Great Gift Ideas for People Who Love Guinea Pigs

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People often want to get me guinea pig themed gifts, but I have loved guinea pigs since I was about 8 years old.  So it's harder to find things that I don't already have that I would enjoy.  If you want to read about gifts to GIVE guinea pigs, please click here as I also have a blog post on that!

Here are some ideas that would make almost any guinea pig enthusiast "wheek" with joy.

We'll start off with one for the younger crowd -- Live Little Pets Mama Surprise Guinea Pig

While Crayola calls their Scribble Scrubbie a hamster, it really is a guinea pig.

Piggy Parodies has a great coloring book where they put guinea pigs in famous movie posters.

A subscription to Guinea Pig Magazine

Eat, Sleep, Guinea Pigs T-Shirt

Guinea Pig Soap Company sign for the bathroom

A guinea pig "candy" jar, perfect for holding their guinea pigs' cookies

Tell Your Guinea Pig I said Hi decal for their car

A package of 200 guinea pig stickers

Guinea Pigs in Space on Pizza Jigsaw Puzzle 

Guinea Pig Socks

Remember Harry the Dog books from your childhood?  Well he's back with the neighbor in Harry and the Guinea Pig

A Woman Cannot Survive on Wine Alone - She Needs A Guinea Pig coffee mug

A guinea pig wall clock made from a real record

Guinea Pig Salt and Pepper Shakers

Animal Planet Grow Set that includes a Guinea pig

Guinea Pig diamond painting

Tee Shirt design of a guinea pig made from "bean gifts" -- a guinea pig owner will get the humor in this!

Old World Christmas Guinea Pig Ornament

Just a girl Who Loves Guinea Pig Throw pillow Cover  note, you will have to get the pillow as well

Guinea pig "Wheek Squad" cooking apron

"Nerdy" Guinea Pig Cross Shoulder Bag

We Came, We Saw, We Pooped Everywhere Pop socket

Guinea Pig Shoe Charm for Crocs

Guinea Pig Earrings 

Edwardian Guinea Pig Portrait Necklace

Guinea Pig Leggings

Fill a Guinea Pig stocking with candy!

The Guinea Pig Classics -- Classic books like Romeo and Juliet and Pride and Prejudice with guinea pigs telling the stories.

Guinea Pig journal / blank book / notebook

Guinea Pig Duvet

A Guinea Pig Onesie for adults

Guinea Pig Cookie Cutter(s)

Calico Critters Paddy and Paden's Double Stroller set (THRE toy guinea pigs!)

Guinea Pig parents LOVE stuff for their guinea pig.  If you sew, check out the book Sewing For Your Guinea Pig and if you don't sew, check out my list of great gifts for guinea pigs by clicking here.

Finally, check out my guinea pig's autobiography, Almost a Bunny.  Aimed at ages 7-9 she discusses guinea pig care, being a good friend, wanting to be good and then being naughty instead, and being a good loser.  

Gift Ideas for GUINEA PIGS

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I have had guinea pigs most of my life.  I got my first guinea pig when I was 8.  I poured through a "Pets for Kids" book and decided I wanted a guinea pig.  I was too young to know much about them, but thankfully Tilly was pretty healthy despite our not knowing much about them.

I have found through the years that people have wanted to give a small gift to my guinea pigs at the holidays and don't know where to begin.  Often times, they rely on what pet stores and companies market to guinea pigs, but unfortunately those are not always the best things for a guinea pig.  For instance, an exercise ball can cause a guinea pig to break its back!  Guinea pigs don't have the flexibility that, say, a ferret has, and therefor these can cause harm.  Other places market seed treats, and one time my mother didn't want to offend family who got one of these and fed one of these treats to her guinea pig.  It bit me (which is something that guinea pigs don't usually do) when I had to extract a seed from its mouth that it had impaled through his bottom teeth.  Other treats may have too much sugar, and I have even seen sponges being marketed as chew toys.  Would you want to eat a sponge?  I know I wouldn't, and guinea pigs who snack on these can need surgery as it will often just stay in the stomach. 

I know you want to give SAFE  treats to a guinea pig, and make sure it stays healthy, so here are some ideas.  

Gifts for guinea pigs come in three categories:  Food / treats, Toys, and Cage Accessories.

Food / Treats

I am pretty brand loyal when it comes to snacks and food for my guinea pigs, because I want them to be as healthy as possible.

I feed my pigs Oxbow Essential Guinea Pig Pellets.  This is what they were fed at the rescue, and although other pellets look fun with colors and such, the "boring" pellets are the healthiest.  Be sure to buy GUINEA PELLETS -- rabbit pellets aren't as nutritionally robust as what guinea pigs need.

Piggies should have a nice supply of hay -- and NOT alfalfa unless they are pregnant or very young because of calcium content.  I like Small Pet Select Second Cutting Timothy Hay   Small Pet Select is a reliable company in my experience.  They also have sampler boxes that also contain oat hay.

Making a stocking from the produce section is always a great idea.  Guinea pigs love romaine lettuce and dandelion greens and corn husks!

One of the treats guinea pigs love is Pea Flakes.  Again, I trust Small Pet Select here.  :) 

Other treats I recommend are:

Oxbow Vitamin C "cookies"

Oxbow Simple Rewards "cookies" (my pigs don't care for the strawberry or banana, but they love all the others)

Another brand I trust is Rosewood Naturals.  Unfortunately they are pricey on Amazon, but you may be able to find them at your local Walmart.  My girls go crazy for forage!

Small Pet Select has a selection of Healthy Snacker Treats

Piggy's Choice One Ingredient Snacks are also reliable in my opinion.

Guinea pigs LOVE wheat grass, so some seeds and a growing tray are also a great option.   Or even a window herb garden with dill and parsley.

While this says for rabbits, it's a hit with my guinea pig as a treat.  It's a cute little timothy and carrot lollipop.  They will eat more than they should, so I have to give it to them during lap time.

TOYS

Guinea pigs are good with basic toys.  A paper bag with some hay hidden inside or a Happy Meal box can keep a guinea pig entertained.

My girls have and enjoy the Oxbow Enrichment Center -- one note here -- I did cut off the sponge like chews because I wanted to make sure my girls weren't ingesting anything that could be sponge and Oxbow just says it is "all natural"! 

Other chew toys are the Oxbow cupcake and the Oxbow Barrel Roll

A foraging fleece would be fun! 

My Lucky loved his Crinkle Tunnel -- he LOVED noise, and even crinkle dog toys made him happy.

Which takes us to CAGE ACCESSORIES

The #1 thing a guinea pig needs is a cage that is big enough.  Store bought guinea pig cages really don't provide enough room, so I always recommend a Midwest Cage.  You can read how I made my cage here. 

Guinea pigs love places to hide, and they love their "Strawberry of Safety" as I call it.  :) 

Piggy's Choice has some nice corner hides although the rescue that I work with likes to see guinea pig hides have multiple ways out if there is more than one pig in a cage.  I found a great aerobic step  at Goodwill, but since my HoneyButter lives alone, she loves her tree trunk hideout.  You could also look at the Dollar Store for a child's stool 

I have used guinea pig warming disks in the past, but I prefer self warming pet mats (although these have to be washed OFTEN!)

My HoneyButter is a water bottle connoisseur and she LOVES her glass Lixit Water Bottle

A nice hay bag is always appreciate.  (The hay balls have been known to cause death, so I recommend a hay bag.)

My RedBird is blind, and she loves her StayBowl because she can feel the base of the bowl on her feet before she gets to it and doesn't bump her nose into it like she would with other bowls.

HayPigs have some adorable circus themed guinea pig accessories such as a Veggie Kebob maker, a circus wagon hay hopper , and even a "cannonball" hide tunnel

A foraging Christmas tree is a fun way to serve veggies during the holiday

While not a Cage accessory, I recommend all guinea pigs have a pair of guinea pig nail clippers.

Also, items for a Guinea Pig Emergency Kit  is always a good idea. 

Also, if you sew, check out the book Sewing For Guinea Pigs and create a gift yourself!

I hope this gives you some ideas to make this a safe, happy, and healthy holiday for the cavy on your holiday gift list!  

If you have a guinea pig on your gift list, then I'm sure you have someone who loves guinea pigs on your list as well, so be sure and check out these GIFT IDEAS FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE GUINEA PIGS!

Ideas and Suggestions for Caring For Your Guinea Pigs in An Emergency

Emergencies happen, but they are often easier if you are prepared.  Here are a few situations you might encounter and how to handle them.

Family Emergency:   Have someone on hand you can take your guinea pig(s) to at pretty much a moment's notice.  You can offer to do the same for their pets.  Before this is needed, go over your guinea pig's favorite foods, what they can have and can't eat. It might be a good idea to make a folder for each guinea pig you have with all kinds of information in it ready in case you have to hand them off quickly.  That way just a quick phone call and dropping off your furry friend is all that is needed.  When my mother was being admitted to cardiac intensive care, I had 15 minutes to pack and get ready for staying in the hospital for 8 days.  I left a house key in a safe location and called a friend on my way to the hospital.  (I was not driving.)

FTC disclosure:  This post contains affiliate links.

Help! I Think My Guinea Pig Has Mites!

Do you think your guinea pig has mites?  Well, I have news for you. . . the answer is YES!  All guinea pigs are carriers of mites.  However, most of the time they lay dormant, and don't cause any problems.  

My guinea pig started having seizures and I thought it was due to high blood pressure or something related to old age.  When I took Lucky to the vet, I commented about the seizures.  The vet tickled him on the back, and said, "Seizures like this?"  Sure enough, Lucky had a seizure.  Usually you don't want to let a guinea pig have a seizure, they can hurt themselves, or hurt a human.  (I will likely have a small scar where Lucky's jaw clamped onto my wrist while I was trying to support him and keep him safe during a seizure.).  So, you don't want to do anything to CAUSE a seizure.  (In the vet's case, he did it to see if it was mites.)

Another sign a guinea pig has a mite flare up is if they have scabs on them from biting at themselves or scratching.  Mite flare ups can be caused by being around other guinea pigs with active mites, a guinea pig who hasn't been feeling well, stress, or even old age.  Be sure to not confuse mites with ringworm -- that is another issue entirely and needs different treatment (as well as more care because humans can catch ringworm from a guinea pig)

In Memory of Fuzzy the Guinea Pig

Fuzzy the Guinea Pig

May 4, 2008 - July 2, 2013

The Sunday before Mother's Day in 2008 a couple kids showed up on our doorstep, rang the doorbell and asked if we wanted two girl guinea pigs.  They were living outside, had no food, and needed a home.  While we didn't really want more guinea pigs (we had three) we had to do something.  I decided I could at least help them find a home.   Turned out they were boys (we had boys and didn't want girls because we didn't want hundreds of guinea pigs!) While I attempted to find them a home, they started showing off for us -- almost asking to stay with us.  We knew they couldn't be separated, and that was more difficult than finding a home for just one guinea pig.   Needless to say, during this time they became not just part of the household, but part of our hearts.

 A Fuzzy Photo Bomb:

They arrived to us un-named.  They had no food, no water bottle, no home, and no names.  One had a beautiful plume of white fur that reminded me of Albert Einstein, so he quickly became named Einstein.  The other had silver and white fur that made him look a bit dingy, and the fur on his rump went straight up instead of falling beautifully.  He looked like a FuzzButt, so that became his name, shortened to Fuzzy.

He had a tragic last year.  Einstein passed on June 14th of last year and then his next cage mate, Bingo, passed on December 28th.  We adopted another fellow so Fuzzy wouldn't be lonely as he lived out his days.  (Looks like Lucky is going to adjust quickly to being an only pig.  He has a strong personality and   I have always thought he'd do well with "only pig" status.)

Funny photo -- Photobombing

Seems like everyone is getting into the photobombing craze, including guinea pigs.  Here's proof that it's happening in my household:

Bingo Turned 3 and first Drive Through Experience

Unlike most of my guinea pigs, I know the birthdate of Bingo, the guinea pig I adopted from a rescue this summer.

He turned three on Monday, and so we had a small party for him.  He doesn't eat cake, so after this photo was taken, I gave him a paper cupcake liner filled with veggies.

Unfortunately, Bingo had to go to the vet today.  He's got an upper respiratory infection, and he's on antibiotics.   Thankfully I caught it quickly and I'm hoping for a full recovery, but it always worries me when one of my guinea pigs is sick.  In fact, as soon as I finish writing this, I'm going to go hand feed him to make sure he has been eating!  It always makes me feel so helpless when one of my little guys isn't feeling well.

I do think, though, that I made the drive through worker's day when I ordered at McDonalds and she looked in the car and saw that little guy in a cage in the passenger's seat.  She got the biggest grin on her face.  So even if he isn't feeling well, he can brighten someone's day just by looking cute! 

The Story of Bingo The Guinea Pig

Four years ago, two kids came to our door one Sunday morning and asked if we wanted two guinea pigs because they didn't have food for them and they were living outside roaming free.  We were informed they were girls, but we felt like we had to take them in even though we had boys.  We determined to find homes for them.  I put an ad on Freecycle, and got some responses.  One person said she had 20 so two more wouldn't be a problem.  I wouldn't let them go to her because unless you are running a rescue, twenty is too many!  Before long, my mother and I fell in love with these two little white balls of fur, and they found a home -- with us!

On June 14, we lost Einstein.  We' done everything we could to save him, but his body was just worn out.   Fuzzy and Einstein were brothers and had never been apart a day in their lives until two weeks ago.  Fuzzy became depressed, extremely lonely, and I knew I had to do something.

I started calling every shelter in the "area" on Petfinder.  I knew I wanted a pig from a shelter.  Not only would I be giving one that might otherwise be unadoptable a good home, but after getting one that was so infested with mites from a petstore AND he had sores all over him from where a rabbit bit him, I wanted to know that a pig was in good overall health.

There are not many animal rescues in my area that take in guinea pigs.  I called and e-mailed a number of shelters within a four hour radius of my home, and many required a home visit, so they wouldn't come this far to check out my Cubes and Coroplast Cage and make sure I would be a good piggy parent.

I received e-mails from different shelters, all with different advice.  I was told since Fuzzy was an older male I needed to get a SPAYED female.  I was told two boys get along better than a boy and a girl.  I didn't know what to do, especially since none wanted to adopt to someone who lived this far away.

I started calling vets in the Pittsburgh area asking if they had any signs up at their offices where people were getting rid of a guinea pig.  One office told me to contact a rescue that I had overlooked because I was scanning for females.  I dropped the lady at the rescue a note, explained the situation with Fuzzy, and she recommended a male.  I looked at her adoptables list, and specifically asked about "Bingo" because the moment I saw him, it was love at first sight!

She replied that he came from a girl who had twenty-two guinea pigs and he was a sweet little guy who really got along with other pigs.  He was in the right age range I was looking for (Fuzzy is four, and I wanted a pig who was a bit older.  Bingo is three!)  My mother and I talked about it, and this weekend we made the four hour trip to the shelter with Fuzzy.

When we got there, Fuzzy and Bingo were placed on the floor in a playpen with some hay in the middle.  They never fought and got along really well.  Because the hotel Mom and I had a free night's stay at doesn't allow pets, she generously offered to keep them overnight so we wouldn't have the expense of a hotel.  On Sunday, July 8th, Bingo became part of the family!

I learned he had been famous from youtube.  His previous owner had made almost 200 videos of her guinea pigs.  The lady at the rescue said when she posted on Facebook he might get adopted she had a number of e-mails asking about him.  I decided to start a Facebook page of Bingo's adventures since he seemed so loved by so many people!


Bingo The Guinea Pig

Promote Your Page Too
We made the four hour trip home, and he and Fuzzy have been settling in nicely.  I'm looking forward to giving him a happy home for the remainder of his days.  He enjoys lap time, blueberries, and exploring all the boxes I keep in their cage.  

Goodbye, Einstein.

Einstein May 2009 - June 14, 2012

He was a brave guinea pig.

In May 2009, two kids rang our doorbell.  They had two girl guinea pigs and no food for them. Would we want them?  We had two boy guinea pigs and we knew the combination would mean a lot of babies, but we decided since the two guinea pigs had been living outside, not even in a cage, we could keep them in another room until we found homes for them.

However, the guinea pigs weren't girls, they were actually boys, and to make a long story short, we kept them.  These guinea pigs were apparently brothers, and as far as we know never had been apart.  Oh the joy when Einstein found one of our other guinea pigs.  (I wonder if they thought there were no other guinea pigs on earth except for themselves?)

Einstein seemed to be the smarter of the two, and always was protective of his little brother.  He would call Fuzzy to come and eat or if he heard a noise he didn't know what it was, he'd rush to make sure he was okay.

When they arrived on our doorstep, we had two pigs already, they took us to four.  Yesterday we lost Einstein.  I'm not sure exactly what happened.  He had some tooth problems, but we had those taken care of.  It was just his time.  Now we are down to one pig, Fuzzy.  It's really quiet around here today.  It's amazing how much noise one little fellow can make by running through hey, eating veggies, and playing with his brother.

Baby Crockett August 2007 - December 2011

Most of my pictures of Baby Crockett are in another computer, but I have these in this one.  Look at that log "pig tail" he had in the first one, and the second, that's a favorite "I'm sleeping" photo of him.

The third one, he's in Goya's Biggest Fan contest, and you can vote daily to be entered to win $5,000.  http://www.goya.com/english/match-your-birthday/birthday-bash/photo-greatest-fan.aspx

He was such a great guinea pig and I miss him so much already!

Pigture re-takes

I often have people tell me I do a great job of taking Pigtures (guinea PIG picTURES).  But that doesn't always come easily.  Sometimes the guinea pigs walk off leaving me snapping a pigture of their back 40, I even once had a pig try to stand on another.  You never know what will happen in a pigture.

Here are some I did NOT sumbit for a contest I entered.

"Hey, it's getting crowded over here".  Not to mention the red eyes in Fuzzy.

And someone lost his hat!

I'm not sure what is going on in this one, but it doesn't look like they are up to much good, now does it?

Want to know what photo I entered in the contest?  Well you are in luck!  It's a finalist for a contest where I could win $7,500 or more!  And you could win $5,000 just by voting!  That's right!  Just by voting (which you can do daily until 12/31) you get an entry to win $5,000.

Just head over here and vote! Make sure you get the "Thank You" screen or you vote didn't go through.

My entry is #6.  Fuzzy kept giving me such bad red-eye I didn't submit a photo he was in.  :)  I think you'll agree that the final shot was much better than any of these I just showed you!

http://www.goya.com/english/match-your-birthday/birthday-bash/photo-greatest-fan.aspx

Eistein Yawning

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my digital camera.  It was under $100, takes great photos, has a lot of different settings on it, can take video, etc.  It also isn't the battery hog like some digitals I've had in the past are.  The only thing I dislike is the refresh rate.  It is SO slow.  Unfortunately that means I've lost some good photos in the year and a half I've had it.

I love my guinea pigs.  A guinea pig yawn is precious.  But it's also quick.  Usually I can't get a photo of a yawn, including with an old camera.

So, I was thrilled when Einstein happened to yawn just as I snapped this photo.

Goodbye, Charlie

Did you know PetCo does pet adoptions?  I didn't until May 2007 when we went in for some Carefresh and saw a little guy needing adopted.  His name was Charlie, and he stole our hearts.  We walked out with Carefresh, and Charlie.

He was a great pig.  We had three others at the time we got him, and all were older.  He seemed to know that they demanded more attention at the moment but his time was coming, and boy did it.  Near the end he would be out sitting on us well over an hour each evening.  (Some nights it would be more like 2 hours.)

He was always a happy pig, and until the last seven weeks (or is that wheeks) of his life, he was quite healthy.  He lived with three roommates, but needed to be seperated because they were starting not to let him eat as much.  He lived seven weeks by himself, with LOTS of attention from us.  Since he was alone and had been used to living with other pigs, I had to help take up the slack on his socialization. 

Charlie always enjoyed helping when he could with my contests.  He co-starred in a video I made for an eBay contest.  He was in a photo of "How do you tailgate" for a chip company.  He was even in The National Examiner.  That was a funny story.  I spread a Fisher Price Noah's Ark around him and captioned the photo "Charlie enjoys playing Noah's Ark."  When the woman called to tell me it would be printed she asked "Exactly HOW does he play Noah's Ark?"  (Um, okay, he's a guinea pig sitting in the middle of a Noah's Ark set, doesn't that give someone a clue?  LOL!)

I miss that little guy looking for food as I pass by (his last home was right by the kitchen and even if I went to fill up my tea glass, he still hoped for some goodie to be tossed his way.)

He was a good pig and will be missed.

Charlie Dickens

May 2007 - September 2010