need feed back and your opinions

[caramel]

hi guys was wondering what your opinions for the following are

ok well Caramel grew up with two brothers they werent seperated tilljust before Christmas im talking like 2 days before so she was withthem for just over 3 months, and since being away from company she hasbecome unsociable, i was able to handle her and give her a bath andcuddle her but not any more, so a friend suggested geting a guiniepig,sorry cant remember the spelling, and i was wondering if this is a goodidea, we are in the process of building a run for her so then she willalso have some one to play with and keep her company and it may helpher to excercise more, what are your views on the idea, please let meknow your views and opinions are most welcome :thanks: inadvance

 

[polly]

Hiya, from what I have been told you should notput a guinea pig with a rabbit, they can end up fighting, could be sheis lonely if you don't want to get her spayed then i would try puttinga cuddly toy with her sometimes its just loneliness i have seen bunniesgo in a huff too but it seems a bit long for a sulk. She is maybe justpining they are very social. Sometimes i take a bun out of its normalenviroment and take it to run on the bed for example i have found wheni take my bunnies away from their play enviroment they tend to befriendlier. Let me know how you get on Polly

 

[dootsmom]

Not all buns want to be held and cuddled.

They are not too fond of baths, either. Baths should only be
given in an extreme situation...like major poopy-butt....and
then, only the dirty area should be washed...not the whole bun.
Buns are very clean animals and rarely need a bath. If you
were doing this to her, on a regular basis, it might be one of
the reasons she has become unsocialable.

However......

She has reached the "terrible two's" stage. This is when
their true personalities begin to show through. This is a time
when you have to be extremely patient with her. Gentle pets,
gentle coaxing with a favorite veggie or treat, just laying on
the floor and letting her come to you. Lots of quiet time.

It's also the time when you have to think about getting her spayed.
Her hormones are now going crazy....just like a teen-agers does!!
Spaying her will calm her and it's healthier for her, in the long run as
it will elimate the threat of ovarian cancer.

Getting her a guinea pig for a companion, is not the answer. I know
that they can get along but, their dietary needs are different.

Charlotte

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

:yeahthat What everyone hassaid. I would just add that maybe you could give her astuffed animal to cuddle with.

 

[caramel]

i've only given her a bath once and that wasbefore i brought her home here cos she smelt really bad and i could getrid of the smell, i've phoned round to enquire bout getting her spayedand the vets say they need to speak to me first cos of all the risksthat are involved.

im a little concerned bout giving her a soft toy to snuggle up to ornurture just incase she rips it apart and then chokes on it, i've beentold that a guiniepigs diets isnt tthat much diff to a rabbits

 

[caramel]

two rabbits could fight as well, what if ibought the guinea pig as a baby and introduced the two of them slowlylike i would with another rabbit

 

[dootsmom]

Hi, All my "alone" rabbits havestuffed animals for "friends". Mocha & Smudge liketheir soft pieces of blanket better. Usually, the buns justlick their "stuffy" to death!! I've never had a bun rip oneapart. This is Squeaky with her"blankie": Thisis grumpy Licorice with his bear (he has been adopted).


The guinea pigs diet is very different. First, they require a lot of Vitamin C....buns, dont.

I know someone that does keep them together. I have noticedthat the buns that are with the "piggies" have shorter life spans (5 to6 years) than mine (9 to 14).

 

[Haley]

Also, the natural bacteria that rabbits possess in their systems can often be fatal to piggies. I wouldnt recommend it.

 

[Michaela]

Please don't get a Guinea Pig for her, I know ofsomeone who house a bun and GP together and the GP got an infection(suspected from the bun) and she died

Rabbits can't have that amount of Vit. C.

Rabbits have been known to squash piggies to death also.

HaveI missed something that you can't get another bunny?Apologies if i have, haven't been able to read much on the forum lately- busy.

But everyone else has given great suggestions

 

[dootsmom]

Also, I run a Rabbit Rescue. In the past 5 years, I have had about 30 females spayed.,
and another 50 males neutered. Not one of them was "lost" orhad any complications from the surgery. My Vets have gonethrough extra schooling to be certified as "Exotic" Vets. Ifyour Vet has not had this extra schooling, I would find another onethat has.

 

[undergunfire]

It's true...bunnies can give piggies Pasteurella and piggies are more sensitive to medication.

If your bun was to eat piggie food, it could leave him very sick...or vise versa.

Rabbits can seriously hurt and kill piggies...on purpose or accidently. One bite or kick from a bunny, and it could be deadly.

Some say supervised play time between a piggie and a rabbit is okay,but I wouldn't chance it, personally. The bun would do some binkies andhurt the piggie very badly, even if you are watching.



- Amy

 

[ahri22]

What gets me, is that when I would buy rabbitfood it was always, "Rabbit and Guinea Pig Food" as if the two animalswere similar enough for the same diet...

Also, when you go to the pet store, they tend to house rabbits andguinea pigs together, so no wonder people get the idea that they'recompatible!!

I must admit I washed Little Hoppy Hoppy a couple of times, he didn'tseem to mind it too much! At the time I didn't know I wasn't supposedto :shock:!!

Most of the time he was pretty clean though, as he was always grooming himself

As far as friends go...my bunny always got along well with one of thecats! The two of them used to lie side by side under the table (or onthe chair together like in my avatar)! They were adorable together!!When Little Hoppy Hoppy died the cat was so confused for a couple ofdays!! He kept looking for LHH

 

[undergunfire]

Pet stores and their food try to trick you. They just want you to buy their product, dumb if you ask me.

Rabbits and piggies have COMPLETELY different diets, which you now know.

Oh, and are you buying food for your bunnies that says "Rabbit andGuinea Pig Food"? If you are, you may want to look into a differentfood. It doesn't sound good.


- Amy

 

[Michaela]

ahri22 wrote:

What gets me, is that when I would buy rabbit food it wasalways, "Rabbit and Guinea Pig Food" as if the two animals were similarenough for the same diet...

Also, when you go to the pet store, they tend to house rabbits andguinea pigs together, so no wonder people get the idea that they'recompatible!!

If it says rabbit and guinea pig food you can be certain it's no good.:?

Unfortunately, a lot of petshops only sell rabbits to make money onother rabbit things - houses, toys, food etc. They don't care aboutthem enough to look after them properly. Of course there are exceptionsto this.

 

[MyBoyHarper]

I agree about a stuffed baby. All 3 of mine (allboys) live separately. All 3 have bunches of stuffed babies, and Harperhas a teddy bear that's attached to a blanket. He loves his stuffedbabies and he sleeps with them and grooms them. I think the idea ofgetting a stuffedtoy for your rabbit is a really good idea.

 

[NZminilops]

I agree on everything said, I know so manypeople here that house rabbits and guinea pigs together and it's not agood idea. I even know someone who is feeding her piggies food meantONLY for rabbits, it contains a coccidant (please correct that spellingif it's wrong, someone, hehe) which I have told her is not good at allfor piggers and can slowly kill them. She just says she's always doneit so why change now? :?

Jack loves his stuffy, he's always either grooming it or showing it his affections in other ways .

 

[MyBoyHarper]

Lol minilops, Harper used to show some uhh... 'affection' to his stuffed cow before he was neutered.

I also just wanted to mention that if you get a stuffed baby, itdoesn't have to be anything fancy either. Mine all came from thriftstores, some only cost a nickel.

Here's a couple pics of my boy Thumper with his stuff lamb named Lamb Chop:

 

[binkies]

MyBoyHarper wrote:

Looooook at that tongue!

 

[MyBoyHarper]

Want to know something sad binkies? I never noticed the tongue until you said something. :shock:

Good grief, chameleon tongue!

 

[1dog3cats17rodents]

Guinea's are silly fragile little things(despite their massive girth) a bunny could easily hurt one,without trying. As for diets, they are verydifferent. Guinea's need food with vitamin C, and should getveggies with it too. Also, guinea pigs don;'t show affectionnear the degree rabbits do, rabbits can get nnoyed and put out thatguinea pigs won't let them groom them all the time. I agreethat they should not be housed together