Cute, cute, cute.....

[poliphilo]

I didn't mention this before, what with everything else that was going on, but we acquired a rabbit and a guinea pig last week. Joe had been talking about getting a snake or a rottweiler and I figured we should head him off at the pass.

I was thinking small animals would be low maintenance. I was wrong.

The rabbit is Toshiro Mifunny the Bunny (aka Fluffbucket) and the guineapig is Mulan

Comments

[huskyteer.livejournal.com]

They are so cute! And that's a very smart and glossy guinea pig.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It's a very frightened guinea pig and it doesn't really get on with the rabbit. He sees her as a sex object and she just wants to snuggle for comfort.

So we've separated them and (since this morning's posting) we've been out and bought her a companion.

[pickwick.livejournal.com]

Eeee! Cute! I love guinea pigs.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Pudgy, snuffly little things- yes very cute.

[ex-kalymura481.livejournal.com]

Incredibly cute! The bunny will be the demanding one, I suspect. They get bored easily (& consequently shred things or dig), showing that they must have more intelligence than people give them credit for... keep with it, though, & the rewards are well worth it!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the bunny has the run of the back room and is on the go all the time, snuffling at things. He's already quite tame.

The guinea, on the other hand, spends most of the time in bed.

[dadi.livejournal.com]

oooohhh :) how cute! The bunny is very beautiful.. I so love this shade of grey! Does he truly have red eyes or is that the flash?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

No, that's the flash. In normal light he has lovely dark eyes.

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

Ohhhh! The bunny is sweet, but the one I absolutely adore is the guinea-pig. They're so engaging, and I'm sure you'll have lots of fun with her(?).

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

We've just bought her a companion- whom we hope is another doe. It's apparently very hard to tell.

Still, the pet shop has said it will take any babies off our hands if the need arises.

[thewayupward.livejournal.com]

I think the cutest thing is how you named the guinea pig Mulan! I don't go in for smallish animals, but god that thing is cute. Are you giving the bunny free run of the house?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Mulan was Joe's idea.

The Bunny has the run of the back room. Actually he can go further if he wants, but as yet he hasn't ventured out the door.

[lblanchard.livejournal.com]

Is the rabbit housetrained? Or can you expect to find little boli of pet product all around? (pellets in, pellets out, how delightful)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

We've givn him a litter tray and he's been using it. Rabbits are very cleanly animals- or so we've been told.

[manfalling.livejournal.com]

yo- that's a box of my stuff eh? the ali book and the karate 2nd place medal. wow. makes me feel homely to see them ;)

Alice

[(Anonymous)]

its me alice, i packed that box for you. hope you like it. can you come home now please? I love Bo.

[manfalling.livejournal.com]

how much of my stuff do you have there?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Two, three boxes- something like that. Mainly books.

We've bought more shelving so we can get them off the floor, out of the reach of the rabbit. He has a thing for eating paperbacks.

[ragingnoodles.livejournal.com]

That bunny is going to be so cool with a name like that, just looking at that bunny and the guinea pig make me feel all warm & fuzzy inside.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It's nice to have them. The rabbit, in particular, is great fun.

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

Welcome to the world of pets!

Let's see:

The children had a dog who ate everything in Kate's bedroom; a bird, who flew to the Christmas tree and then to the piano bench, where it was immediately eaten by the surprised cat; a gerbil that cost almost nothing, who lived in an elaborate house that cost over $100; white mice; turtles from the woods (hidden in the closet); wild mouse babies (hidden in an old aquarium in the closet by Kate because her callous mom had killed the babies' mother)...

Your rabbit is very cute. We had one of those, too. And a guinea pig, which we rarely saw because it would bury itself in cedar shavings.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

We've had gerbils- they shred anything you put in their cage- and budgerigars and, of course, cats.

I had a rabbit when I was a kid, but it lived in a hutch in the garden and had little scope to be entertaining- poor thing- so eventually we gave it away. This one is huge fun. The guinea pig, like yours, stays in bed most of the time.

[sorenr.livejournal.com]

I keep thinking i want a pet, but then I come to my senses and realise that D is really all I can take care of these days. :-)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I'd recommend a rabbit. They can be house-trained. And they're the very acme of cuteness.

[jenny_evergreen]

Oh, boy, were you wrong! I've heard rather alarming stories about how difficult rabbits can be. But maybe your rabbit will be different. :)
We had a guinea pig, and there's a lot of maintenance there, although guinea pigs are not, ime, difficult pets. They're a bit high strung. (Ours was ridiculously high strung, but, then, he'd lost part of an ear to another guinea pig, so I can see how he'd be a bit tense!) But if you are patient, they probably make lovely pets. (We were children, and not so much with the patient. ;)
Good luck!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Our rabbit is still a baby, but he's growing up fast. We understand that'll we'll need to get him neutered.

The guinea pig is very nervy and shy. We have been a little worried about her, so today we went out and bought her a companion. We trust (though the shopman couldn't guarantee it) that they're both female.

[karenkay.livejournal.com]

I love the rabbit name!

Nanook is at FULL WINTER COAT right now, and I think I shall start calling him Fluffbucket.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Every creature should have at least three names. An official name, a nickname and a secret name.

[zoe-1418.livejournal.com]

Welcome to the wonderful world of guinea pigs. I've had continuous GP companions since 1995. PJ, my first, was adopted in Seattle and lived with me in a tiny studio apartment in an old high-rise, where she experienced an earthquake and numerous fire drills. She flew on a plane (in cargo!) when we moved to Wisconsin, then got a mate and had two litters in quick succession. Others have come and gone, but PJ just died two years ago, and the unheard-of old age of *eight*, when she was blind and tiny and bony, but still held her own at the water bottle. Now we are down to just Teddy, a five-year-old boy who lives in his own condo, a converted dog crate on top of our actual dog crate, so he can be at eye level with anyone who comes in. He demands fresh produce and attention with that shrill "Reep Reep Reep!!" noise.

None of my pigs, no matter how much handled and loved, have ever gotten over that instinctual "run for your lives!" reaction to hands coming at them. They are pretty near the bottom of the food chain after all, and I guess it's wise to keep a lookout for hawks, even indoors! But Teddy doesn't mind Ben, our twenty-pound red tabby cat. Ben will sleep next to Teddy's cage, share greens with him through the bars, and even let Teddy chew on his tail. Go figure.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

We now have two GPs. The second is less jumpy and has only one eye. We're still trying to come up with a name- perhaps something pirate-related.

The rabbit is easy to get along with, but the GPs obviously need a more proactive approach.

Thanks for sharing your experience. It's very encouraging.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Rabbits. Low maintenance. Hmmm. Has someone explained to you about rabbits and electrical cords yet? It's a wonder none of the ones I've had or known have electrocuted themselves.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I've been finding out for myself....

It seems rabbits will try knibbling anything once...

or twice...or three times....

[zen-punk.livejournal.com]

Toshiro Mifunny! Ha ha ha! What a name for a bunny. Been watching too many movies lately?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Well, I guess I own most of the movies Mifune made with Kurosawa.....

[four-thorns.livejournal.com]

AWWWWW!

my uncle used to raise rabbits and guinea pigs (among other things) and they make me go all to pieces. i have a picture from my 3rd birthday where i am holding my pet guinea pig and squeezing the dear life out of it.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Guinea pigs are very squeezable.

They also, as we've discovered, have very sharp claws...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

And now there's a second GP. We're calling her Nuala- after Ailz's cousin in Ireland.

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

Awww. Let me see, at one time in his life my brother Mark had a guinea pig (that I gave him ) that lived for a LONG time. And at another time he had bunnies - they were supposed to be his daughter's but you know...he ended up having to take care of them.

Never cared all that much for birds...maybe I just like cuddly pets.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I had a white rabbit when I was a kid and my sister had a guinea pig. I'm afraid we got bored with them and gave them away.

Yes, I know- the shame.....

[sina-says.livejournal.com]

awww! and such a bright little house for the gp!
bunnies, i've heard, can be kind of high maintenance. the only experience i've had was to visit a pair that a friend was bunny-sitting. huckleberry and ainsley. ainsley was just a regular litlle lop-eared girl but huck was positively enourmous. a flemish giant if memory serves. they both had the run of the house (you can litter train them i guess) and aside from being a little timid were very well behaved. good luck, and be sure to post more pics.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Our bunny is supposedly a dwarf- though he's grown noticeably since we bought him.

He's difficult to photograph. Firstly because he's always on the move and secondly because his character is expressed in movement and still images just don't do him justice. Nevertheless I shall keep on trying.