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Original poster

Rabbit and guinea pig together?

21 replies

belgo · 12/03/2011 12:45

I'm guessing this is not a good idea. My rabbit is three years old and has the run of half of our garden to herself. She is lovely but does not like being picked up.

We have been given a guinea pig, at present in a cage inside the house. I would love her to have an area in the garden, but I'm really not sure if it's a good idea to put her with the rabbit.

Anyone with any experience?

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MissInvincible · 12/03/2011 12:52

We have a 4yr old rabbit and we decided to get a guinea pig to keep him company. We started off with hour-long supervised play in a run in the garden and they hit it off immediately :) 3 months later and the guinea pig follows the rabbit around the garden and the rabbit adores him! They now share a hutch and snuggle up together.

Original poster
belgo · 12/03/2011 12:55

That's interesting MissInvincable! I have just introduced them to each other, for about a minute, with me holding the guinea pig,the rabbit sniffed her but the guinea pig got a bit distressed and nipped my finger.

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Original poster
belgo · 12/03/2011 14:25

bump

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pgpg · 12/03/2011 14:31

We had a rabbit and guinea pig together and they got on well. The guinea pig met the rabbit when the rabbit was about two years old. The only problem we had was that the rabbit got a bit frisky and seemed to fancy the guinea pig (both male - rabbit having had bits removed!)

pgpg · 12/03/2011 14:34

Forgot to add, they both lived in the garden in miraculous hutch plus run designed by my father. Definitely no aggression problems and I like to think they provided company for one another.

Original poster
belgo · 12/03/2011 14:51

thank you pgpg, sounds positive.

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sparkle101 · 12/03/2011 17:05

Advice from RSPCA changed in the last few years to not house guineas and rabbits together.

Rabbits are very strong and very territorial and can injure a guinea pig without realising (e.g. when it stamps it's foot down or kicks off to hop around, or gets a bit frisky!). Guineas and rabbits are both very sociable with their own kind and unfortunately raabits don't speak guinea and vice versa, it is lovely to hear guineas chattering to each other!

Another reason is that guineas cannot make their own vitamin C so they have to have supplements to give them this the guinea and rabbit food are different and they cannot have each others.

Therefore the RSPCA do not recommend putting the two together and I know that pets at home have heeded the advice and now seperate their animals.

Original poster
belgo · 12/03/2011 17:21

Thanks Sparkle.

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vinestein · 12/03/2011 17:31

I had a rabbit and guinea pig together once (when I was a child, more than 15 years ago when it was the done thing)

But... my rabbit was a bit evil, and repeatedly raped my guinea pig Shock Shock Sad I separated them once I realised (horrified 9yo at the time) but I still feel guilty!

Original poster
belgo · 12/03/2011 18:52

Shock oh no! I think they are both girls.

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BabyDubsEverywhere · 12/03/2011 20:10

Im going to be really morbid, but my nieces rabbit has just killed all three guinea pigs that vhe shared with. Blood all over the rabbit hind paws, crushed guinea pigs on the lawn. they had been living together for 3 years aswell. Sad

Original poster
belgo · 13/03/2011 08:13

That's awful BE. We might just wait until we get another guinea from SIL, it shouldn't be long, they breed like rabbits.

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picmaestress · 13/03/2011 08:16

Some rabbits bully guinea pigs, please don't do it. But your bunny shouldn't live on it's own either, you should have a pair ideally.

mummyosaurus · 13/03/2011 08:19

My rabbit and guinea pig were fine together. Both females, she mothered the guinea pig.

DH made the Guinea pig a little shelter only she could fit in so she could have a space of her own.

You have to feed them guinea pig food, it's the same but has added vitamin C. The rabbit will be fine on that.

diddl · 13/03/2011 10:15

No, no, no!

Rabbit might accidentely hurt it if nothing else!

Original poster
belgo · 13/03/2011 10:33

Ok diddl, I'm listening!

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enimod · 13/03/2011 11:49

i had a rabbit and guineapig together but this is bout 16 years ago- the rabbit use to hump the guineapig- i never realised that they shouldnt be together.

empirestateofmind · 13/03/2011 11:57

One of my rabbits jumped into the guinea pig enclosure when a door was left open by mistake and landed on top of a guinea pig when she jumped over into their area. The poor guinea pig was injured and had to have painkillers, anti-inflammatories and two trips to the vet. She is fine now but we are very careful to keep the two rabbits away from the two gps.

diddl · 13/03/2011 12:03
Blush

Btw I have dwarf lionhead rabbits which aren´t much bigger than our GP, but faster & stronger-especially the back legs.

TheMonster · 13/03/2011 12:06

A friend of mine once housed a rabbit and guinea pig together and found the guinea pig minus a head one morning Sad

Original poster
belgo · 13/03/2011 12:22

Shock this thread is beginning to read like a horror story. I am so glad I started it, I will definitely be keeping the gp and rabbit away from each other.

I have christened the gp Peppa Pig and she is lovely. I never knew guinea pigs were so cute.

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