Strong words from someone who is normally the “calm” around the chaos.  But this is a subject I feel strongly about. Very strongly. 

Call it the “101 Dalmatian Syndrome” if you will.  A blockbuster animal movie is released and there is an immediate increase in the sales of that particular animal.  This phenomena surfaced once again when Beverly Hills Chihuahua was in the theaters.  Unfortunately, with the increase in sales comes the inevitable increase in abandoned, mistreated or even worse, dead pets.  And now comes “G-Force,” an exciting adventure featuring the cutest of all – Guinea Pigs. 

As an owner of four rescued guinea pigs, I know just how wonderful these little guys can be.  But I also know the amount of work, expense and space involved in keeping guinea pigs. 

Guinea pigs require a lot of space.  The smallest cage they should be in will easily cover an entire dresser.  Piggies poop and peep a lot, requiring a full cage cleaning every week.  Replacement bedding costs about $22 a bag.  This can add up to $50 a month in cage cleaning supplies alone. 

One bag of good guinea pig food costs about $10.00.  Guinea pigs eat like crazy.  Count on at least $50 per month on guinea pig food.  They also need vitamin C powder sprinkled on their food, which means a bottle every two months.  Furthermore, they need hay ($8.00 a bag) and greens every day.

Guinea pigs need their nails cut by a professional every few months.  This requires a vet visit.  And from a surprising experience of my own, I know they can get mites and must be treated for this before an imminent death.  Mites can remain dormant in a healthy pig and emerge due to pregnancy, sickenss or stress.  If not treated at least twice by a veterinarian, the guinea pig will die. 

A guinea pig can easily have his or her back broken if dropped even from a short distance.  They do not swim, walk in hamster balls or run in wheels as depicted in movies and on television.  Guinea pigs are not suitable as pets for very young children.  It is also common for a parent to buy a guinea pig, only to find their child is allergic to it. 

If you know someone who decides to buy a guinea pig after seeing G-Force, talk to them about the cost and time involved in keeping a guinea pig.  Yes, they are wonderful pets.  But only for someone who has thoroughly researched their care and cost. 

There are many guinea pig rescues throughout the country.  If your child is asking for a guinea pig, consider visiting the rescue and helping with the cage cleaning and feeding of these homeless pigs.  This will give you an excellent chance to not only help, but to decide if a guinea pig is right for you. Furthermore, please do not buy a guinea pig from a store, but rather adopt one from a local rescue.

Please, help to spread the word about Guinea Pigs as G-Force is released!  Consider a bookmark, Digg or Tweet – after all, it’s for the Piggies!

Several months ago I was shopping for rabbit food when I came across Sun Seed’s Sunaturals Natural Rabbit Food.  The bag was filled with all kinds of interesting little flowers and seeds as opposed to the standard “rabbit kibble.” 

Flipping over the bag I read the ingredients.  The contents of this bag almost looked like a menu for people in a health food store!  Above and beyond the natural oats and grasses, Sunnaturals Rabbit Food also includes things like rose hips, bay leaves, cranberries, red clover tops, goji berries, peppermint leaves and raspberry leaves – to name a few. 

When you open a bag of this rabbit food you can smell the wonderful mix of flowers, fruits and grains.  It smelled good to me, but what would my rabbit think?  The minute I placed the bowl of food in her cage she jumped to it and threw her face deep into the bowl.  From then on, it is a race to get the food into the cage.  She sees me coming and stands ready to pounce on the bowl.  I have often had the bowl literally knocked out of my hand and flipped over as she races for the food. 

Last month I ran out of rabbit food and had to grab a “generic” bag on the way home.  When my rabbit smelled the food she turned and walked away.  She hardly touched the standard food, making me feel so bad that I drove to my regular store to get “her brand.” 

If you own rabbits, I highly recommend you purchase Sun Seed’s Sunaturals Natural Rabbit food.  The quality is above and beyond any rabbit food I have used, the price is excellent and you can see the results first hand as your rabbit races to the food.  

Sun Seed also carries an equivalent guinea pig food that I serve to my rescue pigs.  Just as the bunny does, my guinea pigs come racing to this excellent and apparently tasty food.