Rabbits/Guinea Pigs?

[xxbeckyxx]

Does anyone have either? I have been thinking recently about getting either a couple of dwarf rabbits or guinea pigs. I thought it'd be nicer to have two of whatever I get because one would be lonely - is that true or is it me being soft?
My brother is getting rid of his hutch so they could go outside in that and I could put together a run for them to go out on the lawn when the weather's nice.
So any opinions on which I should go for?
I would want to get babies so I could tame them from scratch - we had loads of rescued pets as kids but couldn't get near them!
Any other thoughts/tips...don't want to rush into anything without thinking about all the pros/cons

 

[Roo3]

I've got a rabbit and 5 guinea pigs. Both rabbits and guinea pigs should be housed in pairs. (Our rabbit is on his own as he was a rescue and it was too late to put him with another rabbit).

Rabbits need lots of outdoor exercise, most of the books say about 8 hours a day. Ours gets about 6 hours when the weather is nice. Guinea pigs love munching on grass and dandelion leaves too.

Both rabbits and guinea pigs can be expensive. One of our old ones cost us £600 for a vet bill for an ear infection he had. And the rabbit vets bills can be expensive too. Many vets aren't guinea pig savy as they are classed as exotic pets (this is why our vet bill was £600 as the first vet we took him to couldn't work out what was wrong with him.)

Having said all that, I love all mine to bits and wouldn't change them for the world. I could spend hours watching the pigs interact with each other and the rabbit run around on the lawn!!

Hope what I've writted above helps you make your decision.

xxx

 

[Sparkle24]

Hey


Rabbit are my fave subject as i have quite a few due having quite a few


You dont have to keep rabbits in pairs or groups if they are going to have enough human contact.
Males are better as single pets (females can have wicked pms)

Excercise, a few hours for a run around in the garden is loved, just make sure no preditors can get to them and they cant escape (i love free run rather than a proper wooden rabbit run as to me its like they are still in a cage)

Food wise a small bowl full a day is enough, hay is needed mine like about 2 big handfuls a day and fresh fruit and veg.


I would advise you to contact a british rabbit council member as they breed with a code of conduct and you will get a very frendly rabbit with a awesome temprement and health.
Breeder that just breed for pets are known as backyard breeders and care of health and other factors are really not taken in to concideration. Pet shops are a big no-no they are the worst of the worst for any animals, they are bred in rodent farms kept in really awful conditions ect. Everytime i go to a certain pet shop the rabbits have snuffles (bad illness for bunnys)


Vet wise you need to find a proper bunny vet. I think the most i have spent in a vet was £100. you can get insurence for something like £8 a month. they will need injections for mixy and vhd.


If you want any more info just ask I dont mind helping at all. My Oh has had rabbits for over 15 years

 

[mrsbell]

I have 11 guinea pigs, 5 normal pigs and 6 hairless skinny pigs.
mine live indoors so i dont know much about them living outdoors. You could join some forums to help you decide whether you want a rabbit or pig.
they both make great and loving pets. xx

 

[JellybeanIWant]

I have one guinea pig, she's lovely, very gentle and really interacts with everyone that comes in contact with her. I was going to get two but she's gotten so used to being on her own I've decided not to but you should probably get a pair as they are used to being with company

 

[don-don]

Go for guinea pigs, they are lovely. I used to keep them when i was younger, lovely harmless little creatures xxxxxxxxx

 

[lynne_n]

i love rabbits. mine is a house rabbit and i have had guinea pigs before.. i thought they can be rather noisy. rabbits and guinea pigs can live really well together
however i would say to get a vet to double check the sex (of 2 rabbits) as they can reproduce every 28-31 days.

 

[xxbeckyxx]

Cheers for all the replies girlies Think we are going to go for guinea pigs, although I keep changing my mind!!
Mrsbell - hairless pigs sound interesting, now going to google! I have a hairless dog so it'd be nice to keep the theme running lol!!

 

[Sparkle24]

rabbits and guinea pigs can live really well together

Its not safe at all for a rabbit and pig to live together at all. they rabbit can kick out and kill the pig, they have different food needs. ect ect

 

[LouLou1986]

Deffo dnt keep a rabbit and pigs together! I made that mistake and the rabbit killed both the pigs

 

[kirstymichelle]

I have two naughty rabbits both female sisters from the same litter , dwarfs , started out as house rabbits then they began to spray!!! love them to bits and spoil them rotten they're soooo funny together and dont fight contrary to reports that they would. Mine love it in the garden but no matter how secure i think it is they are escape artists and love to dig , today i found them behind my shed trying to dig through to next door its now been bunnified! , They love to be with each other and coax each other along in the bad behaviour , No health problems as yet but they're now due to be spade x

 

[k8_005]

hi there i volenteer at a rabbit rescue, and own 5 so quite knowledagble on the subject!! most rabbits prefer to be in pairs or groups though a house bunny or one who wont bond can be kept on thier own, rabbits are wonderful things, however they can like any pet be costly, a few things that are important to remember, 1. neuter or get a ready neutered bunnie(s) as rabbits that are unneutered are veryvery prone to cancer and hormonal and territorial attitudes, also they are easier to bond and litter train, usually a neutered male &female pair is best, they need vacciantions vhd annually (try and gett vet to use lapinject as opposed to cyclap as less reactions in the rabbits) and myxi vaccs every 6 months you should worm them when they first ocme to you do a 28day course of pannacur to treat for both ec and worms, this should only be repeated when any symptoms show though. lop rabbits and dwarfs are more prone to dental diseas, a dwarf rabbit is a large rabbit about 3kg where as a mini or nethi is small and a giant can grow to be around 7kg the average bunny is between 1.5 and 2.8kg 85% of diet should be hay, veggies daily and a small amount of a pelleted food to prevent selctive feeding (science selective is the one mine prefer also it has one of the highest fibre contents which is best for them) you will need a minimum of a 6x6ft run and a 6x2x2ft hutch for a pair or a 5x2x2 for a single (not reccommended) what else can i say hmm... not all vets are knowledgable about bunnies as they are classed as exotics and the average vet will only have done 3weeks learning about them a rabbit specialist will have done additional courses. rabbits cannot be sick, they love to run and binky so the more space and freedom you can give them the better, they can easily be litter trained all 5 of mine use trays much quicker for cleaning out, also its useful if you wish to have them as house bunnies (most indoor cages are too small as a permenant home) some people use large 48inch dog crates as a base or build thier own using nic cubes, outdoors people make homes from sheds hutches, wendy houses etc, jointhis forum to find out more http://forums.rabbitrehome.org.uk/ they should also not be kept with g.pigs due to the size differnece the different food needs (g.pigs need extra vit c) and the issues regarding pasturella and bordetella which is harmful to one spcies and not so risky to other, also the rabbits also can accidentally kill g.pigs when playing. a g.pig needs a large hutch and generally are more messy than rabbits they also need a run, though im not so sure on the sizes i think a 4x2ft or a 5x2ft hutch is reccomended. any other q's please pm me! ps 33,000 rabbits in rescue at the moment so im sure you can find a bunny or pair to suit you ! xxx

 

[k8_005]

I have two naughty rabbits both female sisters from the same litter , dwarfs , started out as house rabbits then they began to spray!!! love them to bits and spoil them rotten they're soooo funny together and dont fight contrary to reports that they would. Mine love it in the garden but no matter how secure i think it is they are escape artists and love to dig , today i found them behind my shed trying to dig through to next door its now been bunnified! , They love to be with each other and coax each other along in the bad behaviour , No health problems as yet but they're now due to be spade x

thats good you are speying them, this should stop them spraying prevent them falling out and prevent uterine cancer yep i have two sisters who live together but they now have a husbun too (again nuetered) it tends to be boys who fight or unneutered females xx

 

[k8_005]

I've got a rabbit and 5 guinea pigs. Both rabbits and guinea pigs should be housed in pairs. (Our rabbit is on his own as he was a rescue and it was too late to put him with another rabbit).

Hope what I've writted above helps you make your decision.

xxx

you can often still bond a nuetered older bunny iv bonded rabbits aged 9yrs old even, you just need to ensure both are neutered and that they are introduced on neuteral territory slowly increasing the space, fur pulling humping and chasing is normal biting and lock on fights should be stopped they have to decide who is boss its easy to neutralise an area with white vinegar spray or with bicarbonate of soda into carpets hoovered up xxxx

 

[Roo3]

I've got a rabbit and 5 guinea pigs. Both rabbits and guinea pigs should be housed in pairs. (Our rabbit is on his own as he was a rescue and it was too late to put him with another rabbit).

Hope what I've writted above helps you make your decision.

xxx

you can often still bond a nuetered older bunny iv bonded rabbits aged 9yrs old even, you just need to ensure both are neutered and that they are introduced on neuteral territory slowly increasing the space, fur pulling humping and chasing is normal biting and lock on fights should be stopped they have to decide who is boss its easy to neutralise an area with white vinegar spray or with bicarbonate of soda into carpets hoovered up xxxx

We've been thinking of getting him a girlfriend if we can as we are worried he's a bit lonely. He is neutered, would the female need to be spayed? Thanks for above info!

 

[k8_005]

I've got a rabbit and 5 guinea pigs. Both rabbits and guinea pigs should be housed in pairs. (Our rabbit is on his own as he was a rescue and it was too late to put him with another rabbit).

Hope what I've writted above helps you make your decision.

xxx

you can often still bond a nuetered older bunny iv bonded rabbits aged 9yrs old even, you just need to ensure both are neutered and that they are introduced on neuteral territory slowly increasing the space, fur pulling humping and chasing is normal biting and lock on fights should be stopped they have to decide who is boss its easy to neutralise an area with white vinegar spray or with bicarbonate of soda into carpets hoovered up xxxx

We've been thinking of getting him a girlfriend if we can as we are worried he's a bit lonely. He is neutered, would the female need to be spayed? Thanks for above info!

yes and when they are introduced you need to ensure the whole area is neutralised first gradually build up the space, also make sure she was neutered more than 5 weeks before to give her hormones time to settle, often a local rescue will let you speed date them via a neutral pen with a mesh divider to see how they are near each together before putting together!

 

[nik106]

I have a bunny, she's supposed to be a garden bunny but my fiance took pity on her when it snowed and brought her in and i can't bare to put her back in the garden even though we spend hundreds on a much larger hutch/run for her, i like having her close! She lives in her hutch most of the time but spends days that i'm home, and evenings running round the living room with me. I want to get her a friend as i'm worried that she'll be lonely or left out a bit when the baby arrives but i'm also worried that if do get her a friend that i'll lose the bond i have with her.

 

[saraian26]

Hiya!

Guinea pigs are my passion!

Ive got 2 swiss boys, 1 is lilac and gold and the other is black and gold and an golden crested female and a choclate smooth female.

Here are some pics:

Louie and Humphrey

Lola - possibly pregnant

Fifi

The girls I got from pets at home at 16 weeks old. They looked for lonely and forlorn I adopted them straight away. But they may have come from there pregnant but still not sure. Will see within next few weeks!

The boys will be bred as they have stunning colours and temperaments, just waiting for some females to be born from my friend and breeder. Looking forward too seeing some babies born hopefully next spring.

Not intending to breed from the girls at all - if and when they have these litters they will be as intended - pets.

All my guineas are pets but the swiss I will breed from. They are too beautiful not too.

 

[lucy.smith]

Rabbits are lovely. I think u should get a couple of Rabbits.