# Can a rabbit be housed with a guinea pig?



## RowdyRabbit (Dec 3, 2014)

Contrary to popular belief, rabbits and guinea pigs should NOT be paired together or live together in the same hutch, for a number of reasons:

1. Different nutritional requirements
Rabbits and guinea pigs need different foods to meet their different dietary requirements; guinea pigs need a diet rich in Vitamin C or else they can become ill. Rabbits are the opposite and may become ill from too much Vitamin C or a lack of other important vitamins. The 2 animals sharing the food may make it difficult to know which animal has eaten what.

2. Different language
Rabbits and guinea pigs communicate differently so it is in both of their interests to have a friend that talks the same language. You wouldn't want to lead your life living only with a gorilla for company - you might get on but could never understand each other properly!

3. Behaviour
Rabbits are a lot stronger than guinea pigs and can easily hurt or even kill a guinea pig without meaning to, simply by kicking out with their powerful back legs or jumping over the guinea pig. The rabbit may also bully the guinea pig. Sometimes guinea pigs ingest rabbit fur which can cause them problems.

4. Space and exercise needs
In the wild, rabbits run fast and free, covering the equivalent of 30 tennis courts daily. Guinea pigs have little legs and despite needing lots of space and exercise themselves, it differs greatly to the type of space rabbits need to hop, run and jump.

5. Disease
Rabbits can pass a bacteria onto guinea pigs, which can cause respiratory disease in them.
These differences aren't to say that you can't keep both types of animals in the same household, but keep them separate from each other and pair up with an animal of its own kind. If you currently have a guinea pig then get him or her a guinea pig friend. If you have a rabbit then get another rabbit - it's a myth that getting a guinea pig friend for a rabbit is cheaper!

I hope that this helped! :thumbup:

*NOTE:* The poll in this post is not unfair: many of you may think that almost all of the members that will see this post will be rabbit owners because this post is in the Rabbits Forum. However, I have also posted a link to _this_ post and poll in the Rodents Forum which is ised by many guinea pig owners. Just wanted to clear that up! :tongue_smilie:


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## Amelia66 (Feb 15, 2011)

This information is also http://www.petforums.co.uk/rabbits/53839-important-information-new-rabbit-owners.html in the rabbit section stickys.


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## RowdyRabbit (Dec 3, 2014)

Amelia66 said:


> This information is also http://www.petforums.co.uk/rabbits/53839-important-information-new-rabbit-owners.html in the rabbit section stickys.


Just read the post and found the brief part about guinea pigs - I'm not quite sure what you're trying to imply? This post and its information has nothing to do with Kammie's post - I just wanted to make a _detailed_ list of reasons why rabbits and guinea pigs should not be housed together. In fact, I gathered none of my info from that post, rather RSPCA approved care websites.


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

RowdyRabbit said:


> Just read the post and found the brief part about guinea pigs - I'm not quite sure what you're trying to imply? This post and its information has nothing to do with Kammie's post - I just wanted to make a _detailed_ list of reasons why rabbits and guinea pigs should not be housed together. In fact, I gathered none of my info from that post, rather RSPCA approved care websites.


then i'm assuming you have Both done research to make similar posts? i didn't read it as 'you're stealing other peoples information' simply 'here is another thread with the same information that will verify what you've said'.... don't take offence!

(though, there are more thorough and detailed sources than RSPCA on the subject!  )


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## Amelia66 (Feb 15, 2011)

RowdyRabbit said:


> Just read the post and found the brief part about guinea pigs - I'm not quite sure what you're trying to imply? This post and its information has nothing to do with Kammie's post - I just wanted to make a _detailed_ list of reasons why rabbits and guinea pigs should not be housed together. In fact, I gathered none of my info from that post, rather RSPCA approved care websites.


LOL there is no need to be so hostile, I'm not trying to imply anything! all i did was point out that this info is also in the sticky's. There is a lot of info there i thought it would be good to look if you hadn't already to see whats up there.

The main points are they shouldn't be housed together. Everything else is just reasons why. Its not a contest of whos is the most detailed.


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

Yes, there are still people that house a rabbit and a guinea pig together, but yes, the info in the original post is correct.

Rabbits are one of the domestic pets that carry bordatella, which can cause a nasty respiratory disease in guinea pigs.

Whilst there are people on here who keep both responsibly, I'm not sure if any actually keep them together.


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## RowdyRabbit (Dec 3, 2014)

kodakkuki said:


> then i'm assuming you have Both done research to make similar posts? i didn't read it as 'you're stealing other peoples information' simply 'here is another thread with the same information that will verify what you've said'.... don't take offence!
> 
> (though, there are more thorough and detailed sources than RSPCA on the subject!  )





Amelia66 said:


> LOL there is no need to be so hostile, I'm not trying to imply anything! all i did was point out that this info is also in the sticky's. There is a lot of info there i thought it would be good to look if you hadn't already to see whats up there.
> 
> The main points are they shouldn't be housed together. Everything else is just reasons why. Its not a contest of whos is the most detailed.


I do apologise if I appeared "_hostile_"! I was just wondering what you were trying to say in your post, Amelia66 - not getting angry/upset and taking offence! LOL 

Anyway, in response to kodakkuki, as I said in my post: I did not source my information from the RSPCA, rather RSPCA _approved_ websites.

I hope that this cleared things up! And Summersky, thank you very much for your information on bordatella.

See you around... :wink:


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## Wiz201 (Jun 13, 2012)

yes we housed a grey rabbit Buster with the guinea pig. The guinea pig outlived the rabbit so obviously not all rabbits carry bordatella.


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## Lopside (Mar 20, 2012)

That's like saying I knew someone who smoked 100 cigarettes a day and lived til they were 90. If there's a risk of a guinea pig catching a fatal disease from a rabbit then it's a risk not worth taking. Sometimes the bordatella issues fogs the other very valid reasons for not housing together. Regardless off the risk of disease the other factors still stand and they are not designed to live together. Far better to get two rabbits or two guinea pigs.


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

Wiz201 said:


> yes we housed a grey rabbit Buster with the guinea pig. The guinea pig outlived the rabbit so obviously not all rabbits carry bordatella.


No. Not all. But the risk is there, and the other reasons will stand - 2 different species speaking different languages, different dietary needs (how did you feed them, out of interest?), different housing needs (people who keep them together often sadly keep the rabbit in entirely unsuitable accommodation size wise) and the strong risk that the guinea pig will be humped mercilessly, or injured by a rabbit's strong back legs.

It's something that many people did in ignorance in the past, thinking that each pet had company and they couldn't breed. Fortunately it's far less common nowadays.

Also, rabbits can live into easily live into double figures, so should outlive the guinea pig.


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## Wiz201 (Jun 13, 2012)

well that was years ago, I don't keep rabbits and guinea pigs anymore. The rabbit was a lot older than the guinea pig to begin with.


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## Summersky (Aug 11, 2012)

Wiz201 said:


> well that was years ago, I don't keep rabbits and guinea pigs anymore. The rabbit was a lot older than the guinea pig to begin with.


Yes. those of us who have kept rabbits and/or guinea pigs for a long time will have seen how much more is now known about how they should be looked after. Most of us will cringe about the inadequate accommodation, diet and vet care they had back then.

The worst wannabee adopters are those stuck in the old ways, who aren't prepared to learn and move with the times. They are the ones most likely to be turned down.


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