Guinea Pigs and Children

Children and guinea pigs can be great friends. But you need to ask yourself if your kids are old enough to learn how to handle the guinea pig properly and treat him with respect. These are small animals, and they can easily be hurt. Very young children cannot be expected to understand that a guinea pig needs to be held a certain way and that a guinea pig should not be picked up without adult supervision.

Responsible older children will even be able to take a large role in caring for a guinea pig. But you will still have to take responsibility for the pet, no matter what your children promised when you got him. Even though they have the best of intentions, most children do not have the attention span required for the care of a guinea pig, who may live as long as seven years.

Although a parent should never expect a child to take full responsibility for any pet, allotting guinea pig chores is one way to let everyone in the family participate in the pet’s life. Set reasonable goals for your child, depending on their maturity. A younger child may help out by offering the guinea pig a treat (such as fruit or green vegetables) every day, while an older child can be expected to feed the guinea pig and check his water supply daily.

Whatever your child’s responsibility, praise him or her for a job well done. You don’t want to make the guinea pig a subject your child would rather avoid. And remember that you must always be there to monitor the pet’s well-being. No child should be given unsupervised responsibility for any animal. Children cannot be expected to recognize signs of illness in a guinea pig or to be able to judge the guinea pig’s well-being. An adult should always be the pet’s primary caregiver, ready to take over the child’s responsibilities if they forget them. Otherwise, it is the helpless guinea pig who suffers in your struggle to teach your child responsibility.

In addition to helping care for the guinea pig, children can have fun with these pets. Your child can make toys for the guinea pig out of toilet paper tubes, paper bags, empty tissue boxes, and other safe objects. Let your child use their imagination.

Another fun guinea pig activity is simple observation. This is a good way to have your child learn about animal behavior in general and rodent behavior in particular. Another good way to get your child involved with their pet is to join a 4-H program.

Younger children can also have a great deal of fun with a guinea pig, although they will need to be supervised. A guinea pig is a great way to teach them to respect other living things. Show them how to be gentle with their pet guinea pig. Let them pet the guinea pig on the floor, but don’t allow them to pick him up. Young children can get startled or impatient, or might just not be able to hold the guinea pig properly. As a result, the guinea pig might get dropped and injured. Instead, hold the guinea pig yourself and allow your child to pet him.