Introducing Rock n' Roll

[aml1676]

Hello!

I just wanted to introduce myself, and my 2 new piggies, Rock 'n Roll. My name is Amanda, and we live in Indianapolis, IN with 8 rabbits and a cat. I'm the "crazy small animal lady", instead of the "crazy cat lady", I guess. I've been involved in rabbit rescue (www.indianahrs.org) for the last 6 years, so 4 of the rabbits in residence are fosters.

I just adopted Rock 'n Roll from a local Petco store this past Friday. IN HRS showcases adoptables in the store, so I was there to give the rabbits some playtime when I noticed this pitiful pair of piggies up at the front of the store. Someone had surrendered them almost a month ago, in a teeny cage -- the manager put them in a much larger cage so they'd have some room to run. My sucker light must've been blinking -- I just couldn't leave them there any longer. I figured it wouldn't take a lot of extra effort to add cavies to my house -- their dietary needs are not so different from my rabbits', and I have the room. Not to mention the grids needed to make an enclosure -- I use the grids to build pens and condos for the bunnies, so I have a blue million of them. I also happened to have a large enough sheet of coroplast in my garage, so I figured it was fate!

Rock 'n Roll are both males, ages 2 and 4. Those are the names they came with, and I haven't decided if I'm going to change them or not. I like to give new names when a "rescue" comes to my home, just to start new -- it helps that I don't really know which one is Rock and which is Roll! I haven't taken pictures yet -- figured I'd give them the weekend to settle into their new digs. Any name suggestions are certainly welcome, as is other advice... I'm totally new to guinea pigs, though I've read all the info I can find online.

Anyway, we're excited to be here!

[C&K]

Welcome!

Don't be surprised if you find yourself involved in Guinea Pig rescue before you know it, Cavies are rather addictive!

You are right that rabbits and Guinea pigs are not that different as far as care and eating habits go. It may be interesting the that whole idea to make cages out of grids and Coroplast was this sites owner, T's idea for guinea pigs, and has since been adopted by many other small animal people.

Hmm... Some of the differences between rabbits and pigs.

#1 is they need vitamin C, don't use the drops for the water, it degrades very quickly and is useless, also can be harmful because it changes the taste of the water and they may not want to drink it then. Lots of veggies, like sweet peppers (red are best) have vitamin C in them, See GL for more info. Alternately, you could get a good pellet like Kmshayloft or Oxbow which has stabilized vitamin C in it.

#2 They should not be fed rabbit pellets. Most pig pellets are garbage, KM and Oxbow are the only real good ones. If Rock and Roll are over a year, they definitely would benefit from a timothy hay based pellet, not alfalfa like most on the market. Also, if you feed a rabbit pellet with antibiotics in them, they can be harmful to the pigs.

#3.) Never leave a pig with a rabbit, while rabbits may want to play, they are much stronger and more then one pig has suffered extensive injuries from his / her rabbit "friend".

#4.) Rabbits can host, as I am sure you know, several different parasites and bacteria, such as Bortadella, (sp?) these can be fatal to a pig. Some people argue it is not even safe to house them in the same room let alone near eachother. I think it is just something you need to be aware of.

#5.) Guinea Pigs do not get "colds" and if they appear sick at anytime, it is a good idea to get to the vet asap. They can go downhill real fast, but otherwise, are very treatable with the right care.

Otherwise, I would suggest reading over the common misconceptions thread for lots of great care tips, and the Guinea Lynx care guide for raising a healthy guinea pig, found at www.guinealynx.info

Most importantly, welcome to the world of pigs!

[aml1676]

Originally Posted by Cavies-and-Kids

Hmm... Some of the differences between rabbits and pigs.

#1 is they need vitamin C, don't use the drops for the water <snip>

#2 They should not be fed rabbit pellets. <snip>

#3.) Never leave a pig with a rabbit <snip>

#4.) Rabbits can host, as I am sure you know, several different parasites and bacteria <snip>

#5.) Guinea Pigs do not get "colds" and if they appear sick at anytime, it is a good idea to get to the vet asap. <snip>

Most of this stuff I had read... we actually get a lot of adopters who've had guinea pigs and assume that getting a rabbit will be very similar! We don't recommend they live together for the reasons you listed above, and I don't envision any of my guys sharing floor time with the boys. Good grief, I can't even bond the rabbits to each other, let alone trust them with smaller furries!

I've been pretty excited about this -- so far, I think adding these guys to my household has cost all of $35. I just need to get them in to see the vet sometime soon for a health check, and we'll be good to go! I feel fortunate that I have a pig-savvy vet -- actually, I have access to no less than 4 pig-savvy vets within a 75-mile driving distance.

Anyway, thanks for the welcome, and the tips! I've been on and offline looking at this website and GuineaLynx all weekend, but it's weird to have these little critters that I know nothing about. I speak rabbit and cat pretty fluently, but cavy is a whole new language!

Amanda
The PigBoys: Rock 'n Roll

[Ly&Pigs]

Does HRS stand for House Rabbit Society?

Congrats on your new additions to your family.

[aml1676]

Originally Posted by Ly&Pigs

Does HRS stand for House Rabbit Society?

Congrats on your new additions to your family.

Thanks! Yes, it does... I'm a fosterer/educator with the Indiana chapter.