One common myth I encounter as a veterinarian is that smaller pets, like rabbits and guinea pigs, make a great "starter pet" for kids.
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This is an assumption made by parents around the world - prompting the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA to launch an awareness campaign to remind us all that small pets like rabbits and guinea pigs are a big responsibility.
They may be smaller than your average dog and cat (though I've certainly met some rabbits who would dwarf a small dog or cat), and they certainly cost much less to acquire.
But rabbits and guinea pigs require plenty of care to ensure that their needs are met.
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As with any animal we decide to cohabit with, once we take them into our care we need to assume full responsibility for providing appropriate nutrition, shelter, opportunities to express species-specific behaviours and access to veterinary care.
When it comes to nutrition, for example, rabbits and guinea pigs have continuously growing teeth that are prone to dental disease if they aren't fed enough good quality grass and hay.
They also require a variety of fresh vegetables and herbs. A small proportion of their diet may be made up of good quality pellets.
Fresh food and clean water need to be provided daily. They also need an appropriate, clean, predator-proof, well ventilated shelter.
Rabbits can be toilet trained, so may be able to free-roam indoors. In these cases, owners need to take steps to prevent access to hazards. For example, rabbits are known for chewing on electrical cables, risking electrocution in the process.
Guinea pigs are highly sensitive to heat stress, and can die in temperatures of just 28 degrees Celsius. It is therefore critical that cages or hutches are not in a position where they will overheat.
Wire floors - though often favoured because they allow waste to drop through onto the ground - can injure the feet of animals within them, so an appropriate floor surface is important. Rabbits and guinea pigs are social, and like to live with their own kind.
They can also fight, so it is helpful to seek advice from your breeder or veterinarian about ensuring you match these animals with others of the correct age, sex, desexing status and temperament, before introducing them to one another carefully.
They like to graze, hide, and play. They don't necessarily like to be picked up, and may scratch or bite if they feel frightened.
Ultimately, children will need as much support caring for rabbits and guinea pigs as they would for a dog or cat.
Rabbits require regular vaccination against calicivirus (spread via mosquitoes, and sometimes deliberately released by councils to control wild rabbit populations). They are also prone to myxomatosis, for which there is not a vaccine available in Australia.
Female rabbits should be desexed to prevent the development of uterine cancer, a common affliction in older rabbits.
Both rabbits and guinea pigs can suffer from parasites. Infestation with the guinea pig mite, Trixacaris caviae, can be so severe that it can cause seizures, secondary infections and death in affected animals.
If not groomed appropriately, rabbits and guinea pigs are also prone to blowfly strike.
Like dogs and cats, rabbits and guinea pigs should be examined by a veterinarian soon after adoption, and on a regular (biannual or annual) basis after that.
Ultimately, children will need as much support caring for rabbits and guinea pigs as they would for a dog or cat.
With good care, rabbits and guinea pigs can be beautiful companions.
- Dr Anne Quain is a lecturer at the Sydney School of Veterinary Science and a practising veterinarian.
