Meet my noisy little duo... (Guinea Pig)

Member Name: sandemp

Product:	Guinea Pig
Date:	18/01/06 (1154 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Wonderful pets that will let you know that they're happy

Disadvantages: Not really suitable as a child's pet, they're more for the whole family

My husband reckons I'm reliving my childhood, either that or I'm just getting broody. Instead of having more children, I've found myself a few furry friends, I'd love a dog except for one thing, I'm absolutely terrified of them. A cat would be quite nice, but I'm allergic to them, so I started with a hamster. He's very cute and all mine, but he doesn't pay very much attention to me until 11 at night, and I really wanted to get a pet that I could interact with during the day. It was then I remembered the Guinea Pigs we had kept at school, and I decided to look into what sort of care they needed and where I could get them from. This is something that's important with any pet, that you know exactly how much work you will need to put into giving them a healthy and happy life, and I was surprised at how much care piggies need. But I was not put off by this, my children are at school all day, so I have plenty of time to spend with my new babies so I took the plunge, bought everything I needed and went in search of my new friends…..

---What are Guinea Pigs?---

Well firstly they are neither pigs or from Guinea, but are small mammals that originate from South America where they are still used as a food source. (Don't worry there's no way I'll be eating my two boys). The first records of domesticated Cavies (another name for Guinea Pigs) dates back to 1758 so they have been sharing homes for a very long time.

Cavies come in many different varieties and colours, some have smooth short hair (like mine), others have long silky hair, or look like little punks, there are even varieties that have little or no hair. What they do have in common are their teeth and size. Although there is some contention as too whether Cavies are rodents or not, they do have the constantly growing teeth, that are a trademark of the rodent family. Size-wise they are much larger than hamsters, but smaller than most rabbits. The average weight of a fully grown male is 2-3lbs, while the average female is a little smaller at 1.5-2.5lb and they can grow to up to 50cm in length, so that little bundle of fluff can grow quite large and they need a lot more space than you might have thought. Another point that needs to be made is these are relatively long-living as far as small pets are concerned, average life-span is 5-6 years, but they can live for over 10, so you must be prepared for a long term commitment.

---Equipment---

Before you even think about getting some Guinea Pigs (GPs), it's a good idea to look into how you are planning to house them. While they can be housed outside in hutches, you would need to ensure that the hutch is suitable for GPs. The base should be solid, not mesh (as their little feet may get caught in the mesh, or they may get painful sores), and any ramps should slope gently. My GPs are housed indoors in a specially designed open topped cage, and I much prefer this idea. My GPs are rapidly becoming part of the family, and the little wheeks they make to greet me each morning just do more to convince me that they are in the right place.

Whichever type of house you choose for your new arrivals, the rule is the bigger the better, the more room they have the happier they will be. One other really important rule here, is that you should never house a GP with a rabbit, there are several reasons for this including the fact that rabbit food is not suitable for GPs, and that rabbits can carry diseases that would not harm other rabbits but can kill GPs. Another reason is that even small rabbits have very strong back legs, and a kick will easily injure or kill the smaller GP.

You will need various other pieces of equipment for your GPs, including food bowls and water bottles, wood shavings (or suitable alternatives) to help absorb poo and wee, hay for bedding (and eating), a box for the GPs to hide in, an outdoor run or suitable area for indoor play, suitable dry food and lots and lots of vegetables.

---Buying your Piggies---

Now while I bought my PGs from a local pet shop, I'm going to admit here that I made a mistake. A much more humane (and safe) way is to adopt them from a rescue centre. A say safer because they are many, many horror stories of people having bought GPs thinking they had a pair of females (or males) to discover a couple of months later that they had one of each (when they gave birth). I hope you've noticed that I've consistently talked about getting more than one GP, this is because they are very sociable animals and will not be their happiest in they are kept in solitary confinement.

You can keep two (or more) females together, or a female and "fixed" male, or two males. There is literature saying that two males can't be housed together, but my pair are very happy, and have been together since birth. If they decide to start fighting then I'll have to re-think the situation (I'll still be keeping them both though). It is also possible to introduce a younger male to an adult, but this may take time and patience. What you should never do is keep a male and female together, although baby GPs look very cute, pregnancy can be very dangerous and even in the best condition there is a 20% chance of something going wrong.

---Feeding your Piggies---

Like us humans, GPs can't store vitamin C in their bodies, so it's very important that you feed them a balanced diet. The main part of their diet should come from Hay, you should make sure that they have more hay than they can eat in their home at all times. Believe me they get through an awful lot in a day, and mine also enjoy hiding under it and spreading around the cage. Along with the hay dried food should be supplied, make sure it is guinea pig food (not rabbit) as it has vitamin C added, there are many different types available, you'll just have to find which your little friends will eat. Oh and try to avoid brands that contain nuts and seeds, as these can cause problems.

The favourite part of your GPs diet will be the fresh vegetables that should be provided everyday and the fruit that can be given as a treat. My pair adore broccoli, cucumber, carrots and cabbage and it's very easy to tell how much they love their food. For full details on which foods are best for your piggies please refer to this web page http://www.aracnet.com/~seagull/Guineas/feeding.ht ml

---Loving your piggies---

GPs thrive on love and attention, my pair just love me sitting next to them, chatting away. The braver of the two even calls to me asking for food, or cuddles. Even so, they are still very skittish, and it has to be remembered that they are prey animals. What this means is they have very strong instincts that demand that they tend to run if when you try to catch them. The best method of catching them is to be determined, firm and yet gentle, you should be told the best way of holding them when you get them. Basically it is a two handed job. Once I've caught my little piggies, and sat them on my lap they loved to be stroked and tickled, and will let me know just how happy they are by purring like a cat.

They will also let you know how happy they are to see you by making a variety of wheeks, and chirrups. One of my pair is extremely vocal and chats away all day, he's just such a happy little fellow. Another way that they will show you how happy they are is by popcorning, which is sort of a jump for joy.

As well as spending some time being cuddled, your piggies will love you even more if you give them some floor time. This involves creating a safe area for them to play in, we have a wonderfully large hall that's perfect. I then put some newspaper down, cover it with old towels add some hay and food and then play with my little friends for just over an hour. This is also an ideal time for them to get used to new people, and even for introductions to new friends. In the summer they can also spend time in an outdoor run, just make sure that either you supervise or they are in a predator proof (roofed) enclosure.

As well as physical love, you are able to let your piggies know how much you love them by keeping them clean and well fed. My pair are fed twice a day with both dried and fresh food, I top up their hay several times a day and their water bottle is cleaned and refilled daily. Their cage is spot cleaned daily (the worst of the poo and wet shavings removed) and needs a full clean out weekly, this not only keeps them happy but also helps keep any smells at bay.

---Medical care---

Guinea Pigs need some regular medical care, and also need to be checked for certain problems on a regular basis. They will need their nails clipping regularly, and although this is not difficult, I would advise getting a vet to show you the right way to do it. They also need their coats checked regularly for signs of infestation and depending on the breed you may to comb or brush them up to daily. They are also prone to various ailments, including upper respiratory infections, Diarrhoea, bladder stones and scurvy (lack of vitamin C) and can become very ill very quickly, so be prepared for the expense of taking them to the vet. A good idea is to put a little money away weekly so that you always have something there in an emergency. It's also a good idea to find a good vet that deals with GPs before you need one in an emergency.

---Breeding---

As I've said before, breeding your piggies is not a good idea. Not only can it be dangerous for the female (particularly if she's over a year old), but it also adds to an over population problem. Do you really have good homes for all the babies to go to? Can you be sure that they will love them as much as you do? Of course there are situations, when you might bring home a pregnant female without realising it (or be mis-sold a mixed sex pair), so perhaps you'd like to know that the babies are born fully haired and almost immediately can (and will) eat solid food. Oh and the females are able to get pregnant at just 3 weeks old, so you will need to separate any male babies from the group at three weeks old.

---Allergies---

GPs have hair, so they may cause allergic reactions, and could affect asthmatics. The chances of asthmatic reactions are reduced with the shorter haired varieties, (in my experience anyway, I am far less affected by my smooth coated boys). Those with hayfever may also be affected by the actual hay that the piggies need to eat.

---Piggies and other pets---

I do not have any free-roaming pets in my house, but if you have cats or dogs it's a good idea to keep your piggies in a lidded cage, and even then never leave them in a room together without supervision. If you own birds you should always wash your hands between handling the birds and piggies to prevent cross-contamination of certain diseases, but this is good practise anyway. As I've already said you should never house a piggie and rabbit together, it's not even a good idea to put them out in the same run.

---Piggies and Children---

Piggies are often thought of as ideal first pets for children, due to both their size and the fact they are awake during the day. I personally disagree with this idea, they are not a good pet for children to look after on their own, they do take a lot of care and attention. But they do make a wonderful family pet, they respond well to gentle handling and there is plenty the children can do to help with their care. What I do not do is allow my children to pick them up at will, they are quite delicate animals and even a small fall could prove fatal. The children can, however, join in floor time, and it's a great way to help them learn not to be afraid (both the piggies and children) and help them be gentle in their interactions.

---Shopping List---

You will need at least the following (before you even get the piggies)

Hutch or indoor cage (The bigger the better)
Water bottle(s)
Food dishes
Wood shavings (or similar but not sawdust)
Hay (lots and lots of hay)
Guinea Pig food (must be guinea pig not rabbit)
Lots of fresh vegetables (if they're not good enough for you then they're not good enough for the piggies)
Outdoor run/safe area (we use baby gates to cordon off the safe area)
Lots and lots of love.

All of this cost us just over 80GBP, which you have to agree is not as cheap as you might have thought.

---Final Words---

I love my two boys, their names are Bubbles (a red-eyed white with a smooth coat) and Squeaks (dark brown with smooth coat) by the way. As they are awake during the day I can interact with them while my children are at school, and they reward my care in a very obvious way. I suffer from very slight depression, and I find my spirits are always lifted after spending time with the boys. And of course my boys seem to love me too, they make noises that show just how happy they are, and it's so wonderful to here them chatting away. They do make wonderful pets, but I still say they are not suitable for young children, and even older children need supervision, so buy them for yourself and not the kids. Oh I forgot to mention that my pair have never bitten me, and from what I can tell piggies rarely do, unless you are hurting or frightening them.

Summary: Great pets, but for all the family not just the children....