Me and the Captian have a bunny friend and a moose.You might want to keep yours outside.It gets tiresome cleaning up all that poop from behind that counter all the time.
2007-02-01 19:37:05
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answer #1
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answered by Anonymous
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First of all, yes, absolutely guinea pigs can live inside. In fact, they *should* live inside. Inside, they will be safer from disease, predators, and extremes in temperature. (I had guinea pigs as a girl that my step-father insisted had to live outside because they were too much like "rats" to be in the house, and they died of heat stroke when the temperature got into the 90's.)
Whether or not you can keep a guinea pig and a bunny together, well, there is a lot of conflicting information out there. The conventional wisdom used to be that you shouldn't keep them together because of concerns about guinea pigs introducing diseases to rabbits that are minor in guinea pigs, but more serious in rabbits, but I think most of those theories have been debunked. Guinea pigs also have slightly different dietary requirements than rabbits in that they need to have more Vitamin C in their diet, but many vegetables that are high in Vitamin C are safe for rabbits to eat (parsley, carrots, romaine lettuce, bell peppers, etc.), so this really shouldn't be a huge problem for you. In a worst case scenario, they sell chewable Vitamin C supplements for guinea pigs that you could give to your piggy every day, and not to the bunny. Overall, the benefits of your rabbit having a friend probably outweigh any difficulties that you might encounter in this inter-species friendship. I've seen many rabbit-guinea pig pairs get along famously.
That being said, as with any animal introductions, you would need to take it slow, letting the guinea pig and rabbit start of just spending maybe 15 minutes together, then 30 minutes, and so on, until you can build up that they can spend several hours together peacefully before you would want to try leaving them alone together. You should also always make sure that you provide the guinea pig a little piggy-sized house, cardboard tube or some other such place to hide where the rabbit can't get him, should the guinea pig decide he needs some alone time.
Finally, I want to encourage you to follow the link below to the House Rabbit Society's FAQs (http://www.rabbit.org/faq/sections/spay-neuter.html) on spaying and neutering your rabbit. Although any surgery carries some risk, having your bunny spayed or neutered by an experienced rabbit vet is much safer now than it used to be and will make your rabbit a better companion. (Male rabbits who aren't neutered can become very aggressive, chew and bite things inappropriately, and spray urine to mark their territory.) And for females, spaying is essential to making sure they live a long and healthy life. While healthy indoor pet rabbits can live to be ten or older, over the age of three, a female rabbit's chance of developing uterine cancer is very high, over 75 per cent. The House Rabbit Society website provides a list of recommended rabbit vets, and information about how to determine whether a vet is an experienced, knowledgeble rabbit vet.
2007-02-02 08:21:20
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answer #2
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answered by puffinpower 2
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I had 2 bunnies for a long time. I did not have the female spayed, for the same reasons you mentioned, but I had the male neutered, since neutering isn't quite as involved. They had a wonderful relationship. A raccoon killed the female last spring.
I don't know much about guinea pigs, but my sister used to have cat that was very chummy with one of her rabbits. I have one rabbit, now, and he is very chummy with 3 of my cats (I was recently adopted by a 4th cat, but my rabbit doesn't like her) as well as with my big dog.
**EDIT** DO not get a same sex bunny for your bunny, as they WILL fight. I do think that a bunny chum is the better idea if you can swing it, as they are sociable creatures and perform a very important grooming task on each other. I found this out after the raccoon managed to get into the enclosure and kill my female bun. I noticed after a couple of months that the male was very itchy. I began "plucking" his fur lightly, and loose, dead skin came out easily... my bunny grunted with pleasure, so I have kept that practice up... I do know that guinea pigs ARE rodents... and I know that rodents are omnivores... don't know if G.pigs are omni or not. But rabbits are NOT rodents at all, they are lagomorphs and are more closely related to deer... just something to maybe consider before introducing a guinea pig to the rabbit.
Also, my pets "chum" together ONLY under my watchful eye... when I'm away, the rabbit is secured in his cage.
2007-02-01 19:39:03
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answer #3
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answered by scruffycat 7
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Not to sound generic, but it really depends on the temperment and personality of your bunny. Animals are just like us, we each have our own personality and distinctions.
There is no commandment that says: "Thou shalt not have a non-altered bunny cohabitating with a guinea pig", so you dont have to worry about breaking some moral authority somewhere.
What you do want to assess, though, is how friendly is he, in general. And if he is a more "troublesome" bunny, then if you do get a guinea pig, you want to get one that is a bit more submissive and shy in personality, you dont want to have a guinea pig that needs to be the center of attention as your bunny sounds like.
Second, is it possible for you to get another male bunny? That way you dont have to worry about altering the sex, and the bunny can have a species he may relate to better.
But back to your question, you can absolutely keep an unspayed bunny with a guinea pig. There is no fear of cross-pregnancy, since conception is species specific, and generally guinea pigs and bunnies are the same 'size' so thats good.
Now, guinea pigs SHOULD live inside....the thing is, guinea pigs are domesticated rodents......they MUST live inside, just like domesticated felines MUST live inside as well, but that is a seperate argument. A guinea pig that lives outside is just a sitting duck for predators (think Hawks), or worse, getting run over.
Okay, im off of my soap box.
2007-02-01 19:47:19
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answer #4
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answered by ownlyanangel 3
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no, don't get a guinea pig and house it in the same cage as a rabbit.
not only do guinea pigs have a completely different nutrional need then a rabbit (they need food that is fortified with vit. c, rabbits don't need the extra vit. c), but rabbits are powerfull kickers and could easily damage a poor piggy that is left to defend itself.
my advice would be to cage them seperatly, but maybe put their cages next to each other. that way while you are gone during the day they can see each other thru the cage walls, but you can feed them their own foods and prevent injury. and you can let them out to run around together while you are there to watch (as long as they get along together)
2007-02-02 00:16:44
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answer #5
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answered by katt2196 1
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My 2 rabbits are very pleasant. they're solid with my youthful cousins and one is two. the only loves giving kisses. Mine spend quite a number of time in there cages and should be left for some hours a lone. I do take them out for awhile regardless of the reality that. They do decide on to drink and devour a good number of Timothy hay. they're going to also decide on some bunny pellets. My bunnies are both Rex's. There cages commence to smell if u do not sparkling it many times adequate.
2016-12-03 08:37:10
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answer #6
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answered by miracle 4
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Guinea pigs are SUPPOSED to be inside. They are a hot climate weather animal and should not get cold.
In fact, guinea pigs body temperatures are slightly above humans (99-100 degrees F). They should not be kept outside.
Also, guinea pigs should not be kept with rabbits.
2007-02-01 20:43:27
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answer #7
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answered by lunalioness 2
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i would say dont take the chance of keeping a guine pig with a rabbit instead why dont u just buy a talking parrot. keep it in its cage and u know when he talks he can break the silence
2007-02-01 19:39:50
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answer #8
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answered by i know all 1
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