10 important questions

Despite its unpretentiousness, the guinea pig is the same pet as a dog or a cat. And it requires a certain responsibility on the part of the one who started it.

Answer the following questions honestly to yourself and you will understand whether you should get a guinea pig.

1. Guinea pigs live up to 6-8 years. During this period, you must take responsibility for keeping the animals. Are you ready for this?

2. In order for a guinea pig to feel good, she needs a fairly spacious home. Do you have room for a cage at least 60×60 cm? Moreover, it is better if the cage will stand away from the sleeping places, because. it happens that guinea pigs make noise at night or early in the morning.

3. The cage should be cleaned at least once a week, and the pigs should be fed 2-3 times a day. Do you have time for this?

4. The guinea pig is a very sociable animal that needs daily companionship and various activities. The ideal option is to keep a couple of same-sex animals, then they will entertain each other and will not be bored. Otherwise, you will need to spend at least 10-15 minutes a day to communicate with your guinea pig. Can you make time for this?

5. While walking around the apartment, a guinea pig can gnaw furniture or wallpaper, leave behind puddles or litter balls. In these cases, you should be tolerant. Can you?

6. If you give a guinea pig to your child, you will have to monitor their communication, mainly to ensure that the child does not inadvertently harm the pig.

7. Also think about who will take care of your guinea pig during your vacation.

8. If your guinea pig gets sick, you will need to contact your veterinarian. Are you ready for this?

9. Do you have pets that are unlikely to get along with a guinea pig? Guinea pigs are best kept away from cats and dogs, although there are times when they get along peacefully and even make friends.

10 Before purchasing a guinea pig, find out if you or anyone in your household has an allergy to animal dander. There is nothing worse than getting a pet and discovering that its fur is giving someone in the household an allergy attack.

1. Should I get one or two guinea pigs?

Guinea pigs are very sociable animals, so it is better to have two animals for their best well-being. (See the article “Buying a guinea pig”)

2. Do males get along with each other as well as females?

If males know each other from an early age and are kept separate from females until puberty, there will be no skirmishes between them. (See the article “Two guinea pigs: friend or foe”) 

3. Do I need permission from the owner of the house to keep a guinea pig (if the property is rented)?

Only for a few animals such permission is not necessary, so you should find out if keeping one or another animal will disturb the peace of the residents of the house. 

4. Can I adopt a guinea pig from a kennel?

It all depends on how long she’s been there. Sometimes such an animal needs to be given a lot of time and attention so that it becomes tame again. 

5. Where can I buy purebred guinea pigs?

First of all, you should contact the breeders involved in the professional breeding of guinea pigs. In this matter, you can also help sellers of pet stores. Today, the preferred practice is to purchase animals directly from breeders. When buying an animal in a pet store, especially in a “generalized” pet store, there is a high probability of acquiring a sick, weakened animal, a pregnant female. As a rule, the pet store does not have information about the origin and heredity of the animal.

As for breeders, in most cases, they provide optimal care for guinea pigs, as a result of which the risk of diseases and unwanted mating of young animals is reduced. If necessary, you can always get information about the parents of a young guinea pig. 

6. Are guinea pigs expensive?

Prices for guinea pigs fluctuate a lot. See the current prices in the Shop section

7. What should I pay attention to first of all when buying?

The animal must be healthy and alert, have the correct arrangement of teeth and not too long claws. (See the article “Buying a guinea pig”)

8. Can a guinea pig be clean?

If you show enough patience, it can be taught to do this, but to a greater extent it depends on the animal. 

9. Do guinea pigs bite?

A frightened guinea pig starts (threatening, growling and chattering his teeth. If at this moment he is not left alone, he may bite.

10. Can guinea pigs be fed table scraps?

Leftover food from a human table is absolutely not suitable for guinea pigs. (See Nutrition section)