How Did You "discover" Guinea Pigs?

Kithri

Kithri

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I had no idea guinea pigs had such devoted followers! The vast number of accounts devoted to guinea pigs on places like Instagram and Facebook is awesome.

For me, I grew up with a cat, and occasionally I had the desire for a hamster or a rat, but I never really thought about having a guinea pig until I met my best friend, who grew up having guinea pigs. She's absolutely in love with them, and though I thought they were cute, I never considered getting one until she was holding a black and white Abyssinian named Scooter and made him 'boop' my nose! Needless to say, I fell in love! :love:

I wanted to get a guinea pig when I was living on my own in Montreal, but then I did proper research and found out that there was no way I had space for two! So I managed to coerce my then-boyfriend-now-husband into getting a pair when I moved in with him, and now we have a herd of four! We've already decided we're going to have guinea pigs forever. It's a great lifestyle choice! :xd:
 
I had never been that interested in guinea pigs when I was a kid, I'd always kept gerbils and mice. I got my first two as a foster from my friend for a few months and I fell in love. In the end they stayed with my permanently and it's gone on from there!
 
My very first Guinea pig snowball was one of my sisters school friends piggies and he didn’t want him anymore. I asked my parents if I could get him as I had been used to having hamsters. They said yes after a while and snowball came home. That was 25! years ago. :yikes:.
He was a lone piggie and was in a tiny cage when I got him. Apparently he used to eat leftover Chinese takeaway food off the floor. He promptly got a bigger cage (ferplast 100) and was fed hay, guinea pig muesli (no nuggets existed then) and vegetables. Unfortunately the
Myth that only siblings would get along was told to me and he lived alone. However he got lots of attention and was well loved. He lived to a good age of at least 13 as he was apparently 4 when I got him. I then had a break from piggies until nearly 4 years ago. When I adopted a pair from Gumtree. :love:
 
Me and my brother went to the pet shop with my Dad at age 9, to get some more dog treats and there were about a dozen in a pen. Dad lead us to them and said ‘pick one each’ and that was it! We hadnt been asking for them (to my memory) but we had those two and two more, the final one died when I was 19. I had a break until I was in my own home and as I couldn’t get a dog due to my job, I got three guineapigs!
 
I had guinea pigs as a child but when I left home and finally settled I had hamsters. They were easier to care for and they are such lovely pets.
Then 6 years ago my brother asked if we would buy my nephew a hamster care book for his Christmas present as they would be getting him a hamster after Christmas.
I went into Pets at Home, bought book and treats for nephew then spotted 2 unwanted guinea pigs. Probably because white with red eyes isn’t as pretty. So... they came with me too and the rest is history. Both boys have since passed away but I currently have 3 beautiful sows.
I am well and truly enslaved
 
I always wanted a pet of some sort when I was little but my parents wouldn't let me. Then when I had my own children I said that they could have piggies. Mark chose Gizmo and John chose Lenny. I said that they were my boys' piggies but really they were mine. They lived for 5 and 5 and a half years so I must have done something right. Then we had about a ten year gap before getting more piggies. I love all my piggies and can't imagine life without them now.
 
I think it was when I went into our small local pet shop in the village where I used to live. We'd gotten a rabbit from there, and they had guinea pigs as well. After doing a lot of research, and getting a seperate cage and food for them, Cinnamon and Nutmeg came home. Was absolutely in love with them. 17 years later, and I still have guinea pigs!
 
My Dad had them as a child and really loved them, ive got some lovely old black and white photos of him about 9 years old and his pigs somewhere. I had cats, hamsters, gerbils, fish..all sorts. I got it into my head one day that I wanted a tortoise, to my parents horror XD and quite rightly steered me in the direction of something I was a little more prepared to care for. So we came home with 2 guinea pigs, Badger and Fudge, and as they're liable to do when from Pets at home..promptly gave birth to 3 little babies, and of course by the time id separated them Badger was already pregnant again. It all sort of snowballed from there really, taking in a few waifs and strays, buying another couple from pets at home with one that was once again pregnant. That's how we ended up with 16!

16 years later and I still never got my tortoise :lol!:
 
We never had pets as children apart from goldfish. I had a friend who I have known about 15 years and that's where my love for guinea pigs began.

She encouraged me to get some and I done my research and joined the forum before hand. I can't imagine a home without them now.

My friend passed away just before Christmas x
 
Never had pets as a child. Always wanted them, I'd be the kid who was late for school because of stopping to talk to every single dog and cat on the way. Managed to persuade my husband to let me have a hamster. After 5 hamsters (one at a time) my youngest went on a school trip and fell madly in love with pink-eyed white guinea pigs at the same time when I was working really hard on her dad to get a dog... so I guess it was the old "if you want a kitten, ask for a pony" thing! Now they are part of the family.
 
I had rabbits as a child, but a family friend offered us a guinea pig as his kids weren't looking after it. He was an old man called Ginger, we were his 3rd home! He lived in a hutch in the garage with a rabbit called Thumper (I know, not good, we were ignorant 30 years ago). Luckily Thumper was very gentle and he never got hurt, he did get groomed though lol.
Over the years as I learnt more, various rabbits and guinea pigs got upgrades (including separate hutches). When I moved into my own house I had no room for rabbits, but have 2 very spoilt guinea pigs, indoors, in a 2x4 c & c, on fleece and with 4 different types of hay lol.
 
We had dogs when I was growing up, but I wanted a pet that was just mine. I really wanted a rat or two but my dad forbid it. I was only allowed a pet that could live outside. So I ended up with a guinea pig as they're "just rats without tails".

20 years later and I still have pigs!
 
I’m a massive animal lover, all animals you name them I love them! But I’d never really had anything to do with guinea pigs and as I’ve got older family and friends all have dogs.
I’m a PA (providing support to a disabled lad the same age as myself), and it wasn’t until I supported him on his holiday to Tenerife that I fell in love with guinea pigs! He had chosen to visit a monkey park on this particular day and strangely they also had a massive walk-in enclosure with hundreds of guinea pigs aswell as iguanas?! (I was worried that they shouldn’t be kept together but knew nothing about either and they seemed to keep themselves to themselves) anyway, I completely fell in love with them, and then I came across a tiny little baby guinea pig who looked quite ill, I obviously picked him up and made sure he got lots of cuddles and was able to eat in peace as much as he wanted. Then I fell in love with another little guinea pig who also seemed quite ill, they were just so gentle and quiet sitting in my hands. I didn’t want to leave them there so I asked the keeper if they were okay but he didn’t understand me. I even asked if I would be able to adopt them and take them home to look after them- which he understood but said no! I honestly didn’t even care about all the money it would cost to transport them back to England I just wanted to look after them! But I couldn’t! :(
Anyway that’s when I fell in love with guinea pigs and a few weeks after returning I bought 3 males! (Was supposed to be 2 but I didn’t have the heart to leave one on his own) - they didn’t get along so one was rehomed... to the lad that I support! So I get to see him at work everyday and all 3 piggies are very happy! :D Arlo, Artie and Archie! :)
 
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