Picking a Family Pet

If you are close to me, you know that I am not a fan of:

pet hair (the long kind...)

fleas

ticks

animals who have to be taken outside to use the bathroom multiple times a day

puppies or kittens (they are ADORABLE, but I don't have time to potty train either...and I don't do well with accidents!)

animals that make a lot of noise

With three kids, and (one or two, or many!) on the way, +OCD when it comes to the cleanliness of our home...all the above should make a little more sense :) Which is why picking a family pet is no easy task or quick decision. Two years ago we got a little beagle puppy (piper) and loved him so...but he was a tough puppy! He yelped all.night.long , and potty training a dog is very hard when you have morning sickness and two toddlers. So, we gave him to another loving family.

This time, we've done research as well as multiple visits to our local animal shelter and PetSmart, and have decided on two of these sweet, sociable cuties:

Yep. Guinea pigs. Never thought of our family as a rodent loving family (we're exactly opposite...) but we're making an exception for these little rodents that we've fallen in love with at PetSmart. They are small, they can hang out in the house as well as in their cage, they squeal with delight when their favorite human comes near or when there is food, they can get up to 12" and live up to 7 years, bathe them very rarely (they need the oil in their skin), and you need to feed them fruits & veggies for vitamin C (cute!). Plus, they dont smell unless your not taking care of their cage, and I dont have to potty train. However, they can be trained to use a litter box if your into that. They cuddle and are described as very sociable animals, and they bond with you!

(ps- I don't have to keep shot records & vet records for our foster care licensing, or worry about having children come in that are afraid of dogs/cats!)

Of course, we are getting two females (poor mr. , not even a guinea pig with the same gender) and have not picked names yet, but the girls have stated names along the lines of she-ra and zooley......yea.....we'll see.... ;)