1. Can rabbits and guinea pigs meet? (With strict supervision ofc)
2. What should rabbits eat? The owner says she feed her carrots, lettuce (not sure which kind), rabbit pellets, and grass. She didn’t mention hay, which I know rabbits really need... She did say that the rabbit grazes on grass all day. Is that okay for a rabbit instead of hay?
3. Anything else I should know / watch out for?
I’m babysitting the rabbit for a month.
Definitely do not let the rabbit and your guinea pigs meet. Not only could the rabbit injure the guinea pigs with a strong kick, but rabbits may carry a certain strain of bacteria that is harmful to guinea pigs. I've forgotten the name. I'm really surprised that the rabbit owner didn't give you more information on what to feed. I do know that rabbits need hay. It's been years since I've had a rabbit so I've forgotten many things.
We have a few forum members here who have both rabbits and guinea pigs so hopefully they will come on and offer you more information. The only thing that I can answer for sure is not to put a rabbit and guinea pig together.
Bordatella is the organism that rabbits can carry that can infect guinea pigs. I wouldn't let them meet.
Rabbits do need hay, but grass can substitute if you can find it. Hay is just dried grass anyway.
Originally Posted by Kelsie
Ty both! I’m definitely not going to let them meet, although they don’t even seem to realize each other’s existence haha. The poor rabbit, Basia, is pretty neglected. The owner said that she doesn’t have much time to properly take care of her and Basia spends her days outside in an exercise pen and in a carrier cage at night. I’m pretty sure she’s also overweight. She can barely move and breathes really heavily. I’m hoping that I can possibly help her become happier. She seems so sad
This is Basia
She's so cute. It's so nice of you to take care of her. She does look to be overweight. Is she an older bunny? I'm glad that she is going to be receiving the attention that she probably needs.
I don't know how old she is. My best guess is 4-5 years? She's also incredibly lazy. The only way to get her to move is to pretend like if I'm about to pick her up, but I don't think that's the best way to get her to exercise. She won't even move if I tempt her with food. Unless the food is right under her nose, she won't budge. I really hope I'll be able to help her feel better. Especially since I only have 1 month to do so.
Do you give her pellets and or fruit?
I'm currently giving her pellets, hay, grass, romaine lettuce, and a carrot (once a week).
She LOVES the dried vegetables and fruits in pellets, but I don't think their too healthy for her. She flips her bowl over when she finished eating the dried vegetables and fruits lol
Rabbits usually like herbs (parsley, coriander, etc.) and Asian vegetables like bok choy, choy sum, etc. Celery leaves are popular too. Like piggies, rabbits are better with a hay-based pellet with no fruit or coloured bits mixed in, and of course most of their diet should be a grass hay or grass or a mixture of, just like with pigs.
Female buns should be spayed due to the high risk of uterine cancer (80% of intact rabbits will get uterine cancer after four years of age or something along those lines) and then bun you are looking after looks like a standard rex. They are one of the smartest, sassiest of the rabbit breeds. And one of my favourite breeds.
If she's overweight making her work for her food may help. A treat ball where she has to push the ball to get pellets out might help get her moving.
I have quite a bit of rabbit (and rex-specific) experience, so please feel free to message me if you need any specific advice. There are a tonne of puzzle toys that rabbits can learnt to use too, which is super fun and helps them stay active and motivated.
It sounds like she hasn't been fed appropriately. Pellets mixed with colorful bits and dried veg/fruit is considered junk food. No wonder she's overweight. She should be on plain pellets but it is typically necessary to transition a rabbit slowly from one type of pellet food to another. You could try to do this since you have her for a month, but only if you think the owner will continue that type of food when they return. You can see a few healthy option choices here:I'm currently giving her pellets, hay, grass, romaine lettuce, and a carrot (once a week).
She LOVES the dried vegetables and fruits in pellets, but I don't think their too healthy for her. She flips her bowl over when she finished eating the dried vegetables and fruits
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/pellet-food.html
She should never get an entire carrot at one time. That's sugar overload and can imbalance the gut and lead to GI stasis. She can have a 1" slice at most per day.
Not sure if you are aware but there is a current outbreak of RHVD2 in the US. This is a highly contagious disease deadly to rabbits. The House Rabbit Society is saying that no pet rabbits should be allowed outside. Unlike Australia and the UK, the vaccine is not readily available in the US. Here is more info on that:
https://rabbitsindoors.weebly.com/rhdv---beware.html
I’ve already transitioned her to a better diet. She gets Timothy hay daily, romaine lettuce, green lettuce, along with other vegetables I made sure were healthy for rabbits, she only gets small carrot pieces 1-2 times a week, and I only give her half a cup of her pellet food. The pellet food is definitely not good for her. It has corn in it along with other things I read rabbits shouldn’t eat. I make sure to take all that out before giving it to her though. I will get her better food soon. Ty for the websites! Their really helpful. I also had no idea about the outbreak! Tysm for letting me know! I’m currently free roaming her inside.
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