It may be so troublesome to know which pet is best for you! When you’re evaluating guinea pigs vs rabbits, I’m right here to inform you about their similarities and variations.
Guinea pigs and rabbits are each social animals who require same-species companionship. Rabbits are typically tougher to bond and extra harmful, however cleaner. Guinea pigs are simpler to deal with and require much less area, however they do have shorter lifespans.
On this article, we’ll focus on 16 variations and similarities between rabbit and guinea pig care.
1. Guinea Pigs and Rabbits Are Social Animals
Each guinea pigs and rabbits are social animals who must be saved with others of their species. When you select to maintain only one guinea pig or one rabbit, you’ll fail to fulfill their social wants.
Hardly ever, a guinea pig or rabbit will likely be unable to bond even after many makes an attempt. Guinea pigs ought to nonetheless by no means be the one guinea pig dwelling in your house–solo piggies ought to at the least dwell in a cage close by one other pair or group of guinea pigs. This permits them to socialize with out direct interactions that may finish in certainly one of them getting damage.
This may be achieved for rabbits as properly however is much less widespread, possible as a result of bunnies require extra space.
2. It’s Extra Tough to Bond Rabbits
It’s by no means a assure that two animals will get alongside. This tends to be very true for rabbits, who’re tougher to bond than guinea pigs.
I all the time suggest that first-time house owners undertake a bonded pair as a substitute of attempting to bond the animals your self. However, you’re nonetheless prone to must bond a solo rabbit or guinea pig in some unspecified time in the future, so it’s vital to coach your self on the subject.
If in case you have a rescue or shelter close by that enables “velocity courting,” that is extremely useful! It means you may deliver your guinea pig or rabbit in to fulfill a number of others till they discover the right match.
In any other case, particularly with rabbits, it’s greatest to foster first. This fashion, no hurt is completed if the 2 don’t get alongside and you can’t hold the most recent pet.
3. Rabbits Require Extra Area
Guinea pigs want a lot bigger cages than pet shops will recommend. The minimal cage dimension for 2 guinea pigs is 7.5 sq. toes, however many agree that that is too small. 10.5 sq. toes or bigger is beneficial.
Rabbits merely aren’t cage animals. The smallest enclosure for them must be a big canine train pen, however the most effective factor is to permit them to free-roam in at the least one room of the home.
4. It’s More durable to Rabbit-Proof Than to Guinea Pig-Proof
Talking of free-roaming–you’ll positively need to rabbit-proof earlier than permitting it. Bunnies are identified for chewing wires, digging at carpet, gnawing on baseboards…you get the image!
Rabbit-proofing is loads like baby-proofing, as you’ll must take away something harmful for them and something you don’t need them chewing. As for baseboards, you may defend them with C&C grids.
Guinea pigs profit from floortime outdoors of their cage however aren’t as harmful as bunnies. You’ll nonetheless need to choose up the ground, tuck away wires, and block the areas beneath your furnishings to ensure they don’t go wherever laborious to succeed in.
It’s additionally vital to notice that guinea pigs wish to pee and poop in darkish areas, so in case you do enable them beneath furnishings, it’s prone to develop into their potty spot!
5. Rabbits Can Be Litter Educated Extra Successfully
Litter packing containers could make cleansing your guinea pigs’ cage simpler, however they gained’t use them 100% of the time. Rabbits, nevertheless, may be litter educated like cats!
You do must have your rabbits spayed or neutered first, and a few take extra time to be taught than others. It helps to start out with them in a small area, comparable to a canine train pen, and slowly enhance their area till they’re free roaming.
6. Each Animals Require Each day Cleansing
Guinea pigs are typically messier than rabbits, however it really relies on the people. In case your rabbit isn’t litter educated, as an example, they’re prone to make a a lot larger mess since they’ve extra space to take action.
Both method, you’ll be choosing up poop and pee each day (whether or not in a litter field or in a cage) and hay tends to get in all places! Rabbits like to shred issues, so that you’ll possible be cleansing up ripped cardboard or comparable as properly.
7. Rabbits Can’t Be Bathed
Each rabbits and guinea pigs have a tendency to scrub themselves and infrequently need assistance. Your guinea pig must be bathed a number of occasions a 12 months at most, whereas some won’t ever want baths in any respect.
Rabbits, nevertheless, ought to by no means get moist. It may be detrimental to their well being as they’ve a more difficult time maintaining their body temperature and might go into shock, each of which may be lethal.
8. Guinea Pigs Are Simpler to Choose Up
Most rabbits don’t wish to be held and cuddled. Whereas guinea pigs don’t have a tendency to love being picked up, many will chill out in your lap when you’re holding them.
Neither animal tends to get pleasure from dealing with very a lot, nevertheless, so that they aren’t the pets to undertake in case you’re in search of a number of cuddles.
Guinea pigs additionally are typically much less squirmy throughout dealing with, which means that requirements comparable to nail trims could also be simpler than they might with a rabbit.
If you’re first studying to carry your guinea pig or rabbit, be sure to remain low to the bottom or the cage. Guinea pigs and rabbits each have delicate spines and a fall can harm them!
9. Their Diets Are Related, however Not the Similar
Each rabbits and guinea pigs are herbivores, which means they eat vegetation. Additionally they have very quick digestive methods, which means each animals must eat always to maintain their guts transferring.
The vast majority of their weight-reduction plan ought to include grass hay comparable to timothy hay or orchard grass. They need to be fed a mixture of darkish, leafy greens each day, and obtain a small quantity of high quality guinea pig or rabbit pellets.
Each day herbs and greens fluctuate between rabbits and guinea pigs, so you’ll want to analysis earlier than adopting your pet. By no means feed guinea pig pellets to your rabbit, or vice versa. Although their diets are comparable, they do have totally different dietary wants.
10. Guinea Pigs Can’t Produce Their Personal Vitamin C
Guinea pigs, like people, develop scurvy in the event that they don’t have sufficient vitamin C of their weight-reduction plan. Most individuals complement vitamin C by feeding darkish, leafy greens and bell pepper.
Vitamin C definitely isn’t dangerous for rabbits, however they do produce their very own and don’t want as a lot of it of their weight-reduction plan as guinea pigs.
11. Guinea Pigs Have Shorter Lifespans
Guinea pigs dwell 5-7 years on common, whereas your pet buns will possible be with you for 8-12 years.
It’s vital to consider your pet’s lifespan earlier than adoption and guarantee you can decide to caring for them their total lives–barring any life modifications outdoors of your management, in fact.
Please additionally take into consideration the way you’ll present your guinea pig or rabbit with a same-species companion for his or her total lives. Many are left to dwell out their final years alone as a result of their house owners don’t need to proceed the cycle of proudly owning them, however this isn’t truthful to the pet.
Fostering is an effective way to supply a senior pet with companionship with out the dedication of adoption.
12. Each Require Common At-House Well being Checks and Unique Vet Visits
Rabbits and guinea pigs are each prey animals who cover sickness properly. It’s vital to keep watch over them with common weigh-ins and looking out over their our bodies for indicators of sickness, comparable to runny noses, overgrown enamel, or hair loss.
In case your rabbit or guinea pig stops consuming or pooping, that is an emergency requiring a right away vet go to.
They’ll additionally want to go to an unique pet veterinarian–not a canine and cat vet–at the least annually throughout their youth and as soon as each six months of their senior years. That is along with seeing the vet shortly in case you do discover indicators of sickness.
13. Rabbits Ought to Be Spayed or Neutered
Guinea pigs usually are not generally spayed because of the dangers of the surgical procedure outweighing the advantages in most consultants’ opinions. (Although opinions do fluctuate!)
Males are typically neutered in order that they’ll have feminine companions, which tends to be extra profitable than bonding two males. Nonetheless, it nonetheless isn’t widespread follow for rescues to neuter male guinea pigs, or for individuals to neuter their males who dwell with one other boar.
Rabbits, alternatively, ought to all the time be spayed or neutered. It will increase their life expectancy and has many well being and behavioral advantages.
14. Rabbits Are Quieter
Guinea pigs make quite a lot of sounds. The most typical is wheeking for meals! My piggies used to wake me each morning doing simply that.
When you transfer round within the kitchen or rustle a bag, your guinea pigs will let you realize about it. They love meals and it’s their major motivator, although in addition they make some noise when excited, indignant, scared, and sick.
Whereas guinea pigs aren’t tremendous loud pets–your neighbor gained’t hear them–rabbits are quieter. When you are typically confused by high-pitched noises, a rabbit may be a greater match for you.
15. Rabbits Are Extra Prone to Chunk
Guinea pigs are identified for being very docile and infrequently biting individuals. They’ll chunk, particularly in the event that they’re being harassed, however they’re much less vulnerable to aggression than many different rodents.
Rabbits, alternatively, are likely to chunk extra readily. This doesn’t imply your rabbit is sure to be aggressive, nevertheless–in case you deal with them properly, it’s really fairly unlikely!
16. They Socialize In another way, and Ought to By no means Be Housed Collectively
Lastly, please be aware that rabbits and guinea pigs ought to by no means be housed collectively–and even allowed to work together briefly.
Although they’re each social animals, they work together with each other very in a different way. Rabbits are likely to groom one another greater than guinea pigs, as an example. Additionally they are likely to kick when indignant, which may severely injure a guinea pig.
One other threat is that rabbits can carry ailments comparable to Bordetella, which don’t are likely to impression them strongly–if in any respect–however is usually a dying sentence for guinea pigs. When you hold each pets in your house, please bear in mind to scrub your fingers between dealing with them and to by no means share gadgets between them.
I hope this text has helped you select between these pets. Whereas neither is correct for everybody, rabbits and guinea pigs each make unbelievable companions for the suitable individuals!
