I had no idea how much work a guinea pig was. My son took back a couple of his christmas presents last year and saved his money for a guinea pig. He does feed and water him every day but has stopped holding him. ( he claws a little when trying to take him out of the cage. We have taken him in to have his nails clipped but does need it again)I do not want him to clean the cage, so I am responsible for cleaning it. I do make him hang out with me though. It is really nasty and has to be cleaned a couple times a week. We have a very little home so it smells really bad. I had no idea it was going to be this bad. I know he is tired of me complaining. He has asked all of his friends but so far no luck! How horrible of a mom would i be to make him get rid of him? He will lose it!! But This would be a good time i think, He would be a great Christmas present for someone that had the time to give him a little more attention! He is really fighting me on this one.
put it on craigst list...i bet you will have a taker...dont list the stink and the hassle...just say your kid is now too busy to take care and looking for a good home!!
I'm in the same pickle with my daughter and her ferret. We are limited on space since I had my baby and the ferrets cage is enormous, she can get stinky too. Right now we've had the ferret for 4yrs. Finally last night I just took the cage and put it in her closet (door is open) and then atleast there is more space in her room but again my daughter doesn't play with her much. I'm trying to stick it out as I feel we adopted our pet we have to stick with it. I put it on craigslist and offer the animal/cage and all for free.
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It doesn't sound like a great situation for anyone, including your guinea pig (life in a cage sounds miserable, but that's another topic). If your son is going to "lose it" when you give the pet away or sell it, I think you have your answer. However, it sounds like he is not fond of holding or playing with his pet anymore either...
I had guinea pigs [two! plus a couple of hamsters] when I was young, and my mom ended up getting rid of them. I cried and begged her to let me keep them. Believe me, he will get over it. Especially if he doesn't even play with it anymore. Rodents are messy, smelly, and require way too much work. My friend also had ferrets when we were young and while they are more intelligent and personal, they too are messy and smelly and require a lot of work [and hers needed medications and to have their teeth brushed, etc.]. Rabbits are the same. To anyone reading this who is thinking about getting any kind of rodent for their child[ren]...don't do it! Or at least try fostering one first so you really see what it means to own one.
Get him a 5 or 10 gallon aquarium and, and a couple of African dwarf frogs. Those are super easy to take care of and fun to watch. He will forget about the guinea pig in no time
Well first it sounds like he is being responsible for feeding and watering the little thing. He is 11 years old and should be responsible enough for cleaning his cage as often as it is needed. If the smell is that bad then cleaning his cage should be done everyday. I understand having a undesirable pet they you personally don't like can be a very hard adjustment. But since he seem reliable in taking care of it, I wouldn't take it away. Teach him how to clean the cage and take care of it and then tell him the consequences if he doesn't do it. Getting rid of it. Sometimes as parents we put up with things that we personally don't care for. It's part of being a parent.. just think if we gave away our children because they smell yucky when they have a bm when they were little. This pet sounds like he very much a part of your sons life. Please give this a 2nd thought and do the right thing for your son instead of the convenient thing. At 11 he is responsible enough to take complete care of it.
He is plenty old to clean the cage. Let him try and see if he can do it. We have two guineas and the cage needs to be cleaned every 3rd day. I do it because my kids are 6 & 8 so I feel your pain. When we go on vacation, we have an 11 year old "babysit" our guineas and she cleans their cage - no problems. So have him try. Less work for you and he gets to keep the guineas. Have him do a really good cleaning ever few days and just pull out the dirty bedding every day. See what happens.
We "adopted" 2 guinea pigs (brothers) from Craigslist about this time last year. These 2 guys are our 5th and 6th piggies so we've experimented a lot with what works and what doesn't. First of all, DON'T use the pine or cedar shavings as bedding! Those stink and have to be changed every 2 days!! If price isn't the issue and it's more about convenience, then go to a pet store and buy the (yes, pricier) bedding that looks like food pellets. (Sorry, I can't remember the name--we take ours out of the bag and store in a plastic container.) The kind we buy is for small pets, is in a purple bag for $16.99 @Petsmart. Believe me, this helps tremendously!!! Another thing to try is Bi-Odor. It's $12.99 at Petsmart and is in a squirt bottle. You squirt 3-4 drops into the water bottle when you fill it and it helps neutralize the urine smell. We clean their cage once per week--remember we have TWO so you might be able to go a little longer depending on the size of the cage. (Our pigs have a very large cage on wheels.) My son is 12 and cleaning is his job, with adult help/supervision. The bedding turns into a dust when wet so it's easier to clean that scooping up the wet shavings--yuck!!! If your son really loves his GP and is taking care of him/her, then try these things and see if they help before you get rid of a loved pet. Good luck!! :)
I wouldn't give it away. It will be a marker for the rest of your sons life. "The day my mom gave away my guinea pig." He'll never forget it. If it were my son I'd make him clean it. 11 is plenty old enough. You're making more work for yourself. Guinea pigs don't live long anyway. I say suck it up and when he goes don't ever get another one. A lot of people get an animal but don't like the responsibility of it so they want to get rid of it. I don't know why people think you don't have to tend to them. They are living creatures and that's kinda the way it is.
I think you need to buck it up, little camper. He is responsible for feeding and watering and should probably (at age 11) be able to start cleaning the cage as well. I think if you rehome the pet, it isn't teaching him any responsibility. You don't want him growing up thinking that pets are just like a pair of shoes...when you don't want them anymore, you get rid of them. It's a family pet and he loves it. You should support him a bit more and allow him to learn how to take full responsibility for it. Maybe get a book or two for him for Christmas all about Guinea pigs so it will help him learn more about them.
I like the advice about changing the bedding to a better kind and using the water additive to make the smell more bearable.
My advice is to stick it out to teach him that pets are a long commitment and not something you can change your mind on when you are tired of it. Or maybe it's you that needs to learn that.
If you get rid of the pig it will show your son that it is ok to give up when something is a challenge. Is that really the message you want to send? He and you committed to caring for a living creature and you should continue to do so. Also, if your son is 11 I don't really understand why it is that he can't clean the cage. I had a guinea pig as a child younger than 11 and I took complete care of it. It wasn't difficult.
We have a 14 year old cat that at times I would like to get rid of also.. so I do understand where you are coming from.
Maybe if you line the cage with a large leaf garbage bag making sure it is pushed down enough to keep the pet from chewing up the bag, then lay newspaper over the bag, then the wood shavings, it would help clean up easier... all you would have to do is gather up the bag edges and tie it closed. We do that with the cat litter box and it works wonders. We also did it with the guinea pig cage at the day care I worked at.
To make a child give up a pet he wanted enough to save up for would be cruel. He needs to learn that pets are like children, you have to love them and care for them even through the undesirable times.
I'm sorry but I have to say this. What a good example for your son on life. If something is too much work get rid of it or quit.
You took him as a responsibility or rather your son did but you allowed him to. Make him keep up his end of the bargin and take care of the poor little creature. He's 11 years old. I can't even fathom why he can't do all the care himself. Nails or not.
You asked all of his friends and they said no. Bite the bullet and do the right thing. You bought the guinea pig.
Just coming from the perspective of the kid who has to give up his pet. I was a kid that got a kitten as a birthday present I was very happy and cleaning the litter box was my job, which I did. The feeding my parents did when they fed the other animals.. I remember when I had to give up my cat when my grandmother came to live with us (who moved out just months later).. It was very heart breaking and I was very upset for a long time. I still think about that from time to time, it's really unfair to make your son give up a pet just because it's a little inconvenient. They did give the cat to a friend of mine and I knew it was in a good home but it still was hard to deal with.
I'm with the rest of the other people here, you took on the responsibility and it's yours to keep. It's not fair to pawn it off to someone else. I don't mean to sound harsh but I have dealt with many animal organizations in my life and have seen plenty of people just give up on their pets when they become more work than they expected them to be.
first of all, know that you are the mom. if this pet is more than you can handle (and i have heard those types of pets can carry diseases or otherwise make people sick) you have every right to get rid of it. talk to your son about pets, think about maybe getting a pet that is a bit more fun for him. maybe he would like fish. maybe he would like a cat. maybe he would like to get something else at this point. maybe he can get a ds and have a virtual pet :P or online he can have a virtual pet. neopets is cute and fun and safe for kids.
there are many ways you could try to get rid of it; post fliers, try a local or nearby freecycle site (though you would have to give it away for free).... whatever.
good luck. man those pets are really hard to handle.
Sometimes you might not get the answer you wanted, but you'll get our loving opinions anyways!! I can really understand this frustration. We have a dog that is a lot of work for me, but we agreed to get her, we will stick with her to the end, and after she passes, we may not get another one.
Find a way to make it work. Hang in there. Stop complaining to your son about this - you allowed it in the first place, you really shouldn't retract your decision at this point. He saved the money, and with your permission and blessing at the time purchased the animal. Explain it to him. Some things we decide and end up not liking, but we made the decision, so we have to stick with it.
Hi Diane,
First, please don't list the guinea pig on craigslist. Alot of people will get them and feed them to snakes. Please don't do that to him.
We've got two guinea pigs and my sons are 5 and 8. I do the cleaning of the cages and that is my choice. My 8 year old tried to help me clean and it took me longer to clean up his cleaning! LOL
Anyway, I think that by age 11, your son should be able to help clean the cage. Also, maybe you could persuade your son to hold his guinea pig more often. Maybe instead of playing video games, he could snuggle with his guinea for a few minutes each day. Ours are held so often that they just sit and watch TV with the kids, or the kids read to them and they love it. The more you interact with them, the more tame they become.
We use Carefresh pet bedding from Petco. It looks like old recycled newspaper pellets and it works fantastic! Our guineas seem to go potty in one particular area, so we scoop that area out a couple of times a week and then do a complete litter change once a week. It works for us and really keeps the smell down.
Good luck to you!
You could always take the guinea pig to a shelter and have your son go with you if that is what you decide to do. You can explain that another family will adopt him and give him a good home. I would not replace the animal at this time if you decide to get rid of him. Do not put him on the internet - you never know what someone will do with him.
I had a guinea pig when I was younger and I loved him!! You can train them to use a litter box - that could help with the mess. Ask someone at the pet store or go online to see how to do it. I saw some good suggestions on products to use. Whatever you do, make sure to talk with your son and have him help with the decision-making.
My 11-year-old daughter has been cleaning our rabbit's litter box for at least a year, so I believe that your son is old enough to do so as well; it is one of the responsibilties of a pet owner. We sprinkle baking soda on the bottom of the litter box and then use Dejno's All Natural Wood Animal Bedding, which is made of hard pine wood pellets that become soft when wet. They are 100% biodegradable and we don't have problems with smells. You can even avoid whole-box/cage cleaning by scooping the wet stuff out and leaving the dry pellets in the cage. It is recommended for small animals up to horses! (a 40# bag is very inexpensive and lasts a long time for a smaller pet! We get it at Fluegel's Lawn, Garden and Pet Supply in Hastings; I'm sure it is available elsewhere as well.
I still remember being forced to get rid of a rabbit when I was 5 or 6. Of course, we were too young to help and my mother also tired of care and cleaning of the outdoor cage. I still remember crying and looking out the window as my father took her away to the shelter! Also, I think that sticking with something like pet care helps prepare us for bigger things like sticking with marriage or raising children. If I were you, I would make a deal with your son and outline the consequences of inaction on his part. If you are doing the entire cleaning now, have him do half the work next week and the entire process with YOU observing the next. Good luck. P.S. If one person holds the animal, another can clip the nails. Clippers are only a few dollars at any pet supply store.