Oh Guinea Pigs Are Really Cheap Pets Right ?! Hahahahahaha Noooooo

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MJG

MJG

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So at work yesterday and I'm just chilling in the lunch room , reading this forum ;) and looking back at the photos of my boys ( keeps me calm when the anxieties rise) and my friend who works on the opposite department to me came and started talking about getting some pigs.

So I started telling her about the routine I have , the grazing , the outside safe environment ( therefore having a run and an inside base where they can go ), the diet they have to have ( as they can't make their own vitamin c ) the toys so they don't get bored , washing the fleece , cutting up veg , vet trips , brushing , nail trimming , cleaning the grease gland, bathing , the vet insurance I took out as I can't afford a massive dental bill, daily health checks , hay struggles and spot cleaning oh and not to mention keeping a look out for impaction or stuck sperm rods if she wanted boys and the hormonal drama of sows!


She went very quiet after I'd explained this all and said "but I thought they were cheap?" Yes cheaper than a dog to buy but in the long run I probably spend more on the boys than my dog a month . I asked her how much she thought a bag of hay cost and she said "I dunno like 2.50?" I couldn't help laughing a bit (not in an unkind way in a more oh dear way) I then explained my boys get a mixture of alfalfa kind (9.00 for 1.8kg) and natures touch wild mountain (6.00 for 1kg)

She looked a bit put off by this especially when I explained you can't keep them 24/7 in a small cage , "but yours look so cuddly and tame" yes , yes they are after the best part of a year everyday handling , talking , stroking and hand feeding, hard work does pay off ..

I kinda ended on "they are great pets but many people don't understand the requirement of looking after these guys well" she said she'd think about it .. hope that means no!

P.s Titan is posing , seems to be saying get my good side ! Lol

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Lovely pic of Titan - showing off his fabulous condition thanks to your care and attention to detail that you set out so eloquently to your colleague. There is still a huge lack of public awareness about the needs of piggies and about their care. You have just completed a very worthwhile piece of public education. If your colleague stops to think twice about whether to get piggies then that can only be a good thing. Well done.
 
I spend more on my boys than on my dog a month too :agr:. I'd in fact say piggies are much harder to take care than a dog. Dogs are self sufficient in many ways and they interact more closely, we can easily find out whats going on or what they want. Piggies are delicate, shy and need to be pampered. Finding a good vet for small pets is like digging for gold, it just doesn't happen. People should be aware of these things before they get piggies. As you rightly mentioned, everyday handling, stroking, hand feeding and talking, lot of hard work involved.
 
They certainly aren't cheap animals or low maintenance. I spend more money on the piggies than I did on my cat plus I have more veggies in my fridge now than ever before and they are mostly veggies I don't even like and I feel like I spend more time in the supermarket hunting for veg for the piggies than I do at home. They are surprisingly hard work for two tiny animals and to get their nails clipped each cost me the same amount as my cats nails were and she was considerably bigger. But I still wouldn't be without them.
 
LOL! I know I spend more on my two pigs than my friend does on her two cats, if only because their food/shavings/hay costs more than cat food from and litter from the grocery store. And vet bills can get out of hand with any animal if you are unlucky and have health issues (my previous pig, Sundae, literally cost me thousands over the course of 6.5 years. Don't get me wrong... she was worth every cent. But lots and lots of vet bills to give her the quality of life she deserved!) I think a lot of people think that they are low maintenance animals... and really, no animal can ever be guaranteed to be low maintenance!
 
Yes unfortunately they're marketed as cheap disposable pets but the reality is quite different! I don't think my girlies cost me that much, I haven't really been brave enough to work it out on a monthly bases :shh:

They're certainly hard work though, I'm trying to remember a time I wasn't cleaning them out! :roll:
 
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They cost a bloomin' fortune but I wouldn't have it any other way!
 
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Let's hope your work colleague makes the right decision! It is great that people like yourself are out there breaking everything down and giving others the harsh reality of owning pigs. If she didn't come to you and went ahead and got guinea pigs, god knows what would of happened.

I wouldn't like to think about how much my guinea pigs cost me because I would die of a heart attack due to pure shock. Out of all the animals I have, the guinea pigs are the most time consuming and as much work as a horse I feel like.
 
lol people are hilarious. I probably spend a quarter of may wages on the pigs alone! I find it depressing when people don't understand pigs and just go out and buy them without looking into them, or when they think they're kids pets.. Well done for correcting her!
 
Cheap yeah!. I just spent £130 at the vet for 2 appointments, and that was one of the cheapest ones.

Hay costs me £9 a bag. They're really not cheap at all.
 
Guinea pigs can be expensive,and definatley not starter pets !ive spent £2000 in vets bills this year lone !I waited until i was more mature and able to give these gentle animals the best.
 
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