• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Rabbits with dogs? And guinea pigs.

I<3Rabbits

Mama Doe
Hey I know some people who have a rabbit and a dog (jack Russell), and when the rabbit is free ranging in the garden ( it's all completely fenced in) they let the dog out to:? I've seen it with my own eyes :) they don't really take much notice of each other:). Is this okay? does anybody else do this?

Also I have another question, why is it bad to put rabbits and guinea pigs together! When I was little we had 2 together and they were fine :) till they were put in the Wendy house and my brother left the door open and poor thumper ran away:cry:
 
Last edited:
Roger has lived very happily alongside dogs. The dogs haven't though because if they got on his nerves they'd get a really sharp bite. My mums rotti won't come in the lounge anymore, because she lay on Roger's duvet once and he was furious. Flew across the room and bit her so hard she was doggy crying. Now she just stands in the doorway but won't actually come in. A previous rabbit, Benjamin, was soul mates with our collie x 'Spring'. Ate together, slept together in her basket, played together and really did go everywhere together. In fact one lovely summer's day when they had been playing and chasing each other in the garden, and then lay down side by side in the sun, Spring got up to go inside and get a drink, and Benjamin would always have gone with her as well, and my husband and myself commented on this and went over to Benjamin to see if he was ok, and discovered he had just died in his sleep. We were absolutely distraught, Spring as well, but looking back, what a way to go, in the sun having just had a fab game with your best mate, and then laying side by side and Benjamin taking his final journey with Spring next to him.
 
It's just the fact that they will probably fight. Of course, it's largely down to individual animal personalities, but even if they are okay I wouldn't ever recommend leaving them unattended.

As for rabbits and guinea pigs, again it's not safe to leave them unattended, they don't live together in the wild so why would they naturally take to each other in captivity? Plus they have different dietary requirements and I'm not sure which way round it is, but one of them can transmit disease to the other.
 
Hey I know some people who have a rabbit and a dog (jack Russell), and when the rabbit is free ranging in the garden ( it's all completely fenced in) they let the dog out to:? I've seen it with my own eyes :) they don't really take much notice of each other:). Is this okay? does anybody else do this?

Also I have another question, why is it bad to put rabbits and guinea pigs together! When I was little we had 2 together and they were fine :) till they were put in the Wendy house and my brother left the door open and poor thumper ran away:cry:

I would not allow a Dog and a Rabbit to run about together unsupervised. Especially a JRT who are by nature hunters. Dogs and Rabbits can get along OK, but it is the responsibility of the owner to insure they are never left alone together.

Rabbits and GPs should not be housed together. They have different dietary needs, a Rabbit could accidentally injure a GP and Rabbits can carry a bacteria in their upper respiratory tract (Bordetella bronchiseptica) which can be transmitted to GPs and is often fatal to them.
 
I have two lurchers and eight rabbits (2 are house rabbits) I wouldnt ever leave my dogs unattended with the buns even though they appear fine with them.. A split second and it could be horrific :(
 
. A previous rabbit, Benjamin, was soul mates with our collie x 'Spring'. Ate together, slept together in her basket, played together and really did go everywhere together. In fact one lovely summer's day when they had been playing and chasing each other in the garden, and then lay down side by side in the sun, Spring got up to go inside and get a drink, and Benjamin would always have gone with her as well, and my husband and myself commented on this and went over to Benjamin to see if he was ok, and discovered he had just died in his sleep. We were absolutely distraught, Spring as well, but looking back, what a way to go, in the sun having just had a fab game with your best mate, and then laying side by side and Benjamin taking his final journey with Spring next to him.

OMG.... I want to cry :( so beautiful
 
As much asI wouldn't personally do it, I have seen my friends Rabbit and Two Lhasa Apso dogs live fine together.

If anything the dogs are wary of Charlie! Charlie (Rabbit) has a caged NIC Cube area that the dogs can't get in to, so she can get peace when she wants.

Now I know it won't work for many, but it definately works well for her.
 
Some dogs are trustworthy, but personally, mine aren't! I can have bunnies sitting on my knee in the same room as the dogs, and all will be fine. Katy will actually groom the bunnies in my arms. :love: but on the floor would be a different story. I don't think she would set out to kill, but play, but probably kill in her rough play. Todd wouldn't harm them. Lucy would kill them no questions asked!
 
My old childhood bunny was free ranging in the garden and she would often go to sleep cuddled up with our dog (who she was bigger than:lol:). We had a neighbour with feral cats and if they came into the garden Bonnie (the bun) would chase them off to protect the dog. She was brilliant and they both got along great:love:

Our old collies were great with the guinea pigs and I could leave both together no problems (I didnt though). One of my dogs now has a high prey drive so for that reason I keep Poppy fenced off from them. I dont think he would hurt her but I'm not 100% so they are kept apart. It very much depends on the dog.
 
Back
Top