Some Reasons To Get a Guinea Pig As a Pet?

Good morning steemians....

You want a fairly low-maintenance indoor pet. A “minimal” guinea pig setup would include two guinea pigs, about 10 square feet of cage space, at least one hiding place per animal (or one, if it’s large enough for both animals and they get along), appropriate bedding (I suggest Carefresh or aspen shavings), a food dish, a water bottle, hay, and guinea pig pellets (not rabbit pellets!). Your run-of-the-mill short-haired guinea pig will not require bathing or grooming of any kind other than nail trimming (a fairly easy procedure that can be performed with regular toenail clippers). Letting your guinea pigs waddle around and explore is good exercise and enrichment, but a large enough cage allows them to move about enough to stay healthy. Two guinea pigs with a large enough cage and the rest of their equipment should cost around $125-$200, depending on where/how you shop. I highly recommend looking for guinea pigs outside of pet stores (they charge too much— Petco sells them for $40 for example); there are plenty of free piggies available for adoption at shelters and on Craigslist. Yearly veterinarian visits are recommended but rarely necessary until a guinea pig reaches old age (5–7 years).
You want a rodent, but you don’t like tiny, nippy ones that are difficult to keep still. Guinea pigs are larger (by mass) than other pet rodents (rats, mice, hamsters, gerbils, etc.) and very rarely bite, even when scared. They’re generally docile animals. Some are prone to nipping, but this is almost never painful and is simply a form of communication, which brings me to my next point…
You want an animal that displays interesting behaviors that are generally easy to interpret. Guinea pigs have a modest, yet exceedingly functional vocabulary for communicating with each other and their owners. They are capable of asking for food and attention, letting you know that they want to be put back in their homes (very convenient for avoiding “accidents”— guinea pigs typically figure a way to tell you they need to defecate/urinate before they let loose on your lap), among other things. They have a “pecking order” of sorts, with one male and one female being dominant within herds (of course, you should have a single-sex pair); you can observe dominance-enforcing behavior between your guinea pigs on a regular basis in addition to following each other, popcorning (a literal “jump for joy”), sleeping near each other, etc.
You want an animal with a personality. Every guinea pig I’ve had has had its own preferences, tolerances, and tendencies. Right now, I’m dealing with two extremes: Leeroy, who actively begs for food and trades lap-time, toenail clipping sessions, etc. for treats, and Blackie, who almost never lets me pet him, let alone pick him up, when he’s not eating. A guinea pig that is accustomed to human contact on a regular basis from a young age will almost always be “friendly” and happy to interact with you. Food and treats can motivate even the least sociable guinea pig to sit still for a back-scratching.
You want a pet with a flexible schedule. Guinea pigs are considered to be crepuscular, meaning they’re most active in the morning and evening, but they tend to switch between napping, eating, and socializing every hour or two. This is partially due to being domesticated and their digestive needs— guinea pigs need to graze frequently (on hay) to ensure frequent, smooth bowel movements.