How can i convince my parents to get me a guinea pig

[OldUserTM]

Hello, I've been doing lots of research on them, and I was just thinking that my parents will probably say no, we already have a cat. What do you think I could say, and what are some benefits of getting guinea pigs.

 

[CavyChrissy]

Glad to hear you're doing some research! This is already a good sign that you may be a responsible pet owner! I'm a mom, so from my perspective here is what my kids could do to convince me - why don't you make:

-a pros and cons list of guinea pigs
-a sheet showing their basic needs and how to care for them (emphasizing that they MUST have a big cage and a buddy)
-a list of the start up supplies you'll need and those costs and who you expect to pay those costs
-a list of the ongoing supplies and their costs and who you expect to pay those costs (you or the parents)
-a proposed location for the cage

Also, make sure you have truly considered the amount of time it takes to care for guinea pigs - they are not the easiest small pet to care for. If you have sports or a busy social schedule, it might not work for you. And be sure to consider the lifespan - guinea pigs can live 5-7 years. If you will be going away to college in the next few years, what will happen to your pigs? Probably wouldn't be able to take them with (although you could adopt an older pair of pigs, which is a great option).

Another thought - as a mom, I would also think about if my kid was normally a responsible person. If my kid had a messy room and couldn't remember their homework and forgot to have me sign permissions slips, I'm pretty much going to automatically say No to a pet.

If you want, feel free to share what you have written up here. There are quite a few moms and quite a few teenagers here and we can all give you our perspective and help!

 

[daydreamer89]

my daughter came to me about a 2 months ago after a trip to the pet store to pick up cat litter and cat food, saying she wants a guinea pig. she is almost 7 so this might be a little different but im also very strict when it comes to things like pets, you have to prove you are responsible enough.
so I told her what I would need to see from her for me to agree (esp. because at her age i will still have to do a lot for the guinea pig) I wanted to see the cats food bowl filled every day, the water changed, the dishes scrubbed out and her spending time playing with the cat. I also wanted to see her go outside and get hibiscus flowers and leafs for the tortoises treat and put in nicely in his enclosure.

the next step was who the heck is going to be paying for everything her guinea pigs need? she is! so we wrote down a list of what she can do around the house to earn money, (scrubbing the fridge out, cleaning the bathroom, etc etc bad jobs lol) she just finished 1st week yesterday and she has made 25 dollars out of the 200 she needs. i doubt she will have her guinea pigs before new years but if she really wants them she will wait (some of the jobs she can only do once a month)

the way i see it is all parents want their children to have/do something they deeply care about and sometimes thats pets (it was for me as a kid we had 6 dogs and a cat) but another life, another mouth to feed, another vet biill it adds up and we as parents already have a lot going on some dont have time to care properly for the pet if the kids get bored of it, so we need to see that the kids WONT get bored of it. my husband for instance isnt a pet person and is too busy, I however am a stay at home parent so i can and am willing to give the guinea pigs the care they need if savanna gets bored of them. but thats a huge worry for most parents so you need to prove and show that you wont get bored.

I also advise you to do what cavychrissy suggested the lists are a huge thing as well as the costs but im guessing you are a teenager and getting older pigs might be best if you will be leaving home in a few years. help with the costs! be it chores around the house for extra money or a part time job.

good luck!!
p.s. adopt from local rescues, dont buy.

 

[jaycriae]

I agree with what other people are saying, and just wanted to add my two cents:

I've adopted guinea pigs twice, once at seven and once at sixteen, so I had to get parental permission twice. The first time, I had been researching them constantly for six months, checking out every book on guinea pigs from the library and talking about them and sharing the facts I learned (if I had known what the Internet was I would have used that too). We took care of my brother's preschool's guinea pig over the summer so we knew we could handle her, and we visited a local shelter as much as I could convince my family to go so we could see the pigs. I did all my school projects on guinea pigs. Finally, for my seventh birthday, my mom allowed me to adopt two baby brothers from the shelter we visited so often (which I now volunteer at!)

At age fifteen, when I felt I had adequately grieved the loss of the other two (it took two and a half years) I wanted guinea pigs again, but my mom wasn't sure I would be responsible enough to take care of them, so I mostly took over our cat's care for the next six months. I was in charge of the litter box, and I would have to do her food and water at least once a day plus clean up any other messes she made. After I did it, we agreed the two of us would split the cost of the pigs' expenses. I got Odeta late that December (I turned 16 in October), and Theo the following February, after we had gotten a big enough cage for two. We added baby Bitters over the next summer.

So basically, the cat could work to your advantage as long as you know how to take care of your pigs right and you're dedicated enough. We just keep our pigs in my room and close the door so our cat doesn't scare them.

 

[PenelopePig]

I think the main thing parents consider with allowing a young one to get a new pet, is responsibility and cost. Do you have other pets already? if so, start taking initiative to clean up their poo, clean cages, litter boxes, feed and water them, play with them, and walk them (depending upon type of pets). Your parents will notice your increased responsible attitude and appreciate this. They will be a lot more likely to get you a piggy (which really you need 2 or more piggies as they are very social with each other) because they see you will do the work of caring for them. And then calculate costs up. Each pig needs about 1/8 to 1/4 cup of food per day. The Oxbox I just bought is 5 pounds for $17, to give you an idea. The hay I bought was $6 (timothy grass hay) for 24 ounces, and then they need 1 cup of fresh veggies per day per pig. Then you have the cost of a cage and I really suggest a cube and coroplast cage, cheap to make and plenty of space for your pigs. Then a water bottle, food bowl, and some type of bedding. I like Carefresh and Aspen bedding but I also like fleece (even tho I haven't actually used fleece for a pigs yet). Then you can give them little boxes and toilet tissue rolls as toys. They need wood to wear their teeth down on while gnawing. Pet stores have cheap little "chew blocks". I paid $1.99 for a pack of 4 chew blocks. So perhaps offering for our parents to keep a portion of your allowance would be a mature way to show how badly you want your guinea pigs

 

[bpatters]

Actually, [MENTION=36260]PenelopePig[/MENTION], they don't need wood to wear their teeth down. Some pigs will chew it, some won't. But it's the grinding motion of the molars chewing hay that keeps the front teeth the right length. In fact, one of the first signs of problems with the molars is uneven front teeth. I have a 6+ year old pig that's never chewed a piece of wood in her life and she has perfect teeth. (Umm, knock on wood! I hope I didn't jinx myself, and her, by saying that!)

Also, just as an FYI, you can buy hay MUCH cheaper than that. You'll have to buy in larger quantities, but online hay costs about 1/3 of the stuff sold locally in stores.

 

[PenelopePig]

Good to know thanks! Yes you can buy hay a lot cheaper, I plan to order online or even buy a bale from a local farm. but that's just what I picked up yesterday. My piggy was unexpected as she was a rescue and the other piggies in the cage were picking on her so I agreed to home her So I just ran and bought everything pretty quick locally.

 

[joeyandrufus]

I firmly told my parents that see i will take care of my piggies to bits. i ll sacrifice everything i wont travel anywhere( and i actually wont) and i ll clean his poop and every damn thing but u ll have to support me financially cuz i m ur son thats ur responsibilty so.moreover,they r so cute u ll fall in love with them(u need to tell thsi to ur parents) my parents were indifferent to my piggies in the beginning but now they love joey n rufus n do everything for them <3

 

[OldUserTM]

What i have written to convince my parents on getting a guinea pig

This is what I have written to convince my parents on getting a guinea pig sorry for it being in a bad format I made it in word. Tell me what I should add or change NOTE:
I haven't gone through it yet for grammar I was just focusing on writing my ideas down.

A Guinea pig
I have been saving up for a while now and done a lot ofresearch, and what I want is a popular furry cuddly companion. The Guinea Pig.
What if ourcat try’s to attack it?
Guinea pigs are pretty big creatures there average length is 0.7- 0.8 ft. Most cats are actually afraid of Guinea pigs. At first it’s naturalfor a cat to be curios but as long as you have a covered cage our cat won’t bea problem she will realize that it can’t touch the Guinea pigs and see that it’sa lost cause.

Even if she can get to where the pigs are she can’t get themin a cage if I got Guinea pigs the cage would be in my room because I can shutthe door too but even if Its accidently left open the pigs would still be safe.

User Sallyvh says “Our cats and pigs live togetherharmoniously, the guinea pigs aren't afraid of the cats at all. If the catspeek their faces up against the cage the pigs will come running over to seethem and we even have cat beds on top of our cage and at any given time therewill be 3 or 4 cats sleeping up there. My pigs aren't bothered by the catsjumping up and down off the cage, they just continue going about their businesslike nothing is happening. The odd time a cat will stick its paws through thegrids but they have never tried to harm the pigs, they are just being curiousand if a pig gets tapped by a paw they normally just move away. Sometimes weget a foster who came from living outside and they are particularly interestedin the pigs but they quickly learn that they can't get them so the cat willjust watch. I've never had an issue with any of my pigs getting hurt and wehave had around 50 cats move through our house in the past few years. WheneverI do floor time I close the doors to the room my pigs are kept in so that thecats won't bother them.”

Am I responsible to care for a guineapig and what are their needs?
Well I am theone who helps a lot with taking care of our cat, I clean her litter box, in themorning I always check her food dish and refill it if needed, and replace herwater, than I will feed her in the evening.
Guinea pigshave a lot of similar needs to cats, guinea pigs are social animals meaningthey thrive in groups so it always a good idea to get 2 instead of 1 becausethey will live longer in groups. They love attention, they like to be pet andcuddled, they require Water, Hay, food pellets (like olives crunchies), andtwice a day you give them a cup of vegetables as a meal in the morning and inthe evening. An example of a schedule would
Morning
Spot clean cage. Check water, hay &pellets
Lateafternoon
Freshen hay, water & pellets if needed.Spot clean. (More thorough cleaning might be necessary depending on number& messiness of pigs.)
Evening
Floor-time for at least 30 minutes, longer ifpossible. Approx. 1 cup of dark greens each pig.
Night
Cuddle time, also a good time to perform a“feeling” check, brushing, or ear cleaning
Weekly:
Cage cleaning
Bi-weekly(every 2 weeks): nail trim, and bath
I would bedoing all the work for the Guinea pigs.
How toclean the cage
Spot cleaning
Every day itis a good idea to spot clean the cage this process is done so by removing allexcess food and using a paper towel making sure all bedding is dry. You willhave to replace bedding with dry bedding often.
Full clean
Every week it’srecommended to do a full clean. A thrall clean of the whole cage you mustremove all toys, hidey houses, and bedding. Spray the sides and bottom of thecage with a spray bottle filled with 1/2 plain, white vinegar and 1/2 water.Wipe dry.
Most peoplethink that Guinea pigs are smelly but that’s only if you don’t clean your cagefrequently enough.
Anotherthing is Guinea pigs can actually be litter trained.
What do you do with them when we goon vacation?
Most vets will offer a boarding service for Guinea pigs andyou can also board them at a local pet store. An alternative option to boardingservices, is getting a friend, family member or neighbor to look after your Guineapig when you gone.
Where would the cage be?
It can go inmy room, and the door can be shut so Olive can’t get in. Even if she did itwould be fine because we would get a covered cage. The Guinea pigs wouldn’tbother anyone by squeaking too much, because even though they are socialanimals, they mostly squeak when they need something, and they are notnocturnal animals so they sleep at night. So they wouldn’t be waking anyone up.Even if Guinea pigs where ever too loud you could shut my door and theywouldn’t be able to be heard from outside my room, so if they were making noisewhen you were on the phone in your work day it wouldn’t be a problem.
It’s too much money
To first start off with a guinea pig it can be a littlepricey but I can support all costs of everything. (Total Dollars Raised $400For Spending) It costs around $180-$350 to first start off.



Do they need to be taken to the vet
Some peopletake them once a year, others only when they need it. Unlike dogs and cats andsome other animals, they don't get vaccinations, so there's no need for a tripfor those.
Supplies
-Cage Guinea pigs need a big cage you can’tget this in pet stores, so for a cage I recommend one of these cages online http://www.guineapigcagesstore.com/standard-covered-guinea-pig-cagesthey cost between $100-$140 while most pet stores charge $130-$220 for a cagethat’s 4 times smaller. The cages in the link are big enough for Guinea pigsand they are all covered cages so no cat would be able to get to them
-Hay Guinea pigs need Timothy Hay noother kind of hay is good for some are too rich and fattening, Timothy haycosts between $10-$25 per bag. The bags are pretty big. They will last about amonth
-Food pellets Standard food pellets usually cost $10
-Water bottle Water bottles cost about $6-$14
Hay, foodpellets, and water is a big part in a guinea pigs diets as well as vegetablebut Food, Hay, and water should always be available for guinea pigs at all time
-Vegetables
Guinea pigsalso need 1 cup of vegetables a day (half a cup in the morning, half a cup inthe evening) Here is a list of vegetables that guinea pigs can eat http://www.happycavy.com/what-can-guinea-pigs-eat/#list
-Other cage accessory’s
-Toys theyshould have toys to chew on
-Bedding
-Hay rackfor putting hay in
-Food dishesfor pellets and veggies
-Waterbottle
-Hideyhouses


Pros and cons
Pros
~they wouldmake me really happy
~they liketo cuddle
~If I getone I would end up spending less time on electronics caring for them
~teach responsibility and commitment
~you can hold them while doing homework
~petting them is a good stress reliever
~they have fun just hiding in blankets
~some respond to their name
~they make cute noises when they think theregoing to be feed.
~ youcan train the to walk from one room to another to go to its cage to go away.
~they tolerate pain well
~there active
~if we adopt we would be saving a life
~they are fairlyquiet at night
~they are great pets if you can give it whatit needs and love it.
Cons
~there afive year commitment
~theyrequire attention
~they should get daily exercise (If you have abig cage its okay if they don’t have it some days)
~you have to change the litter once or twice aweek
~you have to change their water daily
~you have to feed them at morning and in theevening
~give them snacks
~they need a cage mate or should have one, ifthey don’t they can get depressed and bored
~they shed their hair
~they need to have their nails cut every oncein a while
`
Where to can you get one?
We shouldcheck out the local shelter and see what they have, last option would begetting one from a breeder. Not from a pet store most animals at petstores have illnesses already and are in bad health because they are not breedfor quality, they are breed for quantity. So adoption should be first option
Summary
-I can cover the cost
-Our cat won’t be an issue with a covered cage
-We know where you can take them when you have to go onvacation
-I am responsible enough
-I know all supplies needed and how to take care ofthem
-You know I can clean the cage
-You know where we can find some
-I have suggested a location for the cage
-You know the pros and cons

 

[bpatters]

[MENTION=36259]Dannymax333[/MENTION], please do not start multiple threads on the same topic. You already had a topic on convincing your parents to get a guinea pig. I've merged them.

 

[daydreamer89]

one thing I think you should consider adding and doing is putting money away for any vet bills (say start with 100. put that aside for vet bills and make sure you add to it!!) if your parents know that you are putting money aside for that it might help
it looks good though.

 

[CavyChrissy]

Wow, great job! You covered all the important points. It's good that you thought of a cage with a lid to keep the cat out. You never know how your cat will act with them.

For spot cleaning, it depends on what type of bedding you plan to use. If you use a disposable bedding like Carefresh or aspen shavings, I've found you can't really do a spot cleaning (it's too hard to pick out all the little poops). You have to just change it all every few days. If you use fleece, then you can spot clean by sweeping or vacuuming up the poops a couple times a day.

For costs, if you are planning to cover the ongoing costs (food and bedding) make sure you consider how you are going to earn that money. Can you do chores? Mow a yard?

I like that you mention spending time with your guinea pigs will cut down on the electronics! That point would be a winner with me : )

 

[jaycriae]

That was super impressive! Good job. (And my pigs definitely made me go on electronics less ) Good luck!

 

[OldUserTM]

[MENTION=35775]CavyChrissy[/MENTION] for bedding I'll be using fleece so I can wash it and re use it.

 

[bpatters]

This thread has some good ideas for kids/teens who want guinea pigs. I'm making it a sticky so we can find it again easier.

 

[OldUserTM]

Does this make me eligible to have a guinea pig?

So I don't think I can have one in my room because my parents say it smells and they are awake for 20 hours a day so I would be kept awake. I have a open concept house so the only rooms with doors are bedrooms and bathrooms so I don't think I can put it anywhere else because my cat could get to them even with a covered cage she would probably just stare at them or hiss at them, I'm not sure but cant she scare them to death. What could I do?

 

[bpatters]

Re: Does this make me eligible to have a guinea pig?

The cat will not scare your guinea pigs to death. Neither will dogs barking at them, kids running through the house, or anything else. They'll adjust just fine.

They are not awake 20 hours a day. They are more active early in the morning and in the evening, but in between they take long naps.

If you get females, use a good bedding (I prefer wood pellets) and keep the cage clean, there will be no smells at all. My two guinea pigs live in my living area, and my husband, who has the most sensitive nose in the universe, can never smell anything.

 

[jaycriae]

You can try and put your cage on a table or stand that there is no room for the cat to stand on, so she can't get to them. (The grid stand setups and storage system sold on this site would work for this, but so would a table the size of the cage.) Even if she can, though, only some cats even really have an interest in guinea pigs, since they're bigger than cats' usual prey. My cat will sit and watch my pigs, but not pounce or anything, and the pigs will just sit in their hideys until she leaves. They're more scared of the door slamming. My friend has two cats and neither pay any attention to her pigs at all.

As long as you get a cage with a lid and give your pigs places to hide it should be fine, though. You can also teach your cat being near the pigs is Bad easily enough. Put spray bottles near the cage and spritz near her whenever she starts watching them and she'll learn to leave them alone soon enough.

Ditto Bpatters for the rest of the post. My girls are never stinky unless I'm sick and have to go too long without changing the cage. I use Carefresh paper bedding, if that helps at all.

 

[CavyChrissy]

Re: Does this make me eligible to have a guinea pig?

So I don't think I can have one in my room because my parents say it smells and they are awake for 20 hours a day so I would be kept awake. I have a open concept house so the only rooms with doors are bedrooms and bathrooms so I don't think I can put it anywhere else because my cat could get to them even with a covered cage she would probably just stare at them or hiss at them, I'm not sure but cant she scare them to death. What could I do?

My pigs are basically awake when it's light out and go to sleep when it gets dark. I've noticed that if I leave a light on in the room they are in, they stay awake. But if I leave the light off and it gets dark at 7, then they pretty much go to sleep for the night at 7.

 

[DroidGuineaPig]

Ask for the Guinea Pigs for your birthday or Christmas