Guinea pig vs. rabbit
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Anonymous
| which is preferable as a pet? it will technically be my 11 year old's but I realize we will be doing a lot of the caretaking. |
Anonymous
| Ugh neither. Caged animals are so much work and smell so bad. |
Anonymous
| I thought this was food forum! I do have recipe for both. |
Anonymous
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Guinea pigs are social animals and you should have 2, not 1.
I don’t know about rabbits. |
Anonymous
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Bunnies, of course! Much cuter. You can also do chinchillas, although they're less amenable to petting and need dust baths (but very soft fur).
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Anonymous
| We have a free roam (only during the daytime) rabbit. I also had a guinea pig growing up. Rabbits are exceedingly more fun, responsive and loving. Plus you can litter box train them really easily. They also don’t make annoying peeps all the time. Our rabbit hops around and snuggles up to everyone. She’s a really fantastic pet and much better than any guinea pig I’ve ever met or had. |
Anonymous
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Guinea pigs are sturdier and have shorter life spans. They can be exercised in a pen. You can put them in your lap and they will stay. They stink and their cage will need cleaned every other day or so.
Rabbits need much more space. The best set up is to let them run free in a designated portion of your house. They can be litter box trained, live 10ish years, and I liken them to fearful cats. They’ll come to you when they want attention, but mostly they do their own thing. Either creature does better in pairs Both critters require “exotic” vet care, so be prepared for that. |
Anonymous
I’ve eaten both on several occasions. I’ll take guinea pig (Peruvian style) over any rabbit dish, every time. |
Anonymous
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Rabbits need a lot of room but they can be litter box trained.
Guinea pigs are great too and need a large cage. One thing to be aware of is that guinea pigs and rabbits are seen by "exotic vets" and the regular vet in your neighborhood is unlikely to even see them for an office visit. |
Anonymous
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We have a guinea pigs and we like having them. They need to be kept in pairs because they are extremely social animals. They need a large, very large cage so make sure you have enough room to keep them. I am part of some rescue groups and you can find free guinea pigs along with the cages all the time.
We have never kept rabbits so I can’t advise you on that but I would imagine their space requirements are even larger. |
Anonymous
| Why are pet rabbits so tubby? It seems unnatural |
Anonymous
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You can allow your bunnies to free range but you need to be understand they will nibble on your electronic cords unless you bunny proof. They will also nibble a bit on fabric. I wouldn't get a rabbit or a guinea pig if you have one of those beautiful showcase homes with expensive furniture.
Having said that, I understood the cartoon series Bugs Bunny a lot better after having had pet rabbits. They have a lot of personality, and they're a lot of fun within their bunny constraints. Neither if you have small children. I've known bunnies who resorted to biting/scratching after too much squeezing and manhandling from small toddlers. |
Anonymous
| I have Guinea pigs and we take them to a regular vet (Wheaton). That said they have had no serious health problems that could require someone more specialized |
Anonymous
My mother used to have rabbits delivered to our London home from a French boulangerie. She'd never have had a guinea pig though. They aren't legal food and they are RODENTS! |
Anonymous
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I have both (1 rabbit, 2 Guinea pigs). I will warn you that I have racked up some hefty vet bills (tooth root abscess for rabbit, cheek abscess for a Guinea pig). I didn’t know you can get pet insurance for rabbits (and Guinea pigs). I would recommend that to anyone going forward. And as mentioned above, you really do need to see an exotic vet (Pender or Stahl’s in Fairfax). Even if you can find a regular vet who sees these animals, they don’t have the experience for any actual issues that may arise. Trust me—I drive just over an hour to go to Fairfax; I learned the hard way.
There are a lot of similarities between caring for the two (purchasing vegetables, hay, pellets, and litter). One difference is having to scoop out just a litterbox for the rabbit, vs the enclosure for the Guinea pigs (though some people have better luck using fleece). Another difference is the amount of space you need; rabbits need an ex-pen, with someplace outside the pen to exercise. Mine has an ex-pen in a room the size of a home office. She is free ranging within this room, but also comes out twice a day for supervised “romps” in a larger area. The Guinea pigs you just clean, feed, and be on your way. But, you get more interaction with the rabbit, not unlike a cat or dog. So mainly think about the time and space you have to dedicate to these animals. I will warn you, they are both much more work than anticipated. But I love them all and love having them in my life. |