<p>My youngest is playing the guilt game on us. She is very attached to her brother and is dreading his leaving for college. She is trying to work the angle that she needs a pet of her own so she isn’t so lonely without her brother. She is thinking a guinea pig or chinchilla. We don’t want either. We already have two dogs. But she says they are the families not her very own.
I really don’t want another pet. Any experiences with guinea pigs?</p>
<p>Ha ha. Trouble free…easy to forget. Fed them, change their cage, keep them away from the dog…Prety much useless as a pet.</p>
<p>Get a hamster instead, and the little plastic ball thing that they can explore the world without getting lost, or eaten by the dogs.</p>
<p>Actually, I cant necessarily recommend a hamster either…But they eat and crap less than a G P.</p>
<p>True on the eat and crap less–a guinea pig cage is a pain to clean.</p>
<p>On the other hand, our gp was much easier to bond with than the hamster. The h’s one aim in life was to get away; S had to grip it tightly yet carefully, it was always squirming to get free–just not much fun as a “companion.” D’s gp would sit for hours on her lap or in her hoodie pouch. She also would take it for walks around the neighborhood in her wagon. H’s in a hampster ball are amusing to watch, but the gp was definitely more companionable. </p>
<p>They were both about nine when they got the respective pets.</p>
<p>How about a rat?</p>
<p>Rats are supposed to be smart, trainable, and affectionate (if you can bring yourself to live with one in the house).</p>
<p>A cat if pretty self-sufficient and nice.</p>
<p>A fish?</p>
<p>A bunny?</p>
<p>I don’t think I could do the rat. Husband is alllergic to cats and our dog is not fond of cats.
Older D had a hamster and once trained it could be held but would escape from his cage and be missing for several days. The running all night in the wheel got old after a bit. Also the cage got smelly quick and it eventually became my job to clean when she went to college. It died while she was away at school.
Our dog pretty much ignored the hamster. I am glad to hear that guinea pigs are more friendly then hamsters. How big does a guinea pig get?</p>
<p>We had a rabbit once.</p>
<p>It was miserable if left in its cage, but if allowed out, it chewed everything in sight, including the carpeting, legs of chairs, and electric wires.</p>
<p>A rabbit might work out well if there is a room in your house that can be rabbit-proofed (no electric wires within reach, the furniture is so old that chew marks would add to its attractiveness, and all exits can be blocked).</p>
<p>If not, you’re asking for trouble.</p>
<p>Resist. She’ll get over it.</p>
<p>Guinea pigs are great. They are very calm and easy to handle. They love to sit on laps. However, they do poo a lot. We had two of them. They got to be a couple of lbs. One lived to age 3 and the other was 9 years old when he died! Positively geriatric. I’d have more, but I developed allergies to them over time.</p>
<p>Chevda- That is my hope. But I have a feeling it is wishful thinking.</p>
<p>We had 2 female guinea pigs at different times. They were both very easy to take care of. They both ate some dried food, lettuce and veggies, fruit and some variations of hay. They require a chew stick, vitamins, and water. That was pretty much it. The cage had pine shavings on the floor. We just dumped the pine shavings out when the cage was dirty while another family member held the guinea pig. I used to take the cage outside to rinse with water and lemon juice. H and I tolerated them, and our boys loved them. My H used to clip their nails, but this was rare. When we went away we would drop the guinea pigs off at a pet shop and they cared for them for a nominal daily fee.</p>
<p>If you can avoid the additional pet, as Chedva suggests, you might happy. I am happy that I no longer have them in my house.</p>
<p>I love rabbits, and have 2. However, rabbits are rabbits, not dogs or cats, and since rabbits are prey animals, most don’t like to lap sit or be picked up. They can live to 12-years-old, and their medical care is expensive. They love to chew, so one has to keep them in a cage (which unless the cage is very big can be rather cruel) or rabbit proof the area you allow them in. Mine stay on a rug that’s about 10 ft by 6 ft. that’s on a stone floor. They refuse to get off the rug because with their toenails, walking on the stone floor is like ice skating for them. I think, however, most rabbits aren’t that picky.</p>
<p>They are cute, playful and litter trained, however. Some even get along with dogs. Depends on the dogs and the rabbits.</p>
<p>Guinea pigs are social animals, so you’ll need two. If they are of the opposite sex, you’ll need to get the male neutered. It’s not always easy to sex guinea pigs, so you may just <em>think</em> you have two females until one day when you find a bunch of wee baby piggies in the cage. They are very cute, and make charming squeeing noises when they anticipate food coming and can purr nicely when they are being petted. </p>
<p>That said, they are not a substitute for a brother! I’d vote with the “just say no” crowd. Maybe she can start a new activity with one or both dogs that is “hers”? I saw a demonstration of agility training at a county fair, and it looked like a great activity for both dog and handler, really brings the dog to its full potential if you take it all the way. But just the basics are good, they learn a very controlled heel, sit, stay, come, etc., just with hand signals.</p>
<p>If H ihas allergies, check that before you get the Guinea pig. We can’t have them in the house, or rabbits either.
Kids had all the small rodents at one time or another. I liked the mice best, you could actually play with them a bit.<br>
I like the new activity idea, either with the dogs or on her own.
How about a guitar? YOu don’t have to have someone come in and feed it during vacations!</p>
<p>Picking up on the activity idea - is there something special that your S can leave with his sister? A special shirt, something he plays with, etc?</p>
<p>Why not try having a bird? I used to have a cockatail because when I wanted to get a hamster, my dad wasn’t too thrilled. Hamsters and anything similar to them reminded him of rats.</p>
<p>I think the reason your D is not giving up is that she can tell that you’re about to give in…</p>
<p>guinea pigs make great pets. small enough to live in a cage. large enough to hold and play with (gently of course). they’re vocal - especially when they hear know food is coming :)<br>
you have to ask yourself:
is she responsible to take care of the pet. unlike a dog, a caged animal really needs to be remembered – it can’t put itself in your face and remind you it needs attention.
can the guinea pig live safely with the dogs? what breeds are they? are they naturally inclined to “hunt” the new family member? eg. terriers were bred to go after small animals. is it possible to keep the animals apart if this is a risk?
how old is the child? guinea pigs can live 5 years – though i’ve known many that haven’t made it that long. will this child be heading to college while the gp is likely to still be around – what happens then?</p>
<p>nngmm- I think you are right! She will be entering 8th grade. She has a lease on a horse and has shown great responsiblity in that department. So much so she is often given extra chores and riding time by the trainer. I don’t know how good she will be about cleaning the cage. I think I will either have to nag or do it myself.
Our dogs mainly stay outside. We have one who likes to hunt skunks, opposums and the neighbors cat but he never showed any interest in the hamster. He also likes birds so a bird is out. Fish don’t do anything. Plus we would not allow the dog to be in the room if the guinea pig was out.
I know she is playing us with the missing her brother line. She does love him and consider him her best friend. She also gets scared at night and often will sleep on the floor of his room.
I am going to still stall but at least now I know having a guinea pig isn’t to complicated.</p>
<p>But you do need two of them. Even if your daughter has it with her all the time when she is home, she’ll be at school a lot, plus other activities.</p>