What are the pros and cons of guinea pigs?

amother

Mon, Jul 13 2020, 2:36 pm

How do they compare to rabbits?

mamma llama

Mon, Jul 13 2020, 2:54 pm

petsonmom.com wrote:

Advantages of Guinea Pigs
Guinea pigs enjoy living in pairs. These rodents are popular because they rarely bite and are always happy to interact with their owner. Guinea pigs perk up when their owner enters the room, and they enjoy coming out to play. They also enjoy the companionship of their fellow guinea pig.

Guinea pigs are smaller than rabbits and take up less room. They are excellent for grade-school children who have mastered handling and socialization techniques with hamsters or other smaller rodents. Guinea pigs are active throughout the day and night, sleeping in shifts. Their average lifespan is five to seven years.

Disadvantages of Guinea Pigs
Guinea pigs can be a lot for a small child to take care of, and a young child might lack the patience for socialization training. Guinea pigs can be noisy and a bit smelly. The more guinea pigs you keep in a habitat, the more the cage will need to be cleaned.

Guinea pigs can also suffer from a number of health conditions, such as backside impaction, that require constant care when they get older.

Advantages of Rabbits
Rabbits are very smart animals who can live up to seven to 10 years when kept indoors. These excellent companion animals can be trained to use litter boxes. With supervision, they can roam around your living room, much like a dog or cat. Rabbits come in a variety of sizes, with most domestic breeds weighing less than 4 pounds.

Disadvantages of Rabbits
Although rabbits could roam around your living room, they might chew on the carpet, cords and anything else that stuck their fancy. Another problem is that despite the ease of litter box training, rabbits who haven't been spayed or neutered might be more apt to mark their territory.

Rabbits take up more space than guinea pigs and other small rodents. And hey are mostly nocturnal.

Which to Choose
Guinea pigs and rabbits both make suitable pets. Although a guinea pig is content being in his cage with his buddies until playtime, rabbits are more like cats and dogs, and they like to be out whenever possible.

If you have smaller children, a guinea pig offers the advantage of being awake during the day. However, small children might bond better with rabbits.

Weigh the pros and cons before deciding which pet to pick. The answer really depends on what your family is looking for.

BatyaEsther

Mon, Jul 13 2020, 2:56 pm

There was recently a very sweet article on the Aish website about them!

amother

Saddlebrown

Mon, Jul 13 2020, 3:04 pm

I've been back and forth with the idea of guinea pigs or rabbits for my kids who want a pet. They seem pretty easy to care for and maybe more sociable than rabbits and more interesting too since they will actually be awake during the day. I'm told they can be litter box trained and was really close to going through it but then I spoke to 2 people who had had them and both said they used the litter box when in the cage but while out weren't so particular about where they went - including right on the kids. That changed my mind pretty quickly. We're still pet-less.

ra_mom

Mon, Jul 13 2020, 3:06 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

How do they compare to rabbits?

Rabbits are not meant to be house pets. They can get depressed and die if they don't have enough space to run around. A big cage is not enough. They need a field and most of us do not have enough closed off rooms to devote to a rabbit (and all the mess and destruction that comes along with that). They grow very big and eat a ton of produce! Smile

There are dwarf bunnies, so maybe look into that. I haven't researched them.

Guinea Pigs are smaller than rabbits. They are friendly and will cuddle when they get used to you (hamsters, not so much). They live around 5-8 years, so make sure you are ready for the commitment! You need to play with them and take them out of their cage every day, or they will get depressed and become ill. Cleaning their cage takes courage and needs to be done every other day. They are cute and interact, just make sure you're ready for it all.

amother

Ruby

Mon, Jul 13 2020, 3:44 pm

I remember my friend saying she wanted guinea pigs over rabbit because rabbits actually have very sensitive stomachs and are harder to feed. Also guinea pigs tend to be better at sitting there and allowing kids to 'play' with them.

Chayalle

Mon, Jul 13 2020, 3:46 pm

They get hay all over the place. And they can live quite a few years. However they are very lovable, tame pets.

I actually found hamster to be easier than guinea pig. Smaller, takes up less space....

amother

Black

Mon, Jul 13 2020, 4:12 pm

When I went for an eval with my son the therapist discouraged rabbits- said theyre quick creatures- not as cuddly as they seem... someone else recommended a guinea pig as a good cuddly pet - thinking of it

Petra

Mon, Jul 13 2020, 5:49 pm

We have had this same question.

In the end, we adopted 2 already paired guinea pigs.

Rabbits and guinea pigs are happiest in pairs. However, rabbits, if not already paired, can be a challenge to successfully pair with another like minded rabbit. They do need their space and lots of it.

The cages you see in the pets stores for both guinea pigs and also rabbits are woefully inadequate.

If you are going to get a pet, make sure you give it the best. They are captive and they are your responsibility.

No point getting a pet if you don't have the space, resources or inclination to do what is best for it.

Rabbits are not great pets either except for maybe a teen or adult rabbit lover. They are too fragile for kids.

And since we now have guinea pigs, I will tell you, they are super messy. They eat hay, pellets and lots of veggies. And some veggies are off limits because of too much calcium and cause for kidney stones.

The hay is a mess and has to be vacuumed every day. And then it gets stuck in the vacuum. Confused

The cage is dirty every day.

My daughter likes them though.

I'll be glad when we are no longer guinea pig stewards.

They live for 10 yrs.

amother

Khaki

Mon, Jul 13 2020, 8:51 pm

stay away from hamsters they mate like crazy I had thirty and ran into the petstore with the cage and ran out

thunderstorm

Mon, Jul 13 2020, 8:58 pm

I couldn’t handle the smell. The cage was full of litter every day and it always needed fresh shavings and Timothy hay.

The cute part was our guinea pig would hear me unlocking the door when I’d get home from work and he would do a dance called “Pop Corning” from being excited to see hear me come home.

We had a small apartment and he smell was too strong for such a small space . He lived for 6 -7 years.