New Piggie - Shyness

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pigachu

Hi to everyone

Today I was lucky enough to get my first pig! - previously we had a house bunny and he was very much loved so the idea was to get a bunny and piggie as companions.

Both are little girls (they don't have names because we are still thinking about it, but they will have very soon) bunny is a dwarf and pig is about 3 weeks old. I was told that pig was the most sweet natured out of the litter of three, (was very important for us to have girls because boy bunnies seem to get a bit naughty as indoor pets) she came to me for cuddles and was singing and got a little upset being seperated to be put in the box for the trip home (loud chirping) but soon settled. They seem to get on very well and were associating with each other with no problems.

I have read a lot about piggies and we have bought an open topped pen which has shredded paper, timothy hay for bedding and a shoebox cubby which piggie has gone into and doesn't seem very interested in leaving. She has only popped out of her own choice twice and had a quick look around. She has had a little bit to eat, but not come out to have a drink or eat any piggie-muesli (at least while we have been watching)

I would appreciate any advice because I don't want to upset her thinking she may want to take some time to settle. Bunny was quiet but has come out of the pen now and is exploring, and coming for pats in her own time. We have been patting piggie and talking to her but after a minute or two she scuttles and wants to hide. It is my understanding that pigs like to bond and enjoy having a bunny and people as companions and that they don't like to be approached from the front unexpectedly because they don't see very well and get frightened.

Looking forward to giving piggie a happy home :smitten:
 
HI there and welcome to the forum from us in OZ :)
It's not recommended for piggies and buns to live together, they're not the same and have different likes and dislikes also food is different too, have a search thru here and you'll see that it's not a wise idea O0
You could safely keep them both in separate cages and perhaps let them have some supervised visits every now and then, but it must be supervised, you see buns can kick out with their big feet and this can hurt or fatally wound piggies :'( i'm sure both of them are loving and gorgeous just letting you know O0
I do hope you get some friends for them O0 both buns and piggies love company but they love their own kind too O0 if you could give them a friend each it would work really well and then they'd love coming out to play with you their mummy O0 :smitten:

Love to see pics of both of your precious ones and hoping to hear more about them both :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
btw like your monica :)
 
When I was younger I did successfully keep a few piggies with a large white rabbit who used to wash them and mother them and they would sit on his back and head and everywhere. I tried another guinea pig with a dwarf rabbit and the rabbit attacked her badly and fortunately I was there when the rabbit attacked and saved the guinea pig from being killed. A few years ago I tried my young dwarf rabbit who was only about 8 weeks old with one of my older guinea pigs and within a few minutes the rabbit started attacking him so I would never ever keep a rabbit and guinea pig together again.
 
Congratulations on you 2 new arrivals :)

As mentioned it is not advisable to keep rabbits and guinea pigs together as they have completely different needs.
Also 3 weeks old is too young to have been seperated from its mum, they are usually around 8 weeks old when they go to a new home.
As Glynis mentioned is there any way you can house them seperate and get them a companion of their own kind.
 
i believe it depends on the rabbit as to whether piggies and bunnies can be kept together, but even with the most placid of bunnies accidents can happen. if bun gets frightened and moves those big feet a piggy could be squished. bunny's need vitamin D and guinea pigs vitamin C. plus bunnies are carriers of diseases which are harmless to bunnies but fatal to guinea pigs. hoping you can keep in 2 seperate homes and get each a friend O0 welcome to the forum from me and the girls from oz :smitten: :smitten: :smitten: hoping you learn heaps, have fun and make lots of friends. O0 as for piggy and shyness, give her a few days to settle in, meanwhile when you are in the same room move slowly and talk alot so she gets use to your voice. 3 weeks is so young to be without mum though perhaps give her a teddy to cuddle up too. good luck O0
 
hi welcome to the site,

I too am relatively new and we keep a bunny in with our two guinea pigss,

when I first mentioned this most members voiced their concerns.

whilst we appreciate their comments we have decided to keep them together for now, in their 6 x 2 hutch however leave them seperated in their run as the rabbit does seem to enjoy running around!

Shaun
PICT0064.jpg
 
I have heard in some cases that bunnys and piggies can be kpet together, but as mentioned above it depends on the personality of the bunny. I believe having a large run with a wire divider might be a good idea until you discover what the bunnys like, without compromising the piggy
 
Alison : Please do not worry - I said three weeks and I was very wrong. She is at least half grown and quite big, as they both are. I think I must have been thinking about the three in the litter and got mixed up 98) since I do actually know better that babies shouldn't be seperated from their mums that young (I have looked after a lot of animals and been a welfare volunteer)

Previously my partner and I had a house bunny and as a male he grew quite large and while he was very good natured could be a bit nippy and destructive at times.

People seem to be very divided on keeping bunnies and pigs together. I did check it out and the majority of sources seemed to say that it was ok. For some reason based on my own observation bunny people seem to be a lot more in favour of piggie companions than vice versa.

Since I haven't posted for a little while how are things going? Well we have names Nadia (piggie) and Princess (Bunny). I didn't mention that they came from a store (there have not been any for adoption in almost a year since I started checking the local shelters) where they had been kept together and seem to have bonded. I have been into the store quite a few times to see the piggies and they have on occassion had bunnies kept seperate because they were more aggressive or bigger, so perhaps it makes a difference that our two have been together since they were babies and according to the store were born in the same home.

Princess is a little bigger than Nadia. They sleep together, share their food and if anything Nadia is actually the dominant one who likes to play chasing after bunny (this is a game when they are out playing and is really cute) and takes her lettuce. Princess is very placid and doesn't seem to mind.

Nadia is still rather shy and has been running rather than getting picked up, but tonight we managed to catch her and she had a good cuddle and actually started singing and chirping. When she was put down on the floor she allowed us to pat her without running off which she hasn't done before.
 
Sorry but anyone who ever says a rabbit and pig should be kept together are wrong. I suppose if they are free ranging round the house all the time it isn't so bad, as they have lots of space to get away from each other, and I hope the pig has hidey holes to get away from the bunny if needed?

Buns and pigs should never be kept in a hutch or cage together, for any length of time, bunnies can easily, but accidently kick out at the pig or lie on top of them.

I can't believe people (like pet shop workers/breeders) are still giving advice to keep these animals together! >:( >:( >:( >:(
 
i agree starla, plus bunnies are carriers to diseases which are fatal to piggies. there is NO way bunnies and piggies be kept together O0 even P&H petshops are now seeing this
and hoping nothing happens to your piggy if your bunny accidently steps on her or sits on her. accidents can happen and just think of those big bunny feet. hugs to both
:smitten: :smitten: :smitten:
 
starla said:
Sorry but anyone who ever says a rabbit and pig should be kept together are wrong. I suppose if they are free ranging round the house all the time it isn't so bad, as they have lots of space to get away from each other, and I hope the pig has hidey holes to get away from the bunny if needed?

Buns and pigs should never be kept in a hutch or cage together, for any length of time, bunnies can easily, but accidently kick out at the pig or lie on top of them.

I can't believe people (like pet shop workers/breeders) are still giving advice to keep these animals together! >:( >:( >:( >:(
Click to expand...

We wouldn't stick a hamster and a gerbil together, why a guinea pig and a rabbit? They are not appropriate companions. Even the RSPCA advise they be kept seperate. Even if they do seem the best of friends it only takes a second for an accident to happen. Even if they are roughly the same size a rabbit's legs are hugely powerful. Also, as said above, rabbits can carry a disease (pasteurella) that they show no symptoms of but can be lethal to a cavy.

Read http://www.guineapigcages.com/rabbits.htm
 
I strongly agr with Starla an DS's post abov - altough it was fairly accptabl to kp ths two togthr som yars ago, it is against th SPA's guilins for thm to o so. This wbsit givs a goo xplanation why: http://www.susi[COLOR=Black]an[COLO...k][COLOR=Black]r.co.uk/[COLOR=Black]abbit.htm

In short:
Dit - thy n iffrnt its - piggi cannot prouc Vit so n xtra - rabbits o not n as much, so this xcss oftn las to frqunt tummy tropubl in th rabbit, yt this xtra Vit is ssntial to th piggi. Yt mor inportantly (an this xtract is past from th abov link) [colorr]"abbit foo contains antibiotics to prvnt cocciios in rabbits (a potntially fatal conition). Ths aitivs ar toxic to guina pigs! An of cours th rabbit foo won't hav xtra vitamin for th guina, an th guina foo won't hav xtra Vitamin D for th bunny."

Th two spcis ar highly sociabl an n th company of thir own kin. Thy ar not rlat to ach othr, thy cannot spak th sam languag, an whilst apparing tolrat th othr will nvr b "frins". Pigachu, my frin just got a guina frin for hr guina that liv with a rabbit - hr timi pig, (just lik your situation) lik yours was a iffrnt pig within minuts of th rabbit bing rmov an th nw piggi in, happy, popcorning an bolr - vn ating!

Most importantly, look at th siz of a rabbit to a piggi, vn a warf rabbit. Evn if you hav a lovly natur rabbit, th rabbit has got his happy ha on on ay, zooming aroun th nclosur - starts knocking th guina. Guina gts nrvous, rabbit crashing into th guina in shr unaultrat innocnt joy of bing aliv, whilst th poor piggy is ithr running for his lif, or crouching in his hiy hol in panic - rsulting in a prmanntly trrifi pig. An that can b class as th goo scnario. Many rabbits go through aggrssiv stags an will mount anything incluing th guina. ontact any rscu an thy will likly b abl to tll you th amag that thy hav sn rsulting from this to th piggis plvic organs, bons, spin tc. I know it's unplasant to ra about but try an imagin th horror of that - an it's harly a rarity. abbits can kill a guina this way.

Myslf an othrs ha bn writing to P@H to try an mak thm awar of ths issus with th two spcis togthr for ths rasons. ast yar P@H start to sprat th pigs an buns. Down to prssur from us or th SPA's guilins, who knows, but th fact is thy vntually listn to somon on this.
 
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