Almost a week ago, I adopted two new guinea pigs to add to my family. Vanilla(the mother) and Cherry( the daughter) have already taught me alot. Being guinea pigs, they depend on me to take care of them. They are not like dogs or cats(which I have) that can do many things on their own. For my dogs I take care of them, feed them, brush them, walk them, take them out to the bathroom, treat them, buy them toys. But dogs, if let outside in the yard, dont need anyone to talk them out, can run around(the walk), find little ‘treats’ around the yard(sticks), and find their own toys. Yes dogs are dependent on human life, but we have them around for companionship, they would survive without us.
Cats are virtually the same, but are considered ‘independent’ animals. It is not that they live in our world, it is that we live in theirs. Many don’t care that you clean after them,feed them and pet them. They are solitary and would just like a nice place to hideaway in every so often. Cats just like dogs, can fend for themselves if outside. We take care of them because we want to.
Now my new little guinea pigs, those are a different matter. They are tiny, and I have to take care of them. If I didn’t, they would die. They are prey, while dogs and cats are predators. That is the difference between cats, dogs, and other pets. Guinea pigs are not the only pets that completely depend on you, other pets are ferrets, rabbits, chinchillas, hamsters, gerbils, fancy rats, birds, fish. They are more but these are the general categories.
Cats and dogs also can cost less than owning a small animal, but that is not always true. I built a c&c cage for my guinea pigs, bought them a bag of food that is large, bedding that is gigantic and small toys that will last a while. So far I have spent almost $200(guinea pigs included), but I won’t have to buy anything else for at least a month. Dogs and cats can cost $200 just for the adoption few. The big difference between the two though is housing. Both live in the house, but guinea pigs in a cage. That cage has to be cleaned at least once a week. They also need ‘floor’ and ‘lap’ time.
In the long run, depending on your needs there are different pets available to you. By owning guinea pigs I now realise what it is like to have a living being existence dependent on you.