Deciding if I should get a guinea pig.. need advice!

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jarofmar

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Hello all! I am currently deciding if a guinea pig is the right pet for me (I'm between a guinea pig or a cat), and have found a very sweet guinea pig at a local rescue I'd like to adopt. I previously had chinchillas and as much as I loved them, I do not want a pet like them again. I just want to make sure that guinea pigs don't have the same qualities that gave me trouble with my chinchillas. Would love some feedback from current owners!

Here are the qualities I had trouble with:

1. Biting/chewing - I totally get that all rodents have to chew, but every time I let my chinchillas out to play they would chew on EVERYTHING, no matter how many chew toys I put out for them they would basically destroy my bathroom - chew on the counters, the pipes, the rug and even the toilet. Do guinea pigs chew this much too?

2. The only room I could take my chins out was in the bathroom because they hated being held and ran around like crazy. If I tried letting them out in my apartment they would chew on everything and I'd never catch them again. I really want a pet that WANTS to spend time with me, instead of forcing it. Will guinea pigs be a bit friendlier, and want to cuddle and interact? Will they come back to me easier without me having to force them? Or just sit with me on the couch (also without ruining the couch)?

3. Whenever I took my chins out they would poop about every 5 seconds. After I put them back I would ALWAYS have to vacuum because there was just poop everywhere. Do guinea pigs have the same problem when taken out of the cage? I know one or two accidents will happen with every pet, but do they go constantly/all over the place?

I've been researching piggies for a few weeks, and I have seen some answers for most of these questions, but I'd really like some answers from current guinea pig owners, and your personal experiences.

Thank you so much for the help!
 
Hi, Ive neber had a guinea pig before and had a cat for years, when I moved into my flat my cat hated that she didnt have a garden anymore and so she back to my mums house (where we moved from) and is happy but I wasnt, I really missed having her at home and decided to get a fish....lol however when I went into the pet shop just to have a look with my 10 year old neice and ended up adopting Lacey.

She is the best, I havent regretted a single second of it and she chats to me all the time and greets me by her bars when I get home from work, she does poo when she has floor time but to be honest they are hard and not smelly and takes no time just to pick them up. She is so loving and from what I have read on here, everyone's piggies are the same.

I'm about to get another for company for Lacey, to think I never even considered a guinea pig before, I'm so glad I have her.

Good luck
 
hi
i've never had a chinchilla so i dont know what they are like but, have a look around the forum there are lots of useful posts :)

1) guinea pigs do chew but if you move things off the floor they wont chew it, they dont usually climb/jump so out of reach is better.

2) guinea pigs are naturally prey animals so can be skittish but with time and patience you can change them, or with piggies you can block off areas for them to explore.

3) guinea pigs poop a lot! simple fact as they eat almost constantly they poop lots to, i was shocked i had 4 out the other day for 10 minutes and had over 20 poops. luckily mine are good and only tend to pee/poop on the towels i put down.

i let my piggies out, i have a C&C cage i open it up and let them come and go as they please when I'm at home. i like having them running around.

please rescue 2 piggies as they are naturally herd animals.
they dont produce their own vitamin c so need veggies daily, as well as unlimited hay to help prevent overgrown teeth.
 
1) none of mine have ever chewed anything apart from their brand new hutches! :))

2) yeah, you can sit with them on your lap for as long as you like...unlike a cat, which you would have to 'force' to sit with you.

3) erm...everything poops and pee's...good thing about guinea's is that their poo's are firm, so you can easily pick them up and not get mucky hands! Also you can have them on your lap on a towel (they pee too...like everything else), that way you can just gather up the towel once you've put them back and shake it out in the bin!

if you want something that doesn't poop, doesn't pee, doesn't chew and you can cuddle for as long as you want...maybe you should get a teddy?! :)
 
Well one of the first things I'd say is if you're seriously considering getting a Guinea Pig, go to a library or bookshop and read up on them. You will get the basic facts from a book without the side of "Some guinea pigs chew but my buttons never did" which you tend to get on the internet.

The first Guinea Pig I had my family were completely inexperienced with Guinea Pigs and the thought didn't even occur to us that he might chew things...until one day we couldn't get an picture up on the tv!

Guinea pig's aren't for the home proud, unless you're very good at cleaning up after the bits of hay that get everywhere, or checking for poo around the skirting board. After I let my pigs run I think I've cleaned up after them and when I go to put my shoes on I tend to find something or other.

With some Guinea Pigs the more you handle them and they get used to it and start to enjoy it, they let you know if they need to go to the toilet. Generally only when they need a wee though.

All Guinea Pig's are different you will never have two the same as you'll find out from people on here and you learn something new and different from every Guinea Pig you get. For me personally they are the perfect pet and I hope to keep on having Guinea Pig's for many years to come, but they do take time and effort I have to plan events around my pigs. But the rewards are brilliant.
 
Piggy info

Hey! Just thought id add my piece

My piggies never chew anything, but having been on this forum i suspect that they are just special. However, if you get them a big enough cage and an outoor run, they do not necessarily need to come out on your floor, they could instead have cuddles on your lap every day. guinea pigs usualy become calm when handled and are unlikely to try and escape from your lap, they will just sit and enjoy the attention!

Some peoples piggies will sit and let themselves be picked up, but this is relativly unusual (i have tried everything to tame mine but they still run when being picked up!) However unless you give them a HUGE area to explore this shouldnt cause too many problems.

Guinea pigs poop ALOT in there cage. I give my piggies lap time for about 15 minutes at a time atleast once a day. they very rarely poop on me, and indicate when they need a wee (become restless) so i do not find this a problem.

Please be aware guinea pigs are herd animals and should really be kept in twos. This is because you cannot be with your pet 24/7 and it will not sleep when you do (guinea pigs take short naps throughout the day and night) So when your at work/sleeping he needs someone to play with so they dont get lonely! Two piggies take up little more space than one, and dont cost much more too feed/bed. Pet shops often say "this piggies doesnt get on with others and should be kept alone" this is rarely true. Piggies, like humans, dont always get on so its important to find him/her a friend he/she likes. A guinea pig rescue could help you with this, :) Its always nice to rescue a piggy as 1. your giving a piggy that has been rejected a new life
2. you know your piggy is healthy and not pregnant
3. the rescue will help with any queries you may have in the future.

If you do not know where your local rescue is tell us where you are and we will suggest somewhere too you.

My family has a dog, whom i love, but i find my guineas much nicer, as they are always friendly. However they are time consuming. So please make sure you have the time to care for them! :)
 
Personally I think that from what you describe, a cat would be far more suitable for you, if you are not keen on poops or animals that chew, definitely don't get a piggy as they do both (usually poop lots, chew a little). They take lots of patience & hard work to trust you & are usually very nervous animals, but if you are prepared to put lots of effort in, then they are very rewarding pets.

Cats are independent, will sit on your lap & let you stroke them, & play with you. They don't chew but do scratch though rolleyes

Good luck with whatever you decide :)
 
I stole my daughters guinea pigs

Well I had a cat and a dog growing up - but never fancied a guinea pig as they reminded me of old ladies with hairy chins! - fast forward 30 yrs and my 13yr old gets given a pair as a birthday present by her godmother - doesnt look after them properly so I took them away from her,banned her from cuddling them or feeding / stroking for a month, while I took over AND FELL HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE! -
Yes,they poo a lot - and I will never eat a licquorice comfit again, but they are small and dry and you can hoover or pick up easy (the poos,not the guinea pigs) - noodles love to flatten out on my lap and be stroked while Truffles prefers to wander around the lounge - Bumble my 9 week old boar is just fab a real character ! - if I won the lottery Id have a huge room dedicated to piggies and I would send all the rescues a wad of cash too.

Rescue piggies are the way to go - and piggy insurance is only £6.50 per piggy per month thr:(|)ough exotic direct - piggies dont need injections like cats and no one is going to sue you because your guinea pig ran out in the road and caused a car/ bike/ accident!
 
guinea pigs are not major chewers, they like to eat alot and prefer to eat hay etc than really chew.

They will sit on your lap and be stroked but they can be hard to catch when they are not familar with you:)

I have two cats and they are very loving.

I would say if you don't like pooping often get a cat!
 
As much as I love my piggies I reckon you should get a cat. Just by what you are saying :)
 
I think it's not our decision to make.

I will answer you honestly - Guinea Pig's I find do not chew!

Depending on the Guinea Pig it may sit on your lap I have two pigs that aren't friendly and never will be as they generally just don't like humans but they will still take treats off me and be subjected to a cuddle. I have another Guinea Pig that will happily come have her chin scratched and sit with her head outside the cage talking away well having a tickle but she hates being picked up. Patrick will jump onto my knee, however when he comes out he struggles to sit still and is just a nightmare but he loves humans just not cuddling. Milo jumps straight onto my chest when he gets fed up and sits on my shoulder, he'll happily lift his head for a chin tickle in the cage and doesn't run away when I want to pick him up. Esme on the other hand just chills out and has a nap during cuddles so I guess what I am saying is - it's down to the pig!

Toilet habits normally the edge of the towel so it comes on my nice clean chair :(|).

HTH
 
Thank you

Thank you everyone for all your thoughtful answers!

I haven't made a decision for sure yet on which pet to get but I am leaning a bit towards cats.

Just to explain - I don't mind pooping and chewing, I just wanted to make sure it wasn't to the extreme it is with chinchillas.

No matter which pet I choose I will most definitely:):) be adopting from a rescue!:)
 
All guinea pigs are different, so answers are going to vary across individuals. I can say that out of the three I've had, two did not chew items outside the cage and one absolutely adored to chew the doorframes and moldings in my hallway. I did manage to train her not to chew by clapping my hands and saying NO! whenever she started grawing on the doorframes- however we did suffer some damage before she figured it out. Ironically, now that she has passed on I like those gnawed doorframes, as they make me think of her! All three of mine have been lap piggies. They love to sit with me and I sit with them every evening while I watch the news. One of them will actually flop down and go to sleep across my lap. My other two are/were chatterboxes... they would chirp and squeak the entire time I held them. It's very cute! As for peeing/pooping, we did have some accidents when they were younger, but now that they are adults I honestly can't remember the last time I got peed on. They will get squirmy on my lap when they have to go and I put them back in their cage at that point. When they were younger we had a lot more accidents on the floor as well, but as their cage is at ground level they can go back into their cage during free time, and over time the clever little have actually trained themselves to go to the bathroom in the cage. I do have to vacuum up shavings that get kicked out and the odd poop, but we don't have many pee/poop accidents with our pigs. HTH a bit and hope you enjoy whatever pet you end up with!
 
TAN said:
Well I had a cat and a dog growing up - but never fancied a guinea pig as they reminded me of old ladies with hairy chins! - fast forward 30 yrs and my 13yr old gets given a pair as a birthday present by her godmother - doesnt look after them properly so I took them away from her,banned her from cuddling them or feeding / stroking for a month, while I took over AND FELL HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE! -
Yes,they poo a lot - and I will never eat a licquorice comfit again, but they are small and dry and you can hoover or pick up easy (the poos,not the guinea pigs) - noodles love to flatten out on my lap and be stroked while Truffles prefers to wander around the lounge - Bumble my 9 week old boar is just fab a real character ! - if I won the lottery Id have a huge room dedicated to piggies and I would send all the rescues a wad of cash too.

Rescue piggies are the way to go - and piggy insurance is only £6.50 per piggy per month thr:(|)ough exotic direct - piggies dont need injections like cats and no one is going to sue you because your guinea pig ran out in the road and caused a car/ bike/ accident!
Click to expand...

" I will never eat a licquorice comfit again" Rofl! :))
How true! :(|)
 
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