Are you considering cute guinea pigs as pets? Whether you are single, have a family, maybe even kids, modern day life is pretty hectic with often lots of time and financial pressures. Having a pet is wonderful for the soul and there is even research to show that people with pets are often happier. Our cute guinea pigs are certainly a testament to that, just watching them makes our troubles go away (at least momentarily) and certainly helps calm us down enough to put some perspective on life. Selecting the best pets for kids and your family is an important decision.
After much begging for pets, we went through process of working out what is best for a family with young kids. As we are all super busy with work, school and extra-curricular activities: 1) having a dog that required daily walks and dog training was out of the question, 2) having more cats in addition to the neighbours spraying our house and digging up the yard was not appealing, 3) reptiles, fish and birds are not huggable, 4) rabbits were a big contender but we did look after the school rabbit and soon realised that they required much larger space to run around and explore, and also ideally have a mate for company. After multiple visits to pet stores and rescue centres, lucky us met wonderful Ruben at the rescue centre who suggested guinea pigs!
Guinea pigs are cute, adorable animals that make wonderful pets as they are social and inquisitive creatures. Also known as cavies, guinea pigs are a species of rodent native to the South American Andes. They are one of the easiest pets to take care of, once you have a well-researched approach to care. Being social animals, guinea pigs do require companionship, so having two or more guinea pigs is ideal. Having both animals of the same sex will avoid having any unintended litters of baby guinea pigs later on. Compared to other cuddly animals, they require relatively less space for housing and are fantastic for people limited by space. Guinea pigs could easily be one of the best apartment pets. They are ideally housed in indoor guinea pig cages with good hiding places, as they are prey animals and can get frightened easily. The guinea pig habitat can be outdoors too, provided it is safe and secure from potential predators like dogs, cats, foxes and other animals that may be in your neighbourhood, and sheltered from extreme weather conditions. Guinea pigs are herbivores, so they are suitable pets for everyone regardless of personal diet preferences. A healthy guinea pig diet includes fruit and vegetables, and a big part of guinea pig care is knowing what guinea pigs can eat. Once provided with guinea pig food, water, hidey holes and toys, guinea pigs are self-sufficient and safe to leave at home. If well looked after, guinea pigs do not require regular vet treatment. The guinea pig also does not require vaccinations. As guinea pigs do not roam the streets like for example cats and dogs, depending on your local laws they may not even require to be registered with local council.
The guinea pig is one of the best pets for kids (even younger kids) because they are gentle, friendly, mostly quiet, are small in size, light in weight, very intelligent, super entertaining to watch, can be tamed, be patted and cuddled, can live up to ten years and give you great comfort. For the adults, time wise and financially they truly are the easiest pets to take care of.