I am getting one or the other. (bunny,guinea pig)

Which do you think is better?
Any other small pets I could get?

I know I don't want a ferret cause they smell really bad but I'm not sure if bunnies have a strong scent.:confused:

Owl, or cat. That's better than both of them..

Yea, Owls are very well known for being good with children. HA!

This is a simple two subject decision asked to be made. No outside critters, just a bunny, or a G-pig. It all depends on who it's for, and how much time and space you have to devote to them.

An Owl, that's rich!

I prefer bunnies personally but they are a lot of work and yes, they can smell.

Bunnies are fairly easy to litterbox train so that does cut down on the smell as long as you clean it out daily. I use clumping cat litter (the grainy sand or rock type, not the pellets)

I haven't owned a guinea pig since I was very little so I don't remember much about their care, I imagine it would be similar to a rabbit.

Alty has a great sticky at the top of the other pets & animals section about bunnies.

Thanks

An owl?

I don't really want a big pet like a cat.

Guinea pigs are easier to look after, and require less space. But a rabbit makes a better pet in that a rabbit will interact with you much more than a guinea pig, and can even be trained to do things. Our rabbit will walk on a lead, though she doesn't like going far from home.

We have a guinea pig as well (by the way, it's a myth that they are companions for each other, the rabbit bullies the poor guinea pig if she allow her) and she likes people, and will come over to investigate and will allow the children to play with her, but she doesn't get excited about company the way the rabbit does.

I have had both, I perfered guinea pigs at the end of the day it is what you want and like

For me it's a bunny any day of the week but like Shaz, I haven't had a guinea pig since I was a kid so I really can't compare.

The thing about rabbits is that they're very social animals. They do best having a bunny friend unless you spend a lot of time with them. I'm talking at least 4 hours a day or more.

Also, for a bunny to remain healthy and calm it must be fixed. It can be expensive unless you get one that's already fixed from the shelter.

Read my sticky. If you have any questions about bunnies that my sticky doesn't cover then I'm here to answer. :)

I have two guinea pigs, and I love them to pieces. They make such strange little noises and I find are much more active than rabbits (I've had four rabbits which all seemed to be kind of lazy). Also I had a female rabbit, when she turned about one she became very aggressive, I've owned 7 female guinea pigs and never had this problem (It might just be the rabbit I had, but I'm just saying). Personally my choice is guinea pig.

Emily, I just want to ask, was your female rabbit spayed? If not, that's likely where the aggression came from. An unspayed or unneutered rabbit will become aggressive, they also don't live as long. In fact, a unaltered rabbit usually lives an average of 3 years. An altered rabbit can live up to 12 years depending on the breed. That's a huge difference.

Also the breed does come into play. Just like dogs, certain breeds of rabbit are considered more docile. The lionhead dwarf is a very docile, easily trained very calm rabbit. A rex is a bit more outgoing and can be harder to keep.

Of course every rabbit is different so there is always the chance that even with a calm breed and spaying or neutering, you'll still end up with a bunny you can't handle. It's the same with any animal.

Now to discuss laziness. Sadly most people don't realize that their rabbits need daily exercise. I haven't seen a store bought cage yet that offers enough room for a rabbit to do what a rabbit needs to do, hop around and play.

If your rabbit isn't let out to hop around, be a rabbit, binky, explore, then yes, it will become lazy. It really doesn't have any other option. It would be like putting you in the bathroom and never allowing you out. Soon you'd realize that there's not enough space or stimulation to do what you want and you'd just give up. Yes, you have water, yes you can go to the bathroom, but can you move around? Can you enjoy yourself? You're surviving but not really living.

A rabbit is a big responsibility. Too many people go to a pet store, see a cute little bunny and buy it without knowing anything about it. Sadly the pet stores play into this. I haven't met a pet store employee yet that knows anything about rabbits other then the fact that they're rabbits. Like any other animal it deserves the best care it can get and most people don't know enough about these animals to provide that care.

Guinea pigs don't need as much attention. They do need to be exercised but not to the extent that a rabbit does. I guess it depends on how much time someone has, how much effort they're willing to put out in order to properly care for the animal they've brought into their home.

If the OP doesn't have a lot of time or thinks that she can't devote a lot of time, then a guinea pig is definitely the better option, in my opinion.

Either way, they're both great animals. :)

Alty- My rabbit had the free run of the house when we were home (She usually followed us around) and her and my dog (who was smaller than her at the time) used to play together all the time. When she became aggressive she also became lazy (She never wanted to play with dog or run around). She was not spayed because NO VET in my area had/has experience, I didn't want to risk her dyeing in surgery. Now for my guinea pigs I have a vet lined up 3 hours away for emergencies, but that is it. I had a female rabbit when I was younger and I loved her, I'm not saying there all mean like mine was :P I'm just saying... guinea pigs are easy, especially if you don't have experience.

And Alty, I remember someone posting a picture of a white fluffy rabbit on a discussion awhile back, by chance was that you? And if it was what kind of bunny was it?

I have 4 bunnies, two are white. One is a lionhead dwarf, the other is a mix, harlequinn and lionhead.

I also have a rex and ultra mix (meaning that no one can pinpoint what breeds are involved). ;)

You probably saw Cotton, the lionhead dwarf. Was this him?

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Yes! I think he is simply adorable!

He's as cute in person (or bunny) as he is in the picture and he's the calmest tamest bunny of my four. He's litter trained, he's neutered and he's just a dream.

All my rabbits are fixed, most are rescues, Cotton is actually the only pet store bunny we have and he was the youngest bunny we got.

At 6 months he was getting aggressive, lunging when I went to clean his litter box, spraying and just not being a nice bunny. We got him neutered and luckily I do have a vet nearby that specializes in bunnies, and now he's just a dream bunny. Everyone that holds him wants to get one just like him. :)

They're all my babies. I'd adopt more if I had the room.

I think I would rather adopt a bunny, they already come neutered, so if the rescue takes the chance of using an inexperienced vet, it is not my pet that may die(I know this sounds harsh... ) Joyluo, this is something you could take into consideration if getting a rabbit, at a rescue here the adoption fee is $75, and they come neutered(Which cost $125 here), and vet checked(Which cost $55), (Not to sure about vaccinations though), it is obviously cheaper if you adopt! (At least at the rescue here)

Thanks everybody!
I'm still researching but I think a guinea pig is the best pet for me at the moment. I'm still not 100% sure yet.

Here a neutered rabbit from the rescue is $25. If you buy a pet store bunny they can sell anywhere from $60 - $250 depending on the breed and the store. Neutering or spaying costs around $300.

It's definitely worth it to get a rescue, not only to save money, but to save a life. :)

Just thought I'd add some photo's of my guinea pigs. The brown and white one is Maz, and the Black and grey/tan one is Gap.

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