Rabbits Or Guinea Pigs....Hmmm......Which One?

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adelore

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Location
, Michigan, USA
Hi,

Well I've had Guinea Pigs for years and Outside Rabbits but only one other house Rabbit before the ones I have now.

The First house Rabbit we ever had was givien to us as an oldRabbit. Well Molly was really neat, but being how she wasreally old, the poor dear only lived with us for 6 months before shepassed on.

Right now I have two inside house Rabbits with two more outside thatare going to be moving in the house too. (They are now litter brokenand will be moving in the house this weekend.)

I've had Guinea Pigs always in the house. Years ago the typeof cage everyone kept them in were the breeder fish tanks.But I don't use tanks and haven't for years. Currently I have 22 GuineaPigs living outside in my shed that we have redone (almost finished)for them. I did have 10 of them in the house. Eventhough I really like my Guinea Pigs I must admit I prefer my Rabbitsover them. Guinea Pigs are alot more work and the cost oftheir upkeep is so much more than my Rabbits ever thought ofbeing. Not to mention...please don't take this wrong, but myRabbits seem to be so much smarter and willing to show loveback.

I enjoy Rabbits so much more that I'm even thinking of getting out ofraising Guinea Pigs. For those of you who've had both GuineaPigs and Rabbits...what are your thoughts between the two animals?

Thanks,

Annette


 
Hi Adelore,

Personally, I'd take a rabbit or an elephant over any other animal.

* * * * * * * * * * *

My niece was thinking of getting a hamster this weekend. Parents weren't totally against it.

I mentioned a guinea pig to her.

Please allow me to jump on this wagon too.

A guinea pig or a hamster?

-Carolyn
 
You know what? I like my rabbits a lotmore than the guinea pigs. Madi and Susan were the first thatI had ever had, when I was a kid my mom was totally against any kind ofpet...anyway, Susan was a bit more mellow than Madi (maybe that wasbecause he was really a boy), and now Madi is even moreskittish. I can't even catch her to give her loving (sheallowed me some cuddle time after she gave birth). And Ireally hate the shavings.

It seems that the rabbits are much easier to love and are able to loveback more so than the piggies. Ella now comes up to the doorto get scratches and kisses when I feed her. I don't evenbribe her with treats!!!! It's pretty exciting.

On the hamster score....I wouldn't know. It seems that theyhave really neat things to buy for them. My stepsister hadhamsters. I remember that they had babies and the babies keptfalling out of the cage....Bunnies are better. Actuallyferrets are great too, but they are messy!!!

I am going to get another piggy or two though for Madi. I amgetting them from a breeder this time, so they should be imprinted andused to humans when I get them. I'm hoping this will help her.

Dawn
 
Carolyn wrote:
Hi Adelore,

Personally, I'd take a rabbit or an elephant over any other animal.

* * * * * * * * * * *
Click to expand...


Need a big hutch for an elephant, Carolyn, and think of the mess beforehe was littertrained .I think rabbits are more 'inter-active' than guinea pigs, but pigs canbe very friendly with plenty of handling, and I love the way they'speak' to you. They are better than hamsters, that are usually quiteaggressive, and they live longer too. How about a rat? Verysmart,friendly and fairly long living. Personally, I can'timagine life without rabbits now - Jan
 
Lets see....ive had all four, if you count rats.they all have their good sides. i apologize if i steal someone elsespoint. most likely luvabun cuz there were so many good points in thatone.
~Rabbits are the most responsive. they'll listen to you, and most ofthe time do what they're told. they're like...a 2 year old. they cantsay much, but they can understand a lot...when they want to. plus, theycan be potty trained.
~Guinea pigs are like 6mo olds. they can understand what you're saying,but they wont respond. they squeal a lot, and, from my experience, outof the cage, they're happiest just sitting in one spot, looking around.but they always know when foods coming, or when they're hungry. plusthey leave little presents everywhere they go :D
~Hamsters cant be compared with kids. Im not a big fan of hamsters eventhough ive had 3. if you do something they dont like, they'll bite you.similar to how a 2 year old will yell and scream if you dont let themplay with the electric cord. they're soft, and have cool cages, but 1.the cool cages are really annoying to clean, and 2. they're smart. theyhave an awesome cage!!! why would they wanna be caught and put into alittle ball to roll around in, or be pet? they'd rather run around inthe cage. i know i would hehe.
~and Rats. rats are stubborn. my rats never bit me, but they did bitemy dad when he stuck his fingers in the cage. that was his own fault. ihad saved the rats from my friends bio teacher last year so he wouldntfeed them to his snake. the one thing i noticed when id take themplaces is people dont like their tail. they love their body and theythink they're adorable, but they hate the tails. plus mine refused tochew on their block of wood, which is my suspicion as to why they hadan early demise. i only had them...3 months? maybe a little more. andmy suspicion is that their teeth grew too long to chew, and theystarved themselves. again, rats dont have an associated age group.they're a whole mix.

so theres my 2 cents.
ps. ive decided i babysit too much. while typing those analogies, i wasthinking in my head of the actual kids i babysit for who act like theseanimals. but i couldnt find one for rat lol.
 
Carolyn wrote:
Hi Adelore,

Personally, I'd take a rabbit or an elephant over any other animal.

* * * * * * * * * * *

My niece was thinking of getting a hamster this weekend. Parents weren't totally against it.

I mentioned a guinea pig to her.

Please allow me to jump on this wagon too.

A guinea pig or a hamster?

-Carolyn
Click to expand...


Hey there Carolyn!

How old is your niece? Because hamsters are nocturnal she wouldnt havemuch time to play with it because they sleep all day and are awake allnight.

I cant really say much about guinea pigs but if shes quite young she would probably want a pet that wasnt asleep all day.

What about fish?? (just to be different) a big tank of fish. Tropicalfish. Unless shes going towards a cuddley pet then what about apuppy!!!! Everyone loves a puppy! Or maybe a cat!!!!!!

Sorry seemed to have changed the subject there.



Just go buy the girl a monkey. Everyones happy.
 
Carolyn wrote:
Hi Adelore,

Personally, I'd take a rabbit or an elephant over any other animal.

* * * * * * * * * * *
Click to expand...


You'd take a WHAT?????!!!

Now myself, I'd take a cheetah. None of those elephants for me!

Since I don't have a cheetah, I love my bunnies!

hehe

Rose
 
Hamsters: I have one, but I would not recommendthem as pets. The dwarf varieties, maybe, but never a Syrian(aka Golden or Teddy Bear) hamster.

First, they are nocturnal, which means "Don't bug me!" during the day.Most kids won't respect those boundaries. I personally never try tohandle my hamster during the day. If he's awake, it's usually becausehe's foraging. I don't want to get up in the middle of the night to geta snack and be accosted.

Second, they are solitary animals. In the wild (and they've only beendomesticated since the 70's), they never interact with other creatures,not even of their own species. Again, dwarves are a little different asthey are social creatures, so they adapt a little better to beinghandled. But Syrians are fiercly independant, and would appreciatebeing left well enough alone, thankyouverymuch.

Third, and this is more for young owners, they are fragile. They caneasily brak a leg, a rib, a neck. They're a lot smaller than you - howare they going to defend themselves. They bite. Hard. Not the cuddliestpet.

Finally, most people do not understand what it takes to simulate ahamster's natural environment. There are no plastic tubes in the wild.For instance, my hamster has a lower level on his cage that is onlyaccesable by him (unless we take the cage apart to clean it). It has alayer of shavings, a PVC pipe and half a milk jug (to simulate a den),and all that is covered by hay. This means I hardly ever get to seehim, as his spend most of his time burrowed away. I spread the foodover this hayed area, so he gets the sense of "foraging". In the wild,a hamsters food would never be piled in one spot, just waiting for him.

The top level of his cage has a water dish (how unnatural is a waterbottle?), a sandbox (yes, they are desert creatures, they looove sand),and a wheel. No, a wheel is not at all natural, but if I can't let himrun the 9 or so miles they traverse every night, than I can at leastgive him a wheel. I use a Wodent Wheel, the best wheelever :D

Anyway, sorry for the tangent, but a typical hamster will live it'svery short life stressed and miserable because of improper care. Justwanted to add my two cents.

~M

P.S. I'm with Carolyn, an elephant all the way!!
 
I like both guinea pigs and rabbits, but Idefinitely prefer rabbits. They are quieter and I find them to be morefriendly and interective. Though I must say it is too cute when aguinea pig "purrs". :)
 
rabbits all the way. in all my guinea pigexperiences (which i am now trying to keep very few) my piggy has beenvery indifferent to me, and sometimes mean. i know some peopleappreciate them very much as pets, however i did not find enjoymentfrom the ones i kept because:

• they pooped everywhere and all the time

• for all the effort i put into them, they didn't give back.

as m.e. said, don't go with a Syrian hamster. we had a teddy bear andit was so big and mean and hated being "bugged" during the day. i dorecommend the dwarf variety. we had a dwarf hamster named "Teeny", andshe was awesome. she was way more interactive than regular hamsters,small enough to handle, and very active during the day. ive never had arat, but from what ive heard they are very good pets. my friend has onethat knows tons of tricks and is very friendly and smart.

but rabbits, really, are the best!!!
 
My 2 cents worth. I find Guinea Pigs are tooskittish & squeak alll the time, you can't cuddle them likerabbits. Rabbits are so much more sociable & cuddly &fun.

As for hamsters I am not sure why everyone seems to get one as a first pet because

A) They bite hard

B) They run on their wheel all night & keep you up

C) They sleep all day & have little personality

We have had many gerbils & they are a lot of fun ( just makesure you gerbil proof your room because they will chew througheverything) My son now has 2 Degu's & they area lotof fun & love to jump & climb & they sleep atnight!

I never had a rat, but friends have & although I don't like thelook of their spiney tail , they are apparently the smartest &most easy to train of all small aniamls & really make greatpets ( that is if you can get past their spiney tail & rodentlook)

We also have a Sheltie & a Holland Hop & they are bothlovabe enjoyable family pets ( they love each other too!:))

Sue
 
Good Post! Very helpful with input.

LuvaBun: I did think about that elephant poop issue, but I'd worksomething out. My babies would have so much land to roam on that itwouldn't be too bad.

Loz: Shhh, my niece and nephew would love to get a monkey! Nephew is 7, niece is 9.

Rabbitgirl: Cheetahs are gorgeous. What a beautiful animal to watch.

m.e.: When you mentioned the book, When Elephants Weep, Istrongly suspected you felt the same way about them as I did. They'resuch sweet Gentle Giants.

Everyone that answered this post, thank you. You gave me the answers tothe questions I wondered about the most about hamsters vs. guinea pigs.:)

-Carolyn
 
I love guinea pigs!! I think they are so cute. Ididnt think they were unfriendly. We dont have anymore, we found themhard to keep alive. Lost too many at young ages. We did have a couplethat lived to be about 4 yrs old. The piggie for me that lasted thelongest with never a sick day till the end was after i said no morepiggies for us. A friend begged me to take him. So We took him and kepthim seperate from the girl piggie we had.

I do love bunnies more though. Plus my son just got a pet mouse a week ago. Not sure how i am liking this yet.

Cristy
 
I didnt know that they were the only ones whocouldnt jump. Probably a good thing. Could you imagine how it wouldshake the earth if a elephant could jump. lol :)

Cristy
 
Loz n Ebony wrote:
Carolyn wrote:
Hi Adelore,

Personally, I'd take a rabbit or an elephant over any other animal.

* * * * * * * * * * *
Click to expand...


Did you know elephants are the only animals which cant jump?
Click to expand...

my guinea pig never jumped...and neither does my neighbors dog...

CAROLYN!!! I WANT A MONKEY!!! will you buy me a monkey? *lip and big eyes* puhleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze
 
Ask and you shall receive, Dreamgal!

This is the best I can do!! :)



-Carolyn
 
I find guinea pigs a million times moreresponsive than rabbits, but not as easy to give a BIG cuddle to - ourGP, Oz, climbs up the bars to see me, and if I say a certain phrase('What have I got for you, pig?') in a squeaky voice, he squeals withexcitement like a car alarm and won't stop till he gets histreat! He chunters when he walks and licks me constantlly.All of my GPs have done the same, but my rabbits are all stroppy littlethings, or at least a bit timid. I love pigs! Weeeeeee WeeeeeeeeWeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee;)
 
I have both, a rabbit and guinea pig.They're both equally loved, and get near enough the same affection fromme, but I feel Flopsy (rabbit) gives a lot more love and affectionback. I don't think Scruff has really taken to humans yet,but I'm not intirely sure why.. He just freaks out and hideswhen I go near his cage, but I love him just the same.

As for Carolyn's question, I think it would be a Hamster rather than aGuinea pig. As much as I love mine, Hamsters don't take up asmuch space, and they're all fluffy and cute (especially Dwaf Hamsters!).
 
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