It's me again! Back with another question.
We have now ruled out my office space for our potential new Guinea Pigs. There simply isn't the room.
My only other options are:
1. To house them in my daughters bedroom.
2. To house them outside and take them into the garage in winter.
3. To not get them at all.
OK - option 1 - Daughter's bedroom.
Please could I hear from those who have kept Guinea Pigs in children's rooms before? My daughter is six, and I have already read posts on here which advise not putting a pet in a room until children are 12. But let me just make it clear that I would never put any of my pets in danger, and this would not even be an option if I thought my daughter would get them out, etc. I have told her that she would not be allowed to handle them or feed them without me being in there.
Is there anyone here who has found it workable and OK with GPs in their child's bedroom? Or is this just a ridiculous notion?! It is me who is home all week working, the children are obviously home in between school.
Also, my husband is not keen on this idea. (Well, he's not keen on the idea of getting them at all).
Option 2 - Home them outside.
This is not my favourite option, as I want us all to interact with the Guinea Pigs! I also would prefer it from purely a lazy point of view, so I don't have to go outside numerous times a day to clean them, which I would do of course. I would also have to buy them a hutch cover and insulator for the winter, and we would move them into the garage by the window from October onwards. But as I understand, we would not then be able to bring them inside ever during that time, due to their sensitive bodies needing to regulate temperature. So they really would be outside pets at that point. I also am concerned about the heat in the summer, as at the moment, I cannot think of a shady spot we could keep them that is close to the house.
is there anyone here who houses their piggies outside successfully, with lots of interaction? And who has them in a hutch/run set up? Bringing them in to a shed or outbuilding over winter?
Option 3 - To not get them.
And my last option, which is to admit defeat and decide not to rescue any piggies, and accept that perhaps we have exhausted all options and cannot find a workable one! My children will be so upset! I don't want hamsters or gerbils. We have two cats. And I love the idea of piggies and feel they would be a lovely pet for us to get to know, and for my children to learn responsibility, to learn about taking care of animals, and ultimately, when the time comes, to learn about death. And... we've already named them, even though we don't have them yet!
Having said that, if this is the best option then I will need to accept it!
I know only I can decide what is best for my family, but I feel some feedback of experience with my first two options would be super helpful!
Thank you so much.
Hey! We've had our pigs for nearly three years, my daughter is also 6. Personally I wouldn't feel comfortable having them in her bedroom. Even though she is very good, I would worry one day she could be tempted to try and pick one up by herself and accidentally hurt them in the process, they're quite delicate and need to be handled carefully. 6 year olds can be a tad unpredictable sometimes
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Loads of people house their pigs outside successfully. You could maybe even have some form of collapsible run/cage so they can spend some time inside with you all during the day. We had an old playpen that collapsed down which we used when we stayed at the in laws. I made a correx base for it to keep any poop or pee contained. Our pigs live inside and I do think it's easier to bond with them the more they are around people.
If they live outside, during the summer they will need some shaded area within their hutch. A way to keep them cool is to freeze some bottles of water and put them in the hutch so they can lie against them and cool down.
Hope this is helpful and all the best with your descision
