Keep Your Children Happy. Get Them A Guinea Pig Hutch With A Few Guinea Pigs

There’s no doubt that kids love pets, but sometimes parents don’t love pets quite so much. A pet in fact can be quite a headache. They poop on the carpet right before the visitors arrive, they’re really expensive when you have to take them to the vet, they bark too much and annoy the neighbours and they can be expensive when you need to go on holidays. So what should you do when your kids are pestering you to buy them a pet.

Have you considered the possibility that there is a small animal that overcomes all these problems. Guinea pigs.

Guinea pigs make wonderful pets for the kids. They are small, not too messy, cute and cuddly, don’t get sick frequently and can be left outside. They don’t drop hair all over your carpet, they don’t chew your furniture and they don’t bark until the neighbors complain. They’re cheap to buy, cheap to house and cheap to feed.

A piggie is perhaps the perfect pet for kids who live in a household with parents who don’t want a long-term commitment or the hassles of buying a cat or dog. Whilst a cat or a dog can live for up to 15 years or more, leading to a seriously long-term commitment to your pet, a guinea pig has a lifespan of not much more than 5 years.

It is not difficult making your piggie into your best friend. They are easy to handle, even for kids, and rarely bite. If the children handle them regularly then they are very easy to tame and will very happily sit on the child’s lap while they are stroked or brushed.

Like all animals you should supervise your young children when they are handling their guinea pig. Guinea pigs don’t like being dropped.

They are social animals and are happy to be in the company of human beings that treat them well. They also like being with other guinea pigs and so if you are buying some pigs for the family it’s better to get two. It is possible to keep one piggy on his own however he may become lonely so it’s important to spend more time with him.

It’s not expensive to feed your guinea pigs, all they require is some simple food such as some grains or commercial pellets and some grass or vegetable scraps. It’s wise to supplement their diet with a little vitamin C from time to time.

before you buy your first guinea pig.

Housing your piggie is something you need to think about before you buy him. Most commercial guinea pig hutches sold in pet shops are too small. They need space to run around and exercise, as well as some space for toys to play with. It is not difficult to build your own hutch and it’s a good project for dad to share with the kids.

Some simple timbers, some wire and a few hinges and clasps can make your guineapig cagethat he’ll be happy with. It’s possible to house your guinea pig outdoors however they are susceptible to particularly cold or hot weather and care should be taken on hot or cold days. It’s essential that they have a sleeping area in the hutch that is dry and free of wind, where they can have a bed of straw or hay to sleep on.

So if you’ve been wondering about what to do for a pet for the kids then it may be worth considering giving them a guinea pig. They will love their piggy and it’s a wonderful way to introduce kids to animals.