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Is it ok to bring the class pet (Guinea Pig) to a new house every weekend?

Wow. I'm not really going after tranquillity but after the size though and I agree with you.
 
I really do not think that guinea pigs should be classroom pets. If having pets in school is about teaching husbandry and welfare then it is certainly not in the interests of any guinea pig’s Welfare to be in a classroom environment. Guinea pigs need stability, in a calm quiet conducive environment that no school can ever provide. Their needs are complex and cannot be met in a classroom environment. They need 24 hour consistent and stable supervision with access to decent veterinary treatment. Your budget will be wiped out by one emergency vet’s visit bill. Transporting between different homes is unsettling. Piggies are at risk of trauma and injury in the hands of children and inexperienced adults. Our rescue will never rehome piggies to a classroom environment. No decent rescue would. That tells you all you need to know.
I’d urge you to reconsider your decision.
 
As I said before, we will take care of the pigs the humane way, and I'm sure the students will listen since they are 6th graders.
 
The class pet said:
As I said before, we will take care of the pigs the humane way, and I'm sure the students will listen since they are 6th graders.
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I’m sorry to labour the point but the “ humane way” would involve them living in a permanent home away from a school.
 
We are thinking of leaving the pet in the classroom during the weekend, but having a responsible adult come in every day to look after and care for the pigs.
 
I provide guinea pig boarding, as part of my pet care business and I notice how the boarding piggies are a bit quiet for the first couple of days and then start to come out of their shell. It could be very stressful, for them to be moved, somewhere different, every weekend and holiday. Letting various students, take the guinea pigs home, could be risky, especially as you have no idea of the home environments they are being taken into. Do people smoke in the house? What other pets do they have? How many people will be around the guinea pigs? What temperatures will they be kept in?

I initially thought you had already got a guinea pig, but as it would appear you still need to obtain the piggy/piggies, then I would really urge you to reconsider.
 
I hope you find some piggies who have big, bold characters. There are a lot out there who would find such a lifestyle stressful. I have a lovely little lady called Bramble who has a brain parasite, episodes of this parasite are brought on by stress, the stressful even that caused it to come to a head the first time? I cut her hair because she's long haired :yikes: some of them are really quite delicate little people.
Do make sure you allow the piggies time to settle back in the classroom before the kids come in (food often helps with that!)
Their spines are really quite fragile so really don't do well with being grabbed or dropped even just a small bit so having an adult place the piggies onto the kids lap rather than letting them reach in to try to catch them may well avoid accidents (I must admit I don't know how old a 6th grader is though) but personally I wouldn't allow anyone under 12 to pick my own pets up and even then, depending on the kid ..I'd wait even older! Although I am somewhat over protective XD
They really thrive on routine, so if that can be accommodated and impressed upon whoever takes them home, that will help alleviate some of the stress they will feel by moving.
I do agree though out of a lot of pets that could be in a classroom, piggies are some of the least suitable. But I truly hope it works out well for yours if you decide to go ahead with having them and that they have a great little life :) guinea pigs are up there as one of the most abused and neglected pets due to people underestimating just how much care they need and how sensitive the little beans are.
 
VickiA said:
I think if you have joined this forum seeking our endorsement of the decision to keep piggies in a classroom as class pets you may well be disappointed.
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So what about just encountering piggies in a school and trying to look out for them? What else would my husband do, make a fuss and lose his new job? I totally agree the piggies are not best placed there but if the piggies are already there what should he do? Not offer to foster them in case we get condemned on the forum? This all seems a bit aggressive... like really aggressive, compared to the friendly response complete psychos who have piggies with excessive bleeding from every orifice and unexplained broken legs get... think we might leave now, this is getting trolling mean...
 
PigglePuggle said:
So what about just encountering piggies in a school and trying to look out for them? What else would my husband do, make a fuss and lose his new job? I totally agree the piggies are not best placed there but if the piggies are already there what should he do? Not offer to foster them in case we get condemned on the forum? This all seems a bit aggressive... like really aggressive, compared to the friendly response complete psychos who have piggies with excessive bleeding from every orifice and unexplained broken legs get... think we might leave now, this is getting trolling mean...
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Please don’t leave @PigglePuggle This is just one of those threads that can unfortunately get overheated as everyone has their own opinion.
 
PigglePuggle said:
So what about just encountering piggies in a school and trying to look out for them? What else would my husband do, make a fuss and lose his new job? I totally agree the piggies are not best placed there but if the piggies are already there what should he do? Not offer to foster them in case we get condemned on the forum? This all seems a bit aggressive... like really aggressive, compared to the friendly response complete psychos who have piggies with excessive bleeding from every orifice and unexplained broken legs get... think we might leave now, this is getting trolling mean...
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Someone asked a question and I answered it! Welfare is paramount!
 
@PigglePuggle don't leave! As @Claire W has said a few threads do get overheated with everybody putting in their own opinion. Everyone is entitled to speak up for what they think is best. We all want the best for all piggies. That is why we are on this forum.
 
The class pet said:
We need a student to bring the class pet home every weekend. Is it better to bring it to the same house every weekend, or is it ok to bring the pig to different houses every weekend, and return it to the classroom during the week? Thank you!
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It needs a permanent home, not in a school full stop. Not bein horrible. I rescued 2 pigs that went through this, it doesnt work. Its not fair on the animal getting passed around in all weathers . It needs an environment it knows and a routine to get used to. I suggest you give it up to a rescue. Sorry but this is out of love not being rude atall. After all this forum is full of members that love keeping guinea pigs and from experience know exactly what is best for them.
 
@PigglePuggle the OP asked a question that has been answered in the responses. There are as yet no piggies in the OPs classroom. It really is not in the interests of the welfare of any piggy to live in a classroom environment and no reputable rescue would rehome to a classroom. In the interests of those future piggies’ welfare I could not condone the decision to buy them and keep them as classroom pets. Someone has to speak up for the welfare of the piggies.

In the event that piggies are already in a classroom all any of us can do is try to offer support to improve the life of those piggies. But if we could prevent any getting into a classroom in the first place that would be preferable.
 
The class pet said:
The students are 6th graders and will be ok if the pigs die, and will understand how to handle them.
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Please take the time to read the information links I have given you, so you and your students can understand and care as best as possible for the classroom pets. Our recommendations comply with minimal welfare standards and our guides have been specifically written for new members without experience.
Many of the links deal with settling in and interacting safely with guinea pigs, understanding their behaviour, needs and background and how to plan for, avoid or minimise potential problem areas. I am not talking down to you; there is a lot of practical help in those links!
The points I have brought up are not just based on single isolated incidents but on sad and upsetting experiences that we see repeatedly on our forum or in rescue posts; they are areas that should be taken into account. Animal welfare and respect for animals starts at a very basic level. Pet ownership is a long term responsibility long after guinea pigs have stopped being cute and lively youngsters - and it has to be tought by your own example.

If you can, please teach your students to try and see things from a prey animal perspective. Putting yourself in somebody's else's shoes and seeing an issue from a different perspective is an important part of developing emotional intelligence anyway.
Having a rescue person to come and visit the class to demonstrate handling, understanding and caring for pets is still a valid suggestion to make the best out of it and to add another layer to responsible pet care and animal welfare. Many rescues offer educational visits when asked and bring suitable piggies/other pets of their own for the visit that can cope with a classroom of strangers.
 
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As I agree with the other threads, guinea pigs should not be class pets. Although if your students are loud, you might wanna reconsider a guinea pig.
 
PigglePuggle said:
So what about just encountering piggies in a school and trying to look out for them? What else would my husband do, make a fuss and lose his new job? I totally agree the piggies are not best placed there but if the piggies are already there what should he do? Not offer to foster them in case we get condemned on the forum? This all seems a bit aggressive... like really aggressive, compared to the friendly response complete psychos who have piggies with excessive bleeding from every orifice and unexplained broken legs get... think we might leave now, this is getting trolling mean...
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Having read through this thread I think you are mixing the OPs situation with yours. Your situation is finding that the school has guinea pigs and trying to do your best to help them in the situation they find themselves. The OP is clearly considering getting guinea pigs for the classroom but doesn't have any as of yet so I don't think the messages are aggressive, it's just one of those topics where the animals welfare comes first and forum members feel very strongly on the situation.
 
PigglePuggle said:
So what about just encountering piggies in a school and trying to look out for them? What else would my husband do, make a fuss and lose his new job? I totally agree the piggies are not best placed there but if the piggies are already there what should he do? Not offer to foster them in case we get condemned on the forum? This all seems a bit aggressive... like really aggressive, compared to the friendly response complete psychos who have piggies with excessive bleeding from every orifice and unexplained broken legs get... think we might leave now, this is getting trolling mean...
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Couldn’t agree with you more! Seems like a bit of a nightmare on here tonight poor lady isn’t breaking any rules but looking for help. Yet medical emergency bleeding from every orifice posts get nice and polite responses ☹️☹️
 
EJMA82 said:
Couldn’t agree with you more! Seems like a bit of a nightmare on here tonight poor lady isn’t breaking any rules but looking for help. Yet medical emergency bleeding from every orifice posts get nice and polite responses ☹️☹️
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We haven't jumped on the OP of this thread and have not vilified her; we also do not vilify anybody trying to deal with an already existing situation and to make the best of it in very limited ways, @PigglePuggle .

However, we do bring up our concerns in any situation where the welfare of any prospective pets is at stake.
When you read through the links I have parsed into my posts, you will find that they are all part and parcel of our new owners' guides package that we give to any new and prospective owner and that they in fact contain a lot of very useful and helpful practical information on guinea pigs as a species with specific needs and problems, how we interact with them in a way that respects their needs as well as ours and care for them to a standard that complies with welfare recommendations.
You will also find that I have offered an alternative option to pet keeping for introducing pets and animal welfare into the classroom.
We always make prospective owners aware of areas that could be problematic for their very own plans and setting, and that they'd better think about before they run into preventable problems.

But it is admittedly an area that those of us who have personal experience of what a failed schoolroom set-up can do to a piggy feel pretty strongly about.

PS: When we are friendly to people with very ill piggies that should have been seen by a vet long before the poster is coming on the forum for advice, then it is not because we are happy and comfortable with them (in fact we all find these situations very upsetting) but because it is in our experience the only way to not fail the poor piggy any further. We can help it only if we get the poster on board and can convince them to do the necessary as we cannot get at the piggy directly.
 
Ive posted and deleted my comment. I cant help really all has been said
 
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Wiebke said:
We haven't jumped on the OP of this thread and have not vilified her; we also do not vilify anybody trying to deal with an already existing situation and to make the best of it in very limited ways, @PigglePuggle .

However, we do bring up our concerns in any situation where the welfare of any prospective pets is at stake.
When you read through the links I have parsed into my posts, you will find that they are all part and parcel of our new owners' guides package that we give to any new and prospective owner and that they in fact contain a lot of very useful and helpful practical information on guinea pigs as a species with specific needs and problems. You will also find that I have offered an alternative option to pet keeping for introducing pets and animal welfare into the classroom.
We always make prospective owners aware of areas that could be problematic for their specific plan and setting, and that they'd better need thinking about before they run into preventable problems.
But it is admittedly an area that those of us who have personal experience of what a failed schoolroom set-up can do to a piggy feel pretty strongly about.

When we are friendly to people with very ill piggies that should have been seen by a vet long before the poster is coming on the forum for advice, then it is not because we are happy and comfortable with them (in fact we all find these situations very upsetting) but because it is in our experience the only way to not fail the poor piggy any further. We can help it only if we get the poster on board and can convince them to do the necessary as we cannot get at the piggy directly. ;)
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Absolutely agree with what you recommended and suggested as it was in a productive and polite way. The rescue visit to the school idea is a brilliant one and I hope they research that option as a better one before making a decision. 👍🏻
 
Guinea pigs are extremely nervous delicate animals. they startle at the slightest sound or movement, even in a stable, relatively quite home environment, because of this they are not suitable as a communal or class pet :( Being in a school with loud children will put them under a lot of stress which would be cruel & they will soon become ill. Please reconsider this & if you do have any feelings for animals you should present the information you have been given on this forum to your school & beg them to reconsider their decision. There is plenty of online information about pet care that could be presented to the class instead, without the need to have a live animal subjected to such stress.
 
Guinea pigs are way too high maintenance for school pets. I would love to get a ban on classroom pets, seems as tamagotchis managed to get banned and conkers , pogs , and so on. The only good thing ive seen as kind of a school pet is the caretakers cat getting loads of fuss
 
I personally think it is cruel, guinea pigs need love and attention. Settling in can take a long time and if they are going to a new house every week this can stress them out. Especially with kids, children are loud and suppose it gets sick. If I had the choice I would ban classroom pets. If I were you I would just adopt the poor thing. Thanks, Lily.
 
I have found that guinea pigs are most definitely not as easy to care for as pet shops and photos make them out to be. The guinea pigs that are going to be brought into the classroom will not survive on your budget of $180. They will need bedding (that won’t stay clean forever, this will have to be spot cleaned everyday and changed over once a week). They need a water bottle, places to hide, a 24/7 supply of hay, food pellets, and a variety of fresh vegetables for each and every day. So, at least once a month, all new bedding, pellets, and hay needs to be purchased that will last you until your next purchase. And every week you will have to buy fruits and vegetables, spend every morning and after noon cutting them up and giving them to the pigs. AND the cleaning. guinea pigs (or atleast all 6 of mine) are very messy, every week I have to do a full clean out, which takes up at least 3 hours of my day. The pigs just aren’t fit for a classroom. You can’t expect the students to pay for nessecitys each month, or rely on someone to properly feed and clean the cage. In no means am I trying to be mean. I think that another sort of class pet like a fish would be perfect.
 
Fish are actually hard to look after as well. I keep an aquarium and between the water testing to ensure the nitrogen cycle is still effective, water changes, substrate vacuuming and general care, they are just as hard to look after!
 
Piggies&buns said:
Fish are actually hard to look after as well. I keep an aquarium and between the water testing to ensure the nitrogen cycle is still effective, water changes, substrate vacuuming and general care, they are just as hard to look after!
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I agree, I have turtles and they are hard to look after. I was thinking like a single gold fish or betta if the class won’t leave the idea of having a class pet.
 
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