The trouble is that a lot of people think that these small animals will be easier to take care of than the conventional selections of pets, like dogs and cats. These people do not do an adequate amount of fact checking and information gathering prior to they run out and get one. Although rabbits and guinea pigs are a bit easier to take care of, they still cannot be merely left to fend for themselves.
Where your rabbit or guinea pig lives is vital. Will it be an indoor pet or will you keep it outside? If you are going to house your pet rabbit or guinea pig in the home, you will want the proper cage and bedding. Cages must not have wire bottoms because the wire hurts their feet, which have no padding for protection. Normally, an inside cage must have a solid plastic bottom with a wire top. The plastic base will be a great deal easier to clean.
For outside residents, a correctly built hutch is vital. The proper hutch will safeguard your furry buddy from dangerous predators, as well as cold and extreme heat. The floor must be substantial wood. If you decide to use wire for the bottom of the cage, you should make sure that you pad it with cardboard. External hutches can be chosen in single, double, or triple levels that can suit the number of rabbits or guinea pigs you have.
What sort of bedding will you choose? There is a customary mistaken belief that wood shaving bedding, like pine or cedar, can be used for your pet rabbit or guinea pig's cage. This is incorrect. These wood shavings are hazardous for your little critters. Rabbits and guinea pigs have to to chew, and they will chew up everything that they have access to. At all times make sure that the bedding you choose in non-toxic. It is always safer to choose hay or paper shavings for bedding.
In addition, the kind of bedding that you choose will depend on the type of housing that you have. Hutches are outside and will want a bedding that does not create an bad atmosphere for your rabbit or guinea pig. They should allow air to flow, specially when they are wet from bathroom uses. In cages indoors, you may require something that regulates the nasty smell of the urine that rabbits and guinea pigs make, but it must still be snug enough for the rabbit or guinea pig to nest and relax in.
The sort of dwelling that you decide, regardless of whether it is a hutch or cage, ought to achieve two main goals. First, it should be generous enough to permit for movement. Five times the size of your rabbit or guinea pig is enough. For rabbits, the cage should be large enough for jumping and your rabbit should have enough head room to stand on its hind legs. For guinea pigs, they ought to have enough room to run about, have tunnels and climbing toys, as well as sleeping and eating room. Second, your rabbit or guinea pig should feel cozy and safe. A comfortable and safe furry critter is a content furry critter.
