2 boars + rabbit

[Newpigmummy]

Hi,
I have 2 boars, Roughly 9 months old. I have been wanting to get more piggies for a while now but been told it may break the amazing bond my bothers have.
If I was to get a rabbit, separate hutch, how would they be?

 

[Piggies&buns]

It’s correct that you cannot add any more piggies to live with your current pair of boars. You also can’t have sows anywhere near a bonded pair of boars. Both of these situations will cause fights between your boar pair. However, You could have a separate boar pair. They would need to be kept in a completely separate hutch and have their own run but having a second separate pair of boars would not cause any problems to your current boar pair.

Having rabbits would not affect the guinea pigs relationship. However, rabbits also need to be in pairs and require a lot more space than guinea pigs. They can’t be kept just in a hutch. You also have to be very careful about having rabbits near guinea pigs because rabbits can carry diseases which can make guinea pigs poorly (I ensure mine never share the same air space, the piggies are handled first so there is no cross contamination from rabbit urine to the guinea pigs, all separate equipment etc). Rabbits also require annual vaccinations so that’s another vet cost to consider. Of course to have a mixed sex rabbit pair, the buck would need to be neutered to prevent pregnancies and calm their behaviour, but Does are also routinely spayed due to the high risk of uterine cancer. This is very different to with guinea pigs.

I have a 6ft rabbit hutch and a 72 square foot rabbit run and I’d really much prefer for more rabbit space as the speeds they can get up to and how active they are really warrants loads and loads of space.

 

[Mo & Stubbins & Vani]

I don't have much experience with keeping rabbits in the same household as guinea pigs, but I can still offer some advice about rabbits!
I am not really sure if exclusively keeping a rabbit in a hutch is such a good idea. Like guinea pigs, they need more horizontal space than vertical space. They love to excitedly binky and express behaviors such as standing on their hind legs (this could be out of curiosity, or even fear). Considering that rabbits are social animals, would you be getting two?

 

[Wiebke]

Hi,
I have 2 boars, Roughly 9 months old. I have been wanting to get more piggies for a while now but been told it may break the amazing bond my bothers have.
If I was to get a rabbit, separate hutch, how would they be?

Hi and welcome!

Keeping rabbits and guinea pigs together is no longer recommended. Apart from bullying/injuries, rabbits and guinea pigs have different nutritional needs. Transmission of diseases that rabbits can carry asymptomatically but that are fatal for guinea pigs is also a major issue.
We are currently seeing several cases of e.cuniculi transmission (a protozoan rabbit parasite that affects the brain, spine and kidneys) even in well kept animals in the same household (and not even living together) every year on here. Guinea pigs are always getting the shorter straw.
Guinea Pigs And Rabbits - Why Not

Your boys are currently in the middle of the teenage months and in one of the more difficult stages so any changes in the balance should be carefully considered. Boars work best in pairs; please don't rock a boat needlessly. If you want more piggies, look for a separate pair (ideally one that is already stably bonded) once your current boys are out of teenage and still together.
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

 

[Newpigmummy]

Thanks for all your replies!
In regards to the piggies, I think it's safe to say I will leave them as they are. They are so happy.
In regards to the rabbit. I didnt mean to keep it in the hutch. I would alternate the play times between piggies and rabbit. I was thinking more of the smell side of things and whether it would disrupt the piggies or not. I dont want to break the great bond my babies have. I'm just animal mad I have always had lots of rabbits and Guinea pigs growing up but now I'm older, no idea how that worked at all! Lol

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thanks for all your replies!
In regards to the piggies, I think it's safe to say I will leave them as they are. They are so happy.
In regards to the rabbit. I didnt mean to keep it in the hutch. I would alternate the play times between piggies and rabbit. I was thinking more of the smell side of things and whether it would disrupt the piggies or not. I dont want to break the great bond my babies have. I'm just animal mad I have always had lots of rabbits and Guinea pigs growing up but now I'm older, no idea how that worked at all! Lol

The smell wouldn’t disrupt the guinea pigs relationship, but if the guinea pigs are within smelling distance of rabbits, then there is the risk of disease transmission to the guinea pigs. I don’t let mine ever be in the same room, they are kept well away from each other outside and I always keep rabbit run and piggy run on their own side of the garden so the piggies don’t ever even walk on the grass where the rabbits have been. Just anything I can do to minimise the risk of disease transmission which could kill the piggies. They need to ideally be kept in completely different rooms all the time.
From the rabbits’ point of view, if you need to alternate play times, then it means the rabbits possibly wouldn’t be out enough. They really don’t need to be locked into a hutch at all (unless you’re out and can’t guarantee their safety) and just given free roam of an entire room to be able to get enough exercise and entertainment time.

Again, you would need two rabbits, not one. They are social and need to be kept in pairs.

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for all your replies!
In regards to the piggies, I think it's safe to say I will leave them as they are. They are so happy.
In regards to the rabbit. I didnt mean to keep it in the hutch. I would alternate the play times between piggies and rabbit. I was thinking more of the smell side of things and whether it would disrupt the piggies or not. I dont want to break the great bond my babies have. I'm just animal mad I have always had lots of rabbits and Guinea pigs growing up but now I'm older, no idea how that worked at all! Lol

Ideally I would not have them share the same space. Because of the transmission risk I would also recommend to always feed, handle, groom and clean out your piggies before any rabbits.

If you can, you may want to consider adopting a rabbit companion via rescue dating at a suitable rescue that offers this service to make sure that you come home only with a vaccinated, quarantined and personality compatible bunny mate.