Joy Why do YOU keep guinea pigs?

I have them because they are cute. Its funny to watch them run around and party party! They also make me feel better when I am down. They have kept me from going to a bad place. They also are my mini-stress relievers. Guinea pigs also make great lawn mowers!

I keep them because I love them. I see past the bad and the ugly and see the good. They cheer me up when I'm down, and I feel like I've saved their lives. I had a really painful experience with my last dog Roy, and I don't feel like I can have another dog. With guinea pigs, that won't happen. They are my babies and I love them very much! <3

I didn't plan on owning piggies. George was bought for my boyfriend's 4 year old niece for Christmas, but she was rough with him and he bit her so they were going to take him back to the pet store. I offered to take care of him.
Since taking him in and getting him proper food, hay, daily veggies and a bigger cage his personality has come out so much.
I just kept falling more and more in love with him.
Now I have two piggies and I think it's hilarious watching them do all of their crazy piggy antics.

I also have had severe depression since I was 10 and taking care of animals has always helped me cope with things. Knowing that I'm giving a living creature a good life, especially if their life was less than ideal before, makes me feel really good-- like I have some kind of a purpose.

I think all animals are amazing- I'd gladly keep the company of an animal over a human any day. As for piggies though- they are just so darn cute with all the wheeking and running around. I also love to watch them eat. My old roommate had a pig and he was awesome so I knew that I would have my own one day. Since I can't afford a cat or dog I decided I would get guinea pigs because I can afford them and I can still bond with them

I fell ass-backwards into owning a guinea pig. A friend of mine and his family were moving out of state and wouldn't be able to take their guinea pig with them. She was a solo pig, 5 years old at the time and not handled very frequently, but fed and cared for well enough. I offered to take the pig in, so they gave me her old pet store cage and whatever food and bedding and hay they had left. After my girlfriend and I got her set up in our place, we did some research on how to actually care for her, since neither of us had previous experience. We realized she ought to have a companion and a bigger cage, so we built a 2x4 C&C and brought home a young piglet from Petsmart. Since then, over the past two years, we've taken in three more pigs from our local shelter and Craigslist adoptions, and doubled the cage to a 2x8. I wasn't really too sure what to think at first, since our original pig was pretty antisocial, but as it turns out, they are awfully fun to just watch doing their thing.

I originally planned to have a single pig to test out products for my pet supplies column. I was soon hooked by their cuteness and distinct personalities. I have cats, a horse, and a bird, too, so I'm an all-around animal lover. I enjoy hearing the girls wheek at the sound of the fridge, and I love to watch their antics in their cage or playpen. I find great stress relief in holding them or just watching them. While they're not affectionate like my cats, there's something appealing about them that makes me so glad I entered the world of piggy slavery.

If I didn't have guinea pigs.. My clothes wouldn't be covered in fur, My house would be clean, My wallet would be full, but, my heart would be empty.

I came by mine in a round about way, too. A friend of mine took in a guinea pig as a favor for someone who was getting deployed. It was supposed to be a temporary situation, but a few months turned into a year when he decided he didn't want her back. My friend's kids were not taking care of her and she got tired of doing it so she wanted to re-home her. While looking for a new home for her she decided to take her to her barn and leave her in the office. So there she sat in her pet store cage in an office with no AC, no veggies, and very little hay.....and I couldn't stand to look at her little face every day. When the heat start getting up into the 90's and higher I decided to bring her home. She now has a 2x4 c&c with unlimited hay, fresh veggies every day and the possibility of getting a buddy soon

I had many guinea pigs as a child but decided to get one for my son who has SPD and Childhood Apraxia of Speech as a therapy animal. Kyle loved Eddy Pig! He worked like a charm to help calm Kyle down during a sensory over load or when he was feeling frustrated by his lack of ability to communicate.

Eddy Pig also helped me. I have never really been without a small animal until I had my sons. They were so demanding with time and of course young that I never got another small animal after my rabbit FizGig died. It was amazing that I didn't realize the one thing my life lacked was a small furry animal. After the kids went back to school Eddy seemed lonely so we got Ben and joined this site. Now we have 5!

We have 10 piggies and some are little cuddle bums, while others are still terrified of us(yes I'm talking about you Josephine). We ended up with our first guy(Huey) because the people were allergic and they gave him to another person who put him in with 5 bunnies. Daniel is allergic to cats so we decided to take Huey home and see if it would work. We knew NOTHING about piggies and after finding this forum we decided to get him a buddy. We found Roger on Craigslist.com and paid $50 for him. The rest of our piggies came to us either as rescues or fosters(that turned into forever). We have the room and the money for 10 piggies, so regardless of their personality they are here to stay. While I wish they were all cuddle bums, I have to admit I do enjoy watching the abbys when they are in a snit about something. I smile when I catch Josephine laying out in the open. Huey is to dignified to poo or pee on you during lap time and he likes to keep a neat cage. Roger on the other hand is a messy pig, but will run to protect the love of his life Annabelle!
Not sure if this really answers the OP's question but it's hard to put into words how amazing these little guys are when you really spend time with them.

I have 4 piggies, Nutella, Duffy, Fudjie, and Abby. I own Duffy and Abby and my sister owns the other 2. Abby only joined our household yesterday but is already happy with her new friend. I keep piggies because they make me smile and it's just nice to now that there is someone (or someones!) who depend on me.

Ps. PLEASE PLEASE see my other post (HELP!!! WHAT DO I DO??!?) cos my new piggy is pregnant and i dont no what to do!

I've always had companion animals. I have fibromyalgia and many days the only thing that brings me out of bed is having to take care of my dog. Well, my dog has been with my mother for several months, recovering from knee surgery and the depression associated with FM was killing me. I needed companionship. I went to Petsmart with the intention of adopting a cat but none of the cats available connected. Then I saw Nikolai (now I know it's a no no). There was a click and I got him. He is such a darling, so calm and relaxing. I got Vladimir as his companion from a woman that couldn't care for him. I think GP's are wonderful companion animals as they Re funny and entertaining but are not as demanding of your company as a dog.

I had only really ever had dogs and a few hamsters as I was growing up but when I moved in to a flat with my boyfriend last year I knew it wouldn't be fair to get a dog as we are out all day. So I started looking in to alternative pets. A cat wasn't an option as my bf is allergic so I thought I thought we should get some guinea pigs. I am so glad we did as I have loved watching them get more confident and after a stressful day their cuddles and quirky personalities put a smile back on my face

I live in apartment so I didnt want to have a dog. My hubby took me to the pet store for Christmas and told me I can choose a pet. I wanted gerbils, but pet shop worker told me guinea pis are much more personable and live longer. So we just decided ok, guinea pig it is. And now 7 moths 3 guinea pigs later, I cannot imagine my life without them. They are perfect pets. I love how they popcorn and do zoomies, they run around the apartment and make cute little noises. Also I dont have to worry about them being lonely and waiting for me by the door when I am at work. I like that they are not so attached to us and love each others company.

MochaAndMoo said:

If I didn't have guinea pigs.. My clothes wouldn't be covered in fur, My house would be clean, My wallet would be full, but, my heart would be empty.

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#truth

I've always loved animals and my husband has so many hobbies, but I had nothing but him. So he's play video games and we'd talk but I'd essentially sit on the couch all day. Now I have the lovely little chubby faces looking at me and wheeking for vegetables and giving me motivation to get up off the couch (as well as my amazing doggies).

I'm definitely a nurturer and I need little alive creatures to keep me at my best, and I'm not quite ready for kids yet.

I've had small pets since 2008. It started with one little brown mouse named Churro. It progressed into a Roborovski hamster, a shorthair hamster, a gerbil (who had a seizure on Christmas Eve and died), two more mice, and then two gerbils, who were littermates of my previous one being kept by my sister.

But nothing filled my heart. I loved my animals, but they didn't really love me. They would bite and run (I researched how to hold them). Often times they would escape from their cage for days, but we always found them safe and sound.
My sister actually got her pig a year and a half before me. I loved her so much. I was horribly jealous. But my sister neglect Ted her after the novelty wore off, and I dropped it.
But in February it came back full force. I borrowed books. Read articles. Played with my sister's piggy. I wrote an essay to get one.

One of my reasons was "I have this crazy vision of singing to my pig" which they now love. I never thought they could love me this much. They really help with my self esteem. Whenever they hear my shoes up the stairs they scream. If I move around in bed, they know I'm awake and they scream. It makes me feel loved. It helps with my depression. Singing to my piggies is a coping skill for my severe anxiety. And knowing my new pig had a bad history like I do just makes me feel connected with her. I love them so much. They are my world.

Animals have always been a great stress reliever, and I've been suffering through depression and anxiety, so having animal friends around makes me happy. I wanted to get some sort of animal but I had no idea which one and had no plan in terms of actually getting one.
The way I got into guinea pigs was through @madelineelaine , I met her pigs and fell in love. I thought they were the sweetest things, plus I had an expert for a friend so I knew I could take care of them properly.
They're my babies and I adore them so much <3 All the poop is completely worth it, they're such amazing creatures.

MochaAndMoo said:

If I didn't have guinea pigs.. My clothes wouldn't be covered in fur, My house would be clean, My wallet would be full, but, my heart would be empty.

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I completely agree w/MochaandMoo

Sometimes I feel like I live on a farm but I wouldn't trade it for anything!