Book about Guinea pig care

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FirstTimePigs

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We are soon planning to get Guinea pigs for our 8 (about to be 9) year old daughter. We have done our research on cages, care etc - and she has also read a lot of books at the library. However is there a good basic “reference” book anyone can recommend, covering things they can eat etc? I remember having such things when I kept mice and gerbils as a child but don’t know if they still exist in the internet age! Thank you
 
FirstTimePigs said:
We are soon planning to get Guinea pigs for our 8 (about to be 9) year old daughter. We have done our research on cages, care etc - and she has also read a lot of books at the library. However is there a good basic “reference” book anyone can recommend, covering things they can eat etc? I remember having such things when I kept mice and gerbils as a child but don’t know if they still exist in the internet age! Thank you
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Hi and welcome

Lots of things have changed in a short time over the last dozen years or so, but you may find our own forum resource very helpful. The guides format allows us to update and add to at need in order to keep it relevant. It is one of the most comprehensive and up to date information resources currently available.
You will hopefully find the guides very practical and as how-to precise as possible; we don't just gloss over the tricky details like so many books do - because it is very often the little details that can trip up a new owner.

After over 15 years of running this forum with literally tens of thousands of piggies passing through here and with ownership experience that in some cases goes back half a century we have had time to understand what new owners need to know and what the most common questions and concerns are.

Please do not give your guinea pigs as a surprise gift but include your daughter in the process so she learns from the starts that pets are commitment for the whole of their lives and that they are not just disposable animated toys that can be treated as such - and that are sadly all too often treated as such.
Please also be aware that ultimately the guinea pigs will be your own pets and that you are very likely to become their primary carer sooner or later, especially when it comes to cleaning an grooming care. Guinea pigs are surprisingly high maintenance in terms of cleaning and they are definitely not the 'easy' children's/starter pet as which they are sadly still commonly seen. Vet cost are also not cheap and need to be budgeted for right from the start. The average healthy life span is about 4-7 years but some guinea pigs can live even longer.

Also please consider adopting rather than adding to the current commercial overbreeding problem, whether that is for pet shops or via unvetted online breeders. You can find links to carefully vetted recommended good welfare standard rescues in all our guide collections in order to avoid the most common pitfalls for new owners neatly for a little extra effort. We have also included a guide that looks in depth at all the ways you can acquire guinea pigs with their various pros/cons and potential issues/risks to be aware of.

You may find these practical and helpful information collection links helpful and may want to bookmark them for easier access:
- What to consider and how to go about things: Are Guinea Pigs For Me? - Wannabe Owners' Helpful Information

- Practical help for New Owners for a smoother start: Getting Started - Essential Information for New Owners

- Our full information resource for owners of all levels of experience: Comprehensive Owners' Practical and Supportive Information Collection

You are also welcome to ask any questions and concerns you may have in our various Care sections. We are a friendly and supportive place to help you with the little things as well as the large ones.
 
Thank you for your thoughtful response. I agree that this is a big commitment, and something that we have been working towards as a family over a number of months. My husband and I have kept gerbils for many years (and he kept guinea pigs in his youth, though as you say a lot has changed) - so we are fully on board with this, though encouraging our daughter to make the most of this responsibility and opportunity too. We will certainly find this forum very helpful :-)
 
FirstTimePigs said:
Thank you for your thoughtful response. I agree that this is a big commitment, and something that we have been working towards as a family over a number of months. My husband and I have kept gerbils for many years (and he kept guinea pigs in his youth, though as you say a lot has changed) - so we are fully on board with this, though encouraging our daughter to make the most of this responsibility and opportunity too. We will certainly find this forum very helpful :-)
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We are always very happy to support families that take their responsibilities to their pets seriously. Not knowing new members, it is our duty to ensure that they are aware of some major potential problems. We can then also learn from their reaction more about where the posters come from and where they stand, which enables us to support them better at exactly the level they need.

We do our best to provide a friendly space on here where literally any question can be asked, including those that are sadly often labelled 'silly' by those who ask them - but that actually aren't usually silly at all; they are mostly just things that a newbie has not come across and so cannot know. By far not all things are intuitive.
 
When I first started to adopt piggies I got a book from the library written by someone who had piggies for many years. Unfortunately it was so out of date that I was feeding high calcium/sugary foods that should only be given as a rare treat. It was on the advice given by the GP rescue and this forum that made me a more informed piggie mum and subsequently my boys lead happier and healthier lives.
 
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