Is a Guinea Pig the Right Pet for You?

Guinea Pigs, also called cavies, are lovable furry critters that will bring you a lot of joy. In addition, Guinea Pigs can be a perfect first pet for children because they are easy to care for and more cuddly than a hamster or fish. Following is information to help you determine whether a Guinea Pig is the right pet for you.

If you are thinking about getting a pet for your home, you may at first consider a dog or cat. These animals are perfect for homes if you have a lot of time to dedicate to owning a pet. Dogs and cats need a lot of attention and a lot of space. Guinea Pigs on the other hand are just as cute as dogs and cats, but they do not require near as much space or care. Many people love the idea of Guinea Pigs as first pets for children because they live a lot longer than hamsters or gerbils. In fact, a well cared for Guinea Pig can live up to eight or nine years. Once you own a Guinea Pig, you will be hooked by these cute, sweet natured animals.

When you go to the store to get a Guinea Pig, it is always a good idea to look at them carefully and choose them for their personality. Each Guinea Pig has his or her own personality. Some are more reserved in nature, while others are more outgoing. If you are choosing a Guinea Pig for your child, you want to make sure that your Guinea pig can tolerate being held and petted. Guinea pigs are not known to be aggressive or to bite, but your child will have no fun with a shy Guinea Pig.

Guinea Pigs are social animals and they enjoy the company of other Guinea Pigs. If you are planning to get a Guinea Pig, you might want to consider getting two Guinea Pigs at the same time. Male Guinea Pigs get along quite well with each other if you get them when they are both babies. Male Guinea Pigs will fight with each other if you introduce them after they are grown. Female Guinea Pigs also get along well with each other. It is not recommended that you get a male and a female, unless you want to breed Guinea Pigs.

When looking at Guinea Pig cages, you need to find one that will allow enough room for movement and play. Make sure that your cage has an exercise wheel, to keep your Guinea Pig healthy and active. Guinea Pigs like to stay hidden when they sleep, so make sure that your cage has a place where they can hide. A plastic or wooden structure inside the cage is always a good idea. You will want to add some sort of lining to the bottom of your Guinea Pig cage for easy cleanup. Cedar chips are not recommended, however pine wood chips, newspaper, ground up corn cobs or kitty litter are all fine. You also want to include a large water bottle for your Guinea Pig. If you have two Guinea Pigs consider getting two water bottles. Guinea Pigs love to drink water, so make sure that you give them plenty of fresh water EVERY day.

Some experts recommend adding vitamin C drops to their water. This works well for some Guinea Pigs. However, some Guinea Pigs do not like the taste and will not drink the water. If you do decide to add vitamin C drops to their water, make sure they are staying hydrated throughout the day. If you choose not to include vitamin C drops with their water, you can supplement their diet with fresh fruit and vegetables. Guinea Pigs love fresh vegetables and fruit of all kinds. Just make sure that you do not overfeed your Guinea Pigs and use fruits and vegetables as treats. As far as food is concerned, you will need to feed your Guinea Pigs specially formulated Guinea Pig pellets available at pet stores. Guinea Pigs also needed a daily supply of Timothy hay, available in some pet stores and most farm supply stores, to help aid their digestion.

Guinea Pigs are great pets for all types of homes. When you get a young Guinea Pig, you and your child or children will have to work with it to socialize it. All family members are sure to enjoy these adorable pets for many years to come.

Until next time,

Teia

Your Dog Is Part Of Your Family

People and dogs have a long and unique relationship, one that is unlike their relationship with any other animal. It's not hard to imagine some prehistoric hunter bringing home an orphaned wolf cub, only to find that it fitted surprisingly well to human society as it grew up. On top of that he would have found it had several very useful contributions to make.

The similarities between the social structures of humans and both wolves and other wild dog packs are striking. There is a hierarchy, usually dominated by an older male, who is often kept on the right track when necessary by a dominant older female. Like a prehistoric human family or tribe would have done, a wolf pack naturally lives and hunts together, surviving through its ability to communicate and cooperate as a group. Just like a human family group, the social bonds and loyalty within the group are uniting forces far stronger than any of the minor tiffs and scraps of daily life.

Now it has to be said that wolves are, by all accounts, difficult to get on with in some respects. Dogs as people know them now are more amenable. But then ancient man (who may not have been all that amenable himself by present day standards) no doubt achieved that change through selective breeding long ago - just as people still manipulate the genetic makeup of dogs in an amazing variety of ways today.

The complementary strengths of dogs, their alertness, their powerful sense of smell and their hunting prowess, no doubt made them welcome members of human hunting expeditions in ancient times. Their low cost of upkeep, as dogs will live on almost anything, including less desirable food scraps, was undoubtedly an attractive added bonus. This long-standing synergy between humans and dogs remains pretty much the same today.

Your dog, whether a guard dog, working dog, hunting dog, or merely a companion, is an intelligent, loyal and faithful friend for life. The raw primitive survival justifications for owning a dog may be less important now, but dogs are still to be found performing many useful roles. You will find dogs herding stock on farms, detecting drug smugglers in airports, guiding the blind, tracking down criminals, guarding secure installations, rescuing in emergencies and, playing to their strengths, doing many other important tasks for humans. Dogs are now being trained to detect oncoming seizures and alerting their owner to this impending medical emergency. They are also being taught how to detect cancer in humans and also impending heart attacks. There have been several instances were a dog indicated that a human had cancer when doctors and all their technical equipment could not detect it at that time, but at a later time did, in fact, determine that the individual was suffering from cancer. These illness detecting dogs are becoming quite popular in Great Britain.

Most dogs, though, are just "one of the family." Dogs will often share living space with their owners and develop a special bond with all the members of a family. You may have noticed how your dog will look concerned for younger family members if they seem to be getting into trouble - moving too far away from the main family group, for example - and everyone knows how eager the family dog is to check out whether any stranger arriving at the door is OK to have around.

Most people know dogs as wonderfully cuddly, friendly and fun companions. They are - if they are properly socialized into their family, well fed, housed and exercised and lead a predictable and stable life. But even a small dog can become unpleasant company, a formidable foe, or even dangerous, if it feels socially isolated, bored, hungry or abused. If a dog senses it does not belong, it's behaviour can become unpredictable, much as humans might behave if held captive and in danger among their enemies. Just like humans, dogs need to feel secure, wanted and part of their human’s family and to know their place in that family's hierarchy.

In view of this close relationship most people have with their canine companions, it is hard to understand why anyone would get a dog and then leave it chained in the yard 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If they do not want to socialize with the dog and make it part of their family, why do they have a dog? And why do some dog owners constantly abuse their trusted friend? It certainly makes you wonder just what kind of people they are.

The sensational arrest and guilty plea of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick for dog fighting is one of the most disgusting cases of human abuse of dogs ever reported. Not only did Vick and his associates fight dogs to the death, but they inhumanly disposed of injured dogs in acts of unbelievable savagery. It is incomprehensible that supposedly intelligent humans would stoop so low as to not only watch these vicious fights, but actually treat it like a social event. When you see and hear about these types of things, it makes you wonder who the savages are, the animals fighting or the “animals” watching and betting on them. If vicious dogs are put down, shouldn’t the same penalty be paid by the vicious individuals involved in dog fighting, not only the owners and promoters of these events, but the “animals” that attend them also.

What are your feelings on this topic? Leave comments to let everyone know.

Until next time,

Teia