Guinea Pigs

So far she only had $30 saved up, so I am hoping by the time she saves the rest she will have another plan in action:) We did the bunny thing! MY son brought one home one day and I was furious. We got a cage from freecycle and I actually litter trained the bunny. It just freaked me out though! My dog thought it was one of her puppies so she was very protective of it. We ended up giving it away after about a week...when it started to go behind my washing machine and nibbling on the cords.

Oh if we get a bunny- it will be an outside bunny in a big cage. I'm not having it inside- Did I tell you the cat that found us (stray)- had kittens-- we now have 5 baby kittens and 2 cats! Grrrr... the kittens are so cute... But we cannot possibly keep them all- 2 of my friends want one when they are old enough- I think we are keeping 1 (Jack- he is black with white feet) so I have 2 that I need to find homes for- Maybe your daughter would like a kitten!

She would love a kitten, but my dog wouldn't! At least with a guinea pig, she can keep it in a cage in her room. How can you resist giving away those sweet little kittens? Aren't they darling.

Some kids will. But I think they are the exception. And as you said, first you had to set an excellent example. I think in some cases it's not even boredom, it's just other things happen. Rabbits live over 10 years, and in 10 years, a lot can happen. A lot of things will change in 10 years, especially for children. Maybe they'll even go off to college within those 10 years. That's how I got my 13 year old rabbit. When he was 4 years old his owner went off to college and so he came to live with me. Now that girl has a kid and another on the way. So a lot can happen in the rabbit's life time. It's definitely essential that the parents enjoy the pets as well. I always tell adopters that if their kid gets bored 5 days later or 5 years later, they need to be prepared to take on full responsibility.

My daughter is now telling her brothers that she will clean their rooms for $3! It is so funny how helpful she has been around the house. I think I will milk this one for a while because my guess is as soon as she gets it, the help around the house might stop! I agree that having pets does teach them responsibility.

I too have seen this, but again it's the parents job to teach kids responsibility and if they have done so in a right way then kids do learn to take on responsibility, as for my daughter she has done really well with her animals, she takes care of them on a day to day basis, she feeds them, and plays with them. and they are still around, and she has has her rabbit for the last 3-4 years now, we also have a turtle and it's still around, we have had it now for 6 yrs, we also have a rat that we have had for 4 years. so in my opinion my kids do a real great job at taking care of their pets. they know to have a pet is to take care of it and treat it with kindness and feed and water and clean it everyday. and because of my teaching them responsibility they still have all their pets. they even give them baths. so I hope your having luck with it, I'm very proud of my kids. Bizmom24

WEll, the novelty has worn off and my daughter is not even interested in the guinea pig anymore. It really makes a mess in the cage and has to be cleaned at least every other day. I am looking for someone to adopt him. He needs someone who will play with him.

we do learn a lot for our kids don't we. I always enjoyed learning lone with the kids as their interest grew

I did see the chew blocks at the pet store when we went to look at them. I have been searching and learning alot about them since she has become interested.

Thanks for this information. It makes me feel a little bit better about letting her get one. She is still working trying to make some more money to get the whole package so she will be set.

That's great that the infatuation still hasn't worn off for your daughter. But in most cases it does eventually (guinea pigs live 5-8 years, that's a long attention span for a child). So definitely good for parents to be prepared to take over. If you haven't already run across this site, I highly recommend checking out www.guinealynx.info for care information and meeting other piggie owners.

Came time to be mated? You don't have to breed them. No child is going to take care of the animals forever. That's why there are so many in the shelters. Please be responsible as a parent, if you don't want to take over the care when your child gets bored, get them a Giga Pet or whatever those electronic pets are called now. Guinea pigs are a real commitment.

We have been going over the responsibilities and how they are all up to her. She helps alot with our dog~ walks him, feeds and waters him, lets him out and in ~ and she is really good about that. I keep reminding her that the cage will have to be changed regularly or it will stink and be worse when she does change it.

Thanks for the comments. You had a rooster as a pet? Was it also your alarm clock?:)

What are the measurements of the cage and what type of bedding are you using? I've noticed some pigs (especially young ones) kick out bedding too. I modify the sides on my cages. I used to make all of my cages with 6 inch sides, but now I use 8 inch sides, sometimes even higher (but then I usually just add thin cut cardboard to add height rather than buying new coroplast). I usually have 2 pigs per cage and the whole thing only needs to be changed once every 5 days or so. I clean out the part daily that they pee in the most. I spend $7 a month per cage on bedding.

Thanks for the advice. I may have to look into getting our Clyde a friend. I do have him in my daughters room. I couldn't stand the smell in my living room~ and the mess it makes with the bedding. I clean him every other day and it seems to still not be enough, but I would go broke buying bedding to replace it every day.

Well, it looks like she won't need that much money now to get one. My sister in law has a cage and water bottle already that we will get from her. Another friend has an igloo for the cage that she is giving us. Now all we have to do is get the guinea pig , the bedding and food.

margo~ thanks for the great information about guinea pigs. We are only getting one, so no worries about them biting each other. We just got a cage and water bottle donated to us so it looks like a go!

Pet Rat! Never!!! Oh that poor hampster! I can see why it wouldn't want to get out of it's cage after that incident with the dog.

I know that my daughter doesn't fear holding a guinea pig since she was holding one at the pet store. I dn't like hampsters...too much like a mouse to me. We use to have turtles too when I was growing up. They got huge and we let them loose at a pond.

Oh that squeeking is driving me crazy!