Arizona's Piggie Poo Rescue
does not support guinea pigs in classrooms
Classrooms are for Children, not Cavies!
Classrooms are an environment that is not in the best interest of the guinea pigs.
For that reason, we at Piggie Poo Rescue truly beg you to reconsider before deciding to get a classroom pet, for the well being of the animals and for your influence on the way your students treat their own pets.
If you really want to share the joys of cavies with you students:
• Volunteer a day at the rescue
• Hold a fund raising drive benefiting any rescue group
• Schedule an educational seminar with one of our Directors
• or, if you really feel like you are able to provide an exceptional environment
for the piggies, please read on...
Guinea pigs need constant care, including nights and weekends.
Moving a guinea pig from home to home on breaks is very stressful and can often cause serious health problems. When the piggie is out of your control, how can you be sure:
• that the piggies are being fed a proper diet and are not being fed potentially
dangerous foods like nuts, seeds, and cocoa puffs?
• that the piggies are handled appropriately and not over-handled or injured?
• are you sure the parents know the signs of illness requiring an immediate vet visit,
and is willing to drop everything to run the pig to the vet? At their cost?
Children under 9 years of age require constant supervision around guinea pigs.
In a classroom with upwards of 20 or more children, the piggie can easily become an object of tug-of-war, as well guinea pigs can scratch, nip and squirm and are often dropped by young children, resulting in broken limbs or worse.
Many children are allergic to guinea pigs. Allergies is one of the top three reasons why cavies are surrendered into rescue. How would you handle a situation with a serious allergic child? What would happen to the piggies in that instance?
Who will be responsible for the piggie's Vet care? 
Piggies need preventative and general health care check-ups just like any pet. Since cavies are considered an “exotic” by most vets, they are often more expensive to treat than other pets. As piggies are "prey" animals, they often hide their symptoms, and by the time you notice they are ill, their condition is critical. Do you have a weekend vet who will allow the treatment on account, or can you give the parents $200 "just in case"?
Cavies require a very large cage.
Most classrooms do not have available free space to accommodate appropriate guinea pig housing. The minimum acceptable size cage is about 28" x 42" (over 8 sq ft) for a pair of pigs. Although pet stores will tell you that much smaller cages are fine, this is NOT TRUE. Please see our page on housing.
Guinea Pigs have special dietary requirements.
Like people, cavies cannot make their own vitamin C, so it has to be supplemented through fresh fruits and veggies like oranges or red bell pepper, as well as a variety of fresh green leafy veggies like cilantro and leaf lettuces, every day.
Vitamin C drops in water quickly dissipates, changes the taste of the water, leading to dehydration, and may even lead to illness through bacterial contamination. Never use Vitamin drops!
Hay is the primary component of piggie diets. They are grazers and need a nice supply of fresh hay 24 hours a day.
The way you treat your classroom pet will directly influence the way your students treat their own pets.
If you demonstrate that pigs are living, feeling creatures, who need to be respected and cared for, your children will emulate you! However, if you…
• treat your pig like a possession, "It's just a guinea pig, what's the big deal?"
• show that convenience is more important than care, "A big cage is SUCH a hassle!"
• demonstrate that pets can be abandoned or ignored when it is no longer interesting
or convenient, "Who's going to DEAL with that guinea pig, THIS weekend?"
...then your students will learn those lessons, too, and will perpetuate the cycle that forces rescues like us to exist.
Our thanks to and excerpts from All Creatures Rescue
http://www.allcreaturesrescue.org/classroom.php