We are going to get some pets for DD (aged 4) and I. She's asked for a pet every day since January (her birthday is September!) and is animal mad. I also like animals- I am fully aware she is far, far too young to actually look after a pet herself but I will encourage her to be involved.
I started a thread for small pet suggestions here ad we narrowed it down to rats or guinea pigs. I have emailed and filled in questionnaires for 3 rat breeders round here. A fourth I tried isn't currently breeding. 2 haven't replied- at all. Not to emails, the questionnaire, or facebook messages over the last month. One may have some babies we could have in late autumn, maybe. They are all agouti or black though, and with my MIL being rat phobic and my mum hating them I think they're the worst variety for us. I admit they don't massively grab me either (the colours, not the animals!). So for reasons of being entirely unsure we can source any easily handled rats I am giving up on that idea for now.
My DD has not given up at all, the idea of rabbits though. I know what she really wants though is a pet which she can sit on her lap and cuddle. How likely is it a pair of bunnies may be happy to sit on a lap and be stroked?? I'm guessing very slim? For either rabbits or guineas I would like them in at night/ in winter. I looked at a lovely pen by Boyle's for if we had rabbits but it is out of our price range. Would either of these be suitable/ more suitable than the other or neither for the bunnies while they are indoors?
this one?
or this?
any good?
I assume if we decide to go for the much more sensible option of guineas the second cage is more than enough for a trio of piggies?
I will also have an outdoor run.
Is the cleaning out for piggies a real pain? it's many years since we had piggies and I'm sure we did it all wrong as we had them outdoors all year round with lots of hay for winter and on wood shavings and newspaper underneath that 
Basically though I had a rabbit as a teenager- and he was fabulous- we did it 'all wrong' for them all. The rabbit lived alone (fought with brother- our friends took the brother) free ranged round the garden and was never locked away. He slept in the garage, specifically under the car, especially when the weather was cold and the engine warm... we missed the school bus many a time for reasons of rabbit under the car refusing to move 
. I think my problem with the piggies we had was they were outdoors so little time spent with them in winter- not enough I'm sure, as we were busy with ponies and mice and hamsters and the rabbit and them. So our piggies were fairly shy- unless you had food and didn't seem as interesting as the other animals we had. I loved our rabbit so much.
Can anyone help me see the light in which pets to get and advise on housing, cleaning, feeding etc?
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Small pets
Rabbit and piggie owners, can I ask you some questions?
DreamingOfAFullNightsSleep · 23/04/2015 14:36
Thanks Fernie There is no way the rabbits would go back to a rescue- they would become mine, all mine, and we might add to our pets with pigs if it didn't work out. A rabbi breeder relatively near me thinks handled rabbits would sit on a lap and be stroked. I have my doubts. I thought she might just be trying to sell rabbits but then she did say she'd have them back if things didn't go well (I don't intend to get any animal as a 'trial' btw, they will have a home for life) We have looked after our friend's piggies and the 2 of them had a cage which was definitely no bigger than that, I will try and get bigger. I physically can't fit much bigger into our house, anywhere, though. Even for that size the hall is the only space it'll fit. No, I agree, for pigs no ramp. In the garden a 6' hutch is no problem- our garden is much bigger than our house!- and I certainly wouldn't envisage them being in the cage or hutch all day, ever.
We did visit our local rescue centre. They had 3 pigs in but said they were so timid and unsuitable for young children. I have seen on their website they've 3 young females in now so we could always ask. Out of 40 rabbits they had they only though 3 would be suitable to come and live with young children.
Getting a pet is more stressful than planning another child. 
Dreaming. I'm rescuing GPs. I've got the dandelion den hutch from pets at home. A really good quality one. Currently on offer for £61 on the website with free delivery. I just ordered a fab run too from zoo plus. It was £50 with free delivery. Sign up for 5% discount. They have some fab hideys on there. I also have a pets Facebook group for the county I live in. They are adds selling one of those mega long indoor rabbit hutch for £20 but I won't get one til the winter.
I won't beat around the bush though, kitting their new pad out is costing me a small fortune!!
PM me if you want any more details 
My GPs would love hutch 1!! Their outdoor hutch has a run which they use happily, but indoors would be in utopia if they had access to a run all the time!
Our DDs live the Guinness pigs, messy as they are
Guinea-Pigs though I'm biased and I've never kept rabbits.
Any reason for a trio in particular?
Three sows can work well, depending on the pigs. My Rescue girls aren't related. Their temperaments are completely different.
Three boars is a recipe for disaster unless you really know what makes boars 'tick'
A neutered boar and a hareem of ladies works well . ( You can get neutered boars from Rescue, they;ll sometimes snip the ones that can't boar match) but you need to pay more to adopt them .
My pigs have a Playhouse and tend to lard about in the haybox (cleaned daily, the rest of the floor stays pretty clean for a week) , a rabbit run ( 84" long) and an indoor winter sleep cage (4'x2' which is too small for 3 adults but they only slept there) and too small for 2 boars.
They are generally cuddly, sweet tempered animals (you'll always get the odd 'rogue' one though) My Himalayan had to be clamped to my shoulder when I first got her, but she sits nicely until she needs a pee then she walks backwards to warn me.
The disadvantage of guineas- they need to be a bit more pampered and you need to think for them.If I had a free run, they'd probably go out in bad weather then chatter their teeth . And they need protected against cold,wind,draughts,changes of temperature, foxes,cats,damp,direct sun.
Rabbits can withstand more rain/cold .
The trio is a good plan FullNight - as you say , you don't have a lone pig , but unless you keep adding (which tends to be the case ) you'll have a lone pig at some time.
When we got our girls to pig match with GP3 , that was the rationalle for us, and yes, when GP3 died suddenly, we were glad we had the two girls.
Just reading on an earlier post you've seen a group of three girls , so an established group (but they will sort out their hierarchy so one will be Alpha Pig).
If you want really cuddly piggies, a pair of lardy adult boars (who have gone through their Terrible Teens) are highly recommended by my DD.
They do need more space and boars do have their own potential health issues (impaction) but sows can be prone to reproductive system lumps and tumours 
.
WRT being run reliant for rabbits- have you had a look at the "Runaround" website? Very £££ but some good ideas
If i had rabbits (unlikely ) I'd get a carpenter (or persuade DH) to make some sturdy tunnels (wood and sturdy wire mesh) to link up various runs. Some can be under cover to make them more like tunnels.
Drainpipe tunnels if you can get the right size. (The difficulty would be connecting them all )
Wild rabbits run 5 miles a day, the domestic rabbit in a hutch probably doesn't get to run more than 5 feet at a time.
So though it's not like being Free Range ay least with a series of linked tunnels and runs, you can give them space and keep them safe.
I know my guinea-pigs don't have the freedom that they'd have if they lived in Peru with their free ranging cousins , but at least they won't end up on a plate
khulil
guinea-pigs are very timid and though 99% are lovely and tame, there's always the odd piggie (which is why I get really annoyed when sellers say they never bite. They have teeth for a reason, if they see fit , they may well bite)
I had a very independant uncuddly pig but she'd free range round the house like a little dog (Evil Edna).
One of my pigs now is a bit 'toothy'
And they are basically fur covered alimentary canals on legs. They eat, they pooh, they pee. They don't do litter training, that's for rabbits and rats .
I love the piggies, but I am very quick to tell people (yes you piggie gawpers at Pets @ Home, when the parent says "Oh we;ll get you a guinea-pig" ) EXACTLY what they're letting themselves in for.
And if they decide not to impulse buy a pig, and go off to think about it, then my job is done.
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