Want a Guinea Pig(s) Convincing help?

[AllysGuineas]

Hey Guys!

Okay so, i am in need of an approval from my mother to own guinea pigs. On "Kijiji" I have found 3 guinea pigs in need of homes, and two are these beautiful bonded males! I know so much about guinea pigs, i got my information from this site and many many others. And i am ready to own these cuddly things. I have a basement place i live in, and i have a bedroom a bathroom and a living area i plan on setting up my guinea pig things. One thing is, there is also a lot of workout equipment in there. What i was thinking is if i could convince my parents on moving those out first before convincing them on my permission of getting the guinea pigs. Also, I would be paying for everything myself.

Okay so, how can i get this "plan" of mine started? Please help me with convincing! Thanks Guinea Pig Cages Forums!

 

[akstrohm]

Whatever you tell your parents, make sure you are 100% honest about the time and money involved. Make sure that they understand that guinea pigs can live 8 years or so and that they require fresh vegetables daily as well as veterinary care. If you don't have a car, they must be willing to provide transport to the grocery store and the vet. If you don't have enough money, they must be willing to chip in for vet care and veggies. If they are not willing or able to provide this level of care, please respect their decision and wait until you are supporting yourself and have your own place to live before getting any pigs. In the meantime, there are plenty of volunteer positions at animal shelters, including fostering.

 

[pigsmakemesmile]

Fostering is a good way to start and for a few reasons:
Many times, they provide you with the items needed for the pig.
They help with vet care
They help in finding forever homes
It gives your family a chance of knowing what sharing life with a guinea pig is like. They'll learn they don't really smell, they're pretty much quiet
they're really, really cute and very cuddly.
They'll learn buying in bulk saves bucks.
It's a good way to learn about living with pigs before fully committing to one.

 

[Bdmellohead]

Fostering is a great way to prove to your parents you can take care of a new pet. Also some cities have nature centers that have "animal lending libraries" where they completely set you up with a small animal and learn the responsibilities of ownership. There is one near where I live, maybe you also have something like this in your area as well. I know that when I was in school a lot of my friends took home pets from there for a week to see how they worked with their family. It's really a wonderful way to prove to your parents that you are responsible!

(broken link removed)

 

[ferndalezoo]

Ally< if I recall correctly, your parents are divorced, and you split your time between mom and dad's houses. Your mom was very adamant the last time you said anything that she did not want any guinea pigs in the house. I understand that you'd be paying for everything, but what about if one of your pigs is sick or injurred and needs vet care? That can run several hundreds of dollars at a time. If your parents are not 100% supportive of you having the pets in the first place, they are not likely to help you with that. Will mom help care for them when you are at your dad's? Or vice versa?

What are your grades like? Do you help out with the care of the household now (dishes, vacuuming, keeping your room clean, etc)? Do you take an active role in caring for any current household pets? All of this will help show responsibility, but if your mom's basic objection is that she simply doesn't want guinea pigs in the household right now, you might have to wait until you are out on your own to get them.

Others have suggested fostering, and that, too, can be a good idea if your parents will consider it.

On an only tangentially related note: Be very careful on kijiji . It's FULL of breeders.

 

[AllysGuineas]

I am a B+ and A student. I do chores everyday for 4 hours. I am the only person who takes care of all the animals needs already in the house. Thanks for the Kijiji help!