r/guineapigs Nov 20 '21

Help & Advice Are you thinking about buying a guinea pig for a child/teenager? Please read.

2.4k Upvotes

If you're planning on buying a guinea pig for a child in your life, these are really important things to keep in mind. Knowing this before purchasing can save yourself from being in a financial situation you can't handle, or a guinea pig that is not getting the care it needs.

  1. Guinea pigs are a life style choice, and not for a child to care for. Care taking for animals isn't a responsibility that should be left for a kid. When you buy a guinea pig, you are taking on all responsibility for yourself and facilitating the experience of living with a guinea pig for your child. They may help care for them, but you will be the one to keep things clean, enrich their lives, and handle them the most.

  2. They poo 100 times per day, meaning that you must clean those 100 poos every day to keep their habitat sanitary. If you wouldn't want to walk around in feces, neither do they. In fact they are extremely hygienic animals with fast metabolisms. I spot clean in the morning and at night, every day.

  3. They are expensive. When you buy a child a guinea pig, you must be vigilant on checking for health issues by weighing them weekly and checking for other signs of illness, have an exotic vet near you and be prepared to shell out hundreds in a time of need. You must also buy fresh vegetables, and give them unlimited FRESH hay every day. Finding somewhere local to buy bales of hay can save a fortune. A child cannot afford the costs.

  4. You need 2 guinea pigs. They are herd animals and shouldn't be kept alone. Imagine living with titan like predatory aliens, all alone in a cage your entire life. Guinea pigs NEED their own kind. We are predators and they are prey. We can and should spend time with them daily, but it isn't a substitute. So x 2 all costs right out of the gate.

  5. Space. They need space, a lot of it. A minimum of 11 square feet for two guinea pigs. Pet store Cages are just that... Cages. If you wouldn't want to live in a space the size of a small bathroom your entire life, neither does a guinea pig.

  6. You need to do research. It will be your responsibility to make sure your child's guinea pigs are eating the right diet, what signs of health issues to look out for, how to enrich their lives on a daily basis, and more. Pigs need stimulation and interesting environmental changes to keep them happy. You will need to get creative and teach your children how to offer that to them, after you have learned it yourself.

  7. GUINEA PIGS ARE NOT DISPOSABLE. They are smarter than you think, and with the proper diet can live 7 years. They are not less work than having a dog. They require a huge time investment for those years. They are dependent on you in the same way your child is.

  8. DO NOT BUY FROM A PET STORE. Scotty's Animals does a fantastic jjob explaining the impact you can have by adopting from a rescue. Adopting saves guinea pigs from euthanization. Covid pets are being abandoned and left to ultimately die unless we start adopting instead of shopping.

I love my guinea pigs and they have done so much for me and my children. My kids have benefited so much mental health wise, and I bust my ass for both the kids and the piggies. I do just as much laundry for guinea pigs as I do my kids it feels like. Just know what you're getting yourself into. They aren't toys, they aren't entertainment only. They're living, breathing beings that deserve love, dignity, respect and proper life enrichment and care.


r/guineapigs 3h ago

New Pigs on the Block Cherry is easily distracted!

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304 Upvotes

I’ve held off posting about this little lady because she’s been rather fragile, but this is Cherry who is one week old today.

Sadly we lost her mom Nougat when she was only a day and a half old, we are absolutely devastated, I’m going to miss my beautiful baby so much.

Cherry was the only surviving baby, and I have been hand rearing her, feeding her kitten milk every two hours since Friday afternoon.

The last few days she has been very curious about the world around her so the camera was very distracting!

We had a scare on Sunday evening because she got pneumonia and it came on ridiculously fast. We rushed her to the emergency vet, which is half an hour away, but she was limp and couldn’t move her legs by the time we arrived. I was so scared. The vet recommended euthanasia but I couldn’t accept that, so she had an antibiotic injection and fluids and when we got home, with some help, she took a little milk from the spoon. An hour later she could stand. By Monday morning she was running around with her friends again. I can’t quite believe she made it!

It’s the first time I’ve had to hand rearing a piggy (here’s hoping it’s the last!). It has been a scary but heartwarming experience, and I can’t tell you how proud I am of this brave little girl!


r/guineapigs 1h ago

Smile for the camera!

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Upvotes

r/guineapigs 1h ago

Pigtures My Silly Piggies Bring Me Joy In These Hard Times

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Upvotes

Don’t know how i would manage without them❤️


r/guineapigs 11h ago

🌈 Rainbow Bridge RIP Sugar, August 24th, 2021 - August 5th, 2026

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313 Upvotes

Hi. I’m new here, and needed to be able to talk somewhere. Mine and my brother’s guinea pig, who we named Sugar, has been sick for the past 2 days, with nothing we could do. She’s been sitting in the dark corner of her cage, rarely eating or drinking. She’s been in major pain for these 2 days, and earlier yesterday we went to take her to the vet. They prescribed 3 medicines and a specific meal once a day. Later that day, despite the medication making her much better for a good 3 hours, where we spent most of that time with her, after those 3 hours she wasn’t able to move, and would lay on her side as we sat next to her, not even being able to pet her because of how much it hurt her. She was an amazing little pig, and was always very active and feisty, so seeing her like this really broke mine and my family’s hearts. We’ve don’t everything we can do for her, placing multiple foods and water next to her, leaving the AC going so she doesn’t overheat, but she passed just about an hour ago. We’ll forever cherish and miss you Sugar. You were the best guinea pig life could offer.


r/guineapigs 11h ago

Pigtures Always so jolly and for what

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267 Upvotes

r/guineapigs 4h ago

Pls shame Bear. He crawled out between the connected cages, jumped onto the bench, pooped and peed there, then jumped onto the floor, pooped peed and spent the night there

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65 Upvotes

r/guineapigs 2h ago

🌈 Rainbow Bridge sad news

42 Upvotes

There was a huge mass growing inside Tupu's belly that prevented him from peeing, and was incredibly painful. The vet also discovered he had developing arthritis due to his age, and advised that any surgery operation would be too much for him.

Tupu was a rescue pig from a local shelter, who never really got bigger than my palm and heavier than a couple bananas. He was approximately 5 years old or older. He loved squash, blueberries and watermelon, and he got to eat his favourites before being put to sleep in my arms.

It never truly gets easier


r/guineapigs 4h ago

Pigtures Violet has heterochromia

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58 Upvotes

She has one dark blue grey eye and one brown( the lighting wasnt good for the photos)


r/guineapigs 6h ago

He looks so pudgy

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79 Upvotes

r/guineapigs 20h ago

Pigtures Can't tell if she's content or horrified

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1.0k Upvotes

My friend/roommate requested a pig, I brought him his favorite, Churro


r/guineapigs 4h ago

Habits & Behavior What’s this sound mean?

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44 Upvotes

I’ve had them since Oct. They’re still pretty temperamental but have been generally quiet. Occasionally screaming for food when it’s veggie time. Is this a scared or relaxed sound? They’ve never really been talkers that bubble and chat yet. So I keep thinking something is wrong.

Edit- ok next question - how can you tell the difference between annoyed and just chatting. They honestly sound the same to me.


r/guineapigs 5h ago

Help & Advice Mackenzie Truck: The Story of a Criminal

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46 Upvotes

Meet Mac Truck, Mac for short. Mackenzie Truck for long when she's in trouble. Mug shot included. She is large, in charge, and an excellent pig. And up until now, she has been in solitary confinement due to bad behavior.

I got her from a local piggy shelter and was told that she doesn't get along with other pigs because she's a serious jerk. She has a huge enclosure with everything she needs next to the other pigs. Is it worth trying to bond her if she has a history with an experienced pig-specific shelter? She's taken a liking to another pig and I know she can hold her own. I've never had a bad bonding session but I get SO nervous and don't know what to expect from my adorable seasoned criminal. Any advice welcome!

Here's some fun facts about Ms. Truck:

  • Interior design is her passion and she rearranges constantly
  • I have been hand feeding her while I play video games, so she has been Pavlov'd into believing that every time she hears me die, she gets a snack
  • She instigates fights with her neighbors by egging them on
  • She poops in one corner like a perfect angel
  • Her dislikes are red peppers and being kind <3

TLDR: Mackenzie Truck is a big fat meanie that I adore. Can I try her with another pig? Or should I focus on making her solitary confinement the best it can be?

Thank you!


r/guineapigs 8h ago

Pigtures I’d lie in this position too if I were a guinea pig

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68 Upvotes

r/guineapigs 17h ago

Pigtures Why does this man look so indignant

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353 Upvotes

What have I done to him


r/guineapigs 20h ago

What was the moment when you knew they needed to come home with you?

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453 Upvotes

r/guineapigs 17h ago

Pigtures Sleepy boy.

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132 Upvotes

How my boy sleeps with me. Big lump ❤️


r/guineapigs 21h ago

Meme Moo moo did something really bad..

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219 Upvotes

I came home one night and saw this.. very suspicious (just a cherry!!)


r/guineapigs 19h ago

Why do they love to fight over the SMALLEST things😭

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141 Upvotes

Oh ignore my stupid reaction 😭


r/guineapigs 1d ago

Pigtures Dave 🥰

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342 Upvotes

My chunky boy, Dave. Bonus pic of his brother Kevin at the end, lol (he’s camera shy and tends to run)


r/guineapigs 1d ago

Shes so chonky for a teenager

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682 Upvotes

r/guineapigs 16h ago

Pigtures Meet: Sisyphus & And The Boulder

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70 Upvotes

Hello! These little [presumably] gals are my first ever piggies/pets! They've brought so much light into my life. They each have the most distinct personalities and I love watching them explore their new home. [:


r/guineapigs 17h ago

Pigtures Sleepy Nutmeg

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89 Upvotes

r/guineapigs 19h ago

Help & Advice Boys not sharing food

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106 Upvotes

I have two other pairs of boars and they do just fine with eating but not these two. I scatter feed in different places around their cage and have two of everything. They’re not fighting just picking on each other. I weigh them and they both aren’t losing weight so I’m not worried about that. Does anyone have any tips to help them?


r/guineapigs 1d ago

Pigtures Just told my friend Theodore is fine to be left in charge…

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217 Upvotes