rabbits and guinea pigs?

[JadeIcing]

I know people in rescue who have rabbits and gpsbonded. Usually came this way. Also if they get them in who have beentogether to long and they are happy they don't seperate them.

 

[Sharron]

I do understand lagomorphs concern.

I, however, tend to err on the side of moderation... As I'vementioned before, my daughter is doing a research project onbunnies. It is going to be a two-year project, and we mightactually see aboutgetting it published in the end.In her studies, she's discovered opinions all over the gammut aboutsooo many issues! In the end, she's opting for what seemsmost "reasonable" in her remarks.

...and this might sound odd to some, but we also pray over all ourcritters and trust the Lord to protect them. We are all partof this family and it would be difficult to have everyone get thequality time they need/deserve if we had to keep them apart from eachother.

Just my 2 cents

 

[JadeIcing]

Same here. People advice against having dogswith the rabbits. What should I do lock her up all day so they can beout or not let them out so she can be out.

 

[lagomorphs]

Here are 2 websites that address this topic:

1) http://www.cfhs.ca/athome/rabbits

Guinea Pigs and Other Animals
Never house a rabbit and guinea pig together.Some healthy rabbits may host normal bacteria, such as Pasteurellamultocida that can make a susceptible guinea pig verysick.


2) http://www.guineapigcages.com/rabbits.htm

Immunity. Most animals carry organisms which are not harmful tothem but which can be fatal to other species. In the case of rabbits, avery common bacteria found in their respiratory tract is Pasteurella.While antibiotic treatments can control this disease, it often lingerson in a carrier state and requires occasional treatment. Rabbits canlive a long life as carriers of Pasteurella and not even show anysymptoms. However, guinea pigs are highly susceptible to respiratoryinfections, and their fragile immune system is not equipped to battlethis pathogen. If exposed to Pasteurella, a guinea pig is many timesmore likely than a rabbit to succumb to the organism and die. It is achance that not many of us would like to take with our belovedpets.


In addition, as I mentioned earlier in this thread, I was informed byan exotics vet that guinea pigs can alsobe carriers of abacteria that can make a rabbit sick. These risks arebased upon the animals having contact.

 

[Maureen Las]

Would it make sense that if (for ex.) a familyhas been allowing a guinea pig and a rabbit to play together for yearsthat if those 2 particular animals have not become ill fromeach otherthat one could be comfortable allowingthem to continue to play together??
I have not checked the gp site yet

 

[lagomorphs]

I wish I knew the answer to your question.

Are the animals bonded? Once twoanimals bond,itismy understanding that it is best to keep themtogether.

I have no idea statistically just how many rabbits and guinea pigs haveor have not passed unhealthy bacteria to theother.

If I find any more info I will post it.

 

[1dog3cats17rodents]

BAD IDEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Guineasand buns do not mix. If a piggie annoys a rabbit, a simplewarning nip can really hurt the piggie. No matter howfriendly they are with each other it is NOT SAFE!!! If arabbit binkies, he/she can land on the piggie and kill it before you cado anything. There was a piggie and a rabbit together at anearby (and awful) petstore. The rabbit jumped around,and left a piggie with a broken back. Someoe I know from ourshelter told me about this. Rabbits are stronger, faster,bigger, and more active than piggies. They do notmix!!!!!! As for housing them together, NO!!! Theyhave extremely different diets, and cannot survive on the othersdiet. Also, while rabbits often groom one another piggiesdon't so much. I have heard of rabbits who got annoyed andattacked the piggies. It is just not safe!! So manythings can go wrong before you can do anything, it just is not worth it.

I am sorry if I have offended anyone, but I feel very strongly aboutthis, and do not want to hear about a piggie getting injured because ofa rabbit.

 

[binkies]

I feel very strongly about it as well. But no matter how many times I say something or post links to proof, it just gets ignored

 

[undergunfire]

I wasn't planning on putting my piggies andbunnies together anyway because Madilyn is is bit too hyper, I haveseen Morgan lash out at Madilyn and Mallory, and Mallory would lovethem and miss them (he is the big sweetie).

I am happy to hear that nothing can be passed just by living in the same room with no contact.

I always use Germ-X on my hands before and after touching any of my animals. It's much safer to all of us to do so.



- Amy (Mallory, Morgan, and Madilyn-Mae):hearts

 

[Maureen Las]

The guineapig site said that 'technically"illnesses could be passed airborne so I asked what they meant by thatand they more or less said that if one animal seemed ill they would nothouse it with the others.
The jist of it is that its probably OK to house them in the same roomwith good hygiene practiced between pig and rabbit but if any animalseemed ill it should either be taken out of the room or not broughtinto the room.


I think that this could be compared to a human being who found out thathe/she had AIDS. If you loved the person you would stay anyway and takethe risk . If I had a guinea pig and rabbit deeply bonded (which Idon't) I may choose to take the risk of illness rather than break thebond because sometimes the bond is more important to the animal. Thathas nothing to do with medicine at all.

 

[undergunfire]

Great, thanks for that information, angieluv!

I do agree with taking the risk if they are already bonded, but if they aren't bonded...then I wouldn't take the risk.





- Amy (Mallory, Morgan, and Madilyn-Mae):hearts

 

[Maureen Las]

If they aren't bonded I wouldn't take the risk either. I learned a lot from this [post.

 

[undergunfire]

As did I .




- Amy (Mallory, Morgan, and Madilyn-Mae):hearts

 

[JadeIcing]

Same here.

Although my plan is to adopt a bonded pair from the shelter when I have a house. Which is a long way off.

angieluv wrote:

If they aren't bonded I wouldn't take the risk either. I learned a lot from this [post.