Guinea pig help

Lisa_Ianniello

ive been thinking about getting a guinea pig...i just have a few questions

i was wondering can he/she sleep in the hutch with the rabbit?
can he/she go in a play pen in the garden with the rabbit?
i need a good name for a female Very Happy

thanks for your help

would prefer a food/drink name as most of our pets are named after food drink lol
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Lisa Ianniello

I Love You Calvin, My Big Silly Pups.

shadylady

you shouldnt really house a guinea pig wid a rabbit as the rabbits big back feet could hurt the guinea.. but you could get two guineas lol

and here is a name for a guinea, sprite..
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Lisa_Ianniello

good name lol and thanks for the help
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Lisa Ianniello

I Love You Calvin, My Big Silly Pups.

coliel

this is very intresting!
i always thought rabits and guinys could be best friends and i know that lots of petcorners and my local zoo and petshop have them sharing play areas!
how ever i have heard before about it being wrong - why?

tigger2503

You shouldnt have guineas and rabbits together as the rabbit can hurt a guinea easily. Guineas also have food with added vitamin c. Your better off having 2 piggies or 2 buns Smile

coliel

dont worry as i have never had iether!!!
but im sure lots of people i know feed their guiny rabit food!!
is this a prob or co you think its all the same realy but costs a little more!!!

Jacqui_UK

Rabbits and guinea pig is a big no no. They have different diet needs and can often hurt each other. A guinea pig has to be in a group of at least 2 as they are communal animals. Guinea must have extra vitamin c. Finally you must no guinea pigs should not be outside in cold frost seasons. Minimum is to be in a warm shed if not indoors.
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coliel

this is not true as i know loads and loads of people with guinys who live out side all year long one of which breads!!! and they are fine also these animals have been pets in england for years and they have been fed on rabit food and lived with rabits so why should it all be diffrent now?

GerbilPunk

i think they can live outdoors, but they have a shorter life span or something, so most people keep them indoors... not sure, its just what i heard...

how about looking at the guinea pig before you choose a name... or choose several names and choose what one fits best when you see him/her. Wink

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PIRATE.♥

dizzydog

a guinea pig can sleep very well with a rabbit !!!! Rolling Eyes

shadylady

its all different now as its in the best interest of the guinea pig in general and people now know more about guinea pigs individual needs.. for eg a guinea that doesnt get vitamin c could get (scurvy) and it results in swollen painful joints, reluntance too move, poor bone and teeth development and spontaneous bleeding from gums and into muscle.
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coliel

oh wow - but this must be rare and dont they get enough by eating fresh fruit and veg?
to be honest i dont much like guineys i think they are realy boring but my friend beaglefan loves them and she keeps hers in a shed and im sure that she will give guiney food as she is a loonatic when it comes to animals but all my "normal friends" ( sorry beaglefan) simply leave them out all year long feed rabit food as its cheaper and share their cage with rabits and they seem fine!
but perhaps like girbil punk says they have a shorter life span .

Twig

Definetly a no to keeping them together, Peter Guerny and even....yes even the RSPCA now recommeneds that they should never be housed together and p@h is encouraging its branches to keep the two species seperate, because they are just that, two different species.

Rabbits tend to be bullies, and introducing a pig of any age to an adult bun like yours is one sure way for an injured pig. Rabbits usually dominate and will bit, kick and even hump the gp to establish its dominance. Often the gp doesn't get its fair share of food either. Gps are quite delicate in structure compared to a rabbit, and a kick by a rabbit on another bun won't do any damage, but can easily break ribs on a gp.

Plus, they can't communicate, have different social structures and a different diet. Gps need far more veg than buns, need vit C and gp pellets, gps cannot eat rabbit pellets and vice versa. Feeding a gp rabbit pellets can kill gps due to the antibiotics used and gp pellets don't have the right nutritional content for rabbits.

There are numerous links to be found saying the same thing, it really is very basic to know this, so prehaps you need to do a lot more research before considering at least 2 gps.

www.guinealynx.com
www.peterguerney.co.uk
www.guineapigrehome.org.uk

Personally if I were you, I'd get another rabbit from a rescue and bondit with your bun as ideally buns should be in pairs. Your bun should be neutered though, and if its a girl, for health reasons first and foremost.

www.rabbitrehome.org.uk
www.rabbit.org

Oh and Coleil, whilst others keep them together, that is very much in the past and totally outdated now, and any forum you go on should be giving the same response as myself. Smile

Whilst it was the norm back then, its clear that over the years 2 many pigs have been injured, and even in cases, rabbits. I guess its a bit like smoking, it was seen as fine years ago, and now years later, the effects of smoking and passive smoking are well documented, and its up to people whether they smoke or not. Very Happy

Ps Please don't buy any gps or buns, theres so many, including ickle babies in rescues, 33,000 buns are dumped/rescued each year, making rabbits the 3rd most abused pet. Sad

coliel

rigt well i shall definatly pass the info on but i dont know if it will be taken on board as they all seem happy!
also do you think that perhaps taking a guiny away from a friend rabit may do more harm than good?

Twig

If they are bonded with another gp then I see no probs, although introducing adult males is likely to end up in fighting. They'd have to do research on bonding Wink