Guinea Pig or rabbit??
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Topic: Guinea Pig or rabbit??
Posted By: kabe
Subject: Guinea Pig or rabbit??
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 2:10pm
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We're thinking of getting a couple of guinea pigs or a rabbit, but are undecided about which to choose.
What are people's experiences of these as children's pets and which would you recommend? TIA!  ------------- http://alterna-tickers.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Replies:
Posted By: E&L+1
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 2:19pm
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I had 2 guinea pigs in my classroom so know a fair bit about them. Guinea pigs tend to run away from kids and will nip if they are not happy (this is VERY occasional). They take a lot of work to keep the cage clean as they tend to poop everywhere! They need lots of veges as a pallet only diet isn't good for them. cavycages.com is a good website with heaps of info about guinea pigs but they do have some info about rabbits too. They promote having them inside but I don't think that is necesary in Nzs climate.
If I was going to do pets like that again I would get a rabbit for several reasons. They tend to be friendlier, you can toilet train them (a bit like a cat). They don't need so many veges etc ETA hope this helps ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 2:51pm
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i would get a rabbit... we had guinea pigs as kids and they got sick and mum had to get them seen to. rabbits are cuter and those ears! or maybe you could get rats...they are fun! ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
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Posted By: BeLoved
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 3:01pm
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I had rabbits and guinea pigs when I was young and both were alot of work. The cages need to be cleaned regularly every 2nd or 3rd day and are normally really hard to clean too and if not cleaned regularly they stink!
In my experience both the guinea pigs and the rabbits were shy so did not like being held. I guess if you made a point of holding them alot they would get use to it though??? My guinea pigs were gentle and never bit me but the rabbits would bite and kick and were quite vicious with me and their mates, not that all of them would be like that. I ended up giving my rabbits and guinea pigs away to good homes. I did have pet mice and they were the a lot more fun than the rabbits and guinea pigs, but again very stinky if you don't clean them out regularly! |
Posted By: kellie
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 3:11pm
I would vote Guinea pig, but only because I had the cutest guinea pig in the world 
it was really tame and not that messy. It would hear me come home and starting screeching (they can be pretty loud) Then again, I had a pretty cool rabbit too. It used to stretch out on the couch in the sun and watch tv with us lol ------------- 
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Posted By: kabe
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 3:13pm
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Thanks for the feedback..keep it coming please!
I've heard that you need to handle GPs & bunnies alot from a young age to get them use to being held. Bunny's temperaments vary depending on the breed. ------------- http://alterna-tickers.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: GuestGuest
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 3:25pm
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Neither! In my opinion they are both terrible pets. They smell and are incredibly high maintenance!
I have friends with young kids who have given them away because they weren't friendly, would bite all the time and they had to continually clean their cages out. I had a rabbit when I was about 10 who bit me all the time. What's wrong with a cat? They look after themselves! |
Posted By: Bobbie
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 3:44pm
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You can house guinea pigs and rabbits together - they make great room mates.
I've had both and they aren't generally nasty so long as you are gentle with them and handle them frequently and preferably from a young age. But like any animal it takes a little time to build up trust and a relationship. Guinea pigs really need to be somewhere sheltered like a deck or even inside in winter. They are prone to pneumonia. I think for young children guinea pigs are a better bet as they are slightly easier to handle. They're very intelligent loving creatures and they will even purr and chirrup at you when they see you coming and are being stroked. -------------  
 
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Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 6:35pm
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We had GP's and they died, unsure why. I was told that if you get them get 2 of the same sex as they like to be in pairs. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: _Deb_
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 8:25pm
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Neither. Just kidding.
I have rabbits and a guinea pig. My lop is friendly but doesn't like being picked up and will kick. Then there's the other 2, well what do i say about them. lol. I've had them since babies and they've never been very tame. The boy(desexed) is pretty placid but timid and the girl well she's a tart. lol. She grunts and bites, not friendly at all. She beats her brother up too. The guinea pig just runs and hides. The guinea pig we had before him was totally different though. He would squeak for food and eat it out of your hand. Guinea pigs are generally very messy compared to rabbits. They'll go to the toilet everywhere, including their food dishes. lol. In the past i've had 2 lovely lop bunnies though. So nice natured. I lost both unfortunately, one had an ear infection that wouldn't clear up and the other died while being neutered. I personally think rabbits make better pets for kids. If you get one just make sure you get a friendly well handled one. The biggest thing with rabbits or guinea pigs is having to clean their cage out regularly but if you do it often it doesn't take long. ------------- 
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Posted By: caitlynsmygirl
Date Posted: 23 February 2010 at 11:24pm
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Rabbirt
their fur is nicer and they are nicer to cuddle . Guinea pigs are loud and annoying, I know, im listening to one right now . Least its old, shouldn't last much longer Kidding .....*shifty eyes* ------------- 
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Posted By: kabe
Date Posted: 25 February 2010 at 9:19am
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Thanks for all the feedback! Lots of varied opinions
Think we'll go for a little Dutch bunny as they apparently make good children's pets. ------------- http://alterna-tickers.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: TwinnyBump
Date Posted: 25 February 2010 at 11:20am
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Yeah I've had both as a child (and I currently breed minilops) I'd say a male rabbit! They are more placid than females make sure you handle him regularly from a young age and you can litter box train them ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">  
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Posted By: _Deb_
Date Posted: 25 February 2010 at 11:22am
Aww good choice, Dutch bunnies are adorable! My boy has markings like a Dutch, he's a huge fat thing though. lol. I don't know what breed/s he is, they were just advertised as dwarf rabbits. Dwarf?? They're fricken huge. lol.
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Posted By: sunnyhoney
Date Posted: 25 February 2010 at 6:15pm
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Cool, kabe. We have a Mini Lop girl. She is a fiesty one but has been better since we desexed her. Like people, they all have their own personalities.
If you want details of a breeder I can give you the name of where we got ours and you can pick up supplies from her too. Cleaning need not be a big deal, we only clean the cage once a week. The bonus is, if you are going away for a weekend etc, you just chuck extra veges in and leave 'em to it. Don't have to find someone to feed them like a cat or dog. Can't think of anything more than what everyone else has said but if you have any more questions feel free to pm me or catch me on FB. ------------- Mum to: Joy Emily 1.05am 27/09/07 7lb 3oz Austin Paul 12.47pm 18/04/10 10lb 8oz |
Posted By: mummyofprinces
Date Posted: 26 February 2010 at 9:19am
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I love my bunnies but they have not been getting the attention they need since pg... Mine dont mind a quick cuddle and come up to you when to open the cage door (the know they are getting food).
They are hight maitenance but fun  -------------   
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