Why can't you house guinea pigs and rabbits together?

Question

Confusedbuthappy askedus to tell her what small pets we keep and what we keep them in. She then turned her question into a website of information for small animals and their upkeeping. In this section, one of her points was to advise not to keep Guinea Pigs and Rabbits together in the same cage. When I was little we had an outdoor enclosure which was about 8 square metres and we had 2 rabbits and 2 guinea pigs living in harmony. They shared the same little house inside the enclosure but were free to come and go as the please. We never had any problems with them, so why does confusedbuthappy suggest this?

Answer 1

Talking about me I see..lol.. Thats ok, I would rather you ask and learn from it, then end up having you rabbit kill your guinea pig, or other such things..

Quoted from: http://www.guineapigcages.com/rabbits.htm

Such pairings are often disastrous, both for the guinea pigs and the rabbits; so before you attempt this, please give serious consideration to the following issues:

Diet. Although guinea pigs and rabbits are both herbivores who eat primarily hay, they require different nutrients and consume different quantities. For instance, guinea pigs need a regular supply of Vitamin C, which they get both from their daily vegetable intake and specially-formulated pellets. Guinea pigs should NOT eat rabbit pellets, as these are formulated to meet the rabbit’s digestive needs only and do not contain extra Vitamin C. In addition, some rabbit pellets, designed for use by breeders and labs, contain antibiotics that are potentially harmful to guinea pigs. To complicate matters even further, while the House Rabbit Society recommends limiting a bun’s pellet diet, guinea pigs can have unlimited access to their own pellets. And when it comes to vegetables, it can become very difficult to make sure that each animal is provided with the correct roughage for their nutritional needs. Attempting to manage these very different dietary requirements can be a very challenging task.

Size and strength. Even the smallest dwarf rabbit can pose a physical danger to a guinea pig, especially if space is limited. Rabbits often kick or stomp with their powerful hind feet when they are expressing their emotions. Whether a rabbit is jumping for joy or thumping out of annoyance, a guinea pig stands a good chance of getting hurt. This is not as uncommon as you might think. Rescuers and other concerned animal welfarists often encounter guinea pigs whose legs have been broken after being caged in a pet store with a rabbit. Such injuries often require surgery and a lifetime regimen of anti-inflammatory medication.


A recent story:
A guinea pig and was bonded with a dwarf rabbit. All was well on getting along, until a noise in the home startled the rabbit who was lying next to the guinea pig. The unintended injury caused from the jump of the dwarf rabbit resulted in the death of the guinea pig.


Immunity. Most animals carry organisms which are not harmful to them but which can be fatal to other species. In the case of rabbits, a very common bacteria found in their respiratory tract is Pasteurella. While antibiotic treatments can control this disease, it often lingers on in a carrier state and requires occasional treatment. Rabbits can live a long life as carriers of Pasteurella and not even show any symptoms. However, guinea pigs are highly susceptible to respiratory infections, and their fragile immune system is not equipped to battle this pathogen. If exposed to Pasteurella, a guinea pig is many times more likely than a rabbit to succumb to the organism and die. It is a chance that not many of us would like to take with our beloved pets.

Even if you attempt to remove all the dangers mentioned above, you may find yourself in a situation of severe incompatibility. Listen to what one guinea pig owner has to say about her experimentation with a rabbit-guinea pig match:

"At first I thought it was a great idea to put my rabbit in with my guinea pigs. They were free-range so I believed that space would not be an issue. I had the rabbit blood-tested for Pasteurella (note: these tests often give false negatives) and designed what I thought was a clever environment, with the rabbit’s food up high where only he could get at it.

But the situation didn’t work out the way I had planned. The rabbit went around eating all the guinea pigs’ pellets and hardly touched his hay. He was possessive about his vegetables and would 'ork' and dive at the guinea pigs if they came near him during veggie time. And I soon realized that my rabbit was very lonely. He would follow the guinea pigs around and groom them, then put his head down to be groomed in return. The pigs would just walk away. Pretty soon he was spending all his time on his food shelf, looking bored and angry.

I realized that I had made a mistake and adopted a nice spayed female bun to be his companion. Everyone is much, much happier now."

This story illustrates another point that should be considered if you ever find yourself contemplating a guinea pig-rabbit match:

Social Life. Have you ever watched two rabbits together? They like to snuggle and groom each other constantly. Guinea pigs, on the other hand, do not groom each other on a regular basis. Nor are they habitual cuddlers. Instead, they like to maintain their own personal space and don’t often like to share. In this kind of environment, a rabbit could become very lonely and a guinea pig might start feeling harassed. Keep in mind, then, that rabbits and guinea pigs are quite different animals, one of them desiring a close, affectionate bonded pair, the other sharing a more limited interaction with a herd.

Above all else, we should remember that it is our responsibility to provide a safe, healthy, and nurturing environment for our pets that resembles as closely as possible their natural environment. And guinea pigs cannot thrive in an environment where their well-being is threatened by an improper diet, the risk of injury, foreign pathogens, and companions with whom they do not share a common language.

I would suggest adopting a friend for each of your animals, from the local shelter. If you need more help or advice, I would suggest joining this site- www.guineapigcages.com/forum you can register, make a board and ask questions.. they also have a section for rabbits. my username on there is wickedrodent

Answer 2

Actually, most of the time these two species will get along great. In fact, I know of a pet shop near our house that keeps them together while they wait for someone to buy them. I was surprised to see them in the same cage. When I asked the clerk about this, he said, "Yep, they get along great... most of the time."

There's always the chance they'll fight. And they don't get along 100% of the time. But if you supervise their introduction and first few hours/days together, you'll be able to tell if they're going to get along. If they don't, then separate them and buy another cage.

It's sort of like owning a cat and a dog. They usually get along (or at least tolerate each other), but sometimes you get a pair that just can't seem to agree to each other's company. As wiith any species, this has a lot to do with individual personalities. If you have a rabbit/guinea pig/elephant with a more dominant personality, that animal may have a harder time adjusting to another cagemate--even one of the same species.

The only way you can find out for sure if your particular rabbit and particular guinea pig are going to get along is by trial and error.

Good luck!

Answer 3

There are many reasons that rabbits and guinea pigs should not be housed together and one of them involves dietary requirements.

Guinea pigs need to have vitamin C in their pellets whereas rabbits do not. It is true that they eat the same hay, but their pellets are very different because of the vitamin C infused in them since Guinea Pigs do not naturally produce this.

The second reason is that many rabbits are much larger than guinea pigs and may potentially harm them in an act of play or fright.

Answer 4

really it all depends on the cage size,gender, and animal size,see a big rabbit will try to assert itself on top by say kicking a guinea pig, which is dangerous for the guinea pig and can kill it, also some rabbits just plain dont like guinea pigs,another thing is that guinea pigs and rabbits have an alphafemale,(female leader) which makes it so a rabbit would want to lead over a female guinea pig. also alot of the time they all want thereown territory,in which a rabbit would want and need alot,personally i think the best things is,let them socialize,hold both animals on your lap,be ready to separate them,if they fight nvr have them together if the like eachother keep together whenever you can(not at night!)

Answer 5

#1 reason: Rabbit's hind legs. Even a dwarf rabbit who is not trying to be violent can let out a kick when startled that could kill a guinea pig.
#2 reason: Diet. As others have said, guinea pigs need different supplements in their pellets than rabbits do.

Answer 6

susposedly its because the FEED is different and Guinea pigs require special vitamins, but I've had my rabbit and guineapig together and they only get fed guinea pig food (so guinea can have his vitamins)

I have a female rabbit and a male guinea pig ina 2' x 3' cage. I've had different combinations but this pair has been together four years now, and before this guinea pig was another with the bunny for three years (old bunny).

Bunny lives just fine on guinea pig food.

Answer 7

I have also housed guinea pigs and rabbits together without any problems, she may know something that we do not.

Answer 8

We tried it, but the experiment lasted less than 24 hours. The rabbit chewed the piggies ears and bullied it totally.

Answer 9

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