Hi everyone, I'm new to guinea pigs I have two sows, Kayzie and Pixi, both short haired American/English guinea pigs.
I have a dog, a very laid back Papillon (yes there is such a thing ) and I wanted to get a hands on pet that I could hold and sit with around my 5 pound dog. I also have a bit of an extreme fear of being bitten. When I was a kid, we had a very mean gerbil that would bite so much that the only way we could pet it was if we had socks over our hands. ANYWAY - I've always loved the small rodents, but the smell and the biting deterred me. I saw a pets show on animal planet featuring guinea pigs and I was amazed how different from hamsters and gerbils they were! I was in the pet store buying food for my dog, and I'm not an impulse buyer of animals by nature, but I asked the small animals employee about them and the point that they are very gentle and rarely bite sold me instantly. I instantly fell in love with Kayzie, not nearly as squirmy as all the others, stunningly beautiful and almost rabbit-like in shape/fur - it's hard to explain.
So I picked up a roomy cage (and that's actually how I ended up here, I wanted to find out just -how- roomy, and I think when she gets older/bigger, we'll upgrade) and a book - and just as I got her settled, I realized she really needed a friend, especially with my dog's smell possibly making her more anxious. I looked online to see if shelters actually had guinea pigs around here. I didn't see anything online or on Petfinder - but it was important to get her a companion as soon as possible, so I searched every single petshop for another young calm girl to be compatible with everyone. After looking at around 6 shops, I found the perfect little girl with a small problem. She had been kept in a cage with a male. The store associate said she was probably pregnant and I thought so too. He assured me that since they had goofed up, they would take the babies if I didn't want them. But to cut this whole thing short - I don't want to put them in a pet shop environment. I certainly don't have room for 8 new babies, but I would like to give them a chance at a loving home with good socialization growing up. IF she is pregnant, which she may or may not be.
So in short.. or long I guess... I joined this forum to prepare for a possibly risky pregnancy, learning how to properly socialize/tame new babies, and how to find good homes for them.
I didn't come here to be judged or start an argument, as I've read you are incredibly pro-adoption, and I'm sort of leaning towards it, but not quite dedicated to it like most people are. This introduction is to be 100% honest so IF I happen to have a guinea pig giving birth in a few months, I won't be blown off or accused of breeding her - and instead get the help a new guinea pig owner needs. Of course if I begin to realize she is actually pregnant, my vet is going to give me professional advice and I will take it but I can learn so much from actual guinea pig owners from all walks of life.
I have a dog, a very laid back Papillon (yes there is such a thing ) and I wanted to get a hands on pet that I could hold and sit with around my 5 pound dog. I also have a bit of an extreme fear of being bitten. When I was a kid, we had a very mean gerbil that would bite so much that the only way we could pet it was if we had socks over our hands. ANYWAY - I've always loved the small rodents, but the smell and the biting deterred me. I saw a pets show on animal planet featuring guinea pigs and I was amazed how different from hamsters and gerbils they were! I was in the pet store buying food for my dog, and I'm not an impulse buyer of animals by nature, but I asked the small animals employee about them and the point that they are very gentle and rarely bite sold me instantly. I instantly fell in love with Kayzie, not nearly as squirmy as all the others, stunningly beautiful and almost rabbit-like in shape/fur - it's hard to explain.
So I picked up a roomy cage (and that's actually how I ended up here, I wanted to find out just -how- roomy, and I think when she gets older/bigger, we'll upgrade) and a book - and just as I got her settled, I realized she really needed a friend, especially with my dog's smell possibly making her more anxious. I looked online to see if shelters actually had guinea pigs around here. I didn't see anything online or on Petfinder - but it was important to get her a companion as soon as possible, so I searched every single petshop for another young calm girl to be compatible with everyone. After looking at around 6 shops, I found the perfect little girl with a small problem. She had been kept in a cage with a male. The store associate said she was probably pregnant and I thought so too. He assured me that since they had goofed up, they would take the babies if I didn't want them. But to cut this whole thing short - I don't want to put them in a pet shop environment. I certainly don't have room for 8 new babies, but I would like to give them a chance at a loving home with good socialization growing up. IF she is pregnant, which she may or may not be.
So in short.. or long I guess... I joined this forum to prepare for a possibly risky pregnancy, learning how to properly socialize/tame new babies, and how to find good homes for them.
I didn't come here to be judged or start an argument, as I've read you are incredibly pro-adoption, and I'm sort of leaning towards it, but not quite dedicated to it like most people are. This introduction is to be 100% honest so IF I happen to have a guinea pig giving birth in a few months, I won't be blown off or accused of breeding her - and instead get the help a new guinea pig owner needs. Of course if I begin to realize she is actually pregnant, my vet is going to give me professional advice and I will take it but I can learn so much from actual guinea pig owners from all walks of life.