Urban guinea pigs

[Be.jones]

Hi all - I would really like pet guinea pigs because I think they are lovely animals and I?d love my children to have a pet. However, I grew up in the countryside with a big lawn so they lived in a run. In ED we have a tiny paved yard and have had rat/fox problems in the past and are encircled by cats. Also my husband is not pro pets so they would have to live outside. Is this fair on them? Thanks!

[Mystic Mog]

No.

[rendelharris]

Afraid that's a no from me too, sounds like there are too many undesirables in your situation to give them a comfortable happy life.

[lavender27]

Could they live in the house if hubby moved out, seems like the only option if you'd really love to have them. x

[NewWave]

no...not fair making them live outside.

[Multifish]

Great idea to get children pets, you might end up looking after them eventually(!) but they'll learn a lot.

Perhaps they could stay in one of the children's bedrooms? They're generally very quiet at night, they mooch around a bit and crunch their food but their manic sprints, conversations and squeaks are generally saved for the daytime. If not; tropical fish can be acceptable for someone that's not keen on pets, there are quite a few options if you have a 60 Litre aquarium and they're quite low maintenance once you get going. Get some reliable advice if you decide to keep fish because there are a lot of pitfalls that some retailers are glad to lead a newbie into!

[Alan Medic]

Multifish Wrote:

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> Great idea to get children pets, you might end up

> looking after them eventually(!) but they'll learn

> a lot.

Yep. We got our son a snake when he was going through his reptillian period at about age 12. 14 years later Snakey is still going strong while son left for Uni and then China. I had to overcome a fear of snakes to look after him. This doesn't require much btw.

[JohnL]

everybody had a tortoise back in the day ... slowly trying to make their escape to the next garden and hibernating half the time.

Apparently not something approved of these days.

[Angelina]

Does it matter if hubby is not pro-pets? Is this not for the children?

Guinea pigs live happily inside.

[siousxiesue]

How about a sponsor dog? You get photos and letters and can even visit?

[uncleglen]

A friend of mine had a rabbit and a guinea pig in her garden and the children got up one morning to find the little creatures torn to shreds. Yes, the children can learn a lot!

Poor little things are timid anyway- please don't

[Blah Blah]

No. There are no compromises with pets. You either look after them properly or don't have them at all. If your husband won't have pets indoors, then it is a no-no.

[civilservant]

what blah blah and uncleglen said

would you really want your kids to learn that they can 'compromise' on the welfare of their pets?

[Multifish]

If you read the whole of my post you will find that I wasn't suggesting to go ahead and keep guinea pigs in the garden, I can't see how you can infer that from the post or am I being too stupid?

What I was offering were alternatives to keeping guinea pigs in the garden and highlighting that children learn from animals so it might be worthwhile trying to find a suitable solution. You need to read-up, know some basic science and treat them with care to ensure their welfare. Sometimes these interests lead to employment in animal care and keeping pets can be a basis for the interest. That's the "learn"ing I was referring to.

[TheCat]

Angelina Wrote:

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> Does it matter if hubby is not pro-pets? Is this

> not for the children?

>

> Guinea pigs live happily inside.

Yeah, I mean why would a father expect to have any say whatsoever in his children's lives.....

[miga]

I agree with lavender27. Could you build your husband a run outside?

[Angelina]

Not everyone likes the things children like. Pets are great for kids. Hubby should realise that. My hubby doesn't particularly like the cats and dragons. Let alone My Little Pony. But we compromise - he gets things we don't particularly like (like Sky Sports)

[fishbiscuits]

Guinea Pigs are absolutely fine in a hutch outside most of the year. Just make sure it is very secure from foxes and cats. You can always get a folding run to give them a bit of a runabout now and again. But I do think you need an indoor alternative (especially at night time) during the winter months.