Guinea Pig or Bunny as a Pet

Bargain-er on 27/02/2022 - 08:21
Last edited 27/02/2022 - 08:22

Hi,

My daughter had been asking for a guinea pig for last 2 years. I'm an animal lover but i understand the responsibility of having a pet so had been delaying for some time. Finally we bought a couple of 6 weeks old piggies a few weeks ago. Sadly, they didn't survive long… 😭 One passed away suddenly, we don't know what was wrong except my daughter said she saw a "stringy poo" a day before. The piggie was active so we didn't google it but apparently it may be a digestive problem. The other one died a few days later due to respiratory problem, didn't have a chance to bring to vet. Went so quickly.

Now, we need some inputs… I personally like rabbit more and was reading mix opinions about guinea pig vs bunny (which one easier to care). Any constructive feedbacks/inputs are welcome. Please don't bash us about not being able to nurture the piggies or tell us to google (did that a LOT) . In contrary of my ozbargain badge holder's trait i spent heaps of $$ for best cage, food, bedding, always keep them inside, clean up, etc, but still no good. I thought i will shrug it off since I don't really like rodents (cept bunny) but actually i was quite heart broken with the passing away, last one dropped dead when she was playing… 😢

So my few questions are:

  1. Easier to keep living : guinea pig or bunny (looking at Netherlands dwarf bunny)
  2. 6 weeks is too young to bring home??
  3. Smaller types of piggies and bunnies (read ridgeback for piggies, Netherlands dwarf for bunnies)
  4. Is it true that they die more easily if we pat or hold them too often?

Any experience feedback is really appreciated. So much info on the net but first hand experience advice usually helps a lot. Thanks.

Pets

Comments

  • Davo1111 on 28/02/2022 - 22:11

    Gold fish, 3 years, then we get a guniea pig

  • nephilim on 28/02/2022 - 22:15

    Main issue is rabbits can act wild, we had a few and some decided they wanted to dig holes and hate humans

  • cnrmlj on 28/02/2022 - 22:22

    We had a new male rabbit for over 10 years. He stayed in his cage and seemed quite happy. His diet was limited and wouldn’t fresh food. He passed and we got another one. She was second hand so not sure how old when we got her. We used to let her out in the garden on weekends and before and after work and when we went into lockdown 7 days a week. She loved being patted, loved kale and loved sneaking into the garage. She got sick a few weeks ago. She had surgery to remove a tumor which was over $1,000 but died not long after. My other daughter wanted a rabbit so we got a baby for her last year. She is very curious and will follow us around but hates kale and hates being patted. She loves big crunchy leaves. Both of them at different times have dug up parts of the garden. They were friends and loved to lay together on the deck but after the surgery they never rebonded. They are all quite different. We also have a couple of Guinea pigs but they are fairly uninteresting. Would definitely get a rabbit or 2. They all take a bit of time and effort and newspapers.

  • TransportPosters on 28/02/2022 - 23:22

    We have a female guinea pig:

    • We got her at 8 weeks of age about two years ago.
    • She poos but usually keeps it in the same spot in her cage.
    • She spends regular time out of her cage and maybe every third time I will need to clean up some wee and few droplets of poo.
    • You can hold them on your lap for long periods without getting wee'd or poo'd on.
    • She loves getting rubbed on her sides and makes little sounds.
    • She is very vocal in communicating when she's hungry and will ask for food even while eating something we already gave her.
    • She has since moved in with our budgie as of about six months ago and they share the same food and water and often eat together.
    • We give her old clothing we no longer want and she makes tunnels and beds out of it.
    • She always happily goes back into her cage on her own after a run around.
    • Just the past month or two she has started to do the "pancake" thing and it's so cute, and she likes to lie on her side like our dog does. When I see her I worry she has died because I'm still not used to it.
    • She gets along with our Labrador also.

    I recommend a guinea pig but just be sure to keep them cool as they are quite sensitive to heat. Ice inside a plastic bag and then wrapped with old clothing is helpful on the extremely hot days. And never drop them - they have very small legs which can easily break and it can be life-threatening for them.

  • fairyflossgrapes on 01/03/2022 - 02:06

    If (and to preface, not saying you are) you’re looking for something you can just throw food at and be done with it, don’t get a rabbit (or birds, though you didn’t mention those initially, especially where some poor owners recommend both of them as “starter pets”). While they’ll survive with being fed and watered, they obviously won’t thrive; birds will pluck their feathers, rabbits will get crabby and both will live for shorter periods of time as a result.

  • Akya on 01/03/2022 - 08:30

    I have guinea pigs. Consider joining Guinea Pigs Australia Facebook group and ask questions there. Please please look into adopting, there are so many piggies out there. Guinea pigs require a lot of care and should be the adult's responsibility because of how high maintenance they are. Iffy from Alittlebitiffy Animal Sanctuary in QLD has put together a lovely ebook on how to care for guinea pigs for a small fee that goes towards the registered rescue. Miss Piggy's Guinea Pig Lair in QLD gives a lot of advice through her Facebook and Instagram.

    Guinea pigs require a minimum of 70x70cm each and should be kept in at least pairs. Best to go to a rescue as they most often have bonded pairs (less likely to fight!). For two piggies, you should have at least 70x140cm cage and they should be kept indoors. Guinea pigs don't do well in heat (above 25 degrees) or in winter (below 15 degrees) and require freezer blocks or aircon in summer and hot water bottles, warm blankets or heater in winter.

    I know very little about rabbits but I do know they benefit from larger cages, usually even larger than guinea pigs.

    Guinea pig diet requires unlimited soft grassy hay that is low in calcium, unlimited access to water, and a cup of veggies daily. QLD Guinea Pig Refuge has a great diet guide here and a pdf of suitable veggies here.

    For children, it's better to get a mature 12+ month old guinea pig from a rescue as rescues are also great in picking out "tame" guinea pigs for families. Babies run around heaps and if not handled frequently and gently will always be scared and ready to run.

  • Munki on 01/03/2022 - 09:36

    I currently have 3 guinea pigs. Originally only had the one (which we were told was a female - but wanted to make sure, so took her to the vet and vet said it was a boy), so we bought another male piggy to be a companion. Well, a couple of months later, we were given a nice surprise in the morning when a little pup was emerging from the mum (three births I've had to witness in my life now). Thankfully only the one pup, but unfortunately we've had to keep him separated from both parents once he was old enough and the dad had recovered from getting desexed. We've tried bonding the son and father, but the son is a lot more aggressive and actually drew blood once. We've kept them completely separated now. Need to find more space so I can rehome the little one into a bigger cage and desex him, then get a female partner so he isn't lonely.

    All three piggies have very distinct personalities. I'm not a fan of rodents either, but I adore these pigs for some reason. Even though they don't do much as pets, their cute little faces when they eat can bring a smile to your face.

    Having had cats and dogs in the past, I can safely say guinea pigs are definitely more maintenance. If you don't have the time to look after them, maybe best to avoid them. Also, getting good hay can be so expensive.

  • c64 on 01/03/2022 - 12:12

    Guinea Pig or Bunny as a Pet

    you can't pop a guinea pig in a stove pot so i suggest a bunny

    • mapax on 01/03/2022 - 13:11
      +2

      Yes you can. They were domesticated to be food and are still eaten in South America.

    • Munki on 02/03/2022 - 17:09

      Over some lit coal though? Mmm!

  • Swiss-herb on 02/03/2022 - 23:05

    I had rabbits growing up. It was so much fun. They were a huge part of my life. I took 1000s of pictures and fondly misses them. One lived 12 years. They poo a lot and you must clear the poo every other day (max, you can't leave it longer because it truly stinks). I recommend a cage with a sliding bottom. You can put newspaper and throw it away each night. And in the day time mine can roam in the balcony but sleeps in the cage at night. Otherwise low maintenance. You must be careful what they eat. They can only eat pellets and certain peeled fruits. There are so many different types for funsies. Some more maintenance due to fur length. Get the shortest fur. I don't think they will survive outdoor with the weather and stuff. They easily get scared from noise. If you want them to live longer you should put them indoors.

    I also had 1 guinea pig (not the same time as the rabbits). It's less fun. It doesn't move around a lot. It's like sleeping most of the time. I am not sure it was lonely or what. I don't think it will survive outdoors. I had to clean it every 3-4 days. It's slightly less maintenance than the rabbits. I had the similar type of cage.

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