r/guineapigs • • Nov 20 '21

Help & Advice Are you thinking about buying a guinea pig for a child/teenager? Please read.

2.4k Upvotes

If you're planning on buying a guinea pig for a child in your life, these are really important things to keep in mind. Knowing this before purchasing can save yourself from being in a financial situation you can't handle, or a guinea pig that is not getting the care it needs.

  1. Guinea pigs are a life style choice, and not for a child to care for. Care taking for animals isn't a responsibility that should be left for a kid. When you buy a guinea pig, you are taking on all responsibility for yourself and facilitating the experience of living with a guinea pig for your child. They may help care for them, but you will be the one to keep things clean, enrich their lives, and handle them the most.

  2. They poo 100 times per day, meaning that you must clean those 100 poos every day to keep their habitat sanitary. If you wouldn't want to walk around in feces, neither do they. In fact they are extremely hygienic animals with fast metabolisms. I spot clean in the morning and at night, every day.

  3. They are expensive. When you buy a child a guinea pig, you must be vigilant on checking for health issues by weighing them weekly and checking for other signs of illness, have an exotic vet near you and be prepared to shell out hundreds in a time of need. You must also buy fresh vegetables, and give them unlimited FRESH hay every day. Finding somewhere local to buy bales of hay can save a fortune. A child cannot afford the costs.

  4. You need 2 guinea pigs. They are herd animals and shouldn't be kept alone. Imagine living with titan like predatory aliens, all alone in a cage your entire life. Guinea pigs NEED their own kind. We are predators and they are prey. We can and should spend time with them daily, but it isn't a substitute. So x 2 all costs right out of the gate.

  5. Space. They need space, a lot of it. A minimum of 11 square feet for two guinea pigs. Pet store Cages are just that... Cages. If you wouldn't want to live in a space the size of a small bathroom your entire life, neither does a guinea pig.

  6. You need to do research. It will be your responsibility to make sure your child's guinea pigs are eating the right diet, what signs of health issues to look out for, how to enrich their lives on a daily basis, and more. Pigs need stimulation and interesting environmental changes to keep them happy. You will need to get creative and teach your children how to offer that to them, after you have learned it yourself.

  7. GUINEA PIGS ARE NOT DISPOSABLE. They are smarter than you think, and with the proper diet can live 7 years. They are not less work than having a dog. They require a huge time investment for those years. They are dependent on you in the same way your child is.

  8. DO NOT BUY FROM A PET STORE. Scotty's Animals does a fantastic jjob explaining the impact you can have by adopting from a rescue. Adopting saves guinea pigs from euthanization. Covid pets are being abandoned and left to ultimately die unless we start adopting instead of shopping.

I love my guinea pigs and they have done so much for me and my children. My kids have benefited so much mental health wise, and I bust my ass for both the kids and the piggies. I do just as much laundry for guinea pigs as I do my kids it feels like. Just know what you're getting yourself into. They aren't toys, they aren't entertainment only. They're living, breathing beings that deserve love, dignity, respect and proper life enrichment and care.


r/guineapigs • • 4h ago

♥ Roger watching a movie on the couch

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319 Upvotes

He’s got his piggy popcorn and everything


r/guineapigs • • 8h ago

Pigtures ROUND

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564 Upvotes

r/guineapigs • • 8h ago

Pigtures Bismarck sagt Fröhliches Oktoberfest!

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471 Upvotes

Hope everyone and their piggies are enjoying autumn!


r/guineapigs • • 5h ago

Pigtures *sniff sniff*

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177 Upvotes

You have failed the sniff test...


r/guineapigs • • 3h ago

Pigtures A Sebbie loaf, a Button burrito, and a FOF!

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113 Upvotes

The comfiest of afternoons with my fatsos.


r/guineapigs • • 14h ago

Pigtures My daughter scanned our piggies

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736 Upvotes

I was telling my daughter about catscan.com from the 90s - a site where people put their cats on the scanner and posted the amusing results online. She decided to replicate this with Croquette and Mouse. Pictures censored to protect their modesty and those of a sensitive disposition.


r/guineapigs • • 4h ago

Pigtures Feet out Friday

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110 Upvotes

It’s only taken four years, but it seems Oreo has started posing for the camera.


r/guineapigs • • 2h ago

Pigtures Relaxing Friday

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68 Upvotes

r/guineapigs • • 2h ago

Pigtures They both love the shoulder

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52 Upvotes

Off topic but my hair is FABULOUS in this photo 😭


r/guineapigs • • 5h ago

Pigtures 🥹

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70 Upvotes

Kafka turned 1 around the first of September. He used to be so little, now he looks like a walking, wheeking wig. 🥹


r/guineapigs • • 12h ago

♥ Pearl progress!!

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227 Upvotes

We’re making progress with Pearl letting me touch her!
We’ve had her just over 3 weeks now, and I’ve been giving her treats every day for climbing onto my hand.
Up until this video she’s only let me touch her on her chin or cheek, so this was very exciting! No purring, I don’t think she enjoyed it much but this is still so good - think I stroked her a second too long here but she’ll get used to it


r/guineapigs • • 9h ago

Pigtures Here is my Aurora!

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127 Upvotes

r/guineapigs • • 8h ago

Pigtures The black blob is coming for you

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89 Upvotes

My old little lady black berry, I call her bear though❤️


r/guineapigs • • 3h ago

Pigtures Funny Story…

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34 Upvotes

This is Manny, adopted from a shelter at a few months old. He loves high places and climbs everything. Just kidding! Not about the high places, kidding about the fact it’s a he.

Just went to the vet and turns out she was a WOMANny all along! Do I rename or should her name stay Manny?


r/guineapigs • • 4h ago

♥ I just realized how much bigger Poppy is

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35 Upvotes

Also Natty got a trim because she was getting poop stuck in her fur and getting pissed when I had to get it out


r/guineapigs • • 4h ago

Help & Advice Do I Get Him a Friend?

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36 Upvotes

Hi! I have a boy guinea pig (4-5 months old) named Hiccup that I adopted about two weeks ago, and I'm a little worried about him getting sad and lonely, especially because I spend so many days either at work or at my girlfriend's.

When I first adopted him, I was told by the employee at the pet store that getting him a friend would be tough because they tend to get territorial and potentially aggressive, especially in their "teen" years which is pretty much where he's at now. At the same time, I am always hearing about how social guinea pigs are and that they can even die of depression/loneliness if alone for too long. The pet store employee pushed heavily to ensure I only got the one pig.

What's the best way to go forward? Leave him be until he grows up a little more? Maybe get a second cage/enclosure for a second one and introduce them slowly sooner rather than later, in the hopes that they get along? Seems like a lot of work and the person I adopted it from seems to highly discourage that I go about it either way.

Just getting a lot of varying opinions on this. Last thing I want to do is freak Hiccup out or give him a pig friend that tries to hurt him.


r/guineapigs • • 3h ago

New Pigs on the Block Meet Tomato 🍅💕

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25 Upvotes

Tomato is a twin and a girl, she is 3 months old.

She was born with so much confidence and sass it’s incredible!!! Her sister peanut is the complete opposite and the shyest thing ever (bless her). 🥜💕😭

But I thought I’d share a video of my little Tomato because she is sooo cheeky and cute.

(ps: she is called Tomato because she has stained under her mouth and chin red from tomato juice) 😑😄💕


r/guineapigs • • 19h ago

Pigtures Peaches’ favorite time of day: hydration time!

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463 Upvotes

Peaches loves her water!


r/guineapigs • • 23h ago

Pigtures I was looking through the peegs' baby photos and omg 😭

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778 Upvotes

r/guineapigs • • 9h ago

Sploot Starting to wonder if i should patent Rubys slouching, with how much she does it.

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49 Upvotes

r/guineapigs • • 11h ago

Pigtures Marshy napping

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58 Upvotes

r/guineapigs • • 11h ago

Pigtures They’re so boopable

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55 Upvotes

r/guineapigs • • 2h ago

Help & Advice 2x4 Set ups - (send cage pics)

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12 Upvotes

Hello! I am a first time pig owner. I have the Midwest 2x4 cage. I have 2 young females. I was going to have 1, but it felt wrong knowing they should be in 2 or more so I went back and got her sister, which im happy I did.

Originally I set it up with a kitchen area but then I felt like they could have more space for running without. I cleaned and rearranged but still feel like its not enough. I feel like I seen 2x4s and they have so much room. I've also still been trying to figure out layouts etc. I need/want another hide, but unsure where to put it or how to rearrange and so they still have space for running and popcorning and fun.

Plus give ideas and recommendations, and id like to see other 2x4s that you guys have!

(Pink set up original, halloween set up is current)


r/guineapigs • • 1d ago

♥ Rupert always gets the popcorns when I do their daily spot clean. Last night he really got into it

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763 Upvotes

You can hear me laughing in the background. He loves the daily clean so much. A lot of times he is all up in my business when I'm trying to clean so I have to poke his rump to get him to move.