Considering adopting

[erica715]

Hello everyone!

My name is Erica and I'm a 20 year old college student. I live in an apartment where I am allowed to have small caged animals but not free roaming animals (such as dogs or cats). I've been considering adopting a small animal or some sort. Hamsters and mice don't seem right for me because I want an animal that I can interact and bond with. Therefore, I've really been leaning towards a guinea pig. I've never had one before so I just wanted to know the pros and cons. Are they expensive to care for? Other than the initial setup of buying cages and toys and food and the pig itself, I'm hoping the care won't be too expensive. Obviously I'm a college student on a budget. How much would you say you spend on your pigs each month? Are they friendly and easy to handle? Are they noisy? Those are just a few basic questions that I have. Please feel free to add any comments or suggestions you have. Could a guinea pig be the pet for me?

--Erica

[Jenni_Feathers]

Guinea Pigs are pretty expensive. About $20 a week on fresh veggies, if you use fleece you'll save alot on bedding, if you get hay in bulk (in full bales, like for horses) you'll save alot but you probably don't have anyplace to store it, pellets can be expensive becuase most people have to order them online, if you can't find a store that sells decent ones. Vet bills can get high too. Most Guinea Pigs don't like to be handled very much, they are prey animals and when they see a person their first instinct is to run and hide. They can get pretty noisy too, ecspecially if they are hungry, they are vocal little creatures Also you should never have just one, they are herd animals and its best to have at least 2. Here is a link to an old dead thread, but several of the member put how much their pigs cost weekly/montly/yearly etc. http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...nd+guinea+pigs

[luvsgiraffes]

Hi. I was in exactly the same boat as you as far as living situation and wanting a pet. As said they are pretty expensive. So far mine have not been super noisy. Once and a while they are kinda loud... especially at night when they aren't as scared and feel they have the run of their cages. Have you had a chance to look at some of the cages and dimensions etc? I know that once I built my cage it took up a lot more space in my room than I had anticipated... after some moving of furniture all is well. Also, I know that my biggest concern was smell since they are in my room with me. So far I have not had a problem. I was using carefresh type bedding and changed it about once a week. I'm switching to fleece to try to save money so I'm not sure about smell.

As far as care and time I've found that they dont require a ton of my time, but I tend to start watching them and get distracted when I'm supposed to be doing my hw.

I think that I spent close to $100 getting all the cage materials and food and hay and them etc. But now that I have most of my materials what I mostly spend on is hay and bedding (before I switched to fleece). A bag of pellets will last a while.

I hope I've helped.

[wickedrodent]

For your current situation.. I would honestly recommend ratties (rats) for you.

Reasons:

-They don't require a HUGE cage. (Of course, bigger is better)
-They are very interactive.
-Diet isn't TOO complex.

Guinea pigs need at least 28in x 56in for two; Ratties need about 20in x 20in x 20in for two.

Guinea pigs will sometime tolerate petting/handling; Ratties LOVE to be handled and need out of cage time at least an hour per day (can be snuggling on your shoulder while you are studying, etc)

Guinea pigs require a high-quality (non-petstore) pellet, fresh veggies, and unlimited hay; Ratties need either a lab block or low-protien dog food + a mix of cereals, grains, etc. + variety of other 'people' foods.

Its up to you, really. Remember, any animal you get could possibly require medical care very suddenly in the future. I ended up paying almost $1000 for a sick guinea pig. Rattie bills could get just as expensive.

As I am typing this I have one of my rattie boys, Jasper, on my shoulder. Ratties are so people-friendly!

[WICharlie]

It's also good to consider that guinea pigs can live up to 7 or 8 years. You need to ask yourself what you will be doing over the course of that time and what will your finances look like? If you plan to go to graduate school (which gets more expensive every year), your finances may be even tighter than they are now. If you graduate and move back in with your parents while you look for employment, will your parents approve of the animals moving in with you?

Also, do you have room mates? And, if so, do any of them suffer from allergies or asthma? The dust from loose bedding and the hay that guinea pigs require can sometimes cause huge problems in people with allergies. I also know that when you are in college, you often tend to change room mates often. So if the room mates you have now are not allergic, then new ones in the future may be. What would you do with your pets then?

I think that keeping a pair of guinea pigs (yes, they should be housed in pairs because they are so social) is really more expensive than owning a cat. The hay and bedding has to be bought in bulk (and used hay and bedding has to be disposed of somehow) and you need to constantly buy fresh vegetables every week to make sure they have those every day.

Guinea pigs DO need to go to the vet on occasion. They can suffer from lice and mites, catch upper respiratory infections, or develop urinary tract infections. They can also suffer from unexpected injury (drops, falls, hay pokes that can turn into infectious cysts, etc).

I'm not as knowledgable of rats, but I know they only live about 3 years. Vet bills for them can be equally high and I've heard that rats are particularly prone to tumors and cancers as they age. I know rats make delightful pets, but not all of your room mates may be thrilled to share their home with a pet rat. Some people are very squeamish of having rats or mice in the house, even if they are of the domesticated variety.

I know you are looking for a way to include animals in your life. Could that need be filled with volunteering at a local animal shelter? Most shelters are always looking for people to socialize the cats and kittens and walk the dogs. Not only would it give you the interaction you may be looking for (without the responsibility and expense of ownership) but it might look good on a resume down the line.