guinea pig kids
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Guinea Pigs | Kids
What is the best age to start my child with guinea pigs?
Ideally no younger than nine and no child under the age of eleven can really be relied upon to take on pet care responsibilities despite good intentions. Guinea pigs are somewhat delicate physically and younger children are still struggling with impulse control and fine motor skills. This means there’s a greater chance either your pet can be dropped or injured OR frightened and scratch your child. If you intend to be the primary caretaker of the guinea pig, you can VERY closely supervise some interaction with children above the age of five. The best sign a child is too young for pets is if he or she doesn’t fully grasp the meaning of “no.”
Another factor to consider is the lifespan of a guinea pig. You can expect a healthy, well cared for guinea pig to live as long as eight years. Its important to remember that your child’s activities and responsibilities will increase with age, especially as they move into high school as college. During those times you may become the primary caretaker.
Does the Breed Matter?
Yes and no. In general the main difference between guinea pig breeds is not temperament such as with dogs but rather appearance. Guinea pigs have been bred for a variety of different colors and hair types. The easiest guinea pig is going ot be one with short smooth hair as this will not require a lotof grooming. Look for the breed called “American”or “Self.” Longer haired guinea pigs like Silkies, Peruvian, etc really need a lotof grooming their long hair tangles very easily. One other breed related factor to consider is this – you will see some breed types described as also having “satin” varieties – this means ones with satiny hair. These types of guinea pigs are going to be more slippery and it can be easy for small children to drop them.
What About Sex?
Male guinea pigs tend to be more active while females are more docile. This is of course just a generalization. Most guinea pigs will make excellent pets for your child as long as they have been properly socialized. There is one important issue to consider – if you have young children, do not get mixed sex guinea pigs. You may intend to keep them apart, but when you are not looking your children could be letting them loose together. This can lead to unintentional pregnancies.
Age?
People have this odd tendency to think kids need “baby” pets. I think people believe younger pets are more gentle, tolerant, and malleable. This is not exactly true. Young animals share a lot in common with young children in that they are unpredictable and easily startled. A better bet for your family is an adult guinea pig.
Can I Allow My Child To Keep the Cage in Their Room?
No, this is really not a good idea. Guinea pigs really need to be kept in a common family room so you can monitor their health and living conditions. If a guinea pig becomes ill, their conditions can progress very rapidly and this is too easy to miss if they are locked away alone. Additionally, its very difficult to bond with a pet if they are not incorporated as “one of the family.” Lastly, some children can develop allergies to bedding if they live in close contact with the cage every day.
Allergies?
For most people, guinea pig allergies are not an issue – meaning they are not allergic to the animal itself. Usually guinea pig allergen is found in urine, saliva not hair or dander. If you are worried you or your child has a guinea pig allergy (signs include difficulty breathing, stuffy runny nose, or itchy eyes/skin) note that these allergens will go out into the air any time the bedding is stirred up. In addition to visiting an allergist you can also purchase a HEPA air purifier to place near the guinea pig cage. Don’t be afraid to also open windows to allow fresh air in. Lots of modern houses are actually build too airtight and you can benefit from moving the old air out.
Do not think you are limited to cleaning the cage inside. Instead take it outside and have a member of the family who is not allergic do the cleaning. If this is not possible, wear a face mask and gloves. Furthermore, now that you know its the urine likely causing allergies, its even more incentive to keep the cage cleaned out.
Don’t forget about basic hygiene – have your child wash their hands after handling their guinea pig. If you or your child are very sensitive, wear long sleeved shirts and place a towel between you and the guinea pig. Vacuum on a regular basis. There are also new pet allergy specific vacuum cleaner filters that you can try.
Handling
Teach your child the proper way to handle a guinea pig. Set ground rules like “You must be sitting to hold the guinea pig.” Or, “You can hold the guinea pig but only if they are in a cozy AND you are sitting” for the youngest child. Its important to explain to the child that to the guinea pig they appear to be giant scary creatures. Its only if they are very gentle and quiet that the guinea pig will learn that there is nothing to fear. Even petting needs to be explained. Show them how to gently pet the guinea pig, avoiding sensitive areas like eyes.
Trust
Guinea pigs are gentle creatures and they respond best to gaining trust over time. Show your children how to sit quietly on the floor with their hands folded with a delightful treat sitting in front of them (may need to be placed further away at first.) Think little cubes of apples or leafy greens. This will tempt the guinea pig to come closer. Over time you can have your child place the treats closer to them until finally they can hold the treats in their hands and have the guinea pig come eat.
Food
Make sure you supervise the feeding of the guinea pigs. Lots of children have a natural tendency to share foods they like with people or animals they like. Remember, guinea pigs cannot eat animal products at all (and some plant foods are poisonous or hard to digest.) This means no cheese cubes, no sneaked spaghetti, no long stalks of celery, no potatoes, etc.
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