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"We have a White Crested Guinea Pig that is currently 9 weeks old. She is a miniature version of the picture on this site. She is somewhat reserved and not incredibly vocal. She prefers to be in her little cardboard box that is lined with fleece, coming out only to eat usually. She acts very skittery when we try to pick her up but is a sweet, cuddly angel once we are holding her. We also have a male (yes, they are permanently separated and we will be adopting a companion for each of them) that is an Abyssinian, although he doesn't have "show" qualities in his coat. He is sweet and funny and very vocal. We have only had them for 3 weeks and he quickly learned the crinkling sound of the Timmothy Hay bag and the sound of the fridge door when I get their fruits/veggies. He squeals and stands on his hind legs waiting for his treats. When he is especially happy, usually after eating his fruits/veggies you can find him springing around his cage like his little feet have springs on them. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen!! They have HUGE cages that are actually indoor kennels sized for a Labrador. We used Coroplast (courrogated plastic) to make the "pans" in the bottom of the kennels. they have tons of space to run, play and hide. We will be adding ramps, additional stories and play tunnels over time. We're also going to try to affix sandpaper to the ramps for traction and also to help keep their claws naturally trimmed. Guinea Pigs definately DO NOT like slippery surfaces. It is scary to them and they will become very skittery, at least ours do. Our pigs also use the same corner of their cages to urinate and for most of thier pooping, right next to their water bottle. Even though they are in seperate cages, they each use the same exact area of their cage for a bathroom. We will be adding small corner litter boxes to make the corner cleaning easier. We also have a corner scoop, it looks like a cat litter scoop but has a rounded triangle shape to make corner cleaning easier. The pine shavings are a little messy and they get spread to the outer edges of the cage when the pigs are running around. Since they don't burrow in it and only seem to use it in their potty corner we're going to try using just sandpaper on the bottom except in the potty corner so they have traction and we don't have pine shavings on the floor all around the cage. The shavings also get stuck all over the fleece material that they love to snuggle with so much and makes it hard to come close to keeping the fabric clean. Most importantly, dont ever put a Guinea Pig in a cage with a wire bottom (like you might use for a rabbit) because the wire mesh is VERY bad for their tender little feet and they will be prone to sores on their foot pads. Guinea Pigs are absolutely the best pets ever but you must be committed to providing the pellets, Vitamin C tablets, Timmothy hay, fresh fruits/veggies and fresh water that they require on a daily basis. If you aren't willing to do that for 6-10 years as well as keeping their cages clean on at least a weekly basis please consider another pet. While Guinea Pigs don't require regular vet care, be prepared that you may have an occasional illness or emergency that can become costly. Have fun with your piggies, they are incredibly rewarding!!"