Question for any veterinarians

dss62467

dss62467

Cathlete
OK - I would like to get my daughter a guinea pig maybe for her birthday in June. Everything I read about caring for the little guys says they need to be in a temperature of at least 70 degrees.

Guinea pigs are native to Chile and it's not always that warm there - so what gives? I saw a show on Discovery where an affluent American family, used to all the comforts we take for granted, went to live with a family in Chile for a few weeks. The guinea pigs were all over the place outside (and they'd even come into the house). Everyone was always wearing wool hats and pancho thingies, so there's no way it was 70 degrees there! (The Americans didn't fare so well, in case you're wondering. Probably never even camped in a tent)

Since I live in the Buffalo area, it's pretty chilly in our house in the winter (usually low to mid 60's) - should I just forget about getting her one?
 
Not a vet, wish I was with 4 dogs :) If we don't have any vets here, you could probably call a local vet and ask them.

My agility instructor has 2 guinea pigs that she does agility with. It is the cutest thing to watch!

Colleen
 
You'll HAVE to give a description of how she does agility with the guinea pigs. Is it anything like the way Rocky trained with a chicken in Rocky II?
 
I'm not sure exactly how she trained them. I know we used positive methods in her dog class. I do know some people who clicker train all kinds of animals, even chickens. That is what I use now for my dogs. Basically you pair the sound of the clicker with food. Then when the dog does what you want it to do, you click. You break behaviors down into teeny tiny steps. These guinea pigs were adorable. They went through tunnels, over A-Frames and stuff. All for some lettuce...ha I wish lettuce was my downfall :)

Colleen
 
OH! I misunderstood you. I thought she used the guinea pigs to help improve YOUR agility. Like you were supposed to chase them or something.
 
I have never heard this before. I live near Lake Tahoe, and have my whole life. Our current temps this week are getting better, but last week the highs were in the mid teens and nights went to 12 below. I know people who have all sorts of critters, these included, and never heard of any problems. I would think that maybe at night you could cover the cage sort of like a bird cage. Or just make sure it had some sort of nesting type bed. I am sure it is fine.
 
That's what I'm thinking. As long as they (I'd have to get 2 because they're very sociable animals) have lots of fluff, they could burrough in when it gets a little chillier. Of course, the challenge will be to get my husgand on board with getting them in the first place!
 
Not a vet, but we have had guinea pigs for the last 5-1/2 years. We got them when we lived in New York (Westchester) and then moved to California 3 years later. We always keep the house in the low 60's during the winter, and at night let it go to about 57 degrees. The "girls" never exhibited any distress. Our long-haired guinea pig died 3 months ago from cancer, and our short-haired guinea pig is still very healthy. They are wonderful pets!
 
Hi,
At the hospital where I work we've seen many guinea pigs. I've never heard my doctor say anything about the ambient temperature in your home...they seem to do very well here & it DO GET COLD here!;-)
I think they would do quite well in your home. For more information than you ever thought you wanted about the little guys, I refer you to: http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/index.html
Good luck, and have fun!
Ruth:)
 
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