New Zealand likes living with guinea pigs

Question
Hello Dana, I have a situation re: our spayed female New Zealand who seems to not mind living with 3 male guinea pigs.

I've tried her with many bunnies (we have rescues)to bond with  over the last 1 1/2 yrs. to no avail.  She lost her partner about that length of time ago.

We've recently taken in guinea pigs as well and a trio took to her pen (large wire grid panel pen) and she didn't mind.  She sleeps quite a lot anyway, but is healthy.  She's about 7 yrs. old.

I've never agreed that bunnies/guinea pigs should live together as I know they need different food requirements/plus potential aggression from the rabbit and/or risk of bordatella(sp?), etc.

I decided to let it go for the time being.  She's never shown any aggression towards them, they all eat veggies together at night, I try and separate their pellets but I know they get into each other's pellets which of course bothers me.  Hay is available at all times for both.  They've been together over 2 wks. now.

Many times when they all come out for exercise, she does her usual and goes somewhere and lies down again and the guinea pigs go and visit other guinea pigs who are in their pens at the time.

I know guinea pig pellets contain Vit. C which they need and I believe rabbit pellets contain too much Vit. D which guinea pigs don't need.

I realize you answer questions about rabbits but is there a real danger with these 2 species eating each other's foods?  Who knows if the Vit. C is even still fresh by the time it's sold to customers but I don't know if Vit. D is harmful to guinea pigs.

If you have any other information that would help, I'd appreciate it as well.  I don't know if Sugar (rabbit) feels happy with them or not, since she can't talk, I just know she never shows aggression, humping, etc. and they seem to be in harmony.  

Thank you,
Paula

Answer
Dear Paula,

If the bunny and piggies are living together peacefully, I don't think there's a problem with them hanging around together.  Vitamin C isn't a problem for the bunny.  But Vitamin D is fat soluble, and *might* not be great for the piggies.  I'm not enough of a guinea pig expert to be able to advise you on that, but you might wish to ask your vet.

Maybe Sugar considers them to be her pets.  :)

If it's possible for you to put Sugar's food in a spot where she usually hangs out, and then do the same for the piggies, it might minimize the cross-feeding of each others food.  I honestly am not sure whether the amount of Vitamin D in the bunny pellets would pose a problem for the guinea pigs.

Dana