There are some wonderful small cute and furry animals which can make excellent pets for young children. Many parents consider that a dog or a cat is too much of a commitment and is often too big to be an ideal pet for small children.

And there are some risks. There have been instances of children being savaged by their own dog, even small ones.

One of my favourite animals that makes a perfect pet for young children is a guinea pig. My own daughter has her favourite pet piggie and loves him, along with some other pets.

They have some huge advantages as a pet. They rarely live much longer than around 5 years, so you won’t be looking after the guinea pig after the kids have left home. They are cheap to buy, usually under $20, they are cheap to feed and don’t get sick as often as other animals. They are warm and furry and like company and will happily sit on your child’s lap in the evening being petted.

Despite the fact that guinea pigs are small cheap pets there are still some important matters to think about before you get your first guinea pig. And the first of these matters is how you will house him.

A guinea pig is housed in a guinea pig cage or what is correctly called a guinea pig hutch. Usually this is kept outside the house. A guinea pig hutch is generally constructed of wire and timber, although a good material for construction of a hutch can be metal as it is easy to clean and doesn’t harbour smells.

It should have a dedicated sleeping area where he can sleep free from the risks of bad weather and snuggle inside his own sleeping area. It should have an outdoors area where he is protected from predators but can run around doing what they do like eating the grass.

It’s better to avoid using wire on the floor of a guinea pig hutch as guinea pigs do not like walking on wire and can also get a foot condition called bumble foot which can be quite serious.

Most guinea pig cages that you buy in pet shops are too small for the purpose. It’s quite easy to make your own guinea pig cage and it’s not expensive to do so. If you are making your own make sure you make it as large as you possibly can so that your guinea pig has lots of room to play and to exercise.

They are cheap to feed and not difficult to feed but you do need to learn a little bit about what they need to eat and what they don’t need to eat. They need plenty of hay for roughage, will happily eat a wide range of fresh green vegetable leaves such as broccoli or spinach as well as fruits like apples and pears. Some foods should be avoided such as lettuce and cabbage which can give your guinea pig diarrhea.

Of course like all animals you need to commit to some cleaning. You need to regularly clean out guinea pig cages , and parental supervision is often required as young children can’t always be relied on to do this properly. And he will need regular grooming to keep him free of knots, particularly if he is a long-haired guinea pig. Part of the fun of course, of having a guinea pig, is sitting with him in the evening grooming.

So if you’ve been thinking about buying a pet for the children, why not consider a small cute and cuddly guinea pig which will make the ideal pet. Just make sure you provide him with a nice big guinea pig hutch to live in and plenty of the right food.