Guinea pigs in college...a good idea?

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VeggieMuncher

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In the past few months, I lost my doggy and my two guinea pigs :(

It's so lonely without furry family members, so I'm thinking about adopting two girl guinea pigs from a shelter
Hopefully, i can get potty trained ones (or young ones who I can potty train) and they can stay in my room (as soon as I clean it up)

the only thing is, I'm in 11th grade, and college is only 2 years away- would I be able to give them a fair life in college?
I would love to have some pet with me in college, but two guinea pigs might be tough- especially if I live in a dorm...I just miss having guinea pigs so much, and any other rodent is out of the question (parents dont like mice, rats, hamsters, ferrets, etc, because they can escape so easily)
 
A lot of student accomodation and provate flats will not let you keep animals so it is worth keeping that in mind.

If you are really keen to re-home pigs now maybe consider older pigs say 3> although they can live up to 8 years. Do you know if your parents would be willing to look after them if you go to college and can't take them with you?

It is really hard to litter train guinea pigs if not impossible.

Maybe it would be better to wait a few years until you are settled as uni/college can change your life and you may end up abroad or travelling.
 
I was considering older pigs, but I want to be able to spend their puphood with them- but I can settle for older ones,
My parents probably wouldnt be...they definitely wouldnt take them out to play

I know I won't be able to afford to go abroad, and want to go to a university in NYC, so I'll be 30 mins away from home...hm..
 
VeggieMuncher said:
I was considering older pigs, but I want to be able to spend their puphood with them- but I can settle for older ones,
My parents probably wouldnt be...they definitely wouldnt take them out to play

I know I won't be able to afford to go abroad, and want to go to a university in NYC, so I'll be 30 mins away from home...hm..
Click to expand...

The antics of puphood is a lovely stage in life; however, older guinea pigs can give you lots of character and appreciation of your care. But if you can't guarantee that they can be with you at all times, I would leave it, frankly! You do have to consider whether you can do them justice as well as how you can satisfy your own desires.

PS: I had quite a few piggy-less years myself until I could be sure that I could give them the life I WANTED to give them. I do appreciate them more now and revel in their happiness.
 
Personally, I wouldn't get a guinea pig this close to going away to university. You just won't have the time for them and most student accomodation doesn't allow pets.

Why not foster piggies for your local rescue until you go away?
 
I would like to give you a bit of contradictory advice!

I actually did take guineas away to university with me. I didn't have them in my first year as I lived in dorms and they didn't allow pets of ANY kind. I actually got them just before I started my second year, after I'd asked my new landlord how he would feel about my keeping them. He said yes, and so two new (but rescued) piggies came with me to my new rented house. They lived first in my room when they were small, then free range in the 'box' room, and then eventually in a big hutch in a sheltered sort of 'lean-to'. I was lucky with my next home too - the landlord loved piggies.

I lived quite a long way away from home, so I didn't go back and forwards much except at holidays. My parents kept a hutch in their car-free garage for the piggies to live in when I came home. They brought me a lot of joy in those times at university - although uni can be fun, there are times when things get rough and the guineas were a great comfort to me, and kept me from becoming too self-centred.

However, there were problems. Half my budget went on their food and cage supplies! I didn't begrudge it, but when one of them got some recurrent urinary infections, I ended up having to get a job to pay off the vet bills. (I didn't mind this - those jobs still look good on my CV). It did mean that I was home less to spend time with them. I don't think they suffered though - I was lucky, I shared a house with some very piggy people (I trained them :) )

What I am saying is, think very hard about it. On reflection, it probably wasn't the best idea in the world for me to have taken guineas to uni, but like I have said, I was very lucky that my landlords were ok with them, and that I shared a house with people who could look after them nearly as well as me.

I think you have two choices. Considering you are close to home, perhaps you could persuade your parents to look after the piggies while you are away. It would be easy to visit on weekends, or even weekdays when you have nothing on. You could use the next two years to 'train' your parents in excellent piggy care! However, I think choice two is probably the best, and I echo the advice above - how about considering fostering for a rescue? If not, how about just offering to help out at one? University is a big change and it can be difficult just to look after yourself, let alone two helpless piggies. Perhaps when you are settled, out of dorms and when you know the routine better and how big your workload is, then consider inviting piggies back into your life. By then you will know you can give them the care they deserve.

Sorry for the ramble!
 
I agree with Sappho. I got my girls as I started my second year at uni, I'm now in my 3rd. Yeah it may not have been a good idea, but they have given me a lot of happiness and I wouldn't change a thing. I live far from home too, so I don't have to worry about taking them to and fro as I don't often go home. I'm also lucky in my house now as the landlord isn't all that fussed about pets and he lives in Essex (whereas I'm in Gloucester) so he never comes to visit. My housemate has had her 3 rabbits, 3 guinea pigs, 3 gerbils and dog in the house for 2 years now without the landlord having a problem. She could also look after the girls any time I'm away. I agree that it can be costly, but all the veg I buy for them, I use myself as well so it's not that much extra out of my pocket.

I say, if you feel like you can give them the time and attention they deserve while at college then by all means get some, but if you don't think you'll have the time or it will be difficult with your parents, etc, then maybe you should wait until you finish college.
 
I have my two beautiful piggies at university with me :) I'm lucky my landlord allows cages pets :D It's financially straining but I wouldn't give up my piggies for the world! Besides, they make a good excuse to procrastinate from essay writing :)
 
All of you with piggies at college make me really want to bring them with me!

Fostering is a good idea, and somebody my mom’s friend knows has a lot of guinea pigs- too many to take care of- maybe I could take 2 or 3 females off her hands for the next two years? A littler of pups were just born too…and if I find out I can take them to college with me, I can bring them- otherwise, give them back to her or find them a nice home. The only thing is I’d be so heart broken if I had to leave them :(

I also know that not all universities provide dorms for their students, so they set them up with apartments instead- and I'm sure there are many apartments that allow guinea pigs


Edit: and I know if I brought them to school with me, I would try as hard as I can to give them a fair life, whenever I'm doing work, I'll have them out to play...and seriously, I would go to a rural school just to bring them with me, if they could go outside to graze and get sunlight
 
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