Calling All Guinea Pig People...

[Zife]

Teach me your all mighty ways!:hail:

I want a pet that can keep my and my brother company, and there's no way I can manage another dog at the moment, what with 4 border collies already (2 are my brothers), and I can't stand a nocturnal pet like a hamster, so I have resorted to a guinea pig. ^^

So... what are they like? What will I need? Can you show me pics of your guinea pig and/or its cage?

 

[Zoom]

Guinea pigs are fairly nocturnal as well...mine used to love waking me up at 2am with his chirping and "popcorn zoomies"...Enzo would do this funny little quick jumps that looked just like popcorn popping and then race around his cage and then do it again, vocalizing the entire time. It's funny when you're not trying to sleep.

I didn't have a stupendous set-up...just a normal guinea pig cage with some toys and lots of chewies...I highly recommend using shredded newspaper or something like that for cage bedding; he caught a nasty mite infection from a contaminated batch of pine shaving bedding (the Kaytee kind) and I had to give him lots of baths with medicated shampoo...not his most favorite thing in the world as you can imagine. He always got so irritated with me and grumbled for an hour afterward while he was drying, lol!

This is Enzo; I got him when I was a junior in high school and he died in the middle of my sophmore year of college. As you can see, my infatuation with b&w started early, lol! (this is a picture of a picture, btw)

 

[Kathy29]

I find guinea pigs to be a lot of work. I had to spot clean the cage daily to keep the smell in the house down in addition to cleaning the entire cage once a week. They are poop machines and go very often. They also run fast and as a result, kick bedding out of their cages.

They wheek quite loudly, especially when they hear rustling bags or the fridge opening, hoping for food. That would irritate me at night when I tried not to wake anyone else up.

I used newspaper for bedding at one point, but it got too smelly. I didn't like shavings because they made everything so dusty, but at least it kept the smell down.

All negatives aside, they ARE one of the more friendly rodents to keep as pets, especially when compared to hamsters. They do need big cages though. Oh, and ideally exercise out of the cage for a couple hours daily.

 

[Lilavati]

I had piggies as a kid, and when my elderly chinchilla died, I got a couple . . . .


Piggies are cute. However, compared to a lot of the other small animals, they are a lot of work for not too much pay off.

They tend to be shy, and take a lot of work to be hand tame. They are somewhat noctural and can be VERY loud. They are also very messy. They aren't the brightest bulbs out there. Though I love Creme and Cacao, my current pigs, I won't be replacing them when they die.

My fiance's rats are smarter and more sociable. My chinchilla was extremely tame and friendly and an excellent pet. Honestly, though I remember them fondly from my childhood, the pigs have been rather disappointing. They're cute, I like them, but I can't really recommend them as fantastic pets. More like, adaquate and pleasant pets if wheeking and kicking litter about doesn't get to you.

Though I would not say not to get a pig, I'd do some thinking on exactly what you or your brother want out of a small pet. They are definately preferable to hamsters and gerbils, but I'd say that rats, chins, rabbits and ferrets are all more fun and more interesting. But all the small mammals have their challanges.

The one thing I really did like about the pigs is I took them with me when I had to spend a summer in another city. They are nice to come home to . .. they wheek when you open the door!

 

[Zoom]

Yeah, I really enjoyed my rats, even though they were loud at night as well (nibbling on cage bars). But they were more fun to play with and I had a blast teaching Tabasco how to navigate an obstacle course. She would climb out of her cage that was on top of my dresser, spelunk halfway down behind it between it and the wall, then leap on to my bed and the onto the floor. When she wanted back up, she'd hop up on my bed, jump onto my chair to get to my desk, balance herself on the edge of my printer and launch herself back onto the dresser and back into the cage. Her sister, Rae, was nowhere near as much fun. She bit. Sawyer still has a scar on his nose before he learned to not get that close to the bars. They both got massive tumors suddenly a couple years ago and died...I was quite sad.

 

[corgipower]

Yea, I agree with guinea pigs being a lot of work. I had to move mine out of my bedroom because I couldn't deal with being woken up in the middle of the night, and for all the work I had to do I didn't really get sufficient enjoyment out of them.

I actually prefer hamsters. They typically are clean - they will use one corner of the cage for pottying, and some end up being surprisingly sociable. I never had a chinchilla, but a friend of mine did, and I always thought it was an absolutely amazing pet.

 

[Sweet72947]

If you are going to use a tiny petstore cage with paper/wood bedding, then yes the cage will get stinky. Please go to http://www.guineapigcages.com and look at their information about C&C cages. That is what my guinea pigs live in. Here is a pic of one of the cages, with Sampson (black, neutered male) and Cece (white). http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/Sweet72947/Guinea%20pigs/cecesampcage3.jpg

I use fleece blankets for bedding. They are easy to spot clean (I pick up poops every day) and I wash them once a week. While the blankets are washing, I wipe out the bottom (dry thoroughly!) with some cleaner. The only drawback to using the fleece blankets is that some guinea pigs will chew holes in them.

and about this:

They tend to be shy, and take a lot of work to be hand tame.

A guinea pig's level of shyness varies with each guinea pig. Cece does not like human attention, she is quite happy with Sampson. Sampson likes pets but it does not worry him if he does not get them every day. Kanga (who lives by herself because she will get in fights with other guinea pigs) LOOOOVEES human attention and petting, and she always runs out from under her blanket (she loves to burrow) when I walk in the room. Kanga is very outgoing and not in the least shy.

A word about rabbits: They are high strung and are prone to more diseases than guinea pigs, because rabbits tend to have very sensitive guts. Check out a rabbit forum if you don't beleive me. It will open your eyes.

 

[Lilavati]

Oh. there's a lady who does rabbit rescue down the hall from me, so I have some idea of the issues. But my experience with rabbits has been that they are more satisfying pets than the piggies. More work, but more satisfying. But its a matter of perspective. I know some people are wild about pigs, and more power to them. But I don't think I'll be getting more. Honestly, my next pet in that size range is likely to be another chin or a pair. They are harder work than pigs as well, but I found old Earmuff (I am not responsible for that name . . . ) to be much better company than the pigs I've had. (Now I have no memory of Calpurnia, the pig my parents had when I was a baby . . .she was appearently a wonder cavy)

Mine are in pretty much the largest commerical cage available, and I'll say that smell is not an issue. Kicking stuff out of the cage tends to be though. Maybe I'll try blankets.

 

[Baxter'smybaby]

I had guinea pigs as pets when I was a child, as well as when I was in college. My children also had them when they were younger--they are a great "starter pet"--teaching kids responsibility,etc. The pigs I have had were all very friendly, and enjoyed human interaction. We kept them in a central location so they had lots of interaction, and time out of the pen. I would have them again--they are like little puppies in some ways. I think they are very personable, although they are not the brightest critters!!

 

[Sweet72947]

I think they are very personable, although they are not the brightest critters!!

Kanga resents this downplay of her species' intelligence. I used to keep her in a small petstore cage with this bedding that was cardboard squares (it was called stall refresher). The cage had a blue platform attatched to the side of it that she was able to jump up on and watch everything. The top I had just set on on the cage because the plastic things you were supposed to snap it to weren't working.

Kanga very quickly figured out that she could grab the top with her teeth and push it over to allow her enough space to jump out. I came home to a guinea pig running free around my room a few times before I tied the top on so she couldn't get out anymore. Kanga is my little escape artist! 'Course now that I have a nice big cage for her, she doesn't try to get out anymore.

 

[Baxter'smybaby]

LOL Sweet--no malice meant to Kanga or any other little piggie! I loved mine--remember crying when my "Spooky" died. He was my best friend as a kid!!