Chicken bald back

[Hevvur]

Does anyone keep Rabbits and Guinea pigs together, and if so, what do you do about their food?

 

My friend keeps hers togther, but I was always told you shouldn't, because they need different food, and because a rabbit is so powerful, if it kicked the guinea, it could seriously hurt it.

[victoriabunny]

It's not recommended practice - there have been other threads about this and the general consensus is it's a bad idea. Food is one key issue - guineas need Vit C whereas bunnies don't, and there's an ingredient often put in bunnies' food which is toxic to guinea-pigs. They're both much better when kept with their own kind!

[Chickybaby]

I keep my rabbit and guinea pig together with no problems. They have lived quite happily together for the past 5 years and I have also kept others together in the past. It works for some people and not others so if you're not sure then you're best keeping them apart. I feed them both dry rabbit food but also give carrots and cabbage/greens every day, so far my animals have never had any health problems.

[BarbaraJ]

i also kept a rabbit and guinea pig, mainly because i had 2 of each then lost 1 of each. I wouldn't have done it in a normal hutch but we had a 6' x 3' hutch with a run on too. The guinea pig had tunnels to hide in but i was able to leave them both out all winter with lots of bedding as they snuggled up together

[The Dogmother]

At the risk of sounding like an old boot, can I just reiterate that while some people have kept GPs and bunnies together without any problems, no vets or rabbit/GP expert will recommend it.

 

I have kept both in the past and still have bunnies. Their needs are so different that I wouldn't mix the two.

[Cooks]

I have kept both in the past and would not keep both together, a rabbit can easily kill a guinea with a kick. Its not recommended at all. They should be paired with another of the same. Plus as others have mentioned the food is totally different, even if it looks similar it's not.

[Hevvur]

Thankyou for the input everyone!

As I suspected, it's best not to keep them together!

[BarbaraJ]

No i didnt go out to do it, as i said i had a pair of both it ust sort of worked out that way for us and luckily it worked for many years!

[sophia_chicken]

Brought up together, Dwarf Rabbits and G. piggies make great companions. It is neccasary to either feed separately, or in reality most people feed them both on Guineapig food, which will do a rabbit no harm. The bulk of neither species should be dry commercial food. It is worth watching to make sure the rabbits get greens too because a guinea pig will happily pinch them all from a rabbit!

[victoriabunny]

I beg to differ, sophia - whilst dwarf rabbits may be less likely to injure a GP than larger rabbits, the problems of communication will still exist - GPs commuicate with squeaks and whistles, which the mute rabbit cannot understand or return. Both species do much better kept with their own.

[sophia_chicken]

That sounds right.... and i agree they are probably (in most cases) best off with their own kind... BUT just watching you find they play like two children who don't speak the same language - they do it their own way! They snuggle together at night and give each other the heads up if they percieve danger or a tasty treat. Just think how close a cat and dog can get.... or a dog and human can get.... in both cases completely unrelated mammals who can be devoted to each other, without reciprocated vocal communication. (Although I am convinced my greyhounds understand every single word of the conversations I have with them!)