Your friend is wrong. It is true that many people do this, but many people doing something wrong does not make it right! Rabbits can and do hurt guinea pigs, even when they are friends -- a happy bunny binkying around in joy can easily break the spine of a guinea pig. They do eat hugely different foods which can cause health issues, and they don't speak the same language. It's almost cruel to force a rabbit to live with animals that dont' speak their language or have the same social needs that they do.

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

The benefits are entirely to the rabbit (ie, not being completely alone and having a friend which will not fight back) but the risks are all on the guinea pigs -- scurvy, injury, and stress!

 

No, rabbits and guinea pigs should NEVER be housed together. Although their diets are fairly similar, guinea pigs need a lot more Vitamin C than bunnies do. Plus, rabbits are stronger than they realize... Normal rabbit-to-rabbit interaction can be alot rougher than piggy-to-piggy interaction, and a rabbit could easily kill a guinea pig with out even realizing they were being too rough. Guinea pigs are much more fragile than rabbits. Actually, in the wild, rabbits will kill other small animals (like mice, lizards, ect) that come into their territory. Its just not a good idea tp house them with anything other than other bunnies.


Also, housing rabbits and guinea pigs together wont meet their needs for social interaction. It would be like placing 2 different people from opposite ends of the world who dont speak the same language in a room together, and expecting them to become BFFs. It just doesnt work like that.


EDIT: Opps, looks like Jennicat posted at the same time as I did!

 

It's fine to put them in the same room, but I would put them in different cages. the rabbit needs another rabbit for a companion. I would restrict physical contact and only allow them visual and vocal contact.

 

You're friend and thousands of other people in the world are wrong. Blockbuster did not help this myth with their commercials but yea, as stated above, rabbits and guinea pigs are completely different. Rabbits are lagomorphs and GP's are rodents. This is unfair to both critters. Please separate them and do some research for your friend. Also, if the pound WAS housing them together then they need to be advised to separate them ASAP!! No shelters here house them together.

 

she said they cage them together because they dont have any extra cages. i really want to go over there and steal the gp. the bunny is not really friendly and has bitten me and the owner many times because she doesnt handle the bunny enough

 

Not having enough cages is , IMO, reason not to have that many animals.

 

i dont agree that rabbits and GPs should not be housed together because i have 2 GPs that have lived with a giant rabbit for 7 years and not once has the rabbit hurt either of the GPs. even though it is possible for the rabbit to play rough and injure/kill the GP and their diets are different they can still live together. also my vet says them living together is fine as long as i check for any injuries everyday - which is what i do everyday with all my pets anyway.

 

But why would you even take the chance, if you KNOW that it isn't what's best for the animals? You said that you KNEW that the rabbit could kill the pigs, and that their diets were different. WHY did you house them together?!


I used to let Smudge and Sunny play together before Sunny was bonded with our other pig. At first, they loved each other- Sunny sat there and groomed Smudge for the longest time. But, when Sunny decided that she didn't want to groom Smudge one day, Smudge got really upset and went after her and tried to bite her. I was watching them very closely so I caught Smudge in time, but he could have easily killed her. I haven't let them see each other much since.
But, the reason that Smudge went after Sunny is because in "bunny language", refusing to groom a dominant rabbit is a MAJOR insult. Poor little Sunny didn't understand this of course. She didn't think anything of her behavior, but Smudge was really upset over it. This is just one example of why they shouldn't live together.


And just because nothing bad happened to your GPs doesn't mean that housing them together is safe, you just got really lucky. It's like housing bearded dragons together- Some people's lizards will appear to get along just fine, while other's beardies will maim, kill, and eat each other. And of course, every one says "Oh, don't worry, I check them every day for injuries or signs of dominance." and then the next day, they have one or more dead animals whose deaths were TOTALLY preventable. It's just NOT worth the risk.

 

I used to house my Netherland Dwarf with my guinea pig, back before I realized it was a bad decision. They were perfectly fine together, sleeping together, playing together, etc etc...But then when he(the rabbit) became sexually mature, naturally, he went after his female(the guinea pig) cage mate. And she would squeal something awful, because he literally tried to pin her down and have his way with her. I separated them after that. He could have easily gotten more aggressive and seriously injured or killed her because she wasn't letting him have his way.

 

I didnt choose to put my GP and rabbit together, they were together when i bought them and so i took them straight to the vets and thats when she said its fine as long as i check them every day. I was Prepared to have them split up , i mean i even bought a new cage but ive never needed it so now ive just got a brand new cage in my shed. But i suppose i could still need it some day if they do become aggressive

 

But you are choosing to keep them together. Why take that chance?

 

Honestly though, what is checking them everyday going to do? You can check them as many times as you want, but unless you are right there when bunny turns on the piggies, its not going to do anything. One day you will check on them and find a dead/injured piggie, and then it will be too late.


Ive seen these types of situations SO many times before, (Not just with GPs/buns) and let me tell you, they NEVER end well. Sorry if Im coming off rude, but people risking thier animal's lives for no reason like this really frustrates me. You have the extra cage, so seperate your pets, and get your guinea pig a real friend.


And BTW, just because the vet says it is OK doesn't mean that it is. Plenty of vets out there will give out absolutely craptastic info. Luckily for me, I go to a great rabbit-savvy vet that has never given me bad advice, but Ive learned the hard way that you should never just take someones advice without looking into it yourself first, even if they claim to be an "expert".

 

Honestly it might only take a few minutes or seconds for your guinea pigs to be hurt. Even putting dogs and cats together can be a bad idea.

 

If you have the cage, separate. Like Jess said, its not fair to either pet if they cannot understand each other- compare it to sitting in a room with someone from Asia who never met a white man before and never spoke english or vice versa and watching them get along but try to convey their customs and diet to each other. Feels like breathing underwater.

As for taking the chance and "checking them everyday" it will fail to be practical when the gp is kicked and needs to see a vet. That could cost you hundreds-thousands.

No body here is intending on coming off rude but are rather concerned that those who are aware of the dangers of housing a rodent with a lagamorph and does it anyway are plain ignorant. You can separate them asap and stop any 'bonding' behaviors. Get each of them a friend or return the gp or bunny to where you got them if you cannot keep them all. The pet store, and thousands across the continent, are actually just stupid. There's so many people who would easily trust some employee working a couple hours at a pet shop to feed themselves for a living. I have met knowledgeable people working these jobs but myself and a friend were turned down because basically we know how to properly care for them and would persuade prospective customers away. They carry unsafe and garbage quality food and treats and are only looking for a buck so yes, They WILL certainly tell you a bunny can live with the cage mate gp to swindle you into buying both. Its all business.
Off my pet store rant, most vets are only new to the idea of small animals in their practice. Special training in these small and exotic vets mean a higher price sometimes (unfortunately) and these trained vets are not that obvious to find. My dog's vet thinks that rats and bunnies can vomit and that treating an abscess on a bunny is the same as treating it on a cat but with thicker pus. You need to examine and interview your vet to find out if they are suitable to treat bunnies.

My dogs vet is on one end of town and the bunny vet is on the total opposite.

How are things now anyway?

 

I saw a few cases where people house together rabbits and guinea pigs, and the whole operation seems to run smoothly and without incidents. However, the fact remains that rabbits are bigger and could seriously hurt guinea pigs for any or no reason, or by mere accident.

I would not recommend it.