cultural differences

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Does anybody have any friends in other countries who have guinea pigs? They seem to have very different ideas on piggy care. One friend was horrified I bathed by lot with lice n easy to get rid of hay mites. She insists the bath will bring more mites due to stress and they will get respriatry infections.

Another refused to talk to me when she knew I held mine as she said I am introducing Stockholm syndrome.

They all think I am a terrible owner. It is quite hurtful as I would do anything for my little ones.
 
Blimey thats a bit extreme!

I also just looked up 'Stockholm Syndrome' and its the name for Traumatic Bonding with something (typically known in long term hostage situations) very bizarre reaction from your friends. I would say look at the guineas, as long as they are happy and healthy (which I know they are) then however you look after them must work. I would ignore them!

Does she never cuddle her guineas? What a shame.
 
Stockholm Syndrome? In guinea pigs? Excuse me while I stop laughing!

I'm sorry - that might not have been an appropriate response. If she is saying that then really she is being even worse by the fact she keeps guinea pigs - they should all be in the wild. Would you never cuddle a pet cat or dog. They aren't kidnapped against their will - they are animals that are part of a family and so long as you love and respect the individual piggy (I have one that loves cuddles and one that only wants to be cuddled when he chooses regardless of what I want) then where is the problem.

As much as I love piggies, I'm not entirely sure that they have the brain function to experience Stockholm syndrome.
 
Guinea Slave said:
Blimey thats a bit extreme!

I also just looked up 'Stockholm Syndrome' and its the name for Traumatic Bonding with something (typically known in long term hostage situations) very bizarre reaction from your friends. I would say look at the guineas, as long as they are happy and healthy (which I know they are) then however you look after them must work. I would ignore them.
Does she never cuddle her guineas? What a shame.
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No she never cuddles them and refuses to speak to me.
 
I know that some people, especially in Germany, have gone to the other extreme of allowing guinea pigs only as totally non- cuddly pets and that regular bathing is much more frowned upon, whereas for American standards, many of our piggies have to be considered dirty... Many people in the Netherlands still think that old piggies will go bald, and will not consider treating for mites or fungal, for instance.

In Germany, it is also not unusual to neuter male babies while they are still nursing. That way, they can go straight back from the operating vet to living with mum and sisters without any separation at all (complications are extremely rare). In this country, you will get a rather horrified reaction to this, even though it would be frankly a much better solution in those cases where there is only one male baby after a surprise pregnancy and where access to boar bonding is not guaranteed or a second separate cage is a space problem.

You will also find much more wood and natural materials used in Continental set-ups (often with a perspex front) and more bookcase cages, as more people are living in rented flats, whereas the English speaking world is going in for C&C cages.

PS: The only Swiss guinea pig forum used to be a narrow-minded ideological minefield, so I have never joined, but I have been on a couple of German forums for a while and used to be a mod on an international forum, where you really got confronted with just about everything!
 
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AbiS said:
Stockholm Syndrome? In guinea pigs? Excuse me while I stop laughing!

I'm sorry - that might not have been an appropriate response. If she is saying that then really she is being even worse by the fact she keeps guinea pigs - they should all be in the wild. Would you never cuddle a pet cat or dog. They aren't kidnapped against their will - they are animals that are part of a family and so long as you love and respect the individual piggy (I have one that loves cuddles and one that only wants to be cuddled when he chooses regardless of what I want) then where is the problem.

As much as I love piggies, I'm not entirely sure that they have the brain function to experience Stockholm syndrome.
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I laughed so hard at this! :))
Abi is totally right. If they didn't want cuddles, they'd let us know!
Shame she never cuddles her pigs, what kind of bond does she have with them? My boys love a good snuggle and nap on my chest/crook of my arm almost every time. They must be traumatised...rolleyes
 
I'm astonished that someone should think you shouldn't cuddle guinea pigs. From a practical point of view, if they aren't used to being handled, how do you cope with things like nail cutting and administering medications?
Also, I know that piggies vary in their individual liking for cuddles, but we've got one (the naughty Ivy) who dotes on cuddles to the point that she starts protesting when you make a move to put her back in the cage. When she was a baby she used to beg for cuddles, and then when we got her out, she'd popcorn all over us (or try to!). The other day, she'd been running around on the floor, and when it came to being put back, I gently reached out to stroke her, and held out my other arm towards her - and she jumped right onto it! Then settled down for another good old snuggle!
 
Katherine said:
I'm astonished that someone should think you shouldn't cuddle guinea pigs. From a practical point of view, if they aren't used to being handled, how do you cope with things like nail cutting and administering medications?
Also, I know that piggies vary in their individual liking for cuddles, but we've got one (the naughty Ivy) who dotes on cuddles to the point that she starts protesting when you make a move to put her back in the cage. When she was a baby she used to beg for cuddles, and then when we got her out, she'd popcorn all over us (or try to!). The other day, she'd been running around on the floor, and when it came to being put back, I gently reached out to stroke her, and held out my other arm towards her - and she jumped right onto it! Then settled down for another good old snuggle!
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Aww ivy sounds utterly adorable!
 
piggyfan said:
Aww ivy sounds utterly adorable!
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Yes, she is! I've never known such a cuddly piggie before. Also, I think by guinea pig standards (squeaks "what do you mean by that?") she is quite intelligent! I really must get this photobucket thing sorted out soon so that I can post pictures! She's a cute little ginger and white crested thing!
 
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Katherine said:
I'm astonished that someone should think you shouldn't cuddle guinea pigs. From a practical point of view, if they aren't used to being handled, how do you cope with things like nail cutting and administering medications?
Also, I know that piggies vary in their individual liking for cuddles, but we've got one (the naughty Ivy) who dotes on cuddles to the point that she starts protesting when you make a move to put her back in the cage. When she was a baby she used to beg for cuddles, and then when we got her out, she'd popcorn all over us (or try to!). The other day, she'd been running around on the floor, and when it came to being put back, I gently reached out to stroke her, and held out my other arm towards her - and she jumped right onto it! Then settled down for another good old snuggle!
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Awwww drool I wish Barney was like Ivy - we don't cuddle - we grapple! He has now decided that he doesn't even want to sit on the end of the sofa like he used to so he has moved from being a Tasmanian Devil to being a Lemming as he keeps trying to hurl himself off the edge!

Toby on the other hand just snuggles in and can easily not move for over an hour.
 
Um, yeah, i dont think you need to worry ;) I think you know that your piggies are well looked after and not traumatised (I have to agree with those laughing like drains at the "stockholme syndrome" idea!). Try not to worry about your friends who seem to have very strongly held opinions!
 
Yes, it's quite frustrating.
On a lot of international forums, you get cultural clashes which lead to some pretty nasty arguments. I've also seen a lot of "forum wars", were basically one forum with one cultural view will bash on another forum for having a different view.
I haven't seen one argument on this forum yet, and I've been lurking for quite a while. I think the main reason for there being so little argument is because everyone here is more open-minded and instead of bashing harshly, you educate them correctly.
I live in Australia, were most people keep their guinea pigs outside in extra small hutches in the summer with salt licks, no hay and seed mixes. Most of them still follow out-dated care information and never take their pigs in for medical treatment. It honestly is disgusting and makes me feel sick. Just because they're ignorant, their pets have to suffer.
 
We try to have an open minded approach on here; there simply is not a one-size-fits-them-all solution - especially not globally, and not even all over the UK! You also always have to respect other people and their possibilities/background/stand of information, and work with them from there using commonsense. Education is key; it is a very slow process, but you are not going to succeed if you hit people over the head with it! It is the love and the willingness to care well for our guinea pigs that connects us all, and that should never be pushed into the background or be forgotten. Our knowledge is also changing constantly, so what is best practice one year may not be recommended any longer somewhere along the line...

Piggies are amazing, but they are so different in personality! I have some piggies that love cuddles and don't mind a pet when running free and others that will only ever tolerate any necessary handling and grooming, but interact with me in other ways. Funnily enough, the piggies that will climb on my lap for a treat are also the ones that object most to a cuddling session!

Personally, I am not at all happy about this new craze of sticking all unlikely kinds of pets into silly outfits that is swapping over from the US.
 
Wiebke said:
Personally, I am not at all happy about this new craze of sticking all unlikely kinds of pets into silly outfits that is swapping over from the US.
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Oh I agree with you there. I dont think my guinea pigs have ever minded being briefly posed in (for example) halloween witches hats or santa hats for a photo, and I have dressed the dog up for halloween trick-or-treating though. I dont understand clothes for dogs (but maybe other people's dogs are less muddy and less stinky and less likely to run through mud than mine!) but I dont like to see guinea pig clothes. However, if its not hurting the animal in any way then I suppose its up to the owner, I would not ever criticise anyone for it ;)

There are some pet forums where I have been scared to ask a question or post about a problem because I know that I will get a barrage of people messaging me telling me I am wrong/stupid/cruel, which is a shame because it prevents people from ever getting the information in the first place.

I dont feel that here though - I dont feel scared to ask questions... x
 
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I admit....I nearly got the boys a little dinosaur outfit (just for comical pigtures)...but I thought it might be a bit mean and stressful for them. Plus they'd never stay still long enough!
 
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