Why Does She Think Like That?

[AllysGuineas]

Hey everyone,

I've been wanting and researching guinea pigs for four months now. And my mother told me something that literally broke my heart!! She for sure kept saying no for having a guinea pig in the house, even though if the one saving up money to buy EVERYTHING for the pigs! And right now
like two minuets ago, she comes in my room to wear I am on this forum on my iPod touch, and comes straight out with "Alix, aren't you too old for guinea pigs?" honestly what do you think about that? And than she says "I know you got the idea from owning them from the movie bedtime stories!" I freaked out in my mind, the pig in that movie constantly looked like it was having a seizure! And then she's all like, go have guinea pigs at your dads house, yes my parents are divorced and I don't even to over there much!! Now I'm stuck with "what on earth do I do?"

By the way I already have the basic cage stuff! ( sower curtain, towels, the cube cage thing and also a playpen ) all I need is the mass amount of other stuff and my fleece!!

Also if I had guinea pigs there, I would have to go there everyday to take care of them!

I'm starting to think I should do that, for owning guinea pigs is my dream!!

*sigh* help??????

[Mrs.Smith]

WOW...that was hurtful, but if you are under 18 and don't have a job....I would say talk to your dad..see if he would 100% look after them while you wasn't there. And if he says that he can't...then wait till you have a job and your own place.

Have you tried sitting down with your mom and talking to her in an adult way?
Try to talk to her first and show her that you are getting the stuff and learning all about them. I had this kinda of the same situation with my mom when I was a young teenager with 2 dogs I wanted. I just sat down with her, talked calmly (even when she wasn't listening), showed her I was grown up enough to take care of 2 dogs. And about a month later she took me to go get them. Most moms I have noticed that they either think your to young for them or that you will grow tried of them.

Honestly, just keep trying...she will see that you really want this and that you will not give up on them when you get them.

A little cheat is to show her you are very grown up....start doing more choirs or making lunchs, dinners, etc...

[AllysGuineas]

The thing is, i've been sitting down and talking to her very adult like a lot, and normally she yells at me and says she never wants to hear it again!! I think its hopeless!

[ferndalezoo]

It's possible that you might have to wait. If you live with Mom, unfortunately, she's the one who makes the rules. Have you talked to your dad? I don't know what the custody arrangement is, or how much he'd be willing to help when you're not there, but it's something worth asking about. Have you asked your mom what her reasons are for not wanting cavies right now?

[Mrs.Smith]

Don't get hopeless.

I would give it another month.

And then if she still won't, sit down and have a long talk with your dad.

What is it about them that bothers her so much? have you asked her that? Is it that they poop alot?...if it is tell her that she will never have to worry about it..that is if you plan to clean the cage all by yourself (and believe me its really nothing to cleaning the cage). Is it that she is afraid that they will get out?

And please again, don't get hopeless things always have a way of working out. Just sometimes things don't aways go exactly like you want them.

[AllysGuineas]

Thanks for your help. Both of you! Ill try anything!!!

[Ly&Pigs]

The one thing you will need to make sure one of your parents will provide is vet care if your pigs get sick. I hope you aren't planning on getting one because it will get lonely and since they are herd animals, they need a companion. So if you get pigs, you really need to get two.

If you cannot get a pair of same sex pigs and your parents won't pay for vet care, then it may be better to wait until you are older to get pigs.

[AllysGuineas]

Actually, i have been planning on getting two all along! What do you take me for? I know a lot okay? Why would i get just one! And no my parents would not do a single thing for them, so they would be totally dependent on me! I am willing to spend many hours on their time!!! All im saying is im not a kid, i know a lot about guinea pigs!

[bobismyturtle]

My mom said no to alot of my pets at first. In fact she said no to all of my pets. I saved up the money all by myself,kept my room up,and helped in the yard. She finally said fiiiiine.So now I have my 2 guinea pigs. She actually ended up liking them. But I am totally independent with my pets.You have to show her that is how you will be with them.

[PiggieMamaKelly]

I think you need to accept your mom's decision. She is the adult and it is her home. She has a right to not want a certain animal in her home- even if you think her reasons aren't good enough. You may just have to wait until you are out on your own.

[pigsforlife]

Ditto PMK. If your mum has said no, she has said no. Thats it, end of story, full stop. You HAVE to have an adult on your side. Vet bills are going to be costly. In the couple of years I have had pigs I would have probably spent upwards of $2000 on them in vet bills alone - that does NOT include towels, fleece, shavings, pellets, hay, veggies, toys, cages. Thats a heck of a lot of money, especially if you are only a kid. You NEED an adult that will absolutely 100% agree to take a sick pig to a vet asap and help with any bills. Pigs are not cheap animals.

[blackarrow]

I'm afraid I have to agree with the last few posters that it sounds like you should drop it. No adult who agrees to this wholeheartedly = not a good situation for the GPs, no matter how responsible and devoted you are, because you will need their assistance at times.

Our family's GPs are technically my son's, and he's a very responsible kid, but due to school activities and normal things like visits to other people's houses, etc., he's not always home when they need to be fed. (And actually, I'm not always, and neither is my husband - it takes some planning to make sure SOMEONE will be.) My son isn't old enough to drive, and there's no grocery or feed store within walking distance, so he isn't capable of getting the supplies without my or my husband's assistance. And even though he has his own money, if we were the type of parents who thought it was a waste of his money to spend $200 on a vet bill for an animal which cost $30, which is unfortunately a common way to think, we would legally be able to prohibit him from doing so. You have the added complication of having to transport them back and forth between your parents' homes, which either means someone has to have quite a large vehicle to transport an appropriate sized cage for them, or you have to have supplies and a cage setup at each home, which neither of them may want, or you have to have a cage which is really too small for them. You will also have to find someone to watch them if you go on vacation, etc., which may not be easy.

[akstrohm]

Why don't you contact local shelters and ask if you can volunteer there? You will get to interact with pigs and other animals and won't have to worry about vet bills or what house the pigs are at. You'll also learn a lot, and that will make you a better piggy owner in the future.

[dra&pigs]

Look, if your mom is really saying no, its a no. The last thing you want is for one (or both) of your pigs to get sick, and you aren't able to afford the vet care, and when you turn to your mother for help she says "I told you so". You simply NEED an adult to be on your side about this. If you are dead set against changing her mind, I would just try doing extra chores, cooking dinner, helping around the house, things to show you are mature and responsible enough to take care of them. Sit down with her and explain exactly what the pigs would require, what you would be doing to care for them, and what she would need to do. Remind her you would be the primary caretaker, and she would only need to help out if you were away, or the financial costs got to be too high for you. If she thinks you are "to old" for them, then I actually wouldn't get one at all-it shows she thinks of them as disposable and "childrens pets". Unfortunately, I'm inferring she's not clear at all on the hard work that the pigs require, and how, in the long run, children are the worst possible caretakers for pigs (I'm referring to young children, I feel teenagers are capable of care, as long as they are dedicated).

[SFailed186]

Actually, i have been planning on getting two all along! What do you take me for? I know a lot okay? Why would i get just one! And no my parents would not do a single thing for them, so they would be totally dependent on me! I am willing to spend many hours on their time!!! All im saying is im not a kid, i know a lot about guinea pigs!

Ok, you can relax. Ly&Pigs is not attacking you, so you do not need to get defensive. I do not know exactly how old you are, but you really need to think about all of the expenses of owning two guinea pigs and how you yourself can get all of the necessary money in case of emergency. They can be some expensive critters, especially if you get sick or pregnant ones. You are underage, so yes, in fact, you are a kid. Not to mention that has nothing to do with knowing about guinea pigs. Anyway, to get back on topic, like everyone else has suggested, talk to both of your parents and work out some sort of a plan. Do not go ahead and get the pigs if you are unsure of how you can afford them.

[MapleOwl18]

I remember when I had guinea pigs in gradeschool and highschool they were "my guinea pigs." But my dad was always the one who cleaned their cage and took them for vet visits.

The most I did care wise was make sure they had pellets and water, which wasn't very hard because my pigs would squeak their little heads off, the moment they ran out of anything to let you know it was time to refill it. The only other thing I did was hold the piggies for Dad while they got their nails trimmed, and "watch" them while he cleaned their cage.

I bet your Mom just doesn't want to get stuck cleaning your piggies cage when you're not there, and feeding them when your not home to watch them. You may willing to devote all your time to them but she might not want to.

Also if you're getting old enough to be considered an adult, consider who will take care of your piggies when you go off to college or move out. Piggies live 5-8 years and can live up to 10. Will you're Mom get stuck with them? Most dorms don't allow pets anyway, and some apartments don't either.

So if I were you I'd volunteer at the humane society, to be around your fluffy animals, and wait until I had a place of my own that allowed pets.