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Rabbit, gerbil or guinea pig?

47 replies

peckarollover · 17/10/2005 18:11

DD is turning 6 and has been asking for a pet for the last 4 years! Also have a DS 2 who LOVES animals and I am a childminder and Im thinking a little pet would be good for the kids too.

Can anyone recommend either a rabbit, gerbil or guinea pig over the others? Merits/drawbacks of each?

Thanks

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Tiggiwinkle · 17/10/2005 21:00

Hopefully the pet shop should be able to tell you if they are from the same litter.
We kept ours indoors because they are so much more accessible-if they are outside they tend to get "forgotten". Better to clean out in the winter as well! They dont smell as long as you clean them out regularly either.

peckarollover · 17/10/2005 21:10

Right, so what do you keep them in indoors? Still a huge hutch?

Would it be possible to have a hutch outside and whatever inside so they could sometimes be in sometimes be out?

Sorry for the endless questions, want to make sure Im a good guinea pig mummy before we go ahead!

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kid · 17/10/2005 21:12

Out of the choices I think a guinea pig is easiest to look after, but, they make quite a lot of noise. They do sound funny though!

buffytheharpsichordcarrier · 17/10/2005 21:34

I LOVE rabbits but not really suitable pets for small children for lots of reasons.
g pigs are cute but yes I would say get a pair

tamum · 18/10/2005 14:34

Hi peckarollover, we have an indoor htuch (plastic, like a huge hamster's cage) and a wooden run for outside. We have a little igloo-y thing inside the run so they can shelter in there if they want to, but otherwise they get to roam around on the grass (but within the run, obviously). I think the cage was about £40, maybe? I would also recommend getting two, they are pretty sociable and their interactions provide a lot of entertainment! (not not that way, just the mucking about play fights and things)

Tiggiwinkle · 18/10/2005 19:07

Ferplast do some good indoor cages. It would probably be best to keep them basically indoors and have a run for outside for when the weather is good. Or to have an outside hutch for all the time, if that is where you decide to keep them. (I dont know if they would adapt to living both indoors and then someitmes outside in the cold.)

peckarollover · 19/10/2005 14:42

Im all excited about our baby guinea pigs now. Been to the farm today and saw some really lovely ones. Going to the cat and dog shelter to have a look what they have.

I have also noticed some listings in the free paper selling them - where is best to buy them? Pet shop, family or farm?

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tamum · 19/10/2005 17:34

Hmm, I'm not sure. Our local pet shops didn't have any so I'm afraid we went to a huge Pets@Home. They were actually very good and went round the shop with us with a checklist of things we needed. I would say the main thing would be to buy them from somewhere that is good at identifying which sex they are unless you want lots more

JanH · 19/10/2005 23:47

You can get lots more even then, unless you just get boys - we unwittingly acquired pg females twice!

peckarollover · 20/10/2005 18:27

Well.....we are now the proud owners of two 9 week old female guinea pigs. Stripey and Streaky.

DD is over the moon.

Thanks everyone for all of the advice

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Mrsbubsdevere · 20/10/2005 18:55

I have my guinea pigs inside, they are very very prone to respiratory problems if they are kept outside, also, if they are kept outside they are not to be brought inside to have a cuddle etc as it can make them ill.

If you do keep them outside they need to be kept in an elevated cage with a covering to protect them from wind etc.

In the summer, you need to make sure that they are kept in the shade on hot days as they are susceptible to heat stroke, don't put any of these added vitamin c drops to the water as it can make the water taste funny and they won't drink.

Don't give them normal rabbit food as it can make them is, they are best having guinea deluxe, its the same price and you can get it from vets. As long as they also have a constant supply of fresh water and hay (alfalfa hay is one of the best up until they are 6 months old, then give it as an occasional treat).

They love fresh fruit and veggies too, don't give them potatoes though as there is too much starch.

Every day my 3 get

Cucumber (with skin off as its too waxy)
A slice of orange
A baby carrot
Cherry Tomato
Cauliflower
Brocolli
Any kind of melon
Lettuce (any but romaine and iceberg)
Dandelion leaves and grass

As you can tell, I love guinea pigs and know quite alot about them , if you need any more help, feel free to ask

peckarollover · 20/10/2005 19:01

Mrsbdevere are you around? Im worried

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Mrsbubsdevere · 20/10/2005 19:06

I'm here

Mrsbubsdevere · 20/10/2005 19:07

add me to msn if you [email protected]

Ulysees · 20/10/2005 19:18

Awww congrats on your guinea pigs. We have 2 girl gps and they're lovely. Ours live inside too and their fave veggies are peppers and brocolli

Mrsbubsdevere · 20/10/2005 20:21

I forgot about peppers, they have that every day too, they also love sprouts.

JanH · 20/10/2005 23:30

becca, do be aware of this:

Unless your girls have been separated from boys since birth they could be pg so be prepared! Gestation is 9-10 weeks and they are born perfect adorable miniature gp's but boys will shag anything female in sight as soon as they can...

peckarollover · 21/10/2005 09:59

Just like to thank MrsBubsDevere for her help last night. She was great!! I was worried one of my babies had actually died but she explained to me that she had probably gone into a defence mechanism whereby they stay very very very still when they are nervous.

This morning they are both out of the box they came in (one of them was frozen in there) and wanderind around happily.

Still very jumpy when I open the door but they are definitely seeming more and more comfortable.

Janh - fingers crossed they arent pregnant!

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Tiggiwinkle · 21/10/2005 11:19

Congratulations on your new babies Peckarollover! They do take a while to settle as they are quite nervous little creatures!
Jan, your story reminds me of when we got our Russian hamsters last year. We got two, both boys we were assured by the petshop. (Russians, unlike Syrians, can be kept together). After a few weeks, one became extremely aggressive, biting anyone that put their hand in the cage. One morning we discovered that "he" had produced 8 babies! However, worse was to come, because what we did not know was that Russian hamsters mate again the very day they give birth (poor mummy ham!)
So 19 days later, we had another litter of 6 to contend with! I ended up having to give most of the babies to the petshop as we were unable to find homes for them all!

Bugsy2 · 13/12/2005 10:37

Pecka, how are the Guinea Pigs doing? My two children are desperate to get a pet. Ideally I would like a dog or cat, but it is just not possible in our house. Having read this thread, it does sound as though Guinea Pigs might work for us. Any update greatly appreciated.

Bugsy2 · 13/12/2005 10:38

Pecka, how are the Guinea Pigs doing? My two children are desperate to get a pet. Ideally I would like a dog or cat, but it is just not possible in our house. Having read this thread, it does sound as though Guinea Pigs might work for us. Any update greatly appreciated.

Bugsy2 · 13/12/2005 10:38

Pecka, how are the Guinea Pigs doing? My two children are desperate to get a pet. Ideally I would like a dog or cat, but it is just not possible in our house. Having read this thread, it does sound as though Guinea Pigs might work for us. Any update greatly appreciated.

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