New to guinea pig ownership? It’s fun to dive into the cavy club, but it can be overwhelming too. Luckily, there’s a community out there ready to accept you into the fold and help you through the tricky parts of new pet parenthood. In addition to the Facebook groups, we’ve got a few podcasts to help you along, coming from experts, both vets and veteran owners. They will have your back when your piggies start to fight or you can’t figure out which cage to buy. Check out these guinea pig podcasts (and follow along by watching their videos and swiping through cute pics on Instagram).
The Tiny Vet Podcast
“The walking potato of the animal kingdom” may be charming but not bright, at least according to Dr. Nicole Su, the star of The Tiny Vet Podcast. She’s joined by her partner, Jez Watts, a comedian-biotechnologist who’s a guide for the audience, especially on the more scientific parts. While you’ll find a lot of interesting animal tidbits, guinea pig owners will particularly enjoy the two-parter “Realistic Guinea Pig Ownership” and “Hay for Guinea Pigs.” You’ll get some especially useful advice on how to keep your piggies’ ever-growing teeth short (hint: it’s just hay) and how to spot illness. Sadly, these critters do get sick easily, but we still all love them.
Popcorning Piggy – Your Guinea Pig Guide
This deep dive into all things GP is a godsend for new owners who don’t really know where to start. As host Sam explains, these guys make amazing pets and should not be considered disposable starter animals. Check out the episode “The Reasons Guinea Pigs Fight” for some helpful tips on how to make sure your herd gets along (with an accompanying video).
While Popcorning Piggy isn’t currently producing episodes, there are over 50 out there for you (and your rodents) to binge. And we certainly hope to see more from Sam someday.
Val Talks Pets
Lastly, try out Val Talks Pets, specifically the episode titled “Small Animal Pets” that discusses guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, and others. Our host Val, an expert but not a vet, takes listeners through the must-knows for taking care of a rodent and a little comparison of the different varieties. You’ll get a lot from the matter-of-fact way she discusses key topics about our favorite tiny creatures. Many of the other episodes will apply to your animal too even if they aren’t only about our littlest companions, such as the interview with Dr. Rob Hillerby, a Canadian vet.
Even though they’re small, guinea pigs take a lot of work and will never be a simple pet. It helps to have some friends there for you along the way to learn firsthand how to get them to bond, what to feed them, and the best ways to groom and pamper them. While you definitely want to join lots of communities, you sometimes need to go straight to the real experts. These podcasts are a great start, though no replacement for your own vet of course. Together, you’ll build a neighborhood of people eager to help you care for your piggies.