If you’ve ever had both of these cute and cuddly creatures at the same time, you’ll know just how tempting it is to make guinea pigs and rabbits live together in the same housing.
After all, they’re both furry creatures, they look like a miniature and a giant version of one another, respectively, and they technically belong to the same family, even though they’re not the same species.
Can guinea pigs and rabbits live together?
While rabbits and guinea pigs are not necessarily dangerous to each other, there are still plenty of reasons why it’s better to keep each one with their own species instead of the other. In fact, many experts would recommend against keeping them together, due to reasons that we’ll be listing down below.
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How similar are guinea pigs and rabbits?
Certainly, guinea pigs and rabbits seem very similar to one another.
First of all, they’re both extremely social. Both guinea pigs and rabbits enjoy spending time with others at all times.
In fact, leaving them all alone makes them very unhappy, eventually leading to them even getting sick because of it.
They’re also both a huge fan of hay since they munch on it all the time to prevent their teeth from growing too long.
If they can’t chew on something, they might develop dental diseases caused by the unnatural growth of their teeth.
Did you know that both guinea pigs and rabbits are smart enough to do simple tricks?
Rabbits can be trained to hop to a certain location and jump over obstacles, while guinea pigs can be trained to stand up on command and even maneuver through complicated labyrinths.
Lastly, they both enjoy running in a large enclosure, preferably outside when the weather is good.
How different are guinea pigs and rabbits?
Aside from the fact that they’re both absolutely adorable, guinea pigs and rabbits are surprisingly more different than you think.
For one, they’re an entirely different species. Rabbits cannot mate with guinea pigs and vice versa. They’re not at all compatible, at least in terms of reproduction.
This doesn’t stop rabbits from attempting to mate with guinea pigs though, which could lead to injuries for the smaller of the species, if not worse.
Two, while they’re not exactly dangerous to each other, these two species have an entirely different set of behaviors.
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In fact, their way of playing is completely different as well. Rabbits are a lot rougher when it comes to playing than guinea pigs.
They tend to jump all over the place, which means there’s a huge risk of them accidentally stomping or landing on the little ones.
Three, there are subtle differences in food types between the two. While it’s true that they both feed on hay and they both like chewing on something hard or rough, the two species have quite different nutritional needs.
Guinea pigs need plenty of Vitamin C, which rabbits don’t need as they can synthesize Vitamin C on their own.
We feed our Guinea Pig Kaytee Supreme Food For Guinea Pig which we purchase from Amazon.
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Meanwhile, rabbit food tends to contain antibiotics which may be harmful to the guinea pig’s health. We use Kaytee Forti Diet Pro Health Rabbit Food again from Amazon.
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Can guinea pigs and rabbits live together?
Simple answer: No.
Despite what many people assume that it’s alright for these two cuddly creatures to live together, it’s actually much better to keep them away from each other, in different enclosures if possible.
Their differences may seem subtle enough, but these differences are enough to have undesirable consequences for both species.
Read More: Which Foods are Toxic to Rabbits? 10 Foods You Should Avoid
However, if you really prefer to keep them together, or if you don’t have the space or materials needed to create another enclosure, you might still be able to get away with it safely. That is, provided that you take some extra precautions.
Keeping guinea pigs and rabbits together
Do you enjoy seeing your beloved pets together in one place? Here are some tips to making sure that they’re both safe, even when they’re together.
- Create a smaller enclosure for the guinea pig home. Inside your enclosure, you can subdivide a smaller part specifically for the guinea pig. Remember to put a “door” that only fits the guinea pigs to prevent the rabbits from accessing the other area. This will also act as a safe place for the guinea pigs, just in case the rabbits get too rough. For regular play times, you can even open this “door” so that the guinea pigs will be able to roam free.
- Neuter the rabbits. Rabbits are notorious for wanting to mate all the time, and the poor guinea pigs may bear the brunt of this habit. By neutering them, they won’t have as much drive to hop onto the guinea pigs anymore.
- Feed them separately. Guinea pigs cannot eat rabbit food and vice versa. Make sure to close the “door” during feeding times so as not to let one of them roam into the other’s space. The guinea pigs must also have a constant source of pellets in their part of the enclosure that the rabbits shouldn’t be able to access.
Conclusion: Can rabbits and Guinea Pigs live together?
Although it’s not recommended by experts, it’s definitely still possible to keep your guinea pigs and rabbits within the same housing.
They’re both very social and friendly creatures which get along with most other animals that are similar to them. You just have to make sure that you do your due diligence in preparing their housing beforehand.
Follow our tips above to ensure that both species are happy, well-fed, and most of all, safe from any harm. Especially the guinea pigs. After all, rabbits are rough!
