The black and white one is named Oreo. (she's the shy one ) The other cutie pie is Scooter and is one of Oreo's offspring. Oreo surprised us with two babies just 3 short months after we brought her and a boy Guinea Pig (Pedro) home from the pet shop! We didn't know he was a boy! That was back when Pedro Martinez was playing for the Red Sox and my brother thought it would be a good name for him. Sadly, Pedro, (the father) and Boo, (one of the twins) passed away within the past couple of years. But the memory of them lives on within our hearts.
Anyway, Guinea Pigs are fun -loving animals and make a wonderful first pet! They are very easy to care for! They need at least 1 bath a year, (because Guinea Pigs like to be clean). Their cage should be cleaned once a week at the least and their claws do need trimming occasionally. Get your mom to help you with cleaning the cage at first... When you get a bit older you can do it all by your self! They need to be fed twice a day. Pellets and hay are fine, but they also LOVE fruits and veggies. Vitamin C is an important part of their diet. You can buy Vitamin C drops at your local pet store that can be added to their water bottles.
Scooter's best side
I would HIGHLY recommend getting your Guinea Pigs from a ( CLEAN ) local pet shop. They ususally get their pets from local breeders which gives them a healthy start.
Some other facts about Guinea Pigs:
Guinea Pigs are rodents and they like to burrow and hide. They should have a plastic igloo or wooden house ( you can get them at the pet store) to hide in placed inside of their cage. Guinea Pigs also love to cuddle, so don’t be afraid to snuggle right up to these little guys! But be careful, you might want to build up your bond a little bit before snuggling right up them, they could get scared and bite. Guinea Pigs are not naturally aggressive. They are VERY affectionate! My mom gave my brother and I fleece hats to hold our Guinea Pigs in when we were smaller so they would feel safe and secure while being out of their cage. Guinea Pigs are not like hamsters. They don't like to run around through tubes and wheels... They love to snuggle together and they like their privacy! My brother and I made a guiniea pig play - yard once and all they did was hide! Guinea Pigs can live a long happy life from 4- 7 years if they stay healthy and have lots of love.
They like company so if you decide to get one, consider getting two boys or two girls but not one of each or you will have more Guinea Pigs than you planned on having just like we did!
ps. If you want to learn more about Guinea Pigs go to your local pet store and ask lots of questions. Check out a book or two at your local library or just google Guinea Pigs!
Story and photos by: Nicolette J. Bosworth
What fury creature ( on 4 legs ) do you snuggle up to?
What a great story Nicolette!
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing for Dandelion House I hope to see more of your words here soon!
Love you honey,
Mom
I always had guinea pigs growing up, until I went away to college and Dad became allergic. Now I want to take my daughter's two home (her apartment is extremely tiny and so is the cage) but I can't get my husband to agree- fur tends to set off his migraines. They are so much fun and do really bond with you. Yours are adorable.
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