Will rabbit food kill guinea pigs if they eat it?

[purepolly]

 

[Zorro]

 

[AznMaverick]

There's only one way to find out...

 

[shilala]

Rabbit food is just processed and pressed hay.
It's present in most guinea pig mix.
The short answer is "No, it's good for them, but it's not a complete diet".

 

[purepolly]

Originally posted by: AznMaverick
There's only one way to find out...

The pigs are already landfill material. I'm just wondering if the ex is feeding yet another line of BS to the daughter. 4 dead guinea pigs in a week, and 7/7 dead animals in 3 years is just a bit to suspicious to me. I'm just looking for some confirmation, one way or another.

But what the heck do I know about rodents.

 

[purepolly]

Originally posted by: shilala
Rabbit food is just processed and pressed hay.
It's present in most guinea pig mix.
The short answer is "No, it's good for them, but it's not a complete diet".

So would they die quickly if the food was changed, or would it be a gradual decline?

 

[Looney]

Originally posted by: purepolly

Originally posted by: AznMaverick
There's only one way to find out...

The pigs are already landfill material. I'm just wondering if the ex is feeding yet another line of BS to the daughter. 4 dead guinea pigs in a week, and 7/7 dead animals in 3 years is just a bit to suspicious to me. I'm just looking for some confirmation, one way or another.

But what the heck do I know about rodents.

Holy sh1t. Give these poor critters a chance and NOT buy them. It's obvious your place is a house of death.

 

[Al Neri]

yes they will

i thought this was common knowledge

just playing

 

[purepolly]

This isn't at my home, it's the kid's pets at the ex's house.

The whole story sounded very suspicious to me too. I'd like to think it wasn't deliberate, but I just don't know.

 

[purepolly]

Originally posted by: Don Rodriguez
yes they will

i thought this was common knowledge

just playing

Are you a cop?

 

[shilala]

Originally posted by: purepolly

Originally posted by: shilala
Rabbit food is just processed and pressed hay.
It's present in most guinea pig mix.
The short answer is "No, it's good for them, but it's not a complete diet".

So would they die quickly if the food was changed, or would it be a gradual decline?

When rodents die from feed they usually squirt shyt all over first.
They'd know.
They probably died from being too cold. They can't take sub-70 temps, they get sick and die in no time.
Where'd they keep them?

The bedding they used can kill them, too.
Any type of aromatic bedding like pine or cedar will kill them. It usually only takes 3 or 4 days until you can see they're getting sick and it goes downhill from there.

 

[Looney]

Get a hardy pet like an iguana. If that dies, then you know something is up.

 

[DrPizza]

Hmmmmm....
I have about 20 rabbits... my neighbors have twice that, plus they have quite a few guinea pigs.
I don't want guinea pigs

If I recall correctly, the neighbors feed their guinea pigs rabbit food, BUT, they supplement it with certain fresh vegetables. Guinea pigs especially need more vitamin C than rabbits. Guinea pig food is specially formulated for their nutritional needs, but if you are really careful and very knowledgeable about their nutritional needs, you may be able to get by with the rabbit food. Since you have to ask though, it seems you have a lot of reading to do, or perhaps should go the simpler route: get guinea pig food. (too expensive to bother with them, as far as I'm concerned - a 50 pound bag of quality rabbit feed is only about $8. )

My recommendation: get rid of the guinea pigs. If they want smaller pets, get some quality rabbits. There are several dwarf varieties, or you could go with many regular sized rabbits. (probably not Flemish Giants though). Rabbits can be litterbox trained and allowed to run around the house similar to a cat. (NONE of mine are in the house, but I know of a few people who have house rabbits.) They have less upkeep than dogs or cats.

 

[purepolly]

Originally posted by: shilala

Originally posted by: purepolly

Originally posted by: shilala
Rabbit food is just processed and pressed hay.
It's present in most guinea pig mix.
The short answer is "No, it's good for them, but it's not a complete diet".

So would they die quickly if the food was changed, or would it be a gradual decline?

When rodents die from feed they usually squirt shyt all over first.
They'd know.
They probably died from being too cold. They can't take sub-70 temps, they get sick and die in no time.
Where'd they keep them?

The bedding they used can kill them, too.
Any type of aromatic bedding like pine or cedar will kill them. It usually only takes 3 or 4 days until you can see they're getting sick and it goes downhill from there.

They were kept in a bedroom. It just seems odd to me that all 4 would go at once, within a few days. Especially, since they had ben taking care of them for a few years now.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: Looney
Get a hardy pet like an iguana. If that dies, then you know something is up.

Our iguana wasn't cat hardy.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: purepolly

Originally posted by: shilala

Originally posted by: purepolly

Originally posted by: shilala
Rabbit food is just processed and pressed hay.
It's present in most guinea pig mix.
The short answer is "No, it's good for them, but it's not a complete diet".

So would they die quickly if the food was changed, or would it be a gradual decline?

When rodents die from feed they usually squirt shyt all over first.
They'd know.
They probably died from being too cold. They can't take sub-70 temps, they get sick and die in no time.
Where'd they keep them?

The bedding they used can kill them, too.
Any type of aromatic bedding like pine or cedar will kill them. It usually only takes 3 or 4 days until you can see they're getting sick and it goes downhill from there.

They were kept in a bedroom. It just seems odd to me that all 4 would go at once, within a few days. Especially, since they had ben taking care of them for a few years now.

If they had them for a few years, I doubt nutrition was a problem... Most kids enjoy handfeeding vegetables and stuff to their pets like that, so I'd bet they were getting plenty of supplements to the rabbit food. I'd guess that they all got sick from the same thing. If you plan on getting any replacement guinea pigs, definitely sanitize the cage/tank they were in. AND, make sure any residues are thoroughly rinsed away.

 

[purepolly]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
Hmmmmm....
I have about 20 rabbits... my neighbors have twice that, plus they have quite a few guinea pigs.
I don't want guinea pigs

If I recall correctly, the neighbors feed their guinea pigs rabbit food, BUT, they supplement it with certain fresh vegetables. Guinea pigs especially need more vitamin C than rabbits. Guinea pig food is specially formulated for their nutritional needs, but if you are really careful and very knowledgeable about their nutritional needs, you may be able to get by with the rabbit food. Since you have to ask though, it seems you have a lot of reading to do, or perhaps should go the simpler route: get guinea pig food. (too expensive to bother with them, as far as I'm concerned - a 50 pound bag of quality rabbit feed is only about $8. )

My recommendation: get rid of the guinea pigs. If they want smaller pets, get some quality rabbits. There are several dwarf varieties, or you could go with many regular sized rabbits. (probably not Flemish Giants though). Rabbits can be litterbox trained and allowed to run around the house similar to a cat. (NONE of mine are in the house, but I know of a few people who have house rabbits.) They have less upkeep than dogs or cats.


The guinea pigs weren't mine. They are the kid's pets at the ex's house. I don't like rodents, they are just creepy, and have dogs and cats only at my house.

 

[shilala]

Originally posted by: purepolly

Originally posted by: shilala

Originally posted by: purepolly

Originally posted by: shilala
Rabbit food is just processed and pressed hay.
It's present in most guinea pig mix.
The short answer is "No, it's good for them, but it's not a complete diet".

So would they die quickly if the food was changed, or would it be a gradual decline?

When rodents die from feed they usually squirt shyt all over first.
They'd know.
They probably died from being too cold. They can't take sub-70 temps, they get sick and die in no time.
Where'd they keep them?

The bedding they used can kill them, too.
Any type of aromatic bedding like pine or cedar will kill them. It usually only takes 3 or 4 days until you can see they're getting sick and it goes downhill from there.

They were kept in a bedroom. It just seems odd to me that all 4 would go at once, within a few days. Especially, since they had ben taking care of them for a few years now.

The wife said "Tell him to quit bothering with what's going on at the ex's house".
She also said that a lot of fresh vegatables all at once will kill them.

That's to say that if they ran out of food and started feeding carrots and celery and lettuce to them, that could kill them because it's too shocking.

 

[purepolly]

Okay, I'll say it. The reason I'm bringing the whole topic up is because I'm wondering if this wasn't some passive aggressive act by the ex to get back at one of the kids. He hasn't been in the best of mental health lately, and I'm wondering if he just kinda snapped and took it out on the guinea pigs.

 

[IGBT]

..they're both rodents so why would it be a problem??

 

[James3shin]

there is a pretty significant difference. I own 4 G. Pigs and do not feed my boys Rabbit Pellets. Guinea pig pellets do look similar (almost identical) but the main thing lacking is Vitamin C. Rabbit pellets are not rich in vitamin C, whereas Guinea pig pellets are.

 

[shilala]

Originally posted by: purepolly
Okay, I'll say it. The reason I'm bringing the whole topic up is because I'm wondering if this wasn't some passive aggressive act by the ex to get back at one of the kids. He hasn't been in the best of mental health lately, and I'm wondering if he just kinda snapped and took it out on the guinea pigs.

I already guessed that about a half hour ago, except I thought you were the guy and he was the psycho ex-wife.

And...

That's not a very nice thing to think.

 

[purepolly]

Originally posted by: shilala

Originally posted by: purepolly
Okay, I'll say it. The reason I'm bringing the whole topic up is because I'm wondering if this wasn't some passive aggressive act by the ex to get back at one of the kids. He hasn't been in the best of mental health lately, and I'm wondering if he just kinda snapped and took it out on the guinea pigs.

I already guessed that about a half hour ago, except I thought you were the guy and he was the psycho ex-wife.

And...

That's not a very nice thing to think.

I didn't divorce him because he was a sweetheart. I divorced him because he was exhibiting parasuicidal behaviors and it was time to get out - it wasn't safe for the kids or me.

So play the devil's advocate for me okay. I got two kids that get unsupervised visitation time with daddy right now, and if I'm going to yank it and piss him off I want to make damn sure about it. This is daddy who is currently out on disability for psyche issues. Who the pysche center has called my home searching for 2 times within the last ten days. Daddy who has had major run ins with the child who is 100% attached to these pigs. Pigs that he knows have special dietary needs, because he gave the wrong food to one in the past, and it died.

god I hate dealing with this stuff...

 

[shilala]

Originally posted by: purepolly

Originally posted by: shilala

Originally posted by: purepolly
Okay, I'll say it. The reason I'm bringing the whole topic up is because I'm wondering if this wasn't some passive aggressive act by the ex to get back at one of the kids. He hasn't been in the best of mental health lately, and I'm wondering if he just kinda snapped and took it out on the guinea pigs.

I already guessed that about a half hour ago, except I thought you were the guy and he was the psycho ex-wife.

And...

That's not a very nice thing to think.

I didn't divorce him because he was a sweetheart. I divorced him because he was exhibiting parasuicidal behaviors and it was time to get out - it wasn't safe for the kids or me.

So play the devil's advocate for me okay. I got two kids that get unsupervised visitation time with daddy right now, and if I'm going to yank it and piss him off I want to make damn sure about it. This is daddy who is currently out on disability for psyche issues. Who the pysche center has called my home searching for 2 times within the last ten days. Daddy who has had major run ins with the child who is 100% attached to these pigs. Pigs that he knows have special dietary needs, because he gave the wrong food to one in the past, and it died.

god I hate dealing with this stuff...

Wow, you have a handful.
You'd know what to do a lot better than I would.
I can say that my first thought when I read that was "Damn, I gotta go get those kids".

 

[purepolly]

The kids are with me for the next few days so I have a day or two to decide what to do. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and he won't show again for his visitation.