# What should I know about getting a guinea pig? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 13, 2011, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-know-about-getting-a-guinea-pig/585311 "2011-06-13T14:25:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Imago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@Imago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imago)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-know-about-getting-a-guinea-pig/585311/41 "2011-06-15T02:57:37Z")
I came here to actually give info on guinea pigs but after having read the posts here it sounds honestly like you should consider domestic rats before anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-know-about-getting-a-guinea-pig/585311/42 "2011-06-15T03:03:21Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Guinea pigs? Be prepared for the sound of “Voot-voot-voot, voot-voot-voot” whenever they are distressed or hungry. Damn they get annoying with their calls. So much so that even the 7 year old version of me understood my parent’s annoyance and wanted to get rid of it shortly after acquiring one. > > You have to be dedicated or barring getting rid of it, eat it. There are Latin American cultures that are built around eating these fluffy cuties. Foie Gras is bad but Cuy is good?? :). ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/59ef9b/32.png) [@FlyingRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRat)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-know-about-getting-a-guinea-pig/585311/43 "2011-06-15T05:47:25Z")
I don’t have experience, so I can’t really chime in on what it’s like to keep guinea pigs or rabbits (although if given a choice, I would get a couple of piggies). I do want to chime in to say that if you’re in the DC metro area, [Small Angels Rescue](http://www.smallangelsrescue.org/) is fantastic for any and all types of “small and furry” pets. We adopted a series of hamsters (and mice) from there, and not only do the Small Angels folks really know their stuff, but they also were amazing at taking abandoned/traumatized critters and turning them into sweet, happy, well-socialized pets. Vet-wise, for the DC area I can’t recommend [Eastern Exotics (Pender)](http://www.pendervet.com/pender-exotics-veterinary-centre.html) highly enough. Mammary tumor surgery on a hamster? No problem. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-know-about-getting-a-guinea-pig/585311/44 "2011-06-15T11:52:37Z")
> [@Ura-Maru](#): > > It’s an accurate description of the two, non-consecutive guinea pigs I’ve had personal contact with. I suppose there could be others who weren’t as bad. Somewhere. Maybe. Back east. > > That was the cut down version. The unedited version of the post was almost twice as long. > > I’d follow this up with my usual joke about hating them because they burned down my village as a child, but honestly, I can’t imagine guinea pigs moving enough to set fire to anything. I can’t imagine them doing **anything** but chewing on things, smelling up the joint, and pooping. Which is a pretty much all my sister’s former guinea pig, Pumpkin, ever did. > > – > I had no idea that was a sought after combination of traits for a companion. My dating prospects are suddenly looking much better. Fair enough - after all, this is all about our individual opinions, which are going to be based on experience. However, I do think you’ve probably either been plain unlucky, or just aren’t looking for a pet with any of the attributes found in GPs. Some of this is very subjective - for example, I think the fact that they don’t do much is a desirable trait - in a cuddly pet for kids. If you bring them indoors and sit them on a mat with some food, they’ll still be there half an hour later - whereas a rabbit or a hamster or gerbil usually resents being held or kept in one place and will be trying to evade being petted all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-know-about-getting-a-guinea-pig/585311/45 "2011-06-15T12:38:30Z")
By the way, for the uninitiated - guinea pig poop is formed, relatively odorless (except maybe in quantity) pellets. It’s not revolting like, say, a human dump. And the GP pellets interestingly resemble whatever food they’ve been eating (nice orange ones if they’ve been chowing down on carrots, as I recall). More significant from an odor/cage cleaning standpoint is the peeing. Let those cedar chips or whatever bedding you use go too long without changing, and it’s ripe indeed. > [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Guinea pigs? Be prepared for the sound of “Voot-voot-voot, voot-voot-voot” whenever they are distressed or hungry. Nonsense, guinea pigs say “weeick, weeick, WEEICK!!” And they’re really not that noisy (if they’re frequently distressed or hungry, you’re doing something wrong). Nice to see **Mangetout** weighing in in support of guinea pigs. Ever dine on cavy (as noted, they are popular in some areas, i.e. parts of South America and can be found in the markets)? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-know-about-getting-a-guinea-pig/585311/46 "2011-06-15T12:54:10Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Nice to see **Mangetout** weighing in in support of guinea pigs. Ever dine on cavy (as noted, they are popular in some areas, i.e. parts of South America and can be found in the markets)? Never tried it yet, but it’s on my list, for sure. I wouldn’t eat an animal that was someone’s beloved pet, but I have no qualms about eating individuals of the same species as are kept as pets (or other species that are considered vermin, for that matter) ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-know-about-getting-a-guinea-pig/585311/47 "2011-06-15T13:05:47Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Foie Gras is bad but Cuy is good?? :). I have never eaten a guinea pig but would certainly try it. I have eaten a metric ton of foie gras…and I still weigh under 200lbs! Go me! Sadly, no longer being in the fine dining realm means that if I want to eat foie gras anymore, I actually have to _pay_ for it…and its super-expensive…hence its evilness. Perhaps my username should be “FoieGrasIsElusive”. ---
**Author:** ![ReticulatingSplines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@ReticulatingSplines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReticulatingSplines)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-know-about-getting-a-guinea-pig/585311/48 "2011-06-15T14:22:58Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > You might also want to consider a chinchilla. I had one and they are by far the cleanest rodent. They are so soft and do that cool dust bath thing. Huh, that’s interesting. I have a chinchilla and he’s the messiest pet I’ve ever had. I guess they’re clean in the sense that their poop is dry and they don’t smell, but other than that, mine is incredibly messy. His poop and bedding fly all over the place when he flings himself around, his hay is hard to keep tidy, and when he takes a bath his bath dust floats EVERYWHERE. Combine all that with their high-strung nature and aloofness towards humans and I think they’re hard to recommend to anybody. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-know-about-getting-a-guinea-pig/585311/49 "2011-06-15T16:21:29Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > Another vote for pet rats as the ultimate pet rodent, if you can get past your personal squick factor (seriously though? So cute!). A tame, well-socialized rat is as smart, curious, affectionate and trainable as a dog. They are small, tough for their size, flexible in their housing requirements, omnivorous, not nearly as bad with the general gnawing as most rodents, females can even be litter-trained, they don’t usually piss and shit all over you… and they can be trained to do most anything. I trained all mine to peacefully ride on my shoulder or in my sweatshirt pocket, they would sleep up there or groom my ears. > > Only drawback is that they are lucky to make it to three years old, and they usually die dramatically. I fed mine a biologically appropriate diet, so didn’t have the problems with tumors (cancerous and non) many rat owners do; but my rats all had strokes, got dementia, or suddenly fell prey to a sudden severe attack of respiratory illness, none of which were fun either. And when you get really attached to a creature with so much personality, it sucks to have to lose them at 1.5 to 2.75 years old. This is very well-written. I used to have rats, and would lovelovelove to have them again. Mr. Horseshoe is strongly against the idea, because a) we have two cats, and b) your last paragraph. They are, other than their short life span, a very ideal pet, and sound perfect for the OP’s circumstances. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-i-know-about-getting-a-guinea-pig/585311.md?page=2)