Current Events > Looking for Guinea pig parents. Questions

(+) Yeah! (+)

• Going to get a pair since theyre social animals.
• Theyre do well with kids, right? My nephew is almost 2 now and does well with my cats.
• Whats the maintenance like?
• What sort of home should they have?

Just anything, really

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I thought you were looking for human parents willing to be "guinea pigs" and perform experiments on their children for you.

I am less alarmed now.

Anyway, all I know about the animal is that they will eat their young

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Hate them. Don't be duped by cutesie youtube videos of them. They are eating and shitting gardbage disposals, impossible to keep them and their enclosure clean for longer than 5 minutes, and are neurotic as all hell. They make your house smell like a farm too. If they are social with humans I saw no evidence of it.

So what else would you suggest? I want something that doesn't mind being handled, is small, and will eat veggies out of your hand.

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I have two guinea pigs actually.

Bad_Mojo posted...

* Going to get a pair since theyre social animals.

The best pairings that I've noticed are male and female pairings. Same sex pairings can work but they are going to fight a bit to figure out the pecking order and that can be stressful for the pigs to go through and it can be hard to watch sometimes but it is natural.

* Theyre do well with kids, right? My nephew is almost 2 now and does well with my cats.

Guinea pigs do well with people who know how to treat them. They don't like to be picked up or held since they are prey animals but they can be warmed up to being held in someone's lap and being pet. Most kids see a small animal and want to pick it up which can stress out the guinea pig and cause them to run and hide. Guinea pigs do NOT bite unless mistreated or mishandled.

* Whats the maintenance like?

They poop A LOT. They need their nails trimmed since their nails stop growing. They also need to have something they can chew on since they're front teeth don't stop growing (they're rodents after all).

* What sort of home should they have?

They need space. Since you're getting 2 the recommended is "7.5 square feet (minimum), but 10.5 square feet is preferred". Guinea pigs need to run and stretch so they need adequate space to run around. When designing their space make sure to provide cover for them since they like to run and hide in places. I'll post a picturesof guinea pig habitat so you have an idea.

https://imgur.com/k867ON5

Just anything, really

You can also let your guinea pigs free roam in an allotted space if you want as long as there isn't anything that could put them in harms way. Guinea pigs have personality but usually they will get along with each other or learn to get along with each other. They can get used to being held if you give them consistent lap time but don't be aggressive when trying to hold them or pick them up.

They also love fruits and vegetables. Just make sure to google if they can eat a certain vegetable/fruit. For the most part they can eat any fruit or veggie but in moderation for certain things.

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i like how they purr when you pet them

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2 is too young for a pet that can be easily killed by squeezing, or poking too hard.

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mustachedmystic posted...

2 is too young for a pet that can be easily killed by squeezing, or poking too hard.

He's great with my cats. He just pets them and puts his head on their head to give them a hug. He also listens really well when I tell, well anyone, tells him not to do something.

I kind of want to get him a rat, lol

OffTempo posted...

You can also let your guinea pigs free roam in an allotted space if you want as long as there isn't anything that could put them in harms way.

Will they use a litter box? My cats go outside, always have, but I can't do that with them

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Rats are great pets, but you need to be careful. You need two, and you need to have two food dishes, two water bottles, two everything. Otherwise one might eat the other's throat.

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