# introducing my rabbit to a guinea pig



## tutter (Sep 21, 2011)

hey i am new here and thought this would be a good place to sign up at since i am going to be needing some help with my new pet(s)!

ok i have had a rabbit for 3 days now and i didn't want her to be alone so i went and got a baby guinea pig for some company for my rabbit

i put the guinea pig straight in my rabbits cage, and the rabbit just totally ignored the guinea pig as if she wasn't there
the guinea pig is very very small (not sure on age as pet shop owner did not tell me) my guess is around a few weeks at most.
she is a very nervous guinea pig and she just burried herself right under the hay and i haven't seen her since. (this was a good 4-5 hours ago)
my rabbit has been out her cage since the guinae pig went in i have now just put my rabbit back in her cage and she lay down (again paying no attention to the pig who by the way i can't find under the hay!)

please can i have some advice on what to do

they are both females
the rabbit is 8 weeks old
unsure on guinae pigs age but she is a baby still


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2011)

No, no, no, no.

Please keep your rabbit and guinea pig separate, not only could your rabbit hurt your piggie very easily when she gets older, all rabbits are carriers of Bordatella which is harmless to them but potentially fatal for guinea pigs.

Please split them up and get them a friend of the same species.

Here is a link to something I wrote a while ago explaining all the reasons these 2 species should *never* be housed together.

http://www.rabbitretreat.com/misc.php?page=pig


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

B3rnie said:


> No, no, no, no.
> 
> Please keep your rabbit and guinea pig separate, not only could your rabbit hurt your piggie very easily when she gets older, all rabbits are carriers of Bordatella which is harmless to them but potentially fatal for guinea pigs.
> 
> ...


^ this exactly, please please separate them both and get them a same species friend 

the risks of having them both together even for another minute are so great


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## jo-pop (May 27, 2011)

No no please no. This Is really bad. I know it's been a common practice but it's so risky for both. Illness and injury are common when kept together. If you want a friend (and well done for recognising bunny needs one) then contact a rescue centre who can help find a bunny friend. Of course both need to be spayed or neutered when time is right. You do NOT want babies, eeek


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## tutter (Sep 21, 2011)

B3rnie said:


> No, no, no, no.
> 
> Please keep your rabbit and guinea pig separate, not only could your rabbit hurt your piggie very easily when she gets older, all rabbits are carriers of Bordatella which is harmless to them but potentially fatal for guinea pigs.
> 
> ...


ok i have now took the pig out of the rabbits cage but i do not have another cage for her to go in i only have a cardboard box which i have filled with hay and a pillowcase and put a little tub of water and guinae pig food in
but it is very small and also the guinae pig is terrified she isn't moving she is just sat really still and motionless and when i go towards her or the box she runs like road runner to hide herself this is breaking my heart i hate to see animals in distress and idk how to help her
at the pet shop she was in a tiny cage with another 3 pigs (her sisters)

please can someone give me advice


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

I would obviously just make getting her a suitable cage and a same sex cage mate as a priority. I have a very skittish guinea and he really relies on his friend to make him feel safer


Right now I would probably just leave her alone to get her settled.


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2011)

gloworm*mushroom said:


> I would obviously just make getting her a suitable cage and a same sex cage mate as a priority. I have a very skittish guinea and he really relies on his friend to make him feel safer
> 
> Right now I would probably just leave her alone to get her settled.


The OP has split them now GM


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

B3rnie said:


> The OP has split them now GM


Well I know but she is in a box  Box no good!


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2011)

Good point 

I'll shut up now :lol:


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## catloveralicia (Oct 22, 2009)

Could you get another cage for your guinea-pig? You can get some on ebay or places like gumtree, or from pet shops and places like zooplus.
If you could, it would be great to get a friend for both your guinea-pig and your rabbit.
Male/Female pairings normally work best with rabbits (although both of them will need to be spayed and neutered) and female guinea-pigs get on very well together normally. 
I'm guessing by cage you mean your pets are indoor? This is a good indoor cage for guinea-pigs:
Skyline Maxi XXL Rabbit and Guinea Pig Cage - Great deals on small pet accessories at zooplus


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## tutter (Sep 21, 2011)

catloveralicia said:


> Could you get another cage for your guinea-pig? You can get some on ebay or places like gumtree, or from pet shops and places like zooplus.
> If you could, it would be great to get a friend for both your guinea-pig and your rabbit.
> Male/Female pairings normally work best with rabbits (although both of them will need to be spayed and neutered) and female guinea-pigs get on very well together normally.
> I'm guessing by cage you mean your pets are indoor? This is a good indoor cage for guinea-pigs:
> Skyline Maxi XXL Rabbit and Guinea Pig Cage - Great deals on small pet accessories at zooplus


money being tight is my main issue
i was hoping they were going to be company for each other as the man in the pet shop told me to get a gpig for my bun rather than another bun
i literally don't have the funds yet to get a cage let alone another pig and bun  i feel really dreadful about this whole situation


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

Tough situation.

If you really cannot afford to purchase another cage I would look into rehoming the guinea pig sadly.

Do you mind me asking how big your rabbit cage is before we suggest a companion rabbit?


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## tutter (Sep 21, 2011)

gloworm*mushroom said:


> Tough situation.
> 
> If you really cannot afford to purchase another cage I would look into rehoming the guinea pig sadly.
> 
> Do you mind me asking how big your rabbit cage is before we suggest a companion rabbit?


around the same size as this


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

And is she in there all the time or does she get to run around freely a lot?

Really that cage isnt big enough for one bunny, never mind the two


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## tutter (Sep 21, 2011)

gloworm*mushroom said:


> And is she in there all the time or does she get to run around freely a lot?
> 
> Really that cage isnt big enough for one bunny, never mind the two


she is out of her cage pretty much all of the day (i have only had her for 3 days or so) she gets free roam of the house and only goes in her cage to sleep at night or when we are going out.
tonight though she is sleeping in the living room as i have put the pig in her cage cos the gpig needs to feel settled and rosie(the bun) is quite content hopping around the living room.

i feel cruel as if i'm abusing them by not having big enough cages or more than 1 for that matter  ugh


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

tutter said:


> she is out of her cage pretty much all of the day (i have only had her for 3 days or so) she gets free roam of the house and only goes in her cage to sleep at night or when we are going out.
> tonight though she is sleeping in the living room as i have put the pig in her cage cos the gpig needs to feel settled and rosie(the bun) is quite content hopping around the living room.
> 
> i feel cruel as if i'm abusing them by not having big enough cages or more than 1 for that matter  ugh


They are alll things you can sort out, its good that she is getting the free range time.


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## tutter (Sep 21, 2011)

gloworm*mushroom said:


> They are alll things you can sort out, its good that she is getting the free range time.


i am very nervous with my pets in the sense that i overthink how they are and what i'm doing right/wrong!!
i can never escape it hahaha they are soo worth all of the worry though
but i have just recently lost all 6 of my rats to old age so i'm constantly questioning if my bun (and now pig) are happy etc

i just wish i could wave a wand and know what to do
as we don't have the funds my mam is thinking we should rehome the pig but i really don't think i could cope with that as of worry she is being looked after but i'm not sure i can give her what she needs as i said in an earlier post i think she is only around 3weeks old or something she is bloody tiny and i'm scared to break her!


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## Guest (Sep 22, 2011)

tutter said:


> i am very nervous with my pets in the sense that i overthink how they are and what i'm doing right/wrong!!
> i can never escape it hahaha they are soo worth all of the worry though
> but i have just recently lost all 6 of my rats to old age so i'm constantly questioning if my bun (and now pig) are happy etc
> 
> ...


Would you consider handing her to a rescue as she is so young? They would be able to give her everything she needs and then when she is old enough they will do home checks to make sure she is going to the right home 

I only suggest it because you say funds are tight, are you ok re vaccinations for bun?
That cage really isn't big enough for a rabbit (stupid pet shop ) but if you buy a pen you can use it as a litter tray and you can pick one up from ebay for around £40 so not a huge outlay to make the setup more suitable.


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## tutter (Sep 21, 2011)

B3rnie said:


> Would you consider handing her to a rescue as she is so young? They would be able to give her everything she needs and then when she is old enough they will do home checks to make sure she is going to the right home
> 
> I only suggest it because you say funds are tight, are you ok re vaccinations for bun?
> That cage really isn't big enough for a rabbit (stupid pet shop ) but if you buy a pen you can use it as a litter tray and you can pick one up from ebay for around £40 so not a huge outlay to make the setup more suitable.


i did not even know of such places until i came to this site or else i would have went there for my bun and pig! although i could not replace them now

can i ask what size cage is decent for a house rabbit? i have no clue on these things


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

My buns probably don't get as much free range time as yours as I don't leave them unsupervised with the kittens, but mine have a 6ft x 2ft hutch with permanent access to a 6x6 run. They do get free range when I'm home.


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## Guest (Sep 22, 2011)

tutter said:


> i did not even know of such places until i came to this site or else i would have went there for my bun and pig! although i could not replace them now
> 
> can i ask what size cage is decent for a house rabbit? i have no clue on these things


Well all mine are free range :lol:
But I would say the minimum really is a 48" dog crate with a pen attached like this one I had set up a while ago (the crate is left open 24/7)








(the bunny you can spot is a 3.8kg german lop to give you a size comparison)


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## tutter (Sep 21, 2011)

i will take a picture of my buns cage so you guys can see it for yourself
i really do need to know if it is too small as it is my birthday in nov and i will ask for a bun cage for it


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## tutter (Sep 21, 2011)

ok here is my buns cage (which currently has the pig in it)


and this is where my bun has choose in the living room to sleep for the night


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## tutter (Sep 21, 2011)

B3rnie said:


> Well all mine are free range :lol:
> But I would say the minimum really is a 48" dog crate with a pen attached like this one I had set up a while ago (the crate is left open 24/7)
> 
> 
> ...


oh wow i love this!

we have a spare bedroom in our house so what iw as thinking was to maybe put the cage in that bedroom and have the cage door open 24/7 for my bun to have the full bedroom to herself while we are either out or sleeping

then the rest of the time she is free to roam the house and back garden at her will


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## Kammie (Apr 4, 2009)

Just a little tip, your address can be seen on the carboard tube I would edit the picture in something like paint to black it out for safety reasons.


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## Guest (Sep 22, 2011)

tutter said:


> oh wow i love this!
> 
> we have a spare bedroom in our house so what iw as thinking was to maybe put the cage in that bedroom and have the cage door open 24/7 for my bun to have the full bedroom to herself while we are either out or sleeping
> 
> then the rest of the time she is free to roam the house and back garden at her will


That's a great idea, that way you don't have any extra expense :thumbup:
I hope you didn't spend too much on that cage, my hamsters have a bigger setup than that


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## hazyreality (Jan 11, 2009)

If you are keeping the guinea, can you not go back an get one of her sisters, she needs company if she is that young and scared  As a temp cage that would be ok for the guineas, then you can get an proper size indoor cage from a site like preloved or gumtree hopefully as they grow? 
If the rabbit can have the spare room for overnight and when you are out, then she wont need the cage and the guineas can have it for the time being? I would nip to the supermarket and get some big cardboard boxes that you can make into a bed to put in the room for the bun as you cant get a cage at the moment. Obviously a litter tray aswell 
You can work out what to do about a friend for the bun later on.

*Heidi*


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