One Guinea Pig Hutch Pluse Two Guinea Pigs And You Have The Perfect Companions For Your Children

There are small animals around which are cute and furry and make wonderful pets for children (and adults). For many people a dog or a cat is a very serious commitment and a dog or cat is often too large to be the perfect pet for small children.

And they pose some risks. For example that have been many instances of young children being attacked by their own pet dog.

I think personally that one of the best small pets for small children are guinea pigs, and I have a young daughter who has a guinea pig and she delights in him.

They have some huge advantages as a pet. They rarely live much longer than around 5 years, so you won’t be looking after the guinea pig after the kids have left home. They are cheap to buy, usually under $20, they are cheap to feed and don’t get sick as often as other animals. They are warm and furry and like company and will happily sit on your child’s lap in the evening being petted.

Although a guinea pig is a small and a quite cheap pet there are still some things you need to think about before you buy one. The first of these is how you will house him.

A guinea pig is housed in a guinea pig cage or what is correctly called a guinea pig hutch. Usually this is kept outside the house. A guinea pig hutch is generally constructed of wire and timber, although a good material for construction of a hutch can be metal as it is easy to clean and doesn’t harbour smells.

It should have a dedicated sleeping area where he can sleep free from the risks of bad weather and snuggle inside his own sleeping area. It should have an outdoors area where he is protected from predators but can run around doing what they do like eating the grass.

It’s better not to use wire on the bottom of the hutch as this can hurt guinea pigs  feet and cause a condition called bumble foot.

Most guinea pig cages that you buy in pet shops are too small for the purpose. It’s quite easy to make your own guinea pig cage and it’s not expensive to do so. If you are making your own make sure you make it as large as you possibly can so that your guinea pig has lots of room to play and to exercise.

All guinea pigs need plenty of roughage in their diet. It is not difficult to feed them but you do need to learn about what they should and should not eat. Hay is a staple as well as fresh green vegetable leaves although lettuce and cabbage should be avoided as they have a tendency to cause diarrhoea. Guinea pig’s love grass.

Of course once you commit to a pet such as a guinea pig you need to also commit to cleaning out their cage regularly. Like with all animals young children are not particularly enthusiastic cleaning guinea pig cages and need some encouragement. And guinea pigs need to be groomed regularly to keep their hair knot free, though of course this is very pleasant work.

So if you’re looking for a small, soft and cuddly pet for the children consider a guinea pig. He is the perfect pet provided you house him in a good large guinea pig hutch and feed him properly.