Want a Guinea Pig(s) How Could I Convince My Parents To Let Me Have A Guinea Pig?

[LilyPigs]

Hello everyone. I need some help. How could/can I convince my parents to let me have a guinea pig?:?: Should I clean my room? (My room is a pigstie) Should I clean the backyard? (LOTS of dog poop) Should I mow the front lawn? (Tall grass) What should I do to convince my parents to let me have a guinea pig? I'm going into middle school for the first time. I'm a 6th grader. When I get my first final of my report card should I have 4.0? (Straight A's) Please help me!My friend is BestGuineaPigs. She has told me some information about how I can convince my parents on leting me get a guinea pig, But I still need more information! (No afence BestGuineaPigs):sad:

 

[Swiss cheese]

Parents sometimes hesitate to let their kids have pets, because they fear that the kids won't take good care of the pets, that they're not responsible enough. Therefore, show your parents that you can take on some responsibility. Help with household chores, clean up your room. Maybe your parents are willing to pay you a little something for mowing the lawn from now on, and you could put the money aside for hay and other piggie stuff. This way, your parents would see that you are responsible and willing to work for your dreams.

But maybe they have other reasons. If your family travels a lot, or if money is very tight, it is not a very good idea to have pets.

 

[littlenme]

Hello everyone. I need some help. How could/can I convince my parents to let me have a guinea pig?:?: Should I clean my room? (My room is a pigstie) Should I clean the backyard? (LOTS of dog poop) Should I mow the front lawn? (Tall grass) What should I do to convince my parents to let me have a guinea pig? I'm going into middle school for the first time. I'm a 6th grader. When I get my first final of my report card should I have 4.0? (Straight A's) Please help me!My friend is BestGuineaPigs. She has told me some information about how I can convince my parents on leting me get a guinea pig, But I still need more information! (No afence BestGuineaPigs):sad:

1.) I thought you essentially asked this before.

2.) I thought you had said your parents agreed if you had straight A's as of your first progress report....so I am genuinely confused why they need convincing.

3.) As a parent my children could not convince me, but they could discuss with me and we would decide as a family. That said I get no pet that I do not expect to be actively involved with. So I guess they need to research care and cost will t h you and you could all write down t he pros and cons for your family.

 

[ThePigSlave]

If your parents do not want a guinea pig...perhaps you should see things from their perspective...?
If you are going into 6th grade your 11?12?, I am a pretty responsible 8th grader, and even I slack off sometimes. My parents care very much about the piggy, so they usually pick up the slack until I get back in the groove again.
If you do slack off, which you will inevitably do, your parents may not care as much about the piggies and pick up the slack. No parent wants to clean up after their kid's guinea pig because he/she won't take care of him/her themselves.

BTW, when you say "a guinea pig" I sure hope you imply two, and not one. Guinea pigs are herd animals and need a companion. For two guinea pigs you need somewhere around 9-10.5 square feet (as a general rule). That's a lot of space your parents may not want to devote it to.

But anyway, I would say be subtle. Don't approach them with an onslaught of information (about why they should get you one (hopefully two!), they will start to get defensive and only set themselves more in their decisions. Be subtle, talk about guinea pigs a lot. Not in a "I want one" kind of way, but just as though you take an interest in them (which you should anyway). Hopefully, they too will take an interest in them, and change their minds.

 

[ThePigSlave]

Something I thought I should add:
DO NOT EVER compromise the overall care of the guinea pig just so you can have one. That would be selfish (not saying that you would)

• If you can only get one, don't get one at all. Guinea pigs should always be with another pig (as a general rule), certain pigs are exceptions, but it is doubtful you will end up in that scenario.
• If you can not provide a large C&C cage (read: at least about 9 sq ft for two pigs), then don't get pigs at all. That is deliberately and knowingly subjecting them to living quarters that are too small.
• Do not get pigs if you cannot withstand the workload. It takes a specific breed of person to be able to devote themselves to their pigs. You need to spot clean daily, offer 1 cup of veggies per pig per day. 1/8 cup FRESH pellets (of a good brand) per pig per day. Topping up hay as often as necessary (unlimited access). Daily laptime, and floortime for exercise. You get what I mean.

 

[millsma]

I'd also like to add that they are a huge financial commitment. Particularly if you want to lessen the work load, I've gone through SO many cage changes/adjustments to find the most efficient way to take care of them. It hasn't been cheap.
Obviously you can make smarter decisions than I have and stick with one cage setup. But that doesn't mean that guinea pigs are as simple as the startup cost. Just today I had to spend $100 in vet fees for an infected wound. It's easy to say "that won't happen to me", but as a responsible pig owner, chances are you WILL have a reason to need to take them to see a vet.
I'm not by any means trying to talk you out of guinea pigs. They're the most important thing in my life. BUT you should consider what you are asking your parents to agree to. You're asking them to agree to take on your guinea pigs as their own financial burden, as well as time-management burden if you for any reason slacked in their care.
I don't mean to be harsh, but if they aren't convinced-- it isn't fair to them for you to try to convince them. Their funds and their time shouldn't need to be devoted towards something they're not thrilled about in the first place.

 

[littlenme]

I'd also like to add that they are a huge financial commitment. Particularly if you want to lessen the work load, I've gone through SO many cage changes/adjustments to find the most efficient way to take care of them. It hasn't been cheap.
Obviously you can make smarter decisions than I have and stick with one cage setup. But that doesn't mean that guinea pigs are as simple as the startup cost. Just today I had to spend $100 in vet fees for an infected wound. It's easy to say "that won't happen to me", but as a responsible pig owner, chances are you WILL have a reason to need to take them to see a vet.
I'm not by any means trying to talk you out of guinea pigs. They're the most important thing in my life. BUT you should consider what you are asking your parents to agree to. You're asking them to agree to take on your guinea pigs as their own financial burden, as well as time-management burden if you for any reason slacked in their care.
I don't mean to be harsh, but if they aren't convinced-- it isn't fair to them for you to try to convince them. Their funds and their time shouldn't need to be devoted towards something they're not thrilled about in the first place.

The cost is a very real consideration. I have had guinea babies just 5 weeks, and have een to the vets. The visit ended up being 152 seeing as I wanted both checked since Lemon was exhibiting URI symptoms. Sure enough she had one. And I fully intend to bring her right back in if she shows any symptoms again. But as a child you don't have say over that. You need to discuss pros and cons and see if your parents are willing to cover veterinary care.

 

[Aleks]

I'd also like to add that they are a huge financial commitment. Particularly if you want to lessen the work load, I've gone through SO many cage changes/adjustments to find the most efficient way to take care of them. It hasn't been cheap.
Obviously you can make smarter decisions than I have and stick with one cage setup. But that doesn't mean that guinea pigs are as simple as the startup cost. Just today I had to spend $100 in vet fees for an infected wound. It's easy to say "that won't happen to me", but as a responsible pig owner, chances are you WILL have a reason to need to take them to see a vet.
I'm not by any means trying to talk you out of guinea pigs. They're the most important thing in my life. BUT you should consider what you are asking your parents to agree to. You're asking them to agree to take on your guinea pigs as their own financial burden, as well as time-management burden if you for any reason slacked in their care.
I don't mean to be harsh, but if they aren't convinced-- it isn't fair to them for you to try to convince them. Their funds and their time shouldn't need to be devoted towards something they're not thrilled about in the first place.

I really can't agree with this more.
When I first got George (took him in from my boyfriend's 3 year old niece when they were about to take him back to the pet store for biting her), I had NO idea how expensive they can really be.
I definitely wasn't prepared, and there was a time around when I first joined the site that I was about to have to find him a new home because he needed to go to the vet and I wasn't financially prepared for that.
The only reason I still have him is because a good friend of my boyfriends' wired some money to me.
Since then I've spent a long time trying to build up a significant vet fund, which has been depleted several times due to more vet trips.
Guinea pigs are definitely WAY more expensive than I initially thought they would be when I first took George in.

With that being said, too many times I've seen kids whose guinea pigs became ill and the parents refused to take them to a vet, partially because they didn't even want the kid to have them in the first place.
[MENTION=28749]LilyPigs[/MENTION] As with millsma, I'm not trying to deter you from getting them, but it would be worth it to wait until your parents are completely okay with you having them and understand that their vet bills (and supplies, for that matter) can be expensive, especially if they would be taking on the financial responsibility.

 

[CavyMama]

[MENTION=28749]LilyPigs[/MENTION] I'm a little confused, you recently started a thread asking how to tame your guinea pigs. Now you are asking how to convince your parents to let you get guinea pigs. Can you clarify - do you have pigs or not?

 

[spudsthepiget]

Guinea pigs are stereotyped as "low maintenance" pets and that's pretty far from the truth. I spent $100 last week in vet care for Marybell, and before that, I spent $200 for Trudy's care. That's a lot of money, especially for parents when they have you to think about. Now just may not be the right time for them; it doesn't mean you can never get a guinea pig, just not right now.

 

[Agrimony]

I'd say it would not hurt to keep up on your chores, to do them and keep doing them without having to be asked. That shows initiative and responsibility.

Know too that just doing that alone may not be enough. Ultimately the parents are the responsible party for footing bills and buying supplies. My pigs in one year raked up over $2,000 in vet bills and thats not factoring costs of food, bedding, cages, etc. These are not cheap pets.

That said good luck!

 

[LilyPigs]

If your parents do not want a guinea pig...perhaps you should see things from their perspective...?
If you are going into 6th grade your 11?12?, I am a pretty responsible 8th grader, and even I slack off sometimes. My parents care very much about the piggy, so they usually pick up the slack until I get back in the groove again.
If you do slack off, which you will inevitably do, your parents may not care as much about the piggies and pick up the slack. No parent wants to clean up after their kid's guinea pig because he/she won't take care of him/her themselves.

BTW, when you say "a guinea pig" I sure hope you imply two, and not one. Guinea pigs are herd animals and need a companion. For two guinea pigs you need somewhere around 9-10.5 square feet (as a general rule). That's a lot of space your parents may not want to devote it to.

But anyway, I would say be subtle. Don't approach them with an onslaught of information (about why they should get you one (hopefully two!), they will start to get defensive and only set themselves more in their decisions. Be subtle, talk about guinea pigs a lot. Not in a "I want one" kind of way, but just as though you take an interest in them (which you should anyway). Hopefully, they too will take an interest in them, and change their minds.

Hi! I was talking to my mom today at her hair appointment earlier!

I said "Wasn't the deal that if I get straight A's then I could get a guinea pig! Right?
My mom: right and what is your point?
Me: Can I get 2 guinea pigs instead of one because guinea pigs need to have a buddy! They are very social!
My mom: I don't know would you stop bugging me about it? I can't take it anymore!

What should I do now?

 

[CavyMama]

You should stop asking her. Nothing will get you to a "NO!" faster than constantly asking.

It's great that you asked about getting a buddy because you are correct, guinea pigs are very social. So kudos to you for that but it's important to be patient. If you are asking all the time, the most it will do is irritate your mom which is what will get her to a quick and definitive, "NO!"

 

[Domino8212]

Have you got a friend with piggies of their own? I started by looking after my friends piggies when they went on holiday and my parents fell in love with the piggies and I was allowed my own good luck, we keep ours in a big hutch and run system on the garden so they can enjoy the grass!!

 

[LazyPiggies]

I can't agree more with what everyone has wrote about the financial responsibility that comes with having a guinea pig. If I was you I would wait until your parents are ready to discuss the family pet rather than pushing all the time. When I first bought my piggies (Initially I was only going to get one but out of the best interest of the guinea pig, I bought two!) I had no idea about C&C cages/ their daily needs/supplies, so please do your research before trying to persuade your parents because it does take a lot of care/ time and money to keep a guinea pig(s) healthy and happy.

 

[pinky]

If you room is a pig sty, how are you going to manage keeping the guinea pig cage tidy? They don't clean up after themselves and are more dependent on you than you dog even is. How does your dog fit into the picture? Dogs are predators and guinea pigs are prey animals so you need to make sure that the guinea pig is safe and won't be injured or killed by your dog. That means keeping it in a separate room where your dog doesn't have access or in a cage that your dog can't reach. Don't keep the guinea pig in a place where it'll terrorized by your dog. I understand that when your best friend has something that seems pretty cool, it's natural to want to have the same thing but I don't think you're really thinking it all through and might quickly regret getting a guinea pig. The other thing to consider is, who will be responsible for paying for it's food and medical needs. Guinea pigs can get upper respiratory infections that can quickly turn deadly without antibiotics. Urinary tract infections are also a possibility. Medical costs can go into the hundreds of dollars. If you're busy with school or have extra curricular activities, someone in the household needs to care for them while you are unable to. I think your mom is wise to be resistant to the idea until you've worked it all out.

 

[pinky]

[MENTION=28749]LilyPigs[/MENTION] I'm a little confused, you recently started a thread asking how to tame your guinea pigs. Now you are asking how to convince your parents to let you get guinea pigs. Can you clarify - do you have pigs or not?

She doesn't have them. She was asking for tips on guinea pig care for when she gets them.

 

[SardonicSmile]

What happened with the 'pregnant' pig?

https://www.guineapigcages.com/foru...s-she-pregnant?p=788632&highlight=#post788632