*pets which one?*

[choccychic]

my two ds are starting to ask regularly about a pet (they are 7 and 5). I have never been keen on having a dog or cat but wondered if anyone else had rabbit/guinea pig etc, and could help with pros/cons/life expectancy etc?

rabbits are lovely. I have 2. guinea pigs are cute but quick!!! they are easy to look after. Mine run around the garden all day.

rabbits ROCK!

pros:
they are very clean
they are cheap to feed
they don't need taking for walks
they only need 2 jabs a year

cons:
they CAN be nervous (general rule of thumb, the bigger they are the more docile/easy to handle they are)
they like company so you're best off with 2 (this could be a pro! one each?)
initial outlay can be quite expensive

you will need a nice big, big, big hutch. at pet shops they are quite expensive, if you know anyone with the appropriate skills then make one yourself.
You will also need a big run, or a rabbit-proof garden to let them out in. The more time they spend running around the better!
Life expectancy... have had conflicting advice, some say 5-8 years, some say 8-12!

They are best off with company as I said before, and if you can keep them in a run all day and just in their hitch at night it will do them good because a) they will nibble on lots of stuff and keep their teeth worn down, and b) they will be able to dig stuff and keep their nails short.

rabbits' teeth grow constantly and if they don't have enough stuff to chew on you will have to get them clipped by the vet.

They are LOVELY though, easy to look after and cheap. They will need cleaning out at least once a week. bedding consists of sawdust and hay, and big bags of rabbit food are quite reasonably priced.

hope this helps!

Message withdrawn

MY DOG LOVES RABBITS.....................................HA HA ONLY KIDDING[GRIN]

pets? aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!

What about bringing rabbits in doors from time to time - do they leave lots of little curranty deposits in their wake?

yes they do!! but im ok cos the dog eats them!!! PMSL!!!

Ah, so it's best to get both a rabbit and a dog!

Chinchilla
had to give mine away when dd born but they are beautiful; and so cuddly and loving, very very clean(no smells)can give them normal cheap pellets or buy a mixed bag, their toys include big cardboard chubes, cuttle fish, salt blocks and anything wood to knaw on or climb up.

they are rather fast though so shut all doors and windows when they are out!

more expensive than a rabbit and cage was about £70, but thats it!, no other big purchases and they are wonderful!

Thanks for replies !
Having heard tales of burrowing rabbits escaping, wondered if guinea pigs are any less adventurous- we live in the country and foxes are regular visitors at night! Obviuosly a rabbit would be OK in a secure run but are they likely to dig their way out??

guinea pigs are lovely to and waddle around rather than scarper

chinchillas do live up to 20 odd years though, so you wont have to deal with pet funerals while they are little

ive got 2 gps and they are so easy to look after as you need to change the bedding every 2 days etc where rabbits is every 5 days as gps doesnt dirt in one corner like rabbits does...

one had died thou 2 months ago and she was 5 yrs old, the other one (sister) is still alive so i make sure i put her out nearly every day

We have just become the proud owners of two rats!!!!!!! Chester and Lem....they are ace pets and ds's adore them.

There are a lot of rescue rabbits available from RSPCA as kids get bored with them and dump them. If you get one of these they won't last as long and you can get a good idea of the temprement before you take it home. If you get does make sure that they are nutered before you let them out in the garden or you may find yourself with a population explosion.

Thanks Triceratops, I hadn't thought of that, certainly worth looking into!

My mum and dad have a Rabbit and he's 7 1/2.

He actually had to have an operation on Monday because his teeth had grown so quickly that they had gone in to the roof of his mouth and caused a bad eye infection.

They don't use their garage so they have converted half of it in to a Rabbit run! He goes in it on a night and spends the day in the garden.

One massive tip if you do change your mind and decide you might get a dog DO NOT GET A BEAGLE!!!

Has anyone ever had a rabbit and guinea pig together? do you think they wood get on?

never keep a rabbit and guinea pig together. the rabbit would kick the guinea pig to death,
if getting GP's get 2 of same sex preferably sibkings as they need company. children would need to be well supervised around GP's as the kids could easily frighten or hurt them.

Message withdrawn

we hd a rabbit and a guinea pig and they got on fine!
although, the guinea pig kept stealing the rabbits carrot

We had 2 guinea pigs and they were great, cuddly, but a bit boring, If you live in the country, how about a couple of hens ? ds and dd love collecting the eggs, and they are really easy to look after.

Guinea pigs don't burrow like rabbits.

And I second whoever said don't mix rabbits and guinea pigs. Apart from the 'bullying' aspect, their dietry requirements are different and they can get sick from not getting the right nutrients.

We have 2 guinea pigs. They are very cute, but ours were 'secondhand' and a year old when we got them. They hadn't been handled much and are very nervy. But grumpy really.

But I'm sure they're lovely if you have them from babies.

muck machines - all of them

That is true Jools. When I put them out the other day my two little boys (they had to be boys, didn't they?) tipped over the little house in their run, poo'd and wee'd in there and then sat in it.. Lovely.

Don't get one or any!
You have to get them looked after to go on holiday, vets bills (at least kids have the free NHS), your kids will not look after them after 6 months and you'll clean up after them. Oh and animals stink!