can I?

[zig zag zoey]

i am thinking of gitting a cavy (guieny pig) but im wondering if an older 1(around 1 1/2 years) will git along with my rat or vice verca (rat git along with cavy) im also wondering what the idal cage is i have herd that the beginer (my first guiny peg home) cage is to small is that true? what cage(s) would you regkamend? i was going to git a cavy last week but the cage i was looking at for it was made for bunnys and had a wire flore that couldnt be takein off so i couldnt git her:( i allwise think about how happy a crtter would be with me before i bring it home and last week i didnt think it would be varry happy but now i do think it would be happy i have herd about the c&c cages but i canot find the kits and the fact that it has an open top and bottum would be a big prublum becouse my b lab MIGHT try to play with it and hert it becouse she is so big and the bottum...what could i use as litter? how would i keep it in the cage? i meen towles tay will chue them and git sick.

[HiddenDepths]

Guinea pigs shouldn't be housed with rats, that's a definate no. If you're thinking about getting a cavy you should be aware that they are social herd animals who can become quite lonely on their own, you should look into adopting two.
Like you mentioned C&C cages are what are prefered by most guinea pig owners, as the petstore cages are usually always far too small. But they can be pet proofed with lids so that your curious lab wouldn't be able to reach them. Depending on your area I know how hard it is to purchase the grids though, after having guinea pigs for 9 months I finally got my hands on some by a kind person online sending me extras (I live in Scotland, you can't get them anywhere for some reason)
Bedding used in these cages are usually fleece ontop of towels ontop of newspapers if I'm correct. The cavy poop should be scooped daily and given a full cleaning each week.
Good luck whatever way you decide, research as much as possible :)

[nanajo]

WOOD SHAVINGS and recycled paper litter (can be purchased at most pet shops, it looks like rabbit pellets). are the best thing possible. Never use wire bottom cages on a rabbit or cavey cage. The pressure from the bars can do severe nerve damge to their paws and leave them deformed and arthritic

[HiddenDepths]

It depends if you use wood shavings for guinea pigs though, depending on where they are housed, allergies can start up very easily and cause a lot of breathing problems. For owners and pigs.

[nanajo]

It depends if you use wood shavings for guinea pigs though, depending on where they are housed, allergies can start up very easily and cause a lot of breathing problems. For owners and pigs.
YOU CAN PURCHASE CEDAR shavings which do not have much dust and can be used with out problems. You can also purchase what looks like rabbit pellets but is infact a shaving made from recycled shavings and paper products.:)

[zig zag zoey]

Guinea pigs shouldn't be housed with rats, that's a definate no.
why??? i dont want to sound rude im just curies. i know how cavys love to be with other cavys thats why i wnder if i can put them together becouse rats like friends to.

[HiddenDepths]

Because they're a completely different type of animal, which will no doubt attack eachother, no matter how nice you think your animals are. Maybe that's just me, does no-one else think that this is a big no no? That's like housing a hamster and a mouse together. It's just not going to happen.
While yes you'll see people whos pets can get along for a little amount of time (dogs/guinea pigs, guinea pigs / birds) Theres no way they should actually be living together, it would cause so much danger.

[RachelLynn]

I don't think it would be a good idea either. You never know if they will fight. If you want to get your rat a friend why not get another rat?

[HiddenDepths]

Exactly, you should get another rat for your own. Also, your guinea pig would probably like a friend as they're herd animals, very social. Why not think about getting him/her a new friend also?
Not to mention the fact of rats and guinea pig diets, they're different. They have different needs in housing too, it wouldn't work.

[mynameislola]

Cedar bedding, like pine, emits phenols which cause liver damage. Neither should be used.

Aspen is the only safe wood bedding, IMHO.

[nanajo]

why??? i dont want to sound rude im just curies. i know how cavys love to be with other cavys thats why i wnder if i can put them together becouse rats like friends to.
hon you cant put them with rats because there will be fights. you dont want that.

myname
HOn not to appear to disagree with you but i have been breeding animals such as rats, cavies, bunnies, etc since i was 12. I am 46 now and i have never had one problem with Cedar shavings. Aspen should not be used it is too dusty. That is exactly what you dont want to do. Dust irritates their nostrils etc. Recycled paper litter is great too.

Alot of people are turning to gel cat litter and yet they do not realize that if the cat eats any of it, which they do at times, they will die as will adog that eats it. I seen a rabbit recently come into our vet office because the owner had let it hop around the house and it ate some of the gell cat litter. $2000.00 later the rabbit still died.

[HiddenDepths]

Anyway, not to get off topic, what did you decide to do zig zag zoey ?

[zig zag zoey]

OK now i understand why not. i dont know we will see...i might not git cavys i might just git another rat but i dont even know if i will git another rat. freckle has ben a bit anti sochle he hasnt been meen just wants nothing to do with me and i dont want to git him a friend and have 2 rats that i cant catch so if he gits usto being handled maby. i also might git 1 or a pair of cavys but that depends on ether or not i can find a cage for it and if i have eneywere to put the cage but i think we will find out in the spring/summer.

[mynameislola]

nanajo, have you ever seen a liver from an animal raised on cedar? It's so sad. :(

Phenols=bad news.

[dish]

be careful getting another rat. i had 2 sisters and i bought them when they where 5 weeks old. i got 2 becouse i new that rats are social creatures and needed a friend. when they got to about 3 months old they stared to fight. i had to seperate them they then atached themselves to me and my doughter.