What Are the Pros and Cons of Having a Guinea Pig?

Question

Are they high maintenance.... how do you take care of them, and what are good tips for taking care of them?

Answer 1

HEY ! sorry i was away ... i had my laptop but it was being stupid & i figured maybe someone else would like chance (even if i'am all knowing) lol ... ok moving on,

There are no pro's ! those things stink, they sh*t everywhere, they are ugly ... and i'm not sure how old you are or if you still live  with you mama but i don't think there are many black women willing to let a rat live in their house like a pet.

Answer 2

Well being I have 5 guinea pigs and am currently breeding them, the pros wayy overway the cons. First I'll start with some cons.

1. Cleaning the cage, but it doesn't take me more than 5 minutes.

2. Like any other animal if they get sick, taking them to the vet.

2. Their life span is only up to 5 years :(

Pro's!

1. You have a little critter to hug and snuggle all of the time.

2. You are greeted in the morning with a good morning whistle!

3. You feel very needed from someone.

4. You'll be amazed of how fast you fall in love with them!

and again way to many to name.

Answer 3

Pros:

cute and can be cuddly

very playful and love to interact

they aren't too small or too big

too many to name!

Cons:

they can smell.

they squeek all night long. lol

i love them and would strongly suggest them. take them out and play with them daily. they also love to eat grass. we made a little hut for ours to play in.  you can get one or two. people suggest two. i don't. mine always fought. we tried three dif. piggies together. they both female. but they fought. hope you have fun if you get one

Answer 4

These two sites tell you almost everything.

www.guinealynx.com and www.guineapigcages.com

It varies on how much you want to spoil your piggy.

Fleece is a high maintenence bedding while aspen and carefresh are disposable. Do not use cedar.

Feeding them hay is a requirement. It doesnt matter what kind but they have to have hay available 24/7. Timothy is the prefered type.

Answer 5

hi i have a guinea pig here are the pros they are adorable loving (if you pick out the right one) not that high maintenance  and here are some cons sometimes they smell when i got mine they didn't tell me she was only 4 weeks old so i figured that out by having to take her back but 4 long weeks later i finally got her back you have to take them to the doctors and you have to clean their cages about once a week PS make shure you get a girl because they are always better with health and make shur it is at least 8 weeks old have fun

Answer 6

Guinea pigs are great pets, but you do have to clean their cages regularly, once or twice a week (but never let it go longer than one week - living in their own waste is bad for their respiratory systems, and yours too!). It is an easy clean-up, so that is a pro. They generally do not 'stink' unless their cages desperately need to be cleaned! They are very cuddly and affectionate, but do need to be treated gently. Their nails can be tricky, I could never successfully cut my guinea pig's nails myself, but a vet can do it in five minutes easy. If not cut, they can grow too long and cause problems with walking, and even grow right into their foot. It is easily prevented, however.

Making sure they always have fresh, full water is also important. But again, that is easy to do. Making sure they get all the nutrients they need from their dry food and veggies as an occasional supplement is important too. There are websites/books on caring for guinea pigs that can tell you which veggies and fruit are safe to feed to your piglet, and how often it is safe to do so. Overall, it is not too hard to care for a guinea pig but they do need attention and a clean environment to be happy. They are incredibly fun to watch, and play with, and can exceed their life expectancy if in good health (one of my guinea pigs lived for more than 5 years!!). When they know a treat is coming, they can be pretty vocal about it and squeak and 'popcorn' (have little fits of spastic jumping), and it's really cute.

A con that can sometimes be a problem with guinea pigs, is that they can easily develop tumors and bladder stones. It is a sad fact of life and all you can do is try to feed them a balanced diet and watch for any strange behavior or lumps.

Another con to watch for is not so much with the guinea pigs, but with where you get yours from. I got my first guinea pig from a pet store, expecting him to be healthy. Well, turned out he had MANGE and other problems that were luckily easily corrected by a trip to the vet, but should have been prevented by a responsible pet store in the first place. I recommend asking around in your area about the best place to get a healthy piglet. If possible, see if your local animal shelter has any up for adoption. They make great companions!