Just Curious - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**leyley904** · #1 09-30-09, 08:26 am

I just had a few questions that I was curious about. None of these are something I plan to do or something I'm having problems with, I'm just curious.

If I'm feeding my rabbit timothy hay and timothy hay based pellets, Why is it so important that I have unlimeted hay in the cage? Do the hay and the pellets have different nutrients? Why is hay so important?

I know for cage space, you don't count levels and lofts, becuase guinea pigs and rabbits like to run. But what if they use the second level more than the first level, would you count the square footage of the second level, instead of the main floor?

I hear rabbits can cause a guinea pig's death by kicking, but what about other animals housed with rabbits? If you were to introduce a rabbit and a small dog of the same size, who would be in danger? What size would the rabbit have to be for them and the dog to be an equal danger to eachother? Can you house any other pecies with rabbits or guinea pigs?

I know a rabbit cage should be tall enough for a rabbit to stand up in, but what if your rabbit starts standing on stuff and sticks his nose out of the top of the cage? does it matter? (I am actually haveing a problem with this, my bunny can't stck his head out far enough to get stuck, just his nose sticks out. Should I discourage this behavior? Should I make the cage taller?)

How important is it for a rabbit or guinea pig to chew on toys to keep their teeth down? Would their teeth get really long if they don't?

Sorry this is so long, haha! Thanks if you read it all!

**Paula** · #2 09-30-09, 10:12 am

Hay is the most important part of a rabbit or a guinea pig's diet. The reason is that it provides essential fiber, as well as protein and carbohydrates. It also provides the benefit of keeping the gut moving, which for a rabbit is very important. It's also the best way to keep their teeth growing at an even rate - far more important than chew toys, although toys are important too, more for rabbits than guinea pigs, generally.

Dogs are predators, and rabbits are prey. A dog of any size can be a significant threat to a rabbit, but that being said, it depends on the dog and the rabbit. Some dogs have a minimal prey drive and don't care at all about the bunnies. Others can be taught to live with a rabbit as it could a cat. It all depends on the dog, really, and size isn't the only consideration.

And no, you shouldn't house species with other species, guinea pigs or otherwise, at least in terms of animals that are caged, like hamsters, chinchillas, rabbits, etc. They have different nutritional requirements and are all around different animals with different habits. They should always live with a species of like kind.

As for your rabbit sticking her nose out of the cage, the only thing is you want to be sure she can't actually jump it and get out while you are not around, especially if your home/room is not bunny-proofed.

**crazywiggy** · #3 09-30-09, 10:23 am

1) Unlimited hay is vital for proper digestion, wearing down teeth and preventing boredom. It should make up the largest part of the rabbits diet.

The main point is that pellets are "complete" quality foods, which are high in nutrients and relatively high in calories / fat. Although pellets contain hay they have many other ingrediants as well, so the nutritional value is very different.

If the rabbit ate mostly pellets and little hay, it would not be eating a large enough volume of food. This can lead to overgrown teeth, gut stasis and boredom. If the rabbit does eat a large quantity of food - but that food is pellets instead of hay - then it has a high chance of obesity or similar problems.

2) Rabbits are much more into their upper levels than pigs, but area is still important so tehy have enough room to run, corner at speed, binky etc. I would count the sq footage as whichever floor is the biggest. A multi-level cage is better than a single level for rabbits - but they still need the flat space.

3) As a general rule different species should never be caged together, or allowed near eachother unsupervised.

There are many reasons for keeping rabbits and pigs seperate (inc disease etc) which you can find in the main site.

There is no reason to keep different species together - they do not actually provide real company for eachother, there is a high risk of fighting or accidental injury, and each species has specific requirements for diet, housing etc.

As for dogs - carnivores and herbivores should NEVER be left together unattended because instincts could kick in.
The rabbit would always be the one at risk - regardless of the size of dog. Most carnivores, inc dogs and cats, can take down prey animals much larger and stronger than themselves. Even tiny terriers and ferrets are routinely used for killing rats and rabbits.

4) Not quite sure what you're getting at...

Rabbits MUST be able to adopt normal body postures, so the cage must be tall enough to stand at full stretch on hind legs. There is no such thing as a cage too tall.

Rabbits do like to use objects and upper levels as lookouts, so these are recommended.

Personally I would always suggest you either put a lid on the rabbit cage, or build it tall enough that the rabbit can't reach the top even standing on furniture. Rabbits can leap massive heights and could easily injure themselves trying to escape. I have actually seen a rabbit jump stragiht out of a 3.5 foot high pen from a standing start on the floor.

5) Toys are not the most important thing for wearing down teeth - how many wild rabbits get toys?
Teeth should be worn down naturally by the eating process - hence them needing to eat large amounts of hay.

Giving a variety of chewable / gnawable toys can help as an extra precaution - and they also provide enrichment, prevent boredom etc.

Put it this way - a rabbit with lots of toys but limited hay is far more likely to get overgrown teeth than a rabbit wioth no chew toys but unlimited hay and restricted pellets.

hope this helps!

**VoodooJoint** · #4 09-30-09, 10:27 am

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