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They are animals, NOT TOYS!
- Jul 26, 2009 at 5:47 PM
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- Comments (68) Total Views (1876) Everyone can see this journal post.
With the success of the movie "G-Force" guinea pig sales have increased by.. well, I don't have real numbers.. but it was obvious today as I picked up a new collar for my dog that the 20 or so families milling about the small animal section in PetsMart were there for one thing and one thing only.. a new pet. Specifically.. a guinea pig.
Some of the choice phrases I heard: "Cages are HOW MUCH? Well.. we can just keep her in a box until we get one" "Can these live outside?" so on.. and so on.. and so on.
We've seen this before... remember after 101 dalmatians.. when they were the "hot dog" and were breeding so fast the puppies were born with deformities? I'm not saying that will happen here.. after all, guinea pigs are breeding at that rate normally.. but I am concerned that alot of people are getting into something they don't have enough knowledge about.
Some will argue "its just a guinea pig".. well.. not to me. I have a guinea pig, it is a family member just like all of our other pets. Its a living, breathing creature with feelings.. and it takes ALOT of care and love to make it the kind, gentle animal it is.
So.. if you are considering getting one of these pets for your kids.. a few things I would like you to know.. please take this into consideration.
#1. Guinea pigs need attention.. lots of it, at least if you want one you can actually hold! They are social creatures and love to be held and included in family activities. Some roam free in peoples homes, much like a bunny who is litter-box trained would. Yes, they can be litter-box trained. Guinea pigs tend to find ONE place they "prefer" to potty.. and will use that if they can. That's not to say they wont poo and pee all over your house.. because if they cant get to that spot, they will. Some cant be trained. "poop in his hand! poop in his hand!" Yes... they do. And they pee ALOT. ALOT ALOT. and it stinks.
When a guinea pig wants food or attention.. it squeals. Let me repeat that.. it SHRIEKS. It sounds like.. a squealing pig. Its LOUD. Some make this noise even when happy. Mine makes it if I even dare walk by the cage without stopping to give her a scratch on the neck, or if she sees us with food.
#2. Guinea pigs smell. Even if you change their cage ALOT, it smells a little. Their pee smells. We change her cage no more than every 3 days, usually we do it every 2. Why? Its unhealthy for HER to do it any less, and it stinks up your house if you don't. They are also messy eaters.. she spills her food the minute we put it in the cage.. she rips carrots to bits and spreads them around.. so all that begins to smell. It is downright CRUELTY to not change their cage every 2-3 days.
Another note on the cages- WIRE BOTTOM CAGES ARE NOT SAFE FOR GUINEA PIGS. They are "nice" for owners because everything falls through the bottom, making it easier to clean.. but they are not nice to stand on 24 hours a day, they can DEFORM your pets feet. Please get them a proper cage. Please change it as often as needed.
#3. Guinea pigs need a proper diet. Please buy them the proper food, and offer up fresh veggie and fruit choices. Ours loves carrots, broccoli, salad greens, banana, strawberries, and many other fresh treats along with her guinea pig food. She also gets vitamins.. and like all other animals in our family, she sees the VET! Guinea pig nails need to be trimmed, this is another thing you must be prepared to do or pay to be done. If you do not trim their nails, they can become deformed.. it is painful and cruel. They don't LIKE getting their nails trimmed, so you may get bit. This is something you need to know. Gloves help. They shed. At least the short hair ones do... and its ALOT. You will wonder how all this hair came from something so small.
Sometimes, they need to bathe. This isn't a "rule" and guinea pig breeders seem conflicted on this.. but ours seems to enjoy it, so she bathes every month or so.
#4. Your child can hurt a guinea pig, or other small animal, very easily. They are not toys. Guinea pigs will bite if they are hurt, or feel like they need to defend themselves. Ours has never bitten.. but our children are also not allowed to hold her without supervision. Guinea pigs need to become accustomed to you, they wont just immediately love to be held. Ours will walk up to the edge of the cage and wait to be petted or scratched, but she didn't start out that way. Ours will climb into our hands to be lifted out, but it wasn't always that way. We had to work to gain her trust.. you must have patience.
...this isn't a definitive list of things you should know, but I think they are important things everyone considering a guinea pig should keep in mind. They are loving, happy, cute, sweet, cuddly creatures and we are blessed to have one in our home.. but do I think they are for everyone? No... and I would rather someone who isnt going to properly care for one know ahead of time that it isnt the pet for them. Hope this helps someone make the decision ahead of time not to bring one into their home, or just helps them be more prepared. To me, this is the same as bringing home a bunny or chick for easter.. it is an animal and deserves a good home, so please be aware of that.
Comments:
Thank you for posting this. I remember the dalmation craze. It's sad when parents do this. Guinea pigs are such cute little critters. We had one when I was a child. I can't remember his name because I was so small, but I remember the smell of the cage if it went a bit too long. We have a rabbit and he smells like that sometimes. hahaha
Voted popular. This is very pertinent, good information.
thanks for posting. Very important info to know!
Great post, as always! Your guinea pig is too cute!
your right we had a guines pig they are fun but need alot of attention and do smell we found some of the newer bedding does help though ours needed a bath he was a boy and could not reasch his butt but I would hate for them to end up abandoned they love people
:) thanks guys - Turbo (my baby) says thanks too! I just cringe to think that people might get them and then give up on them just as quick.. imagine how many will be up for adoption or just set free? Gives me the shivers..
LOL@ rabbit smell.. I grew up with rabbits and they lived outside in cages in the summer, and hopped around our christmas tree farm... and inside the garage in the winter.. and I remember their pee being the WORST smell on earth.. and yeah, guinea pig pee is the same, theres just less of it! hehe
Oh I wish my friend would heed this type of advice. Her 5 yr old has been through 2 bunnies and 4 hampsters in roughly 1.5-2 years. Apparently (despite the PROOF against this) he is capable of caring for animals by himself.
Great post! I voted popular so hopefully many moms can get educated before they buy into this new "fad". I grew up with guinea pigs and I learned a lot from this journal.
I love you for writing this! We had a pair of guinea pigs for a while and were very well educated on their care. Unfortunately, though, my son and I broke out with hives every time we handled them, so we were unable to keep them. They were fun, lively, squeaky pets that brought a lot of life and joy to our home. Everything you said above is true! They do require a lot of fresh veggies, they do smell, and they are noisy--espeically when they hear you open the fridge and rattle the plastic lettuce bag at dinnertime.
Unfortunately, I fear that you are correct in thinking that guinea pig sales will now increase, and with it unwanted guinea pigs that will need new homes. But if anyone wants a guinea pig there are lots of rescue organizations out there who take much better care of them than most pet stores. Please bring home a rescue instead! Those animals need good homes, and the rescue organizations will help educate you about their care BEFORE you get one...or two. (They are really damn cute in pairs.)
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Great post, great point! Oh and that is a really cute pic of you. :)
- aurorabunny
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