Guinea pigs are fantastic pets because of their friendly nature. They are sociable animals and easily tamed.
However, as with any pet, they need commitment, care and attention to be healthy and happy. Just because they are small pets, people think they are easier to care for and less expensive than say cats or dogs.
My guinea pigs actually take up more time and effort to care for than my 2 Toypom dogs. They need an incredible amount of fresh veggies, hay and pellets, thus also creating mountains of poop.
If you have love and time to care for these little creatures, guinea pigs are incredible pets
Reasons why guinea pigs make good pets
They are very friendly
My guinea pigs are super friendly and don’t bite at all, not even when I first got them and they were still skittish. They are just very timid and gentle animals.
Guinea pigs are social in nature. They do better in pairs or groups, because they are herd animals.
They can be so sweet and affectionate, letting out squeals whenever they hear me coming up the stairs. It doesn’t matter where I was heading, I have to make a stop and say hello to them.
They will snuggle
Guinea pigs love to cuddle.
They are prey animals so they will try to run and hide when you try to pick them up. Once you have a guinea pig in your arms and hold them to your chest, they will settle down fast and snuggle. As they get to know you they will be more comfortable around you.
Guinea pigs are great with children
Guinea pigs are great with children, but please consider if the children are great with the guinea pigs. Smaller children should always be supervised when handling guinea pigs, as to not hurt or drop them.
Overall, guinea pigs are excellent family pets.
Kids love feeding animals and guinea pigs love to eat, so great match there.
Relatively easy to care for
Yes, guinea pigs are very easy to care for, but it still requires significant amounts of your time to do so.
Yes, they are a commitment.
To be happy and healthy a guinea pig will require:
- A descent sized cage with bedding
- Fresh water
- Hay, pellets and fresh vegetables
- A good amount of Vitamin C every day, either via veggies or supplements
- A partner to keep them company
Guinea pigs have a relatively long life span
It is devastating to lose a beloved pet.
Guinea pigs can live up to 6 to 8 years, unlike hamsters who have a life expectancy of about 2 years.
They are clean animals
If their cage is kept clean, guinea pigs produce little to no odour. A guinea pig grooms itself, but does appreciate being brushed with a soft brush. They don’t really require being bathed, but you can wash a guinea pig when needed.
Guinea pigs can be potty trained. We placed half a small pizza box with some paper shreds and hay in the corner of their enclosure and they started peeing there, keeping their bedding nice and dry. This is awesome as we use fleece as bedding, so it stays cleaner for a little longer.
They still tend to poop all over, but there is a little more concentrated in the litter box.
The main plus point for me is that you can just sweep the dry poop easily as all the wet mess is in the litter box. When the cardboard litter box is wet and dirty, I just throw it away and replace with another clean recycled box.
Guinea pigs are diurnal
Guinea pigs are active during the day and not nocturnal like hamsters.
Day time is play time. So they won’t be (too) noisy during the night.
Overall, guinea pigs are great little animals. They are cute to cuddle and it’s entertaining to watch their quirky behavior like popcorning and rumble strutting.
They make the cutest little wheeking sounds and get all excited to see you, mostly because they think you have food.
