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Children and Guinea Pigs

Article written by Jessica Proietti

After growing up with guinea pigs since I was a small child myself the following article is written also based on my own personal experiences. From the age of 6 until this day I have never not had a guinea pig walking beside me. I believe animals of any sort are very important and beneficial for children to have in their life. I believe that a child who has a pet in their life will often grow up being able to understand and express their emotions, thoughts and feelings more freely. Animals can soothe the soul and help a person to understand some of the most wonderful emotions such as love and caring for others.  An animal can help a child to learn how to  responsibly care for another life and what responsible pet ownership entails. In stating all of the above a child can often only  grow to appreciate and value these things by being taught through good parental example. Sadly in some cases children do not grow up with a pet in their life or if they do they may not be led by good example by their parents and may be left to their own devices with their parents still purchasing pets for the child yet the child having to go through life the hard way learning on their own often resulting in the devastating loss of their pets. Other times in the sad cases without good parental support and example some children simply grow up never connecting on any level with animals and not  valuing, respecting or understanding them in turn.

Unfortunately in today's society many small animals including guinea pigs are still seen as a cheap and disposable pet which are often bought on
impulse. Some guinea pig's are also bought as a poor "educational tool" to teach children about babies and the meaning of life. Reasons such as
these are NOT an appropriate reason to add a pet to your family. As studies have shown, parents are a child's best role model, so it is up to us as the adults too nurture and teach our children the right way to care for animals and respect all living thing's. In the past and today guinea pig's are still being presented and advertised by the media as a cheap pet or "pocket pets" that are easy to care for and as the ideal pet for kids. This is far from the truth. Guinea pig's are a pet that rely solely on their human owner for every aspect of their care! In stating this, guinea pigs can be a wonderful pet for the whole family including children, as with any other animal if purchased for the right reasons and treated and handled correctly.

' With the above statement through my personal experience I would like to elaborate a little on my childhood memories growing up with guinea pigs. My family did have many pets we lived on a rural acreage property. My parents purchased guinea pigs for ' me ' not for the family but for me and the purchase was an impulse buy with no research being done prior to bringing them home. The guinea pig's were handed to myself and my siblings with no thought or mention of how to care for them appropriately. This in itself was something I learnt should not be why one purchases a pet...a pet should be bought or adopted as a member of the family not just for the children and definitely not bought on impulse. Through my experiences in the animal welfare system now days I realise that those that do purchase pets just for the children or on impulse, they often end up re-homing them as naturally children's interests can change as they grow older and it's not fair on the animal or the child that the animal could be viewed as disposable. I have learnt that an important aspect in children growing up with pets is that they should be taught that animals are not disposable. Anyhow to continue on with my story sadly I was never taught correct care for my guinea pigs I was never allowed a pet inside the home and financial support for my pets was never their especially when it came to vet care if one of my guinea pigs became unwell. Pictured Above - Me, my brother and sister on a summers day with our guinea pigs Age 10. I am grateful that I was allowed to have and was given animals in my life, but I often think about the lack of parental guidance and input into the care of my guinea pig's...and I think about how I may have grown up with a very different set of values of how I view my animals today. It was by pure natural instinct that I grew up knowing what was right and wrong and that what I was being taught was wrong. When I was born I was born with a knowing and understanding that much of my family do not carry for animals. I always had a strong connection with my guinea pigs and was very dedicated to their daily care once they were purchased for me. I would spend every day of my life researching as much as I could about my guinea pigs, I'd save up pocket money to purchase books about guinea pigs and to purchase their food so in a way even though the support was not their I was a child who was dedicated to finding knowledge through other means and by spending the small amount of pocket money I had on my pets and not on myself. I remember so many times as a child having to experience the death of my guinea pigs by them either being denied medical care by my parents when I knew they were unwell. One time I remember we had to go away on holidays and my guinea pigs were to be minded by our neighbour. I didn't trust our neighbour she had large boxer dogs and also saw my guinea pigs as worthless and I remember telling my mum I didn't want her minding them. My mum assured me they would be fine and looked after so I trusted her and we went away. Upon returning from holidays I came home to find one of my special guinea pigs missing and asked my mum what had happened. The neighbour told my mum her dog killed one of them. Nothing was done about it I was furious and cried and nobody cared. From that day on If we ever had a family holiday again I brought the guinea pigs along with me. I remember being told by my parents that guinea pigs only needed to eat grass. They were kept in large appropriate lawn hutches but because I was not allowed to feed them a grain mix like I had read about in my guinea pig book they practically lived on grass and veg scraps. This in itself wasn't such an issue as we always had many scraps but it's moreso the way they were valued by the family. I always felt different from the rest of my family with regards to animals and their welfare. My family would teach me one way and then in my heart I knew differently. I'm glad today that I followed my instincts and did what my heart told me to.  My guinea pigs were everything to me and I will always carry with me a sadness and in some way frustration, guilt and anger towards my parents for not having support or being responsible for the animals they purchased for me. To cut a long story short the above is just a tiny snippet of many experiences I had as a child growing up with guinea pigs and other animals in my life. I will be basing the following article by the experiences I went through as a child with my pets and what I learnt that children really need to be shown and taught when growing up so that they or the animals do not have to suffer as a result. I cannot stress enough how essentially important it is that the following be considered when purchasing an animal of any kind if you have children. Children deserve animals in their lives, but need to be taught by example. They shouldn't have to learn the hard way ... how to care for their pets or be responsible for their animals on their own. Not all are        Pictured Above - Me and Mama Guinea. Age 11
born with an understanding of animals that I have.  In saying this I am forever grateful that my parents allowed me to have animals in my life. Surrounded by my guinea pigs, other pets, farms and natural wildlife...what more could I ask for! I was home.

Introducing a new pet to the family

When introducing guinea pigs to the family, as the adults of the home it is essential to be sure that you do want to commit to having guinea pigs as part of the family even though initially part of the reason may be for the children, the children  may at some stage in the future lose interest in their pets for varying reasons. Guinea pig's should be purchased as a member of the family for the entire family including the adults in the family so that if the case arises and the children do lose interest that the guinea pigs will still be valued as part of the family. The lesson in all of this is in the best interest of the guinea pigs and the children. This will show children that when you introduce a pet to the family that the pet then becomes a valued member of the family for it's entire life and that pets are not disposable.

The Parental Role

As a parent you are the most important teacher in your child's life. Your children look up to you and will learn all their is to know about responsible and correct pet ownership through your example.

It is quite common for families to introduce a guinea pig to the family because the children have asked or in some cases the parents will actually tell their children that the new pets are for them. Their is a fine line between whether the child considers the animals their full responsibility or not. In all cases particularly with young children an adult needs to be aware that they will be the core responsible owner of the guinea pig and will be responsible for all aspects of the guinea pigs care. Young children in particular should not be left in charge of caring for the guinea pig unless under adult supervision. When it comes to the core care for the animal e.g. diet, bedding, medical care and all expenses that may come with these, children are not adults and don't contain the adult knowledge or have the funds needed to fulfill these tasks. Young children under the age of 7-9 should not be given responsibility to care for guinea pigs on their own without a parent in their presence although if older teen children are given the daily duty to feed their guinea pigs or any other duties involved in their care the parent or adult of the household needs to check that these duties have been fulfilled for the animals welfare.

In saying the above if an adult cared for the guinea pigs their entire life without the children having any sort of involvement in the animals care then children would not grow up with any knowledge of how to care for their animals and this is where as parents you can help to teach your children how to correctly care for their pets. See below...

Teaching the Kids and Planning Stages!

Before actually introducing guinea pigs to your family it can be a good idea in the beginning to actually help the kids to learn more about guinea pigs. You can do this by sitting with the kids and reading guinea pig related care websites online or printing out information sheets and popping them in a folder for the kids to read or you can also go out and purchase care booklets about guinea pigs for the yourself to read through with the kids. This sort of prepared planning can help the kids to learn basic aspects of correct animal care and will help to give them a sense of responsibility for their soon to be new family member.

In the planning stages for preparing for your new pets it can be beneficial to have a process in place. Rather than purchasing everything at once have set dates and times where the whole family can go shopping for your guinea pig enclosure/s and accessories or where everyone can spend time in the initial setup stages before actually going out and purchasing/adopting the guinea pig/s. This can help to teach the kids that introducing a new pet to the family takes planning and that their are costs involved and this process can show kids that introducing a family pet is more than an impulsive buy.

As most parents already know children learn from example given to them by a parent. So it is here where you can lead by example in the correct handling and general care of guinea pig's. By getting down to the child's level and physically showing the child how to care and hold the guinea pig's properly, you will sow the seeds of knowledge of proper care and handling. You can start by first showing the kids the simple day to day tasks like showing them how often you clean your guinea pigs bedding and how you clean their bedding, what a guinea pig eats and how much they eat and then explaining to them why you actually do these things will help them to take it all in and understand more easily. After a while after showing the kids general day to day care and after speaking to them about why you do these things you can then help them to get hands on and actually practice these things themselves. This will help the kids to feel involved in the processes or caring for their pets and it helps the kids to get a sense of responsibility. By praising them when they help out with the guinea pigs and mentioning to the kids how much the animals appreciate what they are doing it will help to give them a sense that what they are doing is important and needed and in turn appreciated by the animals.

Gentle Handling and Young Children

Small children particular under the age of 9 need to be supervised when handling the guinea pigs for the safety of the guinea pig. If you suspect or know that your child may be likely to handle the guinea pig with out supervision, it is advisable to purchase an enclosure for the guinea pig that can be locked and secure. This is for the safety of not only your children but also the guinea pig's. Children should be supervised when handling animals at all times.
 

Guinea pigs are quite fragile and if handled roughly, played with like a toy or dropped then serious injury could result both psychologically and physically. Injuries can include broken limbs or even death of the guinea pig if dropped, and psychological conditions such as long term bad behavior and unusual nipping/biting/chewing from the guinea pig can occur. These conditions can be difficult and sometimes impossible to reverse once the guinea pig develops them hence why we strongly suggest close supervision when small children are handling the guinea pigs.

As a parent/adult/guardian children need to be taught how to handle the guinea pig in a gentle manner and why. A fantastic way to teach and show the correct handling of a guinea pig is by the example of you holding the animal gently and correctly. When handling the guinea pig one way the kids can learn is by getting them to actually sit on something padded or on the ground rather than standing. When the guinea pig is in their arms a great method is to actually pop a folded towel or blanket on your child's lap so that the guinea pig feels secure and comfortable and will sit calm. When actually holding a guinea pig you can show the kids by first holding the guinea pig yourself showing them how to support the guinea pig with one hand underneath their body and let them know that this will help the guinea pig to feel safe. Then with your other hand place it on the top of the guinea pig and then hold the guinea pig close to your chest. The first couple of times a child holds a guinea pig they may be fearful and the nails of the guinea pig could possibly scratch the Childs arm if the guinea pig feels uncomfortable and moves. To eliminate any trouble with this t is recommended to get your child to wear long sleeves or long pants the first couple of times they handle their guinea pig while they are getting comfortable with the handling process. It is best to start the handling process with the towel on the lap method and then proceed with the actual holding of the guinea pig in your arms once the child feels comfortable holding them in their lap. Holding the guinea pig in the Childs arms on a towel may be a good second option to try first before just holding the guinea pig on their own with nothing to support them underneath this will eliminate any chances of guinea pig nails accidentally scratching the child.

Another way to teach the kids how to correctly handle the guinea pig gently is by talking to them and providing them with a comparison. For an eg. If the child holds the guinea pig to tightly around the stomach you could ask the child how it would feel if they were held to tightly around the stomach?
 

(c) Copyright 2006, Australian Cavy Sanctuary. All rights reserved.