Can rabbits and guinea pigs be kept together? This the most common question asked by many people who have rabbits and guinea pigs as their pets. The answer to that question is NO. Keeping rabbits and guinea pigs together in the same hutch will lead into a couple of problems. There are many reasons why rabbits and guinea pigs should live with each other.
Different Needs
Firstly Guinea Pigs and Rabbits need different food types. The diet menu of a Guinea Pig should include foods that contain vitamin C, failing to supply your piggy with such foods may result in sickness. This is different for rabbits as they will get sick if they consume too much vitamin C, So monitoring their food intake would be very difficult if these pets lived together as they would both share the same food bowl.
Different language
Rabbits and Guinea Pigs speak different languages so this is another reason for not keeping rabbits and guinea pigs together. Both rabbits and guinea pigs will love to find company that talks the same language. For instance, you would not want to live your life with a dog as your only form of company. You may love it but you could not understand what your dog wants and vice versa.
Different Behaviour
Rabbits can hurt guinea pigs easily because they are much stronger. They can kill guinea pigs by kicking them with their strong back legs, rabbits can also jump over guinea pigs. It is a known fact that many Guinea pigs are prone to getting bullied by rabbits.
Exercise and Space needs
Rabbits in the wild run free and fast and can cover many miles each day. Whilst, guinea pigs have much shorter legs so they need less space to exercise. So the space perspective is very different for both rabbits and guinea pigs.
Disease
Bacteria maybe passed by rabbits to guinea pigs this may cause respiratory disease among them. These circumstances are far from perfect, keeping rabbits and guinea pigs together in the same hutch may increase the chances of Bacteria diseases occurring, so keeping these pets separate is highly recommended.
We suggest that when selecting a companion for ether of your furry friends that you keep rabbits with rabbits and guinea pigs with in the same way.
Other useful Links
RSPCA – Click HERE (Opens in new window)
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