When you have one guinea pig, changing the bedding needs to happen once a week. There have been times that we have stretched it to every two weeks for a variety of reasons. I prefer to keep it clean as much as possible.

The problem in the Bowman household is we don’t have just one guinea pig, we have three of these cute rodents. Hannah likes to talk to me whenever I go into her room. Usually it is about complaints of no food and water that is almost empty. Those conversations always end up with me calling the owner to come upstairs and make Hannah happy. The other two live together and are quite happy. Snicker and Doodle enjoy cuddling with us but squeak like crazy when we try to catch them to do so.

Unfortunately, their cage has to be cleaned more often. It has to be done weekly or it just stinks. One of the larger packages of bedding will last two weeks at our house. But I remembered buying a huge package of pine bedding (most recommended for guinea pigs) at Pic-A-Pet at 530 South Schuyler in Kankakee. It had been a few years since I had last been to the shop and remembered again why I like going there, especially with kids in tow.

There is a lot to see. Like what, you ask? Well, there are parrots and big birds who want to talk to you. One rubbed my shoulder as I went past. There were guinea pigs, a hedgehog and fish galore. Plus my five-year-old son was fascinated by the large turtle that was crawling on the floor.

Because the owners have been in business for 23 years, they know a lot. You can ask questions and will get an answer. When I talked about the size of bedding I was looking for, they helped me with an industrial package of pine bedding. Actually, it is a great size for a horse stall. But I am storing this in a garbage can in Hannah’s room to prevent spillage.

During the time we were in the store, my kids looked at everything. We left happy, having seen cool animals, cute animals and enough bedding to last us at least two months. Oh, and I am planning to go back when I need more. It will make for a great quickie outing. The bag of bedding might have cost $14 but to run errands and have happy kids – Priceless!

Pic-A-Pet is located at 530 South Schuyler, across the street from Burger King. For more information you can call then at 815-939-3474.

Karyn Bowman lives in Kankakee County with her outdoor writer husband and four children. Become friends with Karyn on Facebook or send an e-mail to momgoestothemovies@sbcglobal.net.