How to Choose a Pet Guinea Pig?

Question

As some of you know, my mother's Cockatiel, whom she had for 21 years, just passed away. We are all very sad. She has decided that she wants another one. Well, my father wants to get a pet of his own. He isn't a bird person, so my mother is allowing him to get his own pet. lol He told me he wants to get a guinea pig. I thought it was cute...a 70 year old man wanting to get a guinea pig. So, he is out shopping for guinea pig supplies. I'm going to be going with him when he gets the animal though. Any tips on how to choose the best guinea pig? We are probably going to go to Petland.

Answer 1

I suggest contacting a rescue. They will be able to pair your father up with a pig that is right for him. However, guinea pigs are best if kept in pairs. I suggest you give your father the following link:

www.guinealynx.com

Everything he ever wanted to know about guinea pigs can be found there. There is also a list of guinea pig rescues all over the country.

Answer 2

Personally I would go to a reputable breeder. There are  several different breeds of guinea pigs and I would do a search for breeders in your area. Personally I have had Teddies, Americans, Abbysidians, and a Peruvian. Probably the best ones that I had personality wise were the Teddies. I would look for  a nice friendly one and try to make sure it is healthy. If you contact a good breeder they will probably be able to help you.

Answer 3

Well when i got my guinea pig i was scared of it becuase it was a animal i had no exprence with it. Maybe hold some of them and decide if you like them or not.. :o)

Answer 4

Do not go to Petland. Check out Petfinder to find a guinea pig near you in a shelter or rescue. If you go to a petstore I can almost assure you the guinea pig will either have a URI, mites, lice, be pregnant, or any combination of those conditions. Rescue pigs have generally been nursed back to health, not driven to bad health by non-caring employees.

Also, you should definitely adopt TWO guinea pigs. They are the same amount of work, very close to the same amount of money, and the guinea pigs will be much happier and more fun to own! They are social animals by nature and get extremely lonely living their whole lives alone in a cage.

I'd recommend not going for longer haired guinea pigs for your first, get an American, American Crested, or Abby. They're easiest to groom and don't require you to cut their hair at all. Otherwise, the breed doesn't matter.

When you're looking at the guinea pigs, if you make the right choice and adopt two, double check that they're the same gender. If you're going to a special rodent/guinea pig rescue, they know what they're doing and you really should listen to what they say about the guinea pig's health and temperment. You just want them to have clear eyes, no discharge anywhere, appear alert, and not have bald patches or be itching often.

Answer 5

make sure it has all the signs of a healthy guinea pig (clear eyes, nose, mouth, ears & is alert and not sluggish) and then choose ur favorite!   have u picked out a name yet?

Answer 6

I would reccomend getting an American or Abbysinnian. They have shorter hair so you will not need to groom them as often. Look for one that is not inside it's hidey home the whole time. Check around it's eyes and feet for redness. Make sure that nothing (except possibly a milky white substance they make naturally) is in their eyes. Check that their nails are regular, not curling under or growing random directions. You will need to clip them a bit about once a month.

Make sure they don't have patches missing on their fur, no dandruff, they're not shedding excessively, they don't have redness, and their are no small white specks. That may be lice. Also make sure their breathing sounds normal, no wheezing or not to hard.

Lastly, try to adopt, not buy from a pet store. They often don't raise their cavies correctly. Other then that, there's not much more to say! I hope you find a good guinea pig!

Answer 7

Its great your dad wants a piggie, but tell him to get two! They do much better in pairs.

Here are some things to look for:

http://www.guinealynx.info/normal.html

Please consider adopting a homeless pair from a reputable rescue.

Answer 8

you should get a short hiared because you dont have to brush them if you get a  long hiared one you have to brush them with a tooth brush(not yours)

Answer 9

You should choose your guinea pig like any other pet. Check eyes, ears, and nose to make sure they are clear and clean. Look for patchy hair or Dry skin. Make sure that you get your pet from a reputable dealer. If you can try to find one that is hand raised. I have had four guinea pigs and my favourite one was hand raised and we could let him run around the house and take him for walks on a harness.

Also, if you get a long haired one you will need to groom it and most guinea pigs need to have their nails clipped every now and then unless you let them run around a lot. Guinea pigs p**p a lot almost as much as rabbits so you need to clean the cage often.

Answer 10

Well, sometimes there is one you fall in love with, and sometimes there is one you learn to love. The big things to check for are: Bright eyes, with no googies in the corners, clean shiny fur, and clear nose with no nasel drip. Some other things you can check for are: Fat, as compared to sleek and fit, active as compared to sitting in a corner. You want to choose a healthy animal, so make sure that goes before color preference. Good luck. :)