Which small pet is more suitable?

[HastaLaVistaBebe]

My daughter (nearly 10) would love rabbits. I had them myself growing up and have read up a lot on looking after them, we have the space and would invest in a good and safe run for them.

Our only hesitation is that she is picturing herself having the occasional cuddle with them, and my husband, who grew up having Guinea pigs, says they would therefore be more suitable.

I know he is right, although my own rabbits never minded sitting on my lap for a bit.

Are there any other considerations we should bear in mind?

Guinea pigs are much hardier and easier to handle

Guinea-pigs are not hardy they need protected from everything
Heat , cold, damp (it can easily kill them) predators.
They need the right diet .
They can get ill and die very quickly , you need to know their habits . (I knew one of my sows was ill because she sat differently and wouldn't join her cagemates . There was no animosity , she just took herself off and sat gently 'nodding' )

You need a good Guinea Pig Savvy Vet . They don't need vaccines like rabbits do and they don't need neutered unless you want sows+boar (only one boar in a mixed group . Or 2 boars as a pair , not more)

They are (and I say this with great love as DD and I adored our piggies) Just A Bit Dim.
But they are chatty , greedy , messy , interactive, defenceless little rodents who rarely (not never) bite . And I'd state hand on heart that if you get bitten it is something you've done ( obviously if its your first pigs don't get wild ex breeders , one of mine was a mouthy little toad who gnawed and had claws like knives . But I'd asked for feisty , our boar was a huge 1.4kg young boy)

If she really wants rabbits , make sure she won't feel fobbed off with guinea-pigs
Make sure she's not allergic to fur or hay
Though my DD developed an allergy to 2 of her coarse coated pigs
She looked after the school rabbits (in the school not our house) and much preferred our pigs

And I'll leave you with this thought :
No matter what she says now , how much she promises , there will be times that she won't look after them.

DD and I shared the piggies (and I offered to swap one of mine for her allergenic boar but nope) So if she said "Mum I'm doing something , I'm ill, I'm staying at a friends" then I did it . Just as easy for me to tend to all of them while I tended to mine . But next day , she did the care > My daughter isn't an angel and I only sometimes felt taken advantage of

If it happens that she doesn't you , as the adults , step up . No question. The animals are legally yours , she is 10 .
And rabbits will be with you when she's left home
Piggies too , you'll get into the spiral of One Dies/You Get Another as company .

GPs are much better pets than rabbits for dc having tried both.
But rats are easily the best small pet in my experience.

[Rabbits] Expensive to keep: 2 jabs each every year.

Not saying they aren't expensive but it is a single vaccine now.

Is there any reason why you wouldn't just get a cat ? They are so much more affectionate than guinea pigs or rabbits and so much easier to look after.

Rabbits are hard work. I have 2 mini rex. They cost far more than the dog in vet fees. They are spoilt and fussed over but I regret them and I don't recommended them. Before anyone panics they have big housing with lots of garden time and I've had to learn all about stasis and their health needs.
Dbunny2 has bloody ditched her litter tray though and that's made me really quite cross.
Both are tame and cuddly though you can fuss db2 like a cat she's lush

I have to agree in the main.
we have two cats now ( my DH really wanted cats when the last of our piggies went to the Rainbow Bridge)
Independant (aka honourary and cussed)
They are very routine-led .
Breakfast/Dreamies/Supper
They adore DH , DD and DS but give me a ill disguised look of disgust (even though I'm the one who trawled the Cat rescue sites, found a glazier to fit a new door panel+catdoor £££)
She helps DH when he WFH .

I do say to DH "The guinea-pigs never did that "
He replies "the guinea pigs never did anything"

@70isaLimitNotaTarget That made me laugh!

We had two sets of guinea pigs and my dd diligently looked after them but the amount of pooing and seeing they did, while being handled as well as in their hutches / runs was off-putting in the extreme. We’d not have any more.

Cats are much more fun!

I would definitely suggest rats. They actively enjoy human contact and being handled and cuddled, which many (though not all) rabbits and piggies find stressful. They don't need outdoor space or as much space, and are much cleaner.

The downside is they don't live very long, but in some ways that makes them better pets for children (as children often get bored with pets, and the pets wind up living out years of their lives being neglected, or the parents get stuck looking after an unwanted animal who might live another 5-10 years).

Ah but guinea-pig pooh is just inoffensive chopped up veg (if they're healthy of course) . It fertilizes the lawn a treat ( though the lawn did look like a swarm of locust razed it !)

Yesterday the cats decided to gaslight me , I saw red in the tray Oh feck , ones bleeding ! it was some of the netting from oranges that they'd dug in.
Little gits

Piggies every time!

Our lot are currently wheeking at me & trying to claim that they're poor wee starving piggies even though DD gave them their veggies before she went out they know I have a secret strawberry stash though.

They are, as 70isalimit says a bit dim but they are very lovable & have little quirks - we have one that loves watching Anne with an E.

Gerbils :-)

I volunteer in rescue and we say to all parents "This is not your child's pet, this is YOUR pet, and if your child shows any interest, then that's a bonus". This really is the reality. Guinea Pig lifespan is up to 8 years, Rabbits up to 12 years.

Neither should be kept in a hutch. Rabbits should have large outdoor enclosures and plenty of space to roam / live indoors too. Rabbits are exotic pets. Guinea pigs must live indoors during the winter, very hot weather. Both are highly social and must be in pairs.

Whatever you choose, please, please rescue. We're over run with pets, through no fault of their own.

(PS personally I'd get rats, they're fabulous)

if it had to be out the two, it would be Guinea pigs (always never on their own). Are you aware how much space they need? Cages in general sale are too small for Guinea pigs (those type of things in pets at home are adequate size for hamsters, not Guinea pigs believe it or not)

Honestly though, there’s easier animals and I can’t agree more with a cat being easier.

I love rats, think they're brilliant pets (apart from the lifespan), but don't think they're really a substitute for a rabbit. It's a very different pet -owning experience. Guinea pigs, on the other hand, are more or less rabbits but better (IMHO).

Guinea Pigs are adorable!!

my Godson had a pet rat, he was the friendliest little fella, loved to sit on your shoulder when you walked around & on your chest/lap when you sat down, he was most often out if his cage, so you had to remember to look under the sofa cushions before you sat down! Quite often you'd be sitting on the couch & he'd appear out of nowhere & stare at you until you made him welcome on you.

Still miss the little guy!

Once you get past 'rat' they're brilliant pets.

Rescued a rabbit from a cousins house where it was neglected. If I sat on the floor it would come & sit on my lap, gorgeous wee thing it was, we spent a fortune at the vets, but it didn't make it 🥲No regrets, except not rescuing it sooner.

I wouldn't have another rabbit though, Guinea pigs are much easier. The only thing is though, even with daily poo clean outs, they can be smelly so not ideal in the house and they need to be inside over winter st least. Unless you have an outbuilding & use heat pads etc. I like them inside where I can chat to them!

Rats are the best small pet , they actually want to play / be with their human . If you do go down the GP route keep them indoors , they will be much friendlier .

I've had both, and I found rats much more 'pet-like- pets than rabbits. You can spend hours cuddling them and teaching them to do tricks, they can ride around on your shoulder, and you can watch them in their cage at night.

When I had rabbits they spend practically the entire time either running around the garden or hiding inside their hutch, and didn't seem to want much interaction with humans.

Thanks everyone. I think we’ve landed on Guinea pigs for definitely as she’s very happy about it, and I’m totally on board with them being my pets as much as hers. We will start looking into adopting two.

You do realise you won't be able to open the fridge , rustle a bag, chop any fruit or veg or sneak something noisy (like a bag of crisps) without the chorus of wheek wheek wheek "we have mouths too y'know, and they haven't been attached to our stomachs so we're staaaaaarved "

Look up a YouTube video of guinea-pig noises , they are very vocal and they mean different things that will help you bond with the piggies

Good luck OP prepare to fall in love 🥰

DD got 2 with many protestations from me that I wouldn't be doing anything for them (she was 18 & very responsible) but I couldn't help myself! Then when 4 others were going to be put into rescue I offered up DD's services to take them in, we unfortunately lost one of the rescues but they are definitely part of the family now & I'm the soft touch when the wheeking starts 😳

Think very carefully about either rabbits or guinea-pigs. Guinea-pigs are probably better pets for children, as if they are handled regularly and gently, they actually seem to enjoy cuddles. However, they need plenty of space (though less than rabbits), including indoor space for most or all of the year. They don't like extremes of temperature. They need high quality bedding, which is expensive, not least because they need cleaning out very frequently (more frequently than rabbits, which usually toilet in one corner). Veterinary care can be very expensive, though they aren't usually vaccinated or neutered.

Rabbits need a big area of garden to run around in and can also be expensive to look after. They aren't typically 'cuddly' (some exceptions, I had one cuddly bunny!), but most enjoy some interaction, on their own terms. The main advantage of rabbits is that they usually live for about 8-10 years, whereas guinea-pigs only live for typically around 5 years, which is difficult as you can get extremely attached to them!

In my experience, either rabbits or guinea-pigs are rather more work to look after than a cat and possibly more expensive too. Just something to bear in mind!

I would agree that the gps are more work than our cat. The cleaning out every morning is tedious - they need all fresh hay, dirty removed. DC of course promised they’d do this, but don’t (they’re 9 & 6) so DH and I do it most mornings. But I also agree they’re loveable. I keep on threatening to rehome them as the kids aren’t cleaning them out, but I know I couldn’t actually bring myself to do that

I think like most things it's about the breed more than anything. We had lop eared rabbits & they were totally cuddle bunnies, lived freely in our secure yard & would let themselves in through the cat flap on occasions. I'm not a big lover of Guinea pigs, they are cute to look at, but I've never met one with as much character as our other pets. I agree with the suggestion of rats too though, they make fabulous pets, very intelligent & very affectionate