Thinking of buying a rabbit or guinea pig?
Read on - this is the essential information you need to know before you buy
and is information the pet shops/garden centres etc won't tell you!
1. Lifespan - Rabbits live on average 7-8 years but can go into double figures, guinea pigs average 4-6 years; are you prepared for that length of daily commitment, not forgetting also the financial implications?
2. Children - Rabbits DON'T make good pets for children because they do not enjoy being picked up, carried around and generally mauled the way that children think they should be able to, as they are animals who instinctively like to keep their feet on the floor. Rabbits have incredibly powerful legs, particularly the back ones, plus make no apologies for using them to scramble away from its handler - the result is an extremely scratched child and a frightened rabbit.
3. Novelty factor - Almost all children lose interest in their rabbit or guinea pig within a year - this is the most common reason they are handed into rescue centres. The average age of the animals I accept is just 14 months old. Ask yourself how badly YOU want small pets because as a parent YOU WILL (and should be) responsible for them; if you don't think you have the time or interest, put your foot down and don't buy them!!!
4. There is no truth in the theory that if you buy a baby rabbit it will be easier to handle. Their calmness (or lack of it!) is dependant on many factors - how long they spend with their mum, how calm and handleable she was (baby rabbits are as skittish as wild ones initially - mum gives them confidence), the skill and confidence of the handler (not usually very good with young children) and the kind of environment you keep them in - an unhappy, lonely rabbit kept in a small confined space with be stressed and fearful and will always struggle to get away from you. Always consider giving a home to an older rabbit - their true personality is apparent by 6 months or so and older ones are often easier to handle. Baby guinea pigs are also quite hard to handle; they`re very fast and will slip through your fingers which means they often get dropped. Adult supervision is essential when children are handling them and again,older guinea pigs might be a better option.
5. Before you buy, please consider the long term implications; rescue centres are jam-packed with rabbits and guinea pigs simply because owners fell in love with cute fluffy bundles at the pet shop and bought them without thinking ahead. Often there are plans in the pipeline which may affect your ability to look after your small pets. Consider the following (very common) scenarios and ask yourself honestly if any apply to you:-
a) Are you thinking of moving abroad, or into rented accommodation (many landlords won't allow small animals - ask permission first), or are you likely to move to a home with no garden?
b) If you introduce another pet, ie a dog, will you be able to keep them safely together?
c) Are you planning a family, whose demands may prove too much for you to cope with a rabbit or guinea pig?
d) If the pet is for a child, are you prepared to take full responsibility and do all the work?
e) If the pet is for a teenager, will you want to be responsible for its care when that teen leaves home or goes off to university?
f) Can you honestly say you have the time and finances to commit to rabbit or guinea pig?
Ok, no one has a crystal ball, but most animals become unwanted and neglected because too little thought was given when they were bought. Think seriously about them and be realistic about your time, lifestyle, finances and expectations. They deserve it!!!
6. Compatibility - Rabbits are sociable animals and should be kept in compatible pairs, the best combination being a neutered male and neutered female. Beware of the pitfall of the following combinations
PET SHOPS WILL NOT GIVE YOU THIS INFORMATION BECAUSE IT WOULD AFFECT THEIR ABILITY TO SELL THEM!!!!
a) 2 x Males - will almost certainly be fighting viciously by 6-8 months old, as they become sexually mature and the hormones start raging!! If unrelated, they will fight even earlier than this. Only consider two males if they are brothers and you are prepared to neuter them both at 3-4 months old before problems start. Once fighting begins it is almost impossible to stop and separation is the only answer; injuries can be extremely severe and the stress caused can be fatal (a bullied rabbit will often stop eating and will die within a few days). Neutering of male rabbits (castration) costs around £50 each and will also help curb anti-social behaviour such as spraying urine.
b) 2 x Females - again, must be sisters and should be neutered (spayed) at 4-6 months to prevent fighting. Yes, girls will fight, as badly as the boys, and again, hormones are the problem. Almost constantly in season, up and down hormone levels will make them bad tempered and aggressive (to humans also!) as well as causing phantom pregnancies (displayed by pulling out fur and nest building) and constantly mounting each other. Like males, prevention of this is essential as once fighting starts, it becomes very difficult to keep them together - fights get personal very quickly!! Spaying costs approx £60-£70 per rabbit and the health and social benefits are huge - see "Why should I neuter my rabbit?"
c) Rabbits and Guinea Pigs - Beware of this combination!!!! They are two very different species and have very different needs, likes and dislikes; so I'm personally not in favour of this pairing at all. The rabbit absolutely MUST be neutered - male or female - as its hormonal urges will lead to the guinea pig being mounted almost constantly and this can cause spinal and/or crush injuries to the pig. Frustration will also lead to the guinea pig being attacked - biting and kicking are very serious injuries for them and this kind of environment means they live in a constant state of fear, and guinea pigs CANNOT cope with this kind of stress. Stress causes severe skin problems, also they're often afraid to eat (or unable to, if the rabbit is hogging the food) this results in serious digestive disruption, which in turn will cause death. Rabbits can be extremely sly with their bullying and you don't always see it happening; only close monitoring will reveal it. In short, rabbits prefer rabbits and guinea pigs prefer guinea pigs, so it's much easier not to mix the two. If your hutch isn't big enough for a second rabbit, it's probably not big enough for one - so have a good think about increasing the living space.
Guinea pigs are also highly sociable and like to live in pairs or groups. The same rules apply to two males as rabbits; only take on a pair of boys if they are closely related and you are prepared to neuter them both as a preventative measure at 12 weeks old or so.
Neutered male guinea pigs will live very happily with a female,or several if he`s very lucky! Sometimes it`s easier to pair an older female with a neutered male rather than another female-they can get very set in their ways and will sometimes squabble with other girls, don`t assume they will always get along.
Two (or more) females will generally get on well even if not related if they`re put together young enough; really it all comes down to their individual personalities- some are very laid back and placid,others can be more feisty and bossy,wanting to be the dominant one. As long as they can work out their relationship to suit them both, they should be absolutely fine, just keep an eye them.
7. Vaccinations ! Rabbits need annual vaccinations to prevent fatal diseases. There are two separate vaccines, given two weeks apart, to protect against myxomatosis and viral haemorrhagic disease (VHD). Without vaccinations, affected rabbits stand no chance of survival and each jab costs £15-£20 each. Remember ALL rabbits are at risk, even those that live indoors - see "Why should I vaccinate my rabbits?"
8. Accomodation ! Rabbits need lots of space both inside and out - a hutch for two should preferably be 6 feel long (no smaller than 5 feet), 2 ½ - 3 feet wide and no less than 2 feet high - it's essential that your rabbits can stand on their hind legs and stretch up. They need a run (preferably attached to the hutch so they are no dependent on you putting them in it) of at least 6 feet x 4 feet, so they really can have a "run", not just a couple of hops from one side to the other!! The more room you can give them, the happier they'll be, and a happy rabbit it a healthy one - many problems are stress related. If your garden is your pride and joy, remember rabbits can be destructive - if you can't provide them with their own area to "trash" they may not be the pets for you!!
So now you know the most important things, where's the best place to get healthy, happy rabbits and guinea pigs? Undoubtedly I would say from a rescue centre - ok, I'm a little biased but there are several good reasons; your pets will have been checked over for signs of ill health and if necessary treated by experienced people who know them, they will be able to give you the correct advice regarding diet, lifestyle, health etc. and most importantly will always be on hand to help you with any concerns or problems you may have. If, in the event things don't work out and for some reason you can't keep them, you will be able to return them to the centre (this will be a condition you sign to). You WILL NOT get this kind of back up from a pet shop - once you buy them you're on your own and the advice you (might) have been given will be at best inadequate and at worst completely inaccurate, by people who have little or no interest in anything other than completing a sale.
Also the rabbits will be very young, usually 8 weeks or so to maximise on their "cuteness", thus making an easy sale; this means that they left mum at around 7 weeks (too early) and have been put into a shop with strange, frightening noises, unfamiliar smells and sights and mixed with other litters (even at this young age they don't get along with strange ones). The resulting stress is hard to cope with, add then another car journey to a new home, separation from litter mates, more strange sights/smells/sounds etc and its no winder so many develop stress related conditions and digestive upsets. Sadly, many die within a few days.Guinea pigs are usually sold at 6 weeks and if not properly sexed may already be pregnant (read on!). Also, remember that behind the scenes, adult rabbits and guinea pigs are being used for breeding, kept in small cages and used solely to keep the pet shop cage full of cute babies.
This trade is cruel, unnecessary and should be stopped; the only way to stop it is not to buy into the trade. Every time a pet is bought from a shop, garden centre or theme park, space is created for another one, so put simply, if they can't sell them, it makes no sense to keep breeding them.
Remember also as you look at horrifying pictures on this website of rabbits and guinea pigs that have been neglected and mistreated, almost all of them start out from pet shops, sold to people who were given little or no advice on how to care for them, by people who couldn't really care less and just wanted to make money.
Please help bring this rotten trade to an end and consider rescue animals - they deserve a second chance!!
Important things to know about small animal fertility!
Guinea pigs start breeding at just 6 weeks old, rabbits from 12-16 weeks; if they`ve not been accurately sexed,females will probably be pregnant, or you may be sold animals you hadn`t asked for, i.e, 2 males (which will almost certainly fight later on) or one of each,which will produce surprise babies for you a few weeks later! Always insist that the seller double- checks the sexes; if they won`t (or can`t!) walk away and go to someone more knowledgable.If you decide to get a guinea pig or rabbit of each sex (which is a perfectly suitable combination) you must keep them separate until the male is neutered; he can be done from around 12 weeks old,and must stay separate for a further 3 weeks in case he`s still fertile.
Animals have no morals when it comes to breeding and rabbits and guinea pigs are no exception - don`t think they won`t mate with their mum, sister, dad, brother etc - trust me, they will!
Never assume your pet is too old to breed; rabbits and guinea pigs of both sexes are capable of creating and producing young till the day they die! The quality of the offspring may decline, i.e, there may be more stillbirths, partly-formed foetuses etc, or fewer but larger sized babies. Having and rearing young is incredibly hard work for older mums and can sometimes exhaust them to a point that they just can`t recover from.
Never, ever allow a female guinea pig over 1 year old to be mated for the first time (anything over 10 months old is potentially dangerous for a first litter) as she will almost certainly have problems giving birth. When young, her pelvis is quite soft enabling the babies to pass through easily; once stretched it will stay that way and turn into hard bone at around 1 year old. If she has not had a litter while under a year old, her pelvis will harden in its original small state and any babies conceived then simply can`t pass through, both mum and babies will die without a caesarian section.
The male rabbit or guinea pig will not kill or harm any offspring but if left in with the female, will mate her again soon after she gives birth (certainly within a few hours), then you will have a second unplanned litter to deal with! This is why it`s so important to know what sexes you have and neuter or separate them accordingly - these are animals which will rapidly breed out of control.
