Guinea Pigs

By Jonathan Berohn

If you are looking for a new pet, and someone in your household is allergic to cats and dogs, a guinea pig can make a great choice.

They are not allergy free, so if you have allergies your first stop ought to be at the allergist for a test, but many cat and dog allergy sufferers seem to be able to handle guinea pigs just fine. Guinea pigs are also fairly easy to take care of, so they make a great first pet for a child.

The Purchase

Guinea Pigs are one of those pets where the equipment costs more than the animal, but you still want to make sure you are buying the right one. I would suggest finding a local pet shop or breeder that breeds his or her own guinea pigs. I would tend to avoid the mass production houses of the big pet shop chains. After that it’s essentially a matter of finding the one you like. Guinea pigs tend to be skittish, but they do warm up to people. Make sure you get to hold the guinea pig you want for a while before you buy it.

The Equipment

Here’s where most of your Guinea Pig investment will go. You can usually get the actual animal for around $25. Be prepared to drop another $50-100 for supplies and such. The first thing you’ll need is a cage. You can buy all sorts of fancy cages from your local pet shop, but what we’ve found works best is one of those extra large Rubbermaid clear plastic boxes. One, it’s cheaper than a cage. Two—and perhaps more important in the long run—it’s light and easy to carry around, which makes hosing it out each time you clean the cage very easy. And trust me—you’ll want to make that a habit. Note—cut air holes in the plastic lid just to be on the safe side. Keep the holes small enough to prevent your Guinea Pig from slipping through. Believe me, they are quite curious and adventuresome.

In addition to the cage, you will need the standard food and water dishes and, of course, some food. For water, make sure you get a hanging water bottle. A water bowl just gets way to messy. You will also need a bag—the bigger the better—of wood shavings to cover the bottom of the cage with. Finally, you will want to provide something for the Guinea Pig to hide inside of—they like to have a retreat. As an extra, consider buying a Guinea Pig leash. I know it sounds ridiculous, but you can walk them outside on the leash. Without a leash, they are quite fast and hard to corral if they get free.