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dwarf rabbit and guinea pigs

22 10:03:29

Question
We were given a male dwarf rabbit and it has got very attached to our 2 female guineas. He wont eat/drink when in his cage but will jump in the guineas cage and eat/drink fine. They seem to love him to and they will all snuggle up and sleep in the guinea cage. Is it ok to let them all live in one cage? The guineas even like to wash him and they play together. We dont know what to do,he just doesnt settle in his cage at all.

Answer
Dear Susan,

If the three are happy together, I would not separate them.  Many bunnies live with guinea pigs quite happily.  The only concern is that a very *few* rabbits harbor a bacterium (Bordetella bronchiseptica) that can be dangerous to GPs.  But it's not really that common.  And if your bunny has been keeping company with the piggies for a while now, you'd likely know if there was a problem.  A healthy GP will not be all that susceptible to bacterial infection, in any case.

You might also consider contacting your local rabbit rescue group (Rabbit Welfare Association in the UK) to see about adopting a spayed female bunny for your male.  You'll have to let him choose, since rabbits are very picky and can fight ferociously if they don't like each other.  But snuggling bunnies are a wonderful sight to behold.

Good luck!

Dana