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Which would you choose if you were to keep them inside, but your house got cold in winter (10-15 C)?
Guinea Pigs or Bunnies?
- Thread starter Archerbird
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If it's your first time keeping a pet, surely it has to be guinea pigs? 
Seriously though, guinea pigs can make an awful racket with their 'WHEEP WHEEP WHEEP WHEEP' noise. Might be worth considering if you like a good night's sleep.
Seriously though, guinea pigs can make an awful racket with their 'WHEEP WHEEP WHEEP WHEEP' noise. Might be worth considering if you like a good night's sleep.
I don't know much about rabbits, but guinea pigs don't do well in cold, as I recall. Chinchillas are much better at dealing with it. They also eat considerably less than guinea pigs and stink less too. They do need a roomier cage, a regular dust bath, and are more expensive up front, but when you look at how much a guinea pig can eat in a week, they're pretty cheap in the long run. I'd definitely recommend adding them to your research list.
Good luck!
Good luck!
I have a pair of rabbits in my house. They are litter box trained. One is really good with it and one isn't, but the clean up isn't too bad. Don't make the mistake of thinking they are quiet. One of my buns is really loud. She has toys and bangs them on the floor when she wants my attention. She will NOT be ignored.
There's a difference between surviving a temperature and liking it. You risk stressing any pet if they feel cold. This doesn't mean the whole house has to be the tropics, but it helps to have some heating in the main room where they'll be living. If you're keeping them in a cage/hutch during the night or when you're out, you could always use a small plug-in heater to stop it getting too cold. (Not while they're out and alone though, as they'll chew the wire.)
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Guinea pigs don't do well in the cold, rabbits are more tolerant. But in either case they should have a warm, if necessary heated, nest box.
Rabbits can't handle heat. I'm not sure, but I would think they'd do fine in the colder winter as long as they have somewhere warm to snuggle up in. Mine like to lie on a fleece if its colder weather. They easily die in hot temperatures and from stress, eg if they are kept outdoors and sense a predator nearby.
One of the big differences is that rabbits can easily be litter trained, unlike guinea pigs. So you can have them free in areas of the house, as long as you do some bunny-proofing, eg electrical wires, which they will chew.
One of the big differences is that rabbits can easily be litter trained, unlike guinea pigs. So you can have them free in areas of the house, as long as you do some bunny-proofing, eg electrical wires, which they will chew.
My cat surprises me. She's actually nervous of the bunnies, and keeps out of their way. But then, they aren't scared and don't run. In fact, one of the girl bunnies would probably beat the cat up if she tried anything, and the cat probably knows it.
I had an indoor rabbit once and he tried to eat the house from the bottom up. They definitely can take cold, it's 34F outside and a rabbit was out racing my truck to the barn and back. He didn't look the least bit upset with the cold. (They survive the 0F degree cold every winter here in Ohio - I'm sure it is in a burrow)
My cat surprises me. She's actually nervous of the bunnies, and keeps out of their way. But then, they aren't scared and don't run. In fact, one of the girl bunnies would probably beat the cat up if she tried anything, and the cat probably knows it.
My friend's dog would always chase rabbits out on walks... but when they got a pet rabbit, it was a different story. The dog would lay down and whimper while the bunny chewed on the dog's toys and drank from his water bowl.
Evil bunny bullies, stealing squeaky toys.
Friends of mine keep their guinea pigs in the barn year round in Minnesota. They're not as delicate as we can make them seem; they burrow into the straw to stay warm. If you give a guinea pig a house and bedding it will stay warm. My house goes down to 55*F at thermostat height, much colder on the floor. The pigs are fine. If they get chilly they go into their dome. They've figured out that carrots come from an opening refrigerator door and "wheet" as soon as the door opens. If they smell a fruit or veggie they like, they wheet. The rabbits pick up food bowls and toys and throw them. Both will chew on the cage, creating a racket, if they need to file their always-growing teeth.
Get the one you like the best.
Get the one you like the best.
They've got them hoppy legs and twitchy little noses
I've had both bunnies and guinea pigs (easily a dozen if counted together) in cages in the house, never outside, and all of this is true of my experiences with them. We used to layer newspaper under the bedding and sometimes in winter the pigs would dig down through the bedding, find the edges of the paper and snuggle under/between pages like a blanket.
Of course they'd also nibble on the newspaper. My mom would never let me use newsprint with colored ink, only black ink. She said the colored ink contained lead and would hurt the pigs. Whether she was correct or not (or whether they use pig-safe ink today) I don't know, but all our pigs lived many years.
Bolding mine and bolded for truth (if that's a phrase)
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Rabbits can take as much cold as you can find. They don't mind it at all. We used to raise rabbits, and did so in an outside, unheated shed. The rabbits thrived.
Rabbits are, after all, native to cold weather states, and do just fine in temperatures far below freezing. Cold weather actually invigorates rabbits. They get more active, and even play more. They love it.
If you want to make a rabbit unhappy, make it hot.
Guinea pigs, no. They can withstand fairly cold weather, but they don't like it at all, and it isn't good for them. Even a draft is bad for guinea pigs.
Rabbits are, after all, native to cold weather states, and do just fine in temperatures far below freezing. Cold weather actually invigorates rabbits. They get more active, and even play more. They love it.
If you want to make a rabbit unhappy, make it hot.
Guinea pigs, no. They can withstand fairly cold weather, but they don't like it at all, and it isn't good for them. Even a draft is bad for guinea pigs.
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Guineas can get by, but they are a tropical breed--bunnies are temperate so they can actually be happy and full comfortable in the cold