Getting a Guinea Pig

Did you know that guinea pigs can live as long as five to seven years? Did you also know that guinea pigs’ teeth are always growing? I bet you didn't know that guinea pigs are very social pets! Guinea pigs are a lot more interesting and fun than they may seem -- However, at the same time, they need a bit more care than you’d think. If you want a guinea pig, you've come to the right place to learn about some things that can be pretty vague in other writings.

            If you’re thinking about getting a guinea pig, you should first decide if a guinea pig would work for you. There are two obvious things to think about; Money and family. Can you afford to care for one? Are your pets guinea pig safe? Will they attack it? Would your children understand how to care for a guinea pig? Those are the basic questions. However, there is one more you should ask yourself which you may not have thought of at first: What about the guinea pig’s schedule? Guinea pigs like having a set schedule. For example, maybe everyday you’d change the guinea pig’s water at 4:00 AM. Maybe you’d change its bedding every Monday at 5:00 PM. And you certainly can’t forget that guinea pigs need out of cage time every day, or else they’ll get lonely and bored. My guinea pig squeals a lot when she gets lonely, so yours might, too. She’s as loud as both my dogs combined!

            Second of all, think about how many guinea pigs you want, and what their genders will be. Since they’re really social, you might want to get two or more, so they can keep each other company when you can’t. I advise you to get the same gender, though, since one boy and one girl guinea pig equals many little guinea pigs! And I do mean many. They’re pretty fast breeders!

            Back to the topic of out-of-cage time, there are some things you need to set up before your little guinea pig can roam and explore. First of all, you really should clean the floor well. You may think it doesn’t matter, but it does! At one point, I doubted its importance too -- But then Spike, my guinea pig, started chewing on our shoes, eating our shedding dogs’ fur, and gnawing on table legs! I didn’t doubt it at all after that, and you shouldn’t, either. Second, keep all wires away. If your new pet nibbles one, they’ll get quite a shock! Finally, block off the areas under couches and beds. The guinea pig could slip under there and end up getting stuck, or being hard to get out!

            If you think you could handle a guinea pig, I really suggest that you get one! They can be fun and make great pets if you take care of them well. So if you have the opportunity to care for one and you can, take it! Don’t let it just slide by, or you’ll regret not having a cute friendly addition to your home!

(Author's Note: Can't indent the first paragraph because of Blogger!)