Guinea pigs, pictures on page 2 1-18-07

We are try to figure out what rodent would be best for my daughter. She is 6 years old, very good with all animals, and very responsible. She is saving her own money to get whatever rodent we decide on, she will have to buy the cage and toys too. We have 2 dogs and 2 cats and I have a daycare in my home. It will be easy to put the dogs and cats in another room so the rodent will be able to get out of the cage and get attention and excersise. Does anyone have any of these and which one do you think would be better for a child to have. I have had guinea pigs and hamsters in the past so I know how to teach her to take care of them but I am not sure which critter has a better record with kids. Thanks for any input!

My first pet as a child was a guinea pig - a bit more robust than hamsters and mice as there is a bit more of them to handle! However, all of them require lots of looking after

My daughter's first pet as a piggie too.....

I'd put hamster at the bottom of that list. They are great pets, I absolutely adore them, but I wouldn't recommend them for a 6 year old. They can often be nippy and hard to hold. They are also nocturnal and will be most active when your daughter is asleep.

Mice are great and have been one of my favorite rodents to own. They too are small though and can be hard to hold. I've never had a problem with them being too nippy though.

Guinea pigs would probably be best choice from what you have listed. They are larger and easier for a 6 year old to hold and play with.

Something not on your list that'd I recommend is a pair of rats. They are great rodents and a lot of fun.

I've had hamsters, 1 rat, guinea pigs and mice.

I enjoyed my little hamster, Munchkin,the most; he never bit me once, but he was an exception. Most hamsters can be snappy. They'll bite you when you reach in to get them and they aren't expecting it. I wouldn't really recommend one of them for a little girl, because some of them can try to egt away too.

My rat, Bengi, was a sweet heart. I had lots of fun with him! He enjoyed playing in the water, walking around, playing with toys. He wouldn't run from me if he got on the floor. He came when I called him. I recommend a rat for her, because they are easy to handle and they hardly ever bite.

I loved my guinea pigs, but they seem to be a little more trouble than rats or hamsters. My GPs' cages needed cleaning out every 2 days. They are messy! Sometimes they nibble. Both the ones I ever had would nibble on me from time to time. It didn't hurt, but it might scare your little girl.

I had a few mice before, but they didn't seem to want to interact with me at ALL! They try to get away and they are very fast if they get on the floor.

I guess the rat or guinea pig would be what I would pick for her.

Good Luck! I hope she loves what ever you guys decide to get!!!!!!

Out of the ones listed, I'd agree with a guinea pig. Like all animals, they'll take work, but they seem less flighty and more willing to sit on a kid's lap. =]

I agree with what has already been mentioned. A pair of rats would be great! In most cases, they're much more calm than mice or hamsters, plus, most of mine just like to cuddle (as in snuggling up to my neck while I walk around the house or to snuggle into the pocket or sleeve of a hoodie).

Good luck!

Hmm I think the guinea pig is the best choice :/ Hamsters can be nippy, mice are very nervice and well Guinea pigs are harder to loose.

quinea pigs all the way. They don't try to run away[as much as my previous hamsters], they're bigger[and harder to lose] and LOVE to cuddle[well...mine always did!] you would have to clip their toenails, give them baths, and give them LOTS of vitamin C though...theyre great pets, though[even if they do dirty up their cage FAST]

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Originally Posted by Genny

and they hardly ever bite.

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I did not know that! I thought that rats would be the rodent which was most likely to bite. You learn something new at PT everyday. :D

Thanks for all the responses. My husband says no rat! So it looks like we are going with a guinea pig. We are going to first look at resues for one. I am waiting to hear back on two right now. So I have a few more question right now, I am reading alot that the cages from the store aren't big enough and alot of people talking about C & C cages, this are just the organizer things you can buy at Wal-mart, what are people using for the bottoms, it almost looks like it is that board that is foam/plastic coated presentations board stuff???? Is that right? What kind of cages do you guys use and where did you get them and how much do they cost??? Also I have read that you should get guinea pigs in pairs, do you have to if you interact with them several times throughout the day or are they truely happy with a friend to play with all the time? Thanks for any help! :D

It is called cloroplast I think. try www.guinapigcages.com for more info on the C&C cages :)

zip ties and square shelving, used from thrift store

you could get a fridge tray from home dept for a bottum

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Originally Posted by KBlaix

Something not on your list that'd I recommend is a pair of rats. They are great rodents and a lot of fun.

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I agree totally with this! All my kids had rats as pets, wonderful rodent !Smart,clean,affectionate, and I have found very seldom nippy. They tolerate well little hands and sometimes a bit too energetic squeeze with aplomb. If you are open to expanding the list They are certainly worth a look into for her. :)

I would go with a guinea pig.They are easy to hold.I think hamsters,rats,and mice would be so small for a 6 year old to hold.Plus guinea pigs come all differnt coat types.Guinea pigs are really messy and need there cage cleaned a lot.They also need fresh veggies everday.

PLEASE, please, please research their dietary needy! its alot more complicated than Hay and some veggies. Okay? ;) lage C & C cages are perfact, Longer is better an when measuring floorspace the second level doesn't count. http://www.guineapigcages.com/cubes.htm

I think this is a forum you should join! :D People will help you with any questions, and theres lots of stories and photos. It would be great to have support, as you will be doing alot more care than you may think. :) http://www.cavycompendium.com/

Guinea pigs vet bills are expensive. :( we learned the hard way, after being told they weren't! However I still agree they will be a wonderful pet.

Hmm..I got a big, comfy cage from Petsmart for my piggies! yes, you should get them in pairs, they're happier that way. I use pine shavings for bedding, I know there is another type of wood that can give them diseases but I can't remember whatis was called. Also, do not get your piggies a raised floor, it can give their feet sores[ouchie!] For food, they get timothey hay[alphalfa works too] guinea pig pellets, and lots of fresh fruit/veggies for vitamin C. They need a lot of vitamin C, or else they can get scurvy. You need to clip their nails about once a month[youmight want your vet to help you? if you cut them too short they bleed] and you need to give them a bath once a month. Use lukewarm water with either baby shampoo orguinea pig shampoo. Anything else is too strong for their skin.
You would need togive them ahouse of some sort[the plastic igloos at petsmart work great] and something wooden to shew on so that their teeth do not overgrow.

http://www.2ndchance.info/guineapigcare.htm - thats a great website for guinea pig care.

guinea pigs are great pets. I hope your daughter likes them, if you end up getting one or two!

Thanks guys for all the helpful information. I do understand that they need there cages cleaned often and that they need a really good diet. When we do get a guinea pig or two we will post pictures, it could still be a month or so. We are looking at resues first. We are very devoted to our animals, Lou Lou is proof of that, she is so high maintance and has cost us alot of money, but she is well worth it. My daughter will be really good with any animals but she will still be supervised with a guinea pig. I will check out all the sites that everyone suggested. I really appecitate all the help. :D

We are getting two pigs. One female and one male, the male will get fixed. They are litter mates. The people bought a female from the store and didn't know she was pregant, so these two are her babies. We are getting them in a couple days, we have to finish getting their cage ready and stock up guinea pig supplies. Anyone know a good book to get for reference about their diet? They will go to the vet right away to get a check up and make sure the male is ready to get fixed. Brittney(my daughter was awesome hanging onto them, we spent an hour with them tonight. They have been handled alot and they talk alot, so cute. I will post some pictures of them as soon as I can. Thanks for everyones help! :D

Here is a picture of the babies and my daughter. We haven't decided on their names yet. My daughter wants to maybe name the female Princess but don't have any ideas yet for the male. The female is the tri-colored one and the male is the mostly white one. I will get better pictures when we have them home with us and I will most pictures of their cage when we are done making it!

Aww! Really cute! =D
Your daughter looks so happy... congratulations to all of you!

They are so cute and make the cutest noises. They love there cage, mostly their bed. They go nuts when they know we are putting veggies in the cage. The cats were sticking thier paws in the cage and swatting at them, they don't have front claws. So the water bottle had to come out to spay the. Winchester could care less, but Lou Lou whines alot when we talk to them, It will be a longer time, if at all that she meets them My daughter names the Princess and Skittles. Here are a few picture of them during play time and after resting.

Awwww....such cute little piggies!!!!:D

I'm glad your daughter likes them. They're adorable! Princess and Skittles, eh? Good names. Mine are Pepsi and Buddy[so original, I know] Pepsi had to get neutered, but it didn't seem to bug him a bit. My guinea pigs are 4 goingon 5 years old.Guinea pigs live 4-6 years, but can live to be older than 8 if well taken care of. I hope you and your family enjoy the piggies!

They are very cute! Please make sure when they get vet checked to check for pregnancy as females can get pregnant as early as 3 weeks old. It is very important to seperate the sexes at about 2 weeks old to halt littermates from breeding with each other or the mom!

Good luck and many happy years to your daughter with her new pets!

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Originally Posted by Dr.Goodnow

They are very cute! Please make sure when they get vet checked to check for pregnancy as females can get pregnant as early as 3 weeks old. It is very important to seperate the sexes at about 2 weeks old to halt littermates from breeding with each other or the mom!

Good luck and many happy years to your daughter with her new pets!

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They go to the vet on Saturday. I thought it was 21 days that you had to seperate them?? The male will get fixed. Maybe I will call and change their appointment for tonight instead if they have openings. Thanks for the information.

Things sure have changed some since I owned guinea pigs. I had 3 over a 10 yr period.

Piggy & Cinnamon lived for 3-3 1/2 yrs
Sam lived to be 7 yrs with arthritis and cataracts

Back then no one would neuter them, they said the anesthetic risk was too high for piggies.

I kept mine in the biggest rodent cage they had at the time. However now-a-days they have so much nicer ones. There was also a very limited amount of toys for them, so I had to get creative on my own.

My pigs were never gotten as a set, Piggy was the first and seemed to do fine by himself with alot of human contact. and after he died I got Sam, then inherited Cinnamon shortly after. I couldn't put Sam & Cinnamon together because they'd fight, however I did have their cages side by side, and Sam mourned for Cinnamon for a month after he died.

I kinda miss my piggies, however with the cats, and the fact I'm actually allergic to piggies, I can't have them. One thing I don't miss is the itchy eyes and taking Benadryl twice a day. lol But I did love my piggies while I had them.

Your piggies are adorable! Congrats! Your daughter is a cutie and she looks very happy! :D