Quote:
Originally Posted by chloeandj  Does anyone own a guinea pig?
My son got to take the class guinea pig home while off school this month. I've never had a guinea pig before so i'm not sure what to do with her or how to read her actions/noises. We've been told that if this works out that she really needs a new home (the teacher has found out she is extremely allergic) and of course my son wants to keep her but we have to get on speaking terms with this little thing first. How do I get her used to me? She lets me hold her but i can tell she doesn't really like it or care for me to pet her. Do they bond with people? Do they even like to be held? Also, i can tell she was not taken care of well. Her nails are unspeakably long and i'm terrified to cut them. Do typical vets treat guinea pigs? |
I am very fond of guinea pigs and we have had several over the years. They get used to being handled and petted just like other pets and it just takes time and some effort. Just be gentle and she will be fine. You can trim her nails, but if you don't want to, I'm sure your vet would be happy to do it. It's just like trimming puppy nails. You can get all kinds of information about caring for a guinea pig from books, on the internet, or from your vet. There are three vets in my vet's office and one of them specializes in small pets other than dogs and cats. We had a long haired piggy and she had to be bathed and groomed just like a puppy. I got a kids' plastic swimming pool for the guinea pigs to play in to protect my carpet. They can't be potty trained. I also put a plastic tablecloth on the floor and used an x-pen to make a place for them to be loose and run around. My granddaughter could sit in the pool or x-pen enclosure and play with them. They are very sweet little pets and I would love to have another one (or two or three).