Spacefem.com • View topic - Guinea pigs and good pet ownership: a ...
First I must say that guinea pigs are fantastic. They're active, funny to watch, completely adorable, happy to stay in their pen, easy to please, soft to pet, and they make neat squeaky noises. So if you're considering a pet they're pretty awesome. But there are some things you should keep in mind, which is why I've been meaning to write this quick guide of things you should know about guinea pigs. Like many pets, guinea pigs are overpopulated. Before you buy one from a petstore I'd strongly recommend looking online or checking with your local humane society. Our humane society said they didn't have any, but one week later they were bugging us with some homeless boys, one of which was only three months old. Who would give up such a tiny thing? Your guess is good as mine. They eat a LOT, and need to eat healthy... plenty of Timothy hay, quality pellets, fruits and vegetables. The veggies have actually made MY diet better so that's a highlight. But like many animals, if you buy the cheapest pellets you can find you're going to end up with sick piggies. I buy Oxbow, it's $15, it lasts about a month. I mentioned earlier that there are lots of homeless piggies... that's because they're made for RAPID BREEDING. Breeding guinea pigs is dangerous business... deadly for 20% of females and genetic mis-matches (resulting in breeders who don't know what they're doing) result in babies who don't survive. So that's why you should never intentionally breed. But you should take every precaution to avoid unintentional breeding also... choose a gender and go with it, don't mix males and females, ask your vet if you're unsure of the sex of your guinea pig. A sow can crank out litters of up to eight piggies every three months if things start going crazy. For more info refer to These are not the toughest wildest animals ever... they get sick, they get injured, and they need professional care. It's true that they're cheap to buy but vets are not cheap. Let's say someone drops...