Guinea Pigs and Rabbits Living Together? - Your Thoughts...

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darkest.dreaming

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Why do most people seem so against buns and guineas living together? As said before i've had two buns living with guineas and they got on like a house on fire. They were the best of buddies. Flopsey and my guineas used to live separate, but went out and played in the run together. The pigs had a house that only they could go in if the needed to get away. But Flospey never showed any sign of being boisterous. The pigs used to follow him round and climb on him! But he didn't care. It's my opinion that they can be quite happy together as long as properly housed.
I want a nice discussion, not a i'm wrong you're right debate. :)
 
I don't think it's right coz rabbits kick and if the piggie is in the way well it could die.. And they have a different diet and they don't 'speak' the same language.
 
::) Yes buns and guineas can live together and get on alright SOMETIMES, BUT if a bun falls out with a guinea it kicks out and all the power of a bun is in its back legs. Guineas came suffer terrible injuries or die. Also their diets are very different, a guinea needs alot of vitamin C because it cannot with hold it in its body. :o

Diane
 
Also Rabbits carry a certain type of bacteria which can be fatal to a Guinae Pig. Can't remember which bacteria it is
 
It used to be the norm when i was a kid however i saw some terrible things happen to piggies when the rabbit either got mad or amourous :'( I was never allowed both although we did have a bunny at one point. My mates bunny broke the back of the piggie, she never forgave herself and has never kept bunnies since! I do know people who keep them together and never had any problems but after seeing that poor piggie with the broken back...........

Plus they need different dry foods.
 
This is how Beni came to me from PAH

Picture007.jpg


When i saw him in the run in PAH i thaught that it was a bit of food stuck to his nose but when we got him home, he had been attacked by another piggie or rabbit. His ears are also ripped to shreads, he was in a bad state.

He is scarred for life on his nose and his ears are ripped almost in half.

dcp_0022.jpg


Here is a recent pic
 
They are a different species

Guinea pigs are social creatures and prefer the company of their own kind. Rabbits and Guineas do not speak the same language resulting in two lonely animals with a lot of misunderstanding

Rabbit/pig combinations that appear to work well for some time usually end in disaster as a happy bunny kicking out his back legs can injure or kill it’s guinea pig “friendâ€.
Buns have floaty hair that can get stuck in a piggys eye.

Some of the good quality rabbit foods contain anti coccidiosis drugs which can poison a pig over a period of time leading to stomach upsets and premature death.
Pig foods contain added vitamin C which is useless to a rabbit.

Guinea pigs require a lot of vitamin C in the form of fresh fruit and vegetables. Rabbits, being greedy and more dominant, steal the pigs supply leaving a pig with bad skin and limb/joint disorders (due to vitamin deficiency) and the rabbit with diarrhoea

Rabbits can spray urine which can damage a pig’s eyes.

Just a few of the many reasons.
 
To be honest before i joined this forum (and as you know i am a new piggy owner as an adult) I didnt realise that they couldnt live in harmony together and in my innorance as a child ( about 17 years ago) we used to keep rabbits and my dad actually took 2 extra rabbits from a friend at work whos grand daughter was running them around the garden and as my mum and dad were so big animal lovers we took them in, anyway acouple of years later one of the rabbits had died and the other Blackie ( guess the colour of her?!lol) Started to pull her hair out and at that time we were advised to get her a guinea pig for company, we were warned to watch for a bad reaction and as soon as they met each other Blackie and the Pig became like mother and baby.Now I'm not putting this to say....noo they can live together because I'm not, i just think that alot of ppl still do thing they can live together and at that time, there wasnt the knowledge about all the problems that rabbits can cause to piggies.The only thing i can say about the piggy that lived with blackie is that we were really lucky in our ignorance.I now would never keep both together and its a shame a big company like pets at home cant educate their staff to spread the word.
 
I have done it (before I knew any different) and I know people who do it now with no problems. I agree with comments about different diets etc.

It is like everything - for some it works, for some it doesn't. When it goes wrong, the piggy usually ends up worst physcially. It is usually this aspect of the piggy/rabbit relationship that people focus on (and appears to be most of the comments said so far) but it is also not a good pairing from the rabbits point of view either.

Piggys form bonds with each other as they are social creatures however, for anyone who keeps bunnies will know, the bond between 2 bunnies is very different - they become like soul mates, grooming each other, laying on top of each other, snuggling up. When ever I have seen a rabbit and piggy housed together (including when I did it), the rabbit would sit for ages grooming the pig and then sit and wait for the favour to be returned and nothing. Piggys are not like that in their behaviour. They are different species. Whilst the focus in terms of the physical injuries tends to be on the piggys (and rightly so), there are also problems for the rabbit who can not get that bond that it craves from anything other than another rabbit.

In my experience (I did have to seperate my rabbit and guinea pig) the pairing is not ideal. For some it will work but for me, personally, I would rather see pigs with pigs and rabbits with rabbits ;)
 
Beaney said:
Piggys form bonds with each other as they are social creatures however, for anyone who keeps bunnies will know, the bond between 2 bunnies is very different - they become like soul mates, grooming each other, laying on top of each other, snuggling up. When ever I have seen a rabbit and piggy housed together (including when I did it), the rabbit would sit for ages grooming the pig and then sit and wait for the favour to be returned and nothing. Piggys are not like that in their behaviour. They are different species. Whilst the focus in terms of the physical injuries tends to be on the piggys (and rightly so), there are also problems for the rabbit who can not get that bond that it craves from anything other than another rabbit.
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Interesting
 
It's really interesting to hear it from the bunny's point of view too. Thanks for that. Poor buns. Its rotten for them too. :(
 
And places like PAH still put them together?

They need a kick up the whatsit.

Can we like write a letter as a group or something? Give the HQ the facts and make it stop?
 
I had an argument with a good friend the other week as she keeps bunnies. We got on this subject. I've always hated them living together, but she felt that there was no problem.

Which made the argument even more heated! This is one that my friend and I will never discuss again! ;)
 
Yeah, I just tried to explain that they can harm piggies by kicking etc, but she was having none of it :(
 
I always think it must be like putting one of us together in a cage with a chimpanzee as company. Yes, we're kind of similar, but we don't talk the same language, eat the same food or have the same habits. And we could easily be killed by a chimp or gorilla or something. If it were our only option we'd probably snuggle up together but can't say I'd fancy it
 
kayjay said:
I always think it must be like putting one of us together in a cage with a chimpanzee as company. Yes, we're kind of similar, but we don't talk the same language, eat the same food or have the same habits. And we could easily be killed by a chimp or gorilla or something. If it were our only option we'd probably snuggle up together but can't say I'd fancy it
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I thought we'd got onto the subjects of husbands for a minute there 2funny
 
Hee hee Bev.

Isn't it lovely when we all have a nice discussion rather than argueing?
 
Ive had exactly the same problem as Kelly this morning. I went round to friends for a cuppa and we got onto the discussion of pets, she has fish, hamsters, 3 dogs and up until last year had a rabbit and guinea pig. I explained that i love having the pigs in the house and she said she thought it was disgusting and that they belonged outside. Then i told her that actually rabbits and guinea pigs shouldnt really be kept together, and well, that was it, she proceeded to tell me that i didnt know what i was talking about as these were my first and only pets and what did i know.....well to cut a long story short, we had a bit of a row over it......thankfully we decided to agree to differ!
 
bev said:
kayjay said:
I always think it must be like putting one of us together in a cage with a chimpanzee as company. Yes, we're kind of similar, but we don't talk the same language, eat the same food or have the same habits. And we could easily be killed by a chimp or gorilla or something. If it were our only option we'd probably snuggle up together but can't say I'd fancy it
Click to expand...

I thought we'd got onto the subjects of husbands for a minute there 2funny
Click to expand...

2funny 2funny 2funny
 
amanda said:
Ive had exactly the same problem as Kelly this morning. I went round to friends for a cuppa and we got onto the discussion of pets, she has fish, hamsters, 3 dogs and up until last year had a rabbit and guinea pig. I explained that i love having the pigs in the house and she said she thought it was disgusting and that they belonged outside. Then i told her that actually rabbits and guinea pigs shouldnt really be kept together, and well, that was it, she proceeded to tell me that i didnt know what i was talking about as these were my first and only pets and what did i know.....well to cut a long story short, we had a bit of a row over it......thankfully we decided to agree to differ!
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I have this problem trying to 'educate' other mums in our village that rabbits should be kept in two's, vaccinated and neutered. They all think I'm completely potty. And now I have 5 guinea pigs inside that's confirmed it for them - I say it's perfectly normal ;) :D
 
I would love to have mine inside, but my OH wont let me. :( Perhaps i should make him go outside instead, but then again he spends a lot of time in his 'workshop'(big shed) anyway. Hmmm, will have to think of a plan. ;D

This has been a great post with people opinions not arguements which is exactally what i wanted. 88)
 
Hi , Have to agree completly with beaney, , i too in the past have had buns n piggies paired up (brought to me that way) some times (through luck) it had worked , some times not , i think the biggest factor here is like someoneles said (sorry cant remeber who!) that not only isnt it bad for the piggie BUT it isnt good for the bun either , they really do 'bond' & if you watch some of my pairings & groups with buns they spend all day laying on top of each other & grooming each other ! My german lops are such cuddle monsters you can carry them around like a baby, but i'ld hate to put them with a piggie, they just dont interact the same, but i do get a bit cross when people make the bun out to be some sort of horrid monster , after all its not like THEY asked for the piggie to be in THERE cage/hutch ! ;)
& like kayjay ive spent ages 'educating' bun / piggie owners who really dont have a clue !
they think I'm nuts too...i probley am tho ;D
 
People tell me all the time that piggies and buns shouldn't be indoors but be kept in the garden because they smell. I tell them that they are my pets NOT garden ornaments and they only smell if the bedding isn't changed. I go on to say that even they would smell if they didn't change their bedding or clothes. So there!
 
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