guinea pig or not?

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Keiraspiggy

Hi, i am thinking of getting my 5 and 6 year old daughters a pair of guinea pigs (i will be responsible for their care)

My 6 year old Jessica is very disabled, she tends to pull hair, obviously she will never be alone or have access to them but i wanted advice on whether the animals are tough enough to withhold some heavy handed petting. her movements like a young toddler but obviously being 6 she has alot more strengh.I went into pets at home yesterday and we showed her one, she seemed interested and touched it a little, she didnot grab or hurt it. The lady at pets at home seemed to think she would be fine but i wanted some more expert advice before we go ahead and buy an animal.
On the other hand my 5 year old Keira has been nagging for a guinea pig for ages, she is very gental and caring and i think it would be good for her.

Also, i will need to keep it outside all year round, is this ok? what sort of bedding would be best for an outdoor animal?

Sorry about all the questions, i just want to be sure i am making the right dicision before buying.

thanks
Kelly
 
Hi,

Have you thought of getting rabbits instead? I'm thinking this because you can get larger ones that may be better for your daughter to hold- i think personally that guinea pigs are quite delicate where as i consider rabbits a bit more hardy.

Obviously you'll need a suitably big hutch for a rabbit (maybe two for company? but don't know much about rabbts so don't if it's possible to keep two together)

i also think rabbits are better suited for year round outdoor pets. I think some people bring their piggies inside in the winter or at least make the hutch very well insulated as guinea pigs don't cope well with too high/low tempertures i don't think?!
 
Hi Kelly :)p

Honestly, guineas are not the most robust animals, they can easily be injured by dropping or squeezing. But they are lovely creatures to watch and are very entertaining. If you are prepared to take care of them and give them the attention they need then you should certainly get a pair. I personally wouldn't leave your children alone with them but supervised cuddles should be fine. I think kids learn a lot from having pets.

Guineas are quite delicate about temperature, too hot or too cold and they will suffer. They can live outside but you need to make sure that their hutch is cool enough in the summer and warm enough in the winter. I don't have outside piggies so can't really help but I'm sure there are threads in the housing section that will be of use.

Welcome to the forum - I hope if you do get some piggies that you'll stay and share stories with us :) And how your girls get on with them.
 
:)hi, i cant offer much advice on suitablilty as I'm new to guinea pigs myself. all i can say is that you sound like you would be a lovely owner as its so refreshing to see someone actually getting good advice before deciding if its the right choice for them. also, i can say that guinea pigs have such a lovely nature, they are cuddly and mine have never even looked they would bite ! my 11 year old and 2 year old are very good with ours and the piggies love them right back ! good luck with finding out the info you need :)
 
If you go down the rabbit route - again you will need a pair (neutured male and neutured female have strong bonds - check out your local rescue as they will usually have already been neutured and vaccinated). They are better equipt to living outdoors and if you can provide a run and some grass all the better. They would be better to handle in that your daughter would probably be less likely to injure them but they can also bite and kick and won't sit on a knee like a guinea will. (Which may mean your 5 year old can't be as hands on as she would be with a guinea).

Would indoor piggies not be an option?

I have indoor piggies and outdoor bunnies.
 
Hi Kelly

while guinea pigs are vunrable little creatures i think as long as you closely supervise at all times it should be fine and guinea pigs are wonderful thearpy for a child with disabilty.

I speak from personal exerience as i suffer from dyspraxia while not as serious as your daughter disabilty i do have cordination problems that makes me overly clumsey. I was given guinea pig at nine and while everywheres else i still had problem the bond between me and my piggie really helped me:)

I keep my piggies inside as i find it easier to manage there care ,but theres lost of usueful post on this forum regarding keeping piggies outside:)

The decison is ultimately yours though and you know your daughters better than anyone else:) Rabbits also make great companions. I also have a house rabbit and hes just as loving if not slightly more lively than my piggies:)
 
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Hi! Welcome to the forum!

It is great that you are doing your research before you buy!

I would agree - guinea pigs can be quite delicate for a heavy handed child and are not as hardy as rabbits. Ideally, they should be brought indoors or into a shed for the winter; or will need special insulation if left outisde.

I would also recommend enquiring into rabbits. They come in all sizes, so I'm sure that you could find one or two that are just right for you and your daughters.
Please do not try to keep a rabbit and a guinea pig together. A rabbit can so easily and inadvertedly injure or even kill a guinea pig, apart from the fact that they have different dietary needs and can transmit diseases to which they are immune to guinea pigs. Guinea pigs are very social animals and need to be with their own kind.

There is a sister forum to this one here for rabbits from where you can get expert advice and help. http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/

You may prefer to contact a reputable rabbit rescue near you or through the rabbit forum for a couple of suitable rabbits. Rescue people will know the temperaments of their pets and have no interest in rehoming a rabbit into the wrong situation. They will also support and advise you throughout the settling in process. You will get a guaranteed healthy and properly sexed rabbit from a good rescue.
It is worth enquiring for proper housing etc. from the rescue you want to rehome from first, as requirement can differ. But I'm sure that the froum people will you finding good bragain hutches and other paraphernalia!http://rabbitrehome.org.uk/

If you still want to go for guinea pigs; here is a list of rescues. You may prefer to look for a couple of laid back guinea pigs instead of skittish unhandled youngsters from a shop.
http://www.guineapigrehome.org.uk/gp/centres.asp
You can also post in our rescue - wanted section. Please state your area.


I hope that with your good research you will find just the right pet for your family!
 
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wow, thank you all for the quick replies.

i thought of getting a rabbit first but was told that wouldn't be very good for my daughter as they tend to buck, bite and scratch, Jess is very nervous of animals and if it makes any sudden movements she will not feel safe and will not go near it again.

the guinea pig is more for my other daughter who as i said before is very caring and gentle (she is like this due to her sister needing extra care) but i don't really want to get an animal if Jess can't share the enjoyment with the rest of the family.

I have never kept rabbits but when i was little i had a guinea pig, it died of gastric about a week later allong with all it's cage freinds from the petshop i got it from.


If i do get a guinea pig it will have to be kept outside as i have no where for it in the house or shed. although if it snows or gets far too cold i will bring it in and put it in my daughters room for a little while.

thank you again for all you help
Kelly
 
Please do get at least two guinea pigs - they should never be kept alone! Sadly, pet shops are not much better, and we still have people coming on with pregnant girls and illness problems on here with alarming regularity!

You may do best asking round any rescues within your reach for a couple of laid back boars that are used to being handled. They might suit your needs best.

You can find lots of information about housing, a balanced diet, signs of illness etc. in our reference section or at the top of the other sections. You may find that things have changed quite a bit since then! I certainly did when I came back to guinea pigs as an adult!
 
Well i hope it works out for you whatever you decide, I'm sure piggies will be just fine for you as i'm sure they will be supervised by you anyway.

As someone else said, it mayb be better for you to get two older, calmer piggies from a rescue- because young ones can be very skittish and take a while to calm down and get used to people- and i worry this may put your daughter off which would be a shame!

There are things called hutch snuggles for warmth and hutch huggers to protect from the wet, and also put in lots of fresh hay and gets some snuggle beds for in the winter.

If you do get piggies i hope you stick around- theres lots of lovely people on here who give great advice :)
 
Hi,

you don't say which are you are in.

It might be worth taking your girls to the nearest rescue shelter and seeing how they react to both piggies and bunnies. Then decide which direction you want to go in.

Best of luck
 
I have another idea for you to test your theory, do any of your childrens friends have guinea pigs? the holiday season is upon us and they may be looking for someone to look after their pigs whilst they are on holiday, you could then have them for a week or two and see how both your daughters respond to having piggies without the responsibility of having them forever if it does not work out!

I would definitely go for a pair of bonded piggies from a rescue as they will try and match their piggies to your situation - nice quiet laid back piggies who hopefully would not unsettle your older daughter
 
Hi,

Sorry if this should be posted in a different section, i'm not very pc literate.

Just to let you know that we are going to go ahead and get some guinea pigs. I have taken my girls back to P@H for another look and i think they will both be fine (also the piggies)

We have brought the hutch from pets at home it is w60 x h20 x d16" It is called the guinea pig manor, we were asured that this would be big enough for 2 piggies but i want to be sure. We also plan to buy/make a run for them to go onto the grass.

Lovleygirl... unfortunatly looking after someone elses guinea pigs wouldn't be an option as we don't know anybody that keeps them, shame though, it's such a good idea.

Thanks again everyone for your help, this place seems so friendly, i'm sure you'll all get fed up with my silly amature questions but i want to make sure the piggies get the quallity of care they deserve.

Kelly
 
The minimum space requirements for 2 piggies is 4x2 foot. Yours is 5 foot wide, but slightly shorter depth - which may make it acceptable.

Good luck! You will love having piggies.
 
Guinea pig Manor is big enough for two pigs. And a run for the grass is a good idea.

You will need to consider what to do when the weather turns, think back to this winter - it was freezing, subzero and not at all okay for outdoor pigs really. I know some did keep them outside during this period but not many and those that did had to take massive measures to stop them freezing.

But other than that have a great time. Guineas are brilliant and i'm sure your daughters will love them

xx
 
Hi there

I have a 5 and 4 year old plus an elder daughter with special needs, we got our piggies on friday and my 5 year old is loving helping looking after them
Aimee my daughter with special needs does not understand about being gentle but i just hold one and hold her hand and let her feel it etc and she seems to enjoy that xx

they are lovely rewarding animals and so much fun :)
 
Hi,
It's good to hear the hutch is big enough, we haven't built it yet as i wanted to make sure it didn't need to go back.

bbear... it sounds like our situations are quite similar, we both have 5 year olds that are in love with little piggies and also 2 very special little girls that I’m sure with lots of encouragement and supervision will learn to enjoy the animals appropriately, we too have been holding the piggies (in the shop) and just taking Jess' hand to stroke them, she is fascinated by them.

kelly
 
Keiraspiggy said:
Hi,
It's good to hear the hutch is big enough, we haven't built it yet as i wanted to make sure it didn't need to go back.

bbear... it sounds like our situations are quite similar, we both have 5 year olds that are in love with little piggies and also 2 very special little girls that I’m sure with lots of encouragement and supervision will learn to enjoy the animals appropriately, we too have been holding the piggies (in the shop) and just taking Jess' hand to stroke them, she is fascinated by them.

kelly
Click to expand...


i think with any child ( special needs or not ) needs to be supervised, you know your kids and if you think they will be ok then go for it, as i said before they are so rewarding and lots of fun xx
 
Keiraspiggy said:
Hi,
It's good to hear the hutch is big enough, we haven't built it yet as i wanted to make sure it didn't need to go back.

bbear... it sounds like our situations are quite similar, we both have 5 year olds that are in love with little piggies and also 2 very special little girls that I’m sure with lots of encouragement and supervision will learn to enjoy the animals appropriately, we too have been holding the piggies (in the shop) and just taking Jess' hand to stroke them, she is fascinated by them.

kelly
Click to expand...


i think with any child ( special needs or not ) needs to be supervised, you know your kids and if you think they will be ok then go for it, as i said before they are so rewarding and lots of fun xx
 
Hi Becky
I hope you don’t mind me asking but i have been reading through the “i want to get to know you†thread and Aimee sounds so much like my Jess, She has Angelman Syndrome.
I also work with special needs kids (Jessica’s old nursery) and i love it so much, best job in the world and so rewarding!
 
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