Anyone own a Guinea pig?

[RGD.]

Well with two girls I have had more than my fair share of Guinea pigs.

First tip: buy the largest, deepest cage that you can find. This allows you to put more bedding down. They like to nest, will do their business on one end mostly and so the extra bedding helps to keep the smell down. And regular cleaning will keep it down. It's not the Guinea Pig itself that smells - it's the urine. So more bedding - less smell.

They are really easy to care for outside of that. Very rarely if ever will bite.

And as a parent - when selecting a Guinea Pig, especially if the children are very young - don't buy one with strange or unusual markings. These things don' live forever so at some point the ole switcheroo may be required.

Also - at some time you may be tempted to take the thing to the vet. Keep in mind the vet will present you with a $200 to $300 bill for that $5 rodent - - at which point you should remember the above training of getting one in standard colors, easy to find.

Other than that - good pets for little kids.


Ron