely on you for attention/company.

Mine are kept in the lounge currently in a cage however I feel it is too small for my 2 boys and so am going to build a NIC cube cage. These are a great idea and I wish I had heard about them before buying a cage. You should look into them. You can have them any size or shape you like and you can have them closed at the top to stop any over-friendly cat :)

I don't think children should have them as pets to be honest as they lose interest or don't handle them correctly so all the work and care will fall to you, you seem to be aware of this anyway which is good.

Have you thought about getting guineas from a rescue?

I wish you the best of luck in finding your new pet/s, guinea's are wonderful, funny animals and so entertaining to watch. I'm actually training one of mine to turn in a circle on command and you can see he is getting it :) so cute. My other boy is a bimbo so no chance of him grasping the concept :))
 
Guinea's and Cats

Hi, I have a cat and a guinea pig. My guinea pig lives outside in the summer and there are loads of cats around our area, the pigs do not seem bothered buy the cats at all and the cats pay very little attention to the pigs, any interest appears more like curiosity! My cat Bella shows little interest in Max now she is used to him and they are fine together inside. Saying that I don't let Bella in the room that Max is in overnight and make sure he is well secure if I am not around, you can never be too sure. I am keeping Max indoors in our utility, which is not too hot, as they don't cope well if it's too warm. Also it's a room I am in and out of regularly - but quiet enough that he can get some peace!

I did have 2 guinea pigs and they definitely enjoy each others company - they played together and you'd hear them squeaking away to each other. Sadly we very recently lost Chip, which was just devestating. I plan on adopting another very soon as I really do feel Max is lonely - and Chip was more dominant of the 2.


Guinea pigs are lovely pets with great tempraments and their own little personalities -I got my 2 for my boys having never owned before but I have fallen completely in love with them too! You have done the right thing finding this website - we lost Chip through bad advice I was given at a pet shop and I only wish I had found the forum sooner, as well as trusting my own instincts. I have learned a lot just reading through posts and only hope I can be a better 'human' from now on for Max and whoever (hopefully) we rescue
 
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Hi! Thank you for asking before committing to buying!

There are no "good" animals for small children, but watching guinea pigs play can be very amusing, as they are so vocal and expressive and they can be cuddled under supervision.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36801

Guinea pigs are group animals and should never be kept alone or with rabbits.
They can be kept indoors (mine are!) - especially in winter. It is alot easier to interact with indoors piggies. Many of us have an extra run for exercise. It is not advisable to have guinea pigs in a bedroom, as that may trigger allergies. Guinea pigs are mostly day active, but they will be out and about once or twice during the night.

You will need at least 2x4 ft ground space for a cage housing a couple of piggies - that is the minimum recommendation of the RSPCA. You can order cages online as well.

If you would consider rehoming from a rescue that would be great! Unlike shops and most breeders (although there are exceptions), you can count on rescue piggies being healthy, properly sexed and guaranteed not pregnant. You will also get advice and support from the rescue on rehoming.

Here is a link to a website this forum is attached to. It has a list of reputable rescues: http://www.guineapigrehome.org.uk, so you can find one near you!
Otherwise you can post in our rescue centre-WANTED section (please state your area), and rescues active on this forum that rehome a bit further afield may contact you.

Please have a browse around the forum and don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have!
 
Many thanks for your reply.. I would certainly want to buy a rescue guinea pig and give it a good home (both my cats were from a rescue home). I am still torn between a guinea pig and a hamster though ! therefore doing research first. I was surprised to read your thoughts that they do not make good pets for a young child, they are coming out top on internet sites. This is why I wanted advice from someone who owns them !
 
I think what is meant by 'not good' pets for children is a generalisation that it is not good to buy pets for children as they can want them on a whim, and tire very quickly, a matter of weeks in some cases! It is then left to the parents, who don't always want to care for them.This was not meant for guineas in particular. You are clearly researching and not buying on a whim, in the knowledge that they will be your pets, and the child/children will have loads of fun with them, but ultimately the responsibility for care will be with the responsible adult. They are great pets. I have a fear of hammies as my children both had a number of them, and they all bit me, and them, and it really hurt! Guineas rarely bite unless you are doing something really horrid to them, which hopefully would never be the case. xx
 
There are lot of misconceptions about guinea pigs being "easy" and children's pets - many people interpreting that as children can be left to look after them and that they do not need a lot of care, which is quite obviously wrong!

Like every pet - the more you put into a pet, the more you get out of them! I have grown up with a succession of guinea pigs (one of them living to the venerable age of nearly ten years old) and still remember quite a few tears falling on a comforting piggy coat... I wouldn't miss this experience! Nor the mazes and obstacle runs we built for them!

As you are going into this with open eyes, you will soon realise that each species of pet has their own specific requirements - that's what I mean with "not easy". Guinea pigs are wonderfully communicative and have great personalities, and I have had the odd one that was more like a mini dog!
 
I have 2 young children and I first started keeping guinea pigs when one of my cats died and our son who was almost a baby at the time kept talking about him and still mentioned him and got very upset months later. At the time I was still very upset about losing Harry and couldn't face getting another cat. We did our research and got a pair of girls. I was bowled over by just how much I adore piggys and since coming into my life they have completely taken it over. I talk about them and care for them every day of my life now. My children are totally in love with piggys and do help a lot. They hold them under close supervision and help me feed and care for them. I never ask the children to help out but always let them when they ask if they can help.

Guinea pigs tend to enjoy cuddles (not all but once they get used to you most) and they aren't particularly prone to biting or nipping so as pets go in a house with children I think guinea pigs are fine. They are quite delicate, despite their robust looking bellies, so do need to be properly handled but that can be done with a responsible parent.
 
My cat sits outside the indoor cage as a "guard cat" where i have a piggie recovering from being neutered and on top of our two piggie girls cage, inside in the winter and outside in the summer. We never leave the cat alone with the piggies but it is really funny looking at his face as he watches them.
It really is down to the nature of the cat. Our old cat before he died would look at them then turn his back on them and me!
 
I think if you are prepared to look after it yourself and know that it will be your responsibility and not your daughter then i dont see the harm in getting one for your daughter to help you look after it, i would always get them in pairs as they are very sociable animals and enjoy lots of company, also i would not leave him/her in the room with your cat alone as even though the cat may be placid it is still in there nature to hunt small animals, and the cat could scare the guinea pig in an indoor cage by putting its paws through the cage,
It is fine to keep the piggies indoors mine were indoor piggies for about a year and now live in my sunroom in an outdoor hutch,
Hope some of this helped :)
 
I might also add that they can in some case live for 10 years so you are looking at a long term commitment! Hamsters have a much shorter life span. Just thought it should be a consideration...
 
I have guinea pigs, cats and 2 young children.

Guineas do make good family pets. I do all the cleaning, chopping veg etc. They help a bit with cleaning (they will spray the cage, give it a wipe etc), they carry in the bowls at veg time, they of course sit with them on their laps having a cuddle and they help fill up the dry food / hay too. But the lions share is mine. I don't allow them to carry them about due to the soft tummy's and how easily they break things if dropped BUT they get a decent amount of cuddling time once sat ready.

They don't bite (I also had bitey hamsters). I had hamsters as a child and they were okay but noisy at night on the wheel etc. Guineas I feel are better family pets than hamsters. My girls love all of ours and it works well for us as a family.
 
i had hamsters and it bit my daughter and after that they know longer wanted to touch them as it scared them they were 8yrs 5 yrs and i wouldnt own a hammy again .where has guineas raley bite ,we had our first guinea when my daughter was 5yrs old and with in a few weeks she did lose intrest so it was left to me to do the cleaning ,feeding,and lap time which i was happy to do,from time to time she shows intrest in them she is now 9yrs old and whiskers our guinea is still going strong and lives in my livingroom with her 2 other girlyfriends.But always bare inmind even when they say i promise to look after it i promise they 9 times out of 10 do lose intrest so do you have enought time to spend with it ,cleaning,cuddling,feeding when your daughter loses intrest?
 
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