Module 13 : Rabbits and Guinea Pigs

By the end of this module, you will know:

The different breeds of rabbits and guinea pigs The expected lifespan of each breed The age rabbits and guinea pigs are considered elderly How to care for young and elderly rabbits and guinea pigs The nutrition requirements Understanding their behavioral traits The type of hay best suited for younger rabbits

13.1: Breeds of Rabbits

There are hundreds of different breeds of rabbits, all of which originate from different parts of the world. Each of them can be fitted into groups.

Shorthaired, longhaired, fancy breeds, fur and Rex breeds.

Among the fancy breeds of rabbits, there are

Himalayan Flemish Giant Belgian hare French Angora English Spot

There’s also the lop-eared rabbit, which there are a few types of. Each of these has large and long ears, which lop over their face, which is where their name comes from.

An English lop is more distinct as it has the largest ears. A cashmere lop rabbit has the distinct long ears, but it’s also got the longest hair. A dwarf lop rabbit has the shortest of hairs, and therefore the most manageable in terms of the amount of grooming they require.

The other two types of breeds are

Fur breeds Rex Breeds

All breeds of rabbits make for great pets. They are intelligent, and can be trained much in the same way you can litter-train a cat.

Longhaired rabbits take more care than shorthaired ones, as they need grooming daily, to prevent their coats from matting.

13.2: Breeds of Guinea pigs

Just as rabbits have hundreds of breeds and types, guinea pigs do too, but they can be narrowed into two distinct groups.

1. Smooth 2. Rough

The smooth group of guinea pigs are shorthaired, and the rough varieties are longhaired, requiring the most grooming.

A few types of the rough variety of guinea pigs… 1. Coronet guinea pigs – These have a distinct hair swirl at their foreheads 2. Peruvian guinea pigs – These have the longest hair parting down the middle of their backs, and need grooming frequently 3. Texel’s have long curly coats are the most difficult to maintain their coats because of that.

Smooth guinea pigs have manageable coats, but guinea pigs of the rough variety take dedication from their owner to keep their coats in prime condition as their hair length can grow to be 20 inches.

Guinea Pig Types

1. Smooth 2. Rough

13.3: Nutrition for Rabbits Rabbits need wholesome diets to keep them in great health.

Their nutrition should be as close to what they would eat if they were in the wild.

Plenty of plant-based food and grass are essential.

It is beneficial to have a rabbit run in the garden, where the rabbit can run around, enjoy itself, get the exercise it needs, but more importantly, it gets to nibble on the grass. That’s the best thing for them.

In a day, a rabbit will spend up to five hours eating, so naturally, it is going to be impossible for you to supervise a rabbit for five hours, while it nibbles away at the grass. The next best thing is hay, and they need plenty of it to keep them nibbling away for five hours.

Rabbits need every bit of hay they can get as it is rough enough to keep the size of their teeth down. Without sufficient supply of hardy foods, their teeth can grow, become too painful for them to eat, and can lead to the rabbit needing surgery to shorten its teeth.

Grass and hay will only go so far though and that alone will not do a rabbit’s health any good. They need plenty of nourishment, and they get that through other plant-based foods. Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, other vegetables, and dandelion. It is recommended they eat about two cups of vegetables per day.

As a general rule, rabbits should not be fed lettuce as it contains lactucarium which can be harmful. If you do feed your rabbit lettuce, it should be a dark and leafy variety and should be given in small quantities. You should never feed your rabbit Iceberg lettuce.

For a wholesome diet to be complete, they will need pellets too. Rabbit pellets contain around 25% fiber, but since rabbits do not need a high fat diet, and are best to be kept to low fat foods, the best pellet food should be no more than 2% fat.

Rabbit Nutrition Pyramid

13.3a: Water

Rabbits go through a lot of water. Much more than most other pets, so you need to be sure that there is a consistent supply of not just water available, but fresh water, especially if the rabbit is being kept in an outdoor hutch.

Outdoor hutches will need more attention in the winter to make sure the water has the chill taken off it.

If you’re caring for a female rabbit (Doe), with a litter of up four, they can go through as much as a gallon of water over the space of 24 hours.

13.3b: Salt

To complete a rabbit’s diet, the other component they need is salt, and not a lot of their foods have that in it.

There are small salt spools available that can be put in the hutch for the rabbit to lick, but never hang the spool on the wire of a hutch, or have it in contact with the wire. Metal and salt are a recipe for corrosion and will make the rabbit ill.

If you are giving a rabbit a salt spool, place it carefully in the hutch, farthest away from contact with metal.

If you aren’t using the salt spools, you can instead add 0.5% to 1% of fine salt to the mixed rabbit feed.

13.3c: Feeding treats

Fruits such as apple slices, strawberries, melons, and pears are favorites for rabbits, but they should only be fed these in moderate quantities and never consistently.

Fruit should be only provided as an occasional treat only. 13.3d: Precautions

When you’re caring for any rabbit, you should always establish from the owner what their usual diet is and if there are changes agreed for their feeding routine, the change needs to be introduced gradually.

Rabbits don’t have strong intestinal tracts and a sudden change to their diet can cause bacteria to build, which is toxic for them. Any changes to a rabbit’s diet must be done with care, and you should advise your client of this, and ask if they have sought veterinary advice about their concerns, prior to altering their diet.

13.4: Nutrition for Guinea Pigs

Like rabbits, guinea pigs love to eat grass.

The most important part of their diet is hay. The chewing will keep their teeth and jaws strong.

Green vegetables are a core part of their diet and needed for them to get their essential vitamins to stay healthy.

Not all vegetables are good for them though, as there are some they should not have.

Spinach Broccoli Iceberg Lettuce Cabbage Garlic Onions

Good vegetables to include are:

Cucumber Carrots Cauliflower Turnip greens Kale

Commercial pellet food for guinea pigs have plenty of nourishment in them, but they do lack vitamin C. That’s why there should always be vegetables at the ready for guinea pigs to eat. The hay will provide them with the fiber they need, vegetables with vitamins, but because they need a high amount of Vitamin C, they often need supplements to top their diets up.

Supplements can come as liquids, or as chewable treats. A lack of Vitamin C will lead to ill health, but too much of it isn’t damaging as it’s secreted in their urine.

Because the diet is dry food, they will drink a lot of water, so whatever amount of water you think the pet needs, always provide more.

Apricots, melon, strawberries, grapes, kiwi, and oranges are ideal fruits to give as a treat only and not as part of their everyday diet.

13.5: Exercise

Ideally, the hutch used to house rabbits or guinea pigs would be outdoors, and large enough for them to run around, go out the hutch and into a rabbit run, to come and go as they please.

That’s often not the case though as owners often buy the hutch when the pets are young, and not fully grown. When they age, they grow and some can become huge.

When they are in the hutch, they should be able to stand upright on their hind legs. If they can’t do that, then they should have a bigger hutch.

Both guinea pigs and rabbits need to be out the hutch as often as possible. That can be indoors or outdoors.

At the very minimum, both rabbits and guinea pigs should be out the hutch for one hour daily.

13.6: Grooming

Grooming is essential for the health of both rabbits and guinea pigs.

In the same way as cats are prone to hairballs, so too are these pets. The difference is that rabbits cannot cough up the hairball and it will cause a blockage.

The only way to prevent that from happening is to regularly brush their coats and get rid of any loose fur.

Both rabbits and guinea pigs will shed twice a year, and when they do, they will need brushing daily. Long-haired pets will need more care and attention given to their coats than short-haired rabbits and guinea pigs. Regardless of how short their hair length, they will still need brushing.

When you are brushing their coats, you should also check their claws aren’t getting too long as they may need trimming on occasion. You shouldn’t trim these yourself unless you have had specialist training, but instead, let the owner know and they can take their pet to the vet, or someone with experience in pet nail trimming. 13.7: Behavior

When caring for rabbits and guinea pigs, just like any other animal, it’s beneficial to understand their behavior.

It’s how you can identify with how the pet is feeling.

Behavioral traits in Rabbits

Jumping around and leaping are signs of joy and excitement. It’s nothing to be alarmed about When rabbits stomp with their hind legs, then it is likely that something has alarmed them. This is them communicating to other rabbits to be alert to a potential threat. If the rabbit is on its own, then it is a sign that something has it upset, so you should speak calmly to it, before trying to handle it. Reassure it that it’s safe, and don’t try any sudden moves towards it When a rabbit wants you to back off, it will signal that in much the same way a dog will. Their ears will be pointed backwards, head upright and it will lean towards you suddenly as a warning. When they feel threatened, they are known to make growling sounds too When their voices make a high pitched screaming sound, then it’s a clear sign that the rabbits in pain Rabbits will grind their teeth often, but you should pay attention to how they do it, as it will tell you a lot. Gentle grinding lets you know that the rabbit is content, but if it’s grinding its teeth ferociously, then it can signify the rabbit is in discomfort or pain. If you’re handling a rabbit and it begins licking, then it’s bonding with you. Lying flat on their stomach, with their ears down indicates the rabbits frightened. Don’t make any sudden moves, speak to it calmly and wait until it perks up before trying to handle it. They will rub their chin on people, and objects as this is their way of marking their territory

Guinea pigs are much the same in the way they behave

Similar to a rabbit showing extreme fear by lying on its stomach with its ears flat, a guinea pig will lie on its back motionless, and can look dead. This is their instinct in response to threats from predators and it will indicate that something has frightened them They will make grunt sounds when they’re not happy Squealing sounds from a guinea pig are different from rabbits as that is believed to be their way of appealing to humans for something they need, such as more food, water refilled or just want some attention. Squeaking sounds are the sound of contentment. High- pitched shrieking isn’t though. That will indicate discomfort and pain. Both rabbits and guinea pigs are intelligent pets and can be litter trained the same way as cats. However, this must be done early on, and instead of the owner picking where the litter tray goes, the pet will do that. Early on in any environment they are living in, they will only use one or two places for their toilet needs. By placing the litter tray in the spot the pet is used to using, they can start to associate the litter tray for what it is for and will use it.

13.8: General Care

13.8a: Young rabbits

With young rabbits, the most important part you have is to make sure their diet is right from the start, as it is stressful on their bodies to alter their usual diet later. A mixed dry food diet is ideal and fruit should definitely be only an occasional treat as they have high water content.

Green vegetables are essential, and a little salt added to their pellets.

The hay you feed young rabbits is best to be Alfalfa hay as that contains more calcium, which is essential for young and growing rabbits.

As they grow larger, their calcium intake from the hay must be reduced by switching to a more natural hay, such as timothy hay, or Ings hay, which is considered high fiber hays for matured rabbits.

Calcium is only needed when rabbits are young and not when they are matured.

13.8b: Young Guinea Pigs

Young guinea pigs are pups until they reach about one year old.

However, when they are born, they are well-built, able to run around, have hair, eyes wide open, and will venture around the hutch exploring.

If you are caring for a pregnant guinea pig, the male will need to be separated from the mother a week before she is due to give birth.

Female guinea pigs can have a litter of up to eight pups. They will all explore, but they will also turn to their mothers for warmth and comfort.

The mothers are not protective of their litters, so they can be handled (carefully) from only a few days old to get them used to being handled.

They’re also born with teeth and can eat solid foods when they are only a day old. They will feed on the mother’s milk for the first few weeks, so only small amounts of food are necessary.

A litter should only be kept together until they reach a month of age. At that stage, the males and females will need to be separated to prevent interbreeding, as they become fertile at only 4 weeks old.

13.8c: Elderly Rabbits

There isn’t an exact rule that states when a rabbit has reached its senior years, however, it is likely to be less active, eat more, and drink less due to the decrease in exercise.

As a guideline for aging rabbits, small breeds generally live to around the age of 12 – 13 years old, so they could be considered senior at the age of eight. Small breed rabbits weigh less than 2kg.

Medium-sized rabbits weighing around 4kg can live to around the age of ten. Those can be considered senior when they are six years old.

The largest rabbit breed is the Flemish Giant, which is huge. Their weight can grow beyond 6.5kg and they have a shorter life span of anywhere between four and seven years old. The large rabbit breeds can be considered senior at only four years old.

Feeding guidelines for adult rabbits are only a handful of pellets to maintain their weight, with their vegetables giving them nutrition. Senior rabbits won’t exercise as often though, so their pellets will need to be adjusted.

When you’re caring for senior rabbits, it is best to keep an eye on their weight by weighing them weekly. If the rabbit is losing weight, the pellets may need to be increased, and if it’s beginning to lose weight, reduce their pellets.

The caveat is that rabbits are often kept in pairs, and as a result, they eat together. That’s when things get complicated, as it’s hard to tell which rabbit is eating too much, and which one is eating less.

In that situation, you may need to separate the rabbits for feeding, giving the lighter weight rabbit pellets, and the heavier rabbit should be fed grass, so it isn’t feeling cast aside. As soon as they are finished eating, put them back in together.

To minimize their stress from being separated, you should keep them within sight of each other, and still have their scent around.

As soon as they are finished eating, put them back together.

There are rabbit supplements available if they are losing weight due to a lack of appetite, but veterinary advice should always be sought before giving any rabbit a supplement.

Pellets are always the first thing to adjust accordingly, but supplements should be a last resort as too much calcium is dangerous to their health. They need calcium when they are young, but in adult years and into their senior years, it is not a good option.

A high intake of calcium in senior rabbits can cause stones in their urinary tract, because of how a rabbit metabolizes calcium.

Besides monitoring their weight, and eating habits, you will also need to keep a close eye on their claws. When they aren’t as mobile, their claws are likely to overgrow and need trimming. 13.8d: Elderly Guinea Pigs

Guinea pigs live to around seven years old, so when they’re older than five years old, they’re approaching their senior years, and that’s when they need extra care.

As with any animal in their senior years, they are going to show the signs of aging. They’ll be less active, more choosy about their foods, prefer to lay around and generally be more content to sit on your lap, rather than run around, and nibble on their food.

To know how their health is, you have to notice everything when you are caring for them.

Get to know their typical behavior, the times they’re active, when they tend to eat, and how much food they usually eat.

It helps to feed senior guinea pigs consistently fresh food and provide them with fresh water often. Any food left in their feeding bowl, should not be topped up. Discard of it, and refill it with fresh food. Doing that, you will know for certain how much or little the pet is eating. Measure it precisely and monitor what is left over.

When they are feeding, look to see how they’re feeding. Just as we suffer from aches and pains as we age, pets do too. What was a suitable feeding dish before becomes unsuitable when the pet struggles to stretch its neck into the bowl to get the pellets.

When you feed them, it’s handy to know precisely how many pellets were provided, and then monitor that to see if they are eating them more or less than normal. A lack of appetite can be a sign of underlying health problems.

If they usually love to eat parsley or small pieces of apple slices, and those are being left uneaten too, then there is a likelihood that it’s not feeling quite itself. When you handle them, you should not be able to feel hipbones or ribs. When you do, there’s a weight loss problem.

Fresh water is more important to seniors as they will drink more. That’s what you want to happen as that ensures their systems flush out any toxins.

When you’re topping up their water bottles, you might find there’s a difference in the amount the pet would normally drink.

If that does happen, the first thing to do is thoroughly clean the drinking bottle, as it could be nothing to do with the guinea pig, and everything to do with the bottle.

Bottles can become clogged and when they do, it’s going to affect the amount of hydration the guinea pig has. If there’s any wear and tear present, the bottle will need to be replaced.

Their teeth should be checked frequently as they do become more brittle, causing them to break when they’re eating.

While their teeth will grow back within a week, there is a risk that when it does, it can be jagged, uneven, and cause the animal discomfort. An imbalance of the two front teeth will not only see one tooth damaged, but both front teeth as the undamaged tooth will be doing more work, causing further discomfort.

Dental problems such as misaligned frontal teeth, chips, jagged edges, and overgrown molars should be treated by a vet. When their teeth become brittle and damage begins to happen more frequently, they may require regular dental care to trim the jagged edges back and relieve the pet from discomfort.

When regular trimming is advised by a vet, there are many who will be more than happy to teach the owner how to do this, rather than have frequent trips to the clinic, so it is definitely worthwhile advising your client when you feel a vet trip is needed.

When you’re checking guinea pigs for any irregularities, their footpads should not be ignored. Sores are common in their pads, and when left untreated, it can lead to bumblefoot. This is easily treated with an antibiotic ointment applied twice a day, and that will provide relief, and prevent them from developing into something more chronic.

It’s also not unusual for guinea pigs to develop cataracts. You can spot that when their eyes become more white and hazy. It will affect the quality of their eyesight, but it’s not painful and not something that’s treatable by a vet. The only thing possible is to use eye drops, which are available in pharmacies.

If their eyes look inflamed, a bulge developing or a discharge present in either eye, a vet should be consulted, as they may need to a sterile eye lubricant.

If you start to notice a guinea pig is becoming slow at moving around the cage due to their bones stiffening up, it’s a good idea to alter the substrate in the cage from loose bedding to a thick towel.

That will be softer on their pads, and give them an even surface to walk on, making mobility easier for them, and that will make all the difference to their quality of life.

Module Summary

Lessons Learned

How to identify potential problems to pets in their elderly years The essentials of grooming The dangers of fur balls The types of fruits and vegetables suitable for rabbits and guinea pigs The vegetables guinea pigs should never be given How to safely use salt spools in rabbit hutches Why calcium must be cut out of a rabbit’s diet as they mature

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