Did I Over Do It? - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**pennykit&amanda** · #1 10-28-08, 01:48 am

I have been a huge animal lover my whole life, once I discovered I could own them... I did, and couldn't stop. I am a minor, so my parents pay for all 7 pets I have now (2 cavies, 1 rabbit, 1 rat, 1 Syrian hamster, 2 dwarf hamsters, and a cat) that are my responsibility, and also the 2 family dogs (both were my idea), and another cat. Before I got all of them, we could very well pay for all the stuff they needed. Now... it's not the same, we have a very hard time paying bills, and always have a budget on our groceries (which we didn't before I got my babies). I really don't want to re-home any of them, but I feel really bad, like I'm the reason we can't pay the bills, and ect. Just today my brother was out of cat food for his 13 year old cat, when we got to the pet store, we remembered that one of our dogs was almost out of food herself, and then I realized that my cat and guineas were almost out of food, and that I ran out of wood shavings, so we ended up paying over $100, buying thing for our pets, which, without me, we would probably spend not even half that. Am I overreacting, or should I do something?

PS. I am fully capable of spending all the time, love, and attention they need.

**MommyOfTwo** · #2 10-28-08, 10:08 am

Are you old enough to get a job? Find a way to help out with expenses, would be my advice. Mow lawns, shovel snow, sell homemade crafts if you're crafty...whatever you can to help out.

**babybunny** · #3 10-28-08, 10:10 am

It sounds like you have some very loving parents to want to make you happy. Perhaps the best thing would be to do, is sit down and talk to them about the situation. I'm sure they would have more insight on what the actual budget is and what it should be.

If rehoming them isn't indeed necessary then maybe there may be ways to reduce the stress of the financial burden. Possibly getting a small job helping a friend or neighbor for some money. Buying food/shavings in bulk to save on money. There are ways to help, sometimes a little creativity and ideas from others is needed.

Best of luck!

**Deenanicole08** · #4 10-28-08, 10:14 am

Yes, if you're old enough try to get a job. I know I myself have always had animals, but the cats and dogs were considered family pets, so my parents pay for them, but when I had hamsters, and guinea pigs, that was my responsibility. I've been working since I was a sophmore in highschool. And before that I used to babysit. Maybe try looking in the newspaper if you get it for a babysitting job. It's more flexible of a schedule, and you still make plenty enough money to pay for the small animals. Maybe if you pay for the small ones and the family pays for the dogs and cats it will all work out.

**Paula** · #5 10-28-08, 01:26 pm

You may have been the one who wanted the animals, but ultimately it was your parents who made the decision to have them.

Maybe you could help them by figuring out how long a bag of food lasts for each dog/guinea pig/cat, etc., so they know when they are going to need food for each pet and can space it out a little better so you're not having to buy everybody's food all at once?

If you are old enough and allowed to get a job, it would certainly help out for you to chip in with some of the pet bills, as others have suggested.

I can certainly sympathize with the budget crunch, as I think many folks can these days!

**pennykit&amanda** · #6 10-28-08, 04:43 pm

Well, I'm too young to get a "real" job. I can't shovel snow, because it doesn't snow here, I've never liked kids, and am very shy, and get really nervous around strangers, so it would be very difficult to babysit, and I haven't run a lawn mower in my life, ours is broken, and both of our neighbors don't own them. My mom seems to think that my pets, and my brother with his low mileage car are spending to much of her money. Right now my brother wants to go see our cousin that is three hours away. So... of course they are now having a big argument about money. Maybe I'm just making excuses to get out of working.

**pennykit&amanda** · #7 10-28-08, 04:45 pm

holy crap... I just asked my mom approx how much we were in dept... they said $200,000!!!!!!

**5guinea5pig5** · #8 10-28-08, 04:55 pm

Try buying supplies in a bigger package and like the others said maybe get a job. My 15 year old got a job and helped pay for the animals and we saved a lot of money

**Deenanicole08** · #9 10-28-08, 04:59 pm

I was only 15 when I got a job. And I babysat since I was 11. Maybe if you know someone with kids, that you dont mind, you can help out with them? I'm pretty shy also, but the parents aren't there when you babysit, and the kid doesn't really care what you're like as long as you arent mean

**pennykit&amanda** · #10 10-28-08, 05:09 pm

Well, I have been known to insult people... with no real reason.

**5guinea5pig5** · #11 10-28-08, 05:29 pm

HAHAHA!! Penny you made me laugh so dang hard I started crying!!!!

**pennykit&amanda** · #12 10-28-08, 05:47 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5guinea5pig5

HAHAHA!! Penny you made me laugh so dang hard I started crying!!!!

hehe, I wasn't really trying to be funny. Just implying I wouldn't trust myself around children.

**dra&pigs** · #13 10-28-08, 05:55 pm

I'm to young to get an official job, but when I adopted two more guinea pigs, my mom said I had to help with the expenses (she's getting her ph.d, so we don't have that much extra cash). I babysit for about 5-10 kids (not all at the same time, though!!), and its turned into a fun thing for me, to. I take them to parks, let them come pet the piggies (under supervision, of course), help them cook stuff (our recent escapade was ice cream...strawberry

), and I take them to museums and other places that I think are interesting as well. If you still aren't sold on little kids, then if you play a sport or have joined a club for a while, maybe they'll hire you to help out. I work at my karate school as well (my piggies are living high-class), and its fun and rewarding.

**SNAKE CHARMER** · #14 10-28-08, 06:07 pm

I hear yeah them dang brats are a pain to work with well unless you lock them in the closet but the parents might get mad. You've never mowed the lawn thats like saying you've never shot a gun. To help with bills you probably can't get an official job so you'll have to stick with odd jobs like house keeping it'd probably be a pain but some people will pay a dude twenty bucks to clean there house and such or theres always loto tickets.

**pennykit&amanda** · #15 10-28-08, 06:20 pm

Fun to me is sitting at my computer, playing Half-Life. I have to admit, my life doesn't consist much more than my animals and computer games. So, I don't like sports or clubs. Yes I am very picky and hate/dislike a lot of things... and people.

**pennykit&amanda** · #16 10-28-08, 06:25 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by SNAKE CHARMER

I hear yeah them dang brats are a pain to work with well unless you lock them in the closet but the parents might get mad. You've never mowed the lawn thats like saying you've never shot a gun. To help with bills you probably can't get an official job so you'll have to stick with odd jobs like house keeping it'd probably be a pain but some people will pay a dude twenty bucks to clean there house and such or theres always loto tickets.

Haha, I've never shot a gun.

**dra&pigs** · #17 10-28-08, 06:29 pm

SC-Lottery tickets...you have to be 18 or older to buy lottery tickets in California, where she is located. She's to young, if she can't get a job. Well, putting a flyer in people's mailboxes saying your willing to do odd jobs around the house is a great way to earn money. My brother earned $118 raking leaves and cleaning houses. Sometimes it pays to be the lazy country.

**SNAKE CHARMER** · #18 10-28-08, 06:41 pm

Yeah I'm a gamer myself my main hobby is reptiles,2nd is target shooting,3rd is gameing. You've really never shot a gun?

**starshine123102** · #19 10-28-08, 06:52 pm

No, SC, most kids don't shoot guns. I don't know about down south but us yankee kids don't go around shooting guns at random.

pennykit&amanda: Try getting a job at your local supermarket. I think you can get hired at 16.

**pennykit&amanda** · #20 10-28-08, 07:00 pm

SC, No, I have never shot a gun, the only one I could, would throw me back.
Starshine, I'm not XX yet, so I can't work at a supermarket.

"Thank you, Paula, for this useful post," says:
katiewilson (10-29-08)