Top 11 Reasons Why Guinea Pigs Make Good Pets
Are you thinking about getting a guinea pig for a pet? This can be a great choice for many families looking to add a fun family-friendly pet. Guinea pigs are resilient and most don’t mind a little noise and a lot of snuggles making them the perfect pet for families that may get a little wild from time to time.
Be sure to read all about our homestead life so you can see why we keep adding more animals to our space!
Top 11 Reasons Why Guinea Pigs Make Good Pets
Before I get into all the reasons I think guinea pigs make good pets, I think I need to back up a tad! Living a homestead life brings to mind chickens, cows, goats, and pigs. But guinea pigs are great homestead animals, too!
We began our adventure with owning guinea pigs when one just about fell into our lap. My husband and I were out one day picking up feed and seeds. There was a piggy, our sweet girl Linny, that was surrendered to the store. She’d had a rough life and needed love. How could we say no?
So that is the back story on HOW it all began. Unfortunately, Linny succumbed to her injuries from her previous life before we took her in. Now we have Petunia, Minnie, Daisy, and Hedwick. It’s funny because my husband was dead set against owning guinea pigs. Now he has Daisy crawling into his hand, yearning to snuggle under his beard, and often looking out of her pen to see when he’s coming to get her.
Below are just a few of the reasons why we love having guinea pigs in our family.
1. They Are Good with kids
If you have children and pets, you understand the importance of a pet that is good with children. Guinea pigs are amazing pets for kids. Once they adapt, most love to be played with and cuddled and with their squishable bodies, they can handle a good bit of kid hugs and snuggles. Just teach your kids, like with all animals, to respect the animal. We also taught our children to research and learn all they can about the types of animals we have.
This allows us as a family to know more how to best care for all of our beloved animals, guinea pigs included. Guinea pigs rarely bite, even in self-defense, making them safe to have around kids. I will not say they never bite, but I can say I have never been bitten and I am around our girls a LOT!!! However, they will nibble, which is their way of determining if something is food.
2. They Are Social
The other day my husband was getting ready to leave. Our piggy Daisy is his girl. Well, he SAYS she is his girl. In fact, he calls her Daisy Queen Princess. (Insert eye roll). She heard him go to the basement and then he came back upstairs without pets or love. She let it be known this wasn’t acceptable. She put her little nose and stretched up to the tip-top of her cage looking pitiful until he went to get her and love on her.
Guinea pigs most definitely are social animals that love to spend time with each other, humans, and other friendly piggy’s! Most of the time it is better to have piggy’s in at least pairs because they do better together than alone.
Their social nature makes them a great pet for people that want a small pet that likes to be played with rather than demanding to be left alone.
3. Easy to care for
Guinea pigs do not need much and can be very easy to care for. With regular bedding changes and daily fresh food and water, your guinea pigs are good to go, outside of the social part mentioned above. This makes them a great pet for kids that need something easy to care for, but still in need of enough care to teach them responsibility.
I personally sweep out our cages once a day. I give fresh food such as vegetables, add new hay, spot check their water, and refill their pellets once a day. Midweek I change their litter box and do completely new hay. Weekly, I change their fleece, thoroughly clean every corner of their cage, new hay, wipe down everything, etc. It truly doesn’t take long and my 12-year-old has learned to do it as well.
4. Relatively inexpensive to care for
Guinea pigs are easy to care for and do not need a ton of extras, and they are relatively inexpensive to care for. This can be a plus for families looking to add a pet, but in need of keeping the cost relatively low. While your guinea pig should have a specialized diet, their favorite foods and treats are the same fruits and vegetables you love right out of your garden, making them a great pet for those that love to garden and grow their own food.
5. Long life span
Guinea pigs have a fairly long life span. A well-cared-for guinea pig can live for 5 to 7 years in good health. This makes guinea pigs a great pet for kids that can struggle with the loss of a pet with a shorter life span like popular goldfish. A pet with a long life span is perfect for adding to your family for the wonderful lifelong memories your kids will have the opportunity to make.
6. Entertaining to watch
Guinea pigs are pretty active and can be amusing to watch them run around and play. In the piggy world, we call it zoomie and popcorning! Zoomie is when they run really fast. Popcorn is when they hop. Guinea pigs can keep kids busy for hours playing. Set up an obstacle course and watch them explore when you find yourself bored with nothing to do. Guinea pigs are smart enough to be trained also, which can make them even more entertaining to watch and spend quality time with.
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7. Love to eat veggies scraps
What is better than a pet that is cheap to feed? Guinea pigs love fresh fruits and vegetables. They will happily take your veggies scraps when you are cooking or simply preparing fresh fruits and veggies for your kids to snack on. If you have kids that like to share their snacks with pets, guinea pigs are more than happy to munch on baby carrots and cucumber slices.
8. They are very active
Guinea pigs are very active animals that love to play and tend to have limitless energy. This is perfect for families that like to play with their pets, or kids that need something to keep them busy. Challenge your kids to make an obstacle course for your guinea pig to help keep them busy for hours.
9. They like to cuddle
Sometimes we all just need some snuggles. Just like many cats and dogs, guinea pigs will happily snuggle up with you and cuddle when you have had a rough day helping to ease the stress. This can be a great tool for those that struggle with emotional health and well-being.
10. Generally of good health
Guinea pigs are known for overall good health. This is important when looking for a pet as sick animals are harder to care for and tend to have a shorter life span that can be hard on families. Healthy pets also help reduce their overall cost by saving you money on vet bills with their overall good health.
11. You can rescue them from shelters
For those that prefer to adopt animals from shelters to help find homes for animals that may otherwise be euthanized, the fact that many shelters have guinea pigs can be exciting news. While most people know they can adopt a cat or dog from shelters, most do not know that other mammals like guinea pigs are often an option at local shelters and rescues.
We love having animals on our homestead and love sharing why you should consider adding them to your family, too!
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