*As
a clinical rule, animals of different species should not be
housed together in the interest of disease prevention.
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Birds
& Rabbits
Large exotic
birds such as macaws or cockatoos will in most situations be out
of the rabbit's reach, either in a cage or up on a perch. On
occasion the bird may glide or *fall* to the floor. If the bird's
wings are clipped he may be stranded on the floor until he is
discovered by you. If the bird can fly, it may be difficult for
him to make his way back to the cage, in addition the bird may
get injured attempting to retreat. This is why it is recommended
that all birds be caged when you are not around to supervise
their play time.
Never leave a
large uncaged bird alone with a house rabbit. A bird on the floor, with wings
clipped, is vulnerable. If the bird annoys the rabbit, and the
rabbit decides to take the offensive, the bird will have no
escape because he cannot fly.
Even a bird
that can fly may end up diving and swooping at the rabbit with
air attacks. In either case you will end up with a rabbit that
has been bitten or clawed by the bird, or a bird that has been
attacked by the rabbit.
It may happen
that both animals are indifferent to the presence of each other,
however it is still not advisable to leave them alone together.
In some cases
it is not wise to keep rabbits in the same room with large birds.
A large exotic bird that shreeks all day long will cause the
rabbit to become stressed out.
As with any
relationship, use common sense and judgement.
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Cats
& Rabbits
Cats and rabbits can
become great friends. Of all the interspecies relationships,the
cat - rabbit friendship seems to be the easiest to introduce and
the most considerable in attachment. Some rabbits seem to prefer
the company of a cat to the company of one of thier own kind.
A common scenario is the
rabbit that bosses the cat around. Unless your cat is quite a bit
smaller than your rabbit, or unless your rabbit is truly nasty,
let the two of them work it out on thier own without undue
intervention.
Cats are predators and
therefore may view the rabbit as their prey. this is especially
true if the cat is quite a bit larger than the rabbit. Take this
into consideration when you are contemplating adopting a animal.
"Pets of equal size have a better chance of getting
along", but this is not the rule; many pets of different
sizes have become great friends.
The cat may chase the
rabbit, and this can have terrible consequences if the rabbit
gets frightened. If this is the case, read the "Dogs &
Rabbits" section, and use the same strategy for introducing
animals under the cicumstances of being protected by the cage.
This may be necessary if your rabbit is timid and shy and your
cat is bossy.
Before making physical
introductions, trim the nails of both animals to lessen the
chance of injury. Have one person hold the rabbit, you hold the
cat. (wear long sleeves and pants,if your animals get scared and
try to get away, you may be scratched). You can have each on a
halter and leash, if you feel they need to be controlled. the
lead is not a correctional tool, use it only if you need to
seperate the animals. Let the animals smell each other while thet
are being held. If all is going well, let them down to interact.
They may begin to play together. Cats and rabbits often play
chase, hide-and-seek, and follow the leader. If they are engaged
in a chase game, decide if it looks friendly or if intervention
is necessary. If they are taking turns chasing, it is a game, if
one looks frightened, stop them and sperate them for awhile.
Some cats
and rabbits share such deep friendships that they will sleep
together, curled up in the rabbit cage or a cozy corner. If your
pets are this bonded, you can leave them together unattended.
They have definitely become loyal companions.
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Cavies
& Rabbits
Cavies
(guinea pigs) usually make ideal companions for dwarf
rabbits provided that the rabbits are altered. Dwarf rabbits and
guinea pigs form easy going friendships. They eat similar foods
and are relatively similar in size. Rabbits and guinea pigs will
often share in the activities of eating, sleeping, and grooming.
Usually the only time rabbits and guinea pigs fight is when the
rabbit is unaltered and starts showing aggressive behavior.
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Dogs
& Rabbits
Rabbits are dogs' natural
prey, so great care must be taken in developing a relationship
between these two animals. The quick movement of a rabbit
triggers the hunting and herding instincts of some dogs, and once
the pursuit is on, it is hard to stop. If you dog experiences the
"thrill" of the chase, it will be almost impossible to
completely trust your canine's ability to restrain himself.
Many dogs and rabbits get
along, and there are even dogs and rabbits that live together
freely in the house. Unless your animals have an immediate
affection for each other from the start, it takes a great deal of
time and energy to make the relationship work. Dogs need solid
obedience training with rigid adherence to control commands.
A couple of commands will
make the introductions and ensuing relationships easier to
monitor. "Leave it" is a valueable tool. You give the
command, and the dog stops what he's doing and looks at you for
direction. "Gentle" and "easy" both tell your
dog that it is okay to continue (sniffing, licking, looking) but
remind him that he must move slowly and cautiously.
If your dog does not know
basic control commands, he is not ready for new animals to come
into the home. This in especially true of an animal such as a
rabbit, that is so vulnerable to abuse. A well-trained dog looks
to you for guidance, and even if he would chase a wild rabbit in
a flash, he can learn that the rabbit you introduce as part of
the family is not to be chased.
When introducing a dog to
a rabbit for the first time, have the rabbit in its cage, and the
dog on a loose lead. Have small bits of treats available for you
dog.
Walk the dog up to the
rabbit's cage. Whenever your dog is being calm and gently
inquistive, reward him with a treat. If he is moving fast or
excited, place him in a sit - stay by the cage so he can look in
and smell the rabbit and the rabbit can come to the side of the
cage if he wants to.
Resist the impulse to
correct your dog: you want your dog to associate the rabbit with
possitive experiences, not bad. Use treats to reward him for good
behavior, an make it difficult for him to be bad.
If its not going well,
and the rabbit gets nervous, take the dog away. Don't be
discouraged or hold it against them. just be patient and try
again later. Some dogs and rabbits quickly become buddies, but
others need time to develop tolerance toward each other.
Acceptance comes with your perseverance.
After a few weeks of this
tolerance, it is time to introduce them without the cage. Choose
a room where you have control over where the rabbit goes. The
room should be big enough so that the animals don't feel trapped,
and yet small enough that they can't ignore each other. Have
someone holding the rabbit in a chair. The rabbit should be at
nose level or higher with the dog. with the dog on a leash, and
you with treats, walk the dog up to the rabbit. If your dog is
calm and gentle, reward him and let the animals investigate each
other. If he is a bit excited, ask for a sit - stay.
If all is going well, let
your rabbit down to scurry about. Place the dog in a down-stay,
and let your rabbit play in the enclosed room. Give your dog
treats and reward him for being good. If he begins whimpering and
shaking with excitement, distract him with affection or treats.
The next step in the
process is to release the dog from the down-stay and let him
wander about the room. Progress to this stage gradually and have
patience. Keep the leash on in case of emergencies and until you
are certain that your dog will not chase the rabbit.
If you have multiple
dogs, introduce each dog individually to the rabbit, allowing
each relationship to develop at its own pace.
Be diligent about your
supervision in the first weeks and months of introductions.
Supervise their time together and if you leave the house, even
for a minute, place your rabbit safely in his cage, or confine
your dog. Only you can judge the safety of your rabbit. Your
level of involvement in the interactions of your dog and rabbit
will be based on your perception of the risk. The friendship they
share may be one of simple tolerance, or it can be a closer
relationship. Your animals will decide. What you decide is that
they will get along.
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Ferrets
& Rabbits
Ferrets
are predatory animals, they hunt and kill rabbits in the wild.
Although ferrets have been domesticated for some time, be
cautious. Lots of ferrets like to play chase. Your rabbit sees
the little creature slinking over, and he will probably be in
fear. Ferrets play by biting, pouncing, etc...rabbits don't
understand the this form of play, it scares them if they are
small, if they are large, it just makes them mad.
When
I first introduced my ferret to my rabbit, it wasn't the easy
going relationship I had hoped for. The ferret took one look at
the bunny and ran over to investigate. The rabbit wanted no part
of it, and hopped away. The rabbit was running away, and the
ferret was scampering close behind. Every lap around the room,
the rabbit would stop and jump back over the ferret and continue
running in the other direction. The ferret wasn't trying to do
anything but have fun, there was no aggression, just alot of
panting from all the exercise. The bunny on the other hand was
quite unhappy, and just wanted to be left alone.
It's
only natural for a rabbit to run away, they are prey to many
animals so it is in their blood to take flight when threatened.
If
you have a mellow older ferret that could care less about the
rabbit, you're probably ok. It all depends on the individual
animals. I still wouldn't leave them unsupervised though.
It
may be that your ferret will behave around your bunny, but when
the other ferret(s) are also out, they will gang up and torment
the rabbit.
As
with any interspecies relationship, use good judgement.
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Rabbits
& Rabbits
Ok,
so you want a friend for your rabbit. The first thing you must
make sure of, before you even attempt to bring rabbits together,
is that they have been neutered or spayed at least 4 weeks prior
to the introduction. If it's possible to wait 3 months that would
be best, this way the hormone levels have a chance to drop
considerably after the operation.
The
best match you could make would be a neutered male and a young
spayed female of equal size. It is possible to have two neutered
males get along, but you are taking your chances and it is best
to be prepared to house both seperately if they don't bond. Two
spayed females can also get along, but again be prepared if they
don't.
So
you have two bunnies and you want them to bond...how do you go
about this? Well first lets start with what not
to do. Do not just stick the new bunny in the cage with the
resident rabbit. That is the biggest mistake that most people
make. Imagine if you were sitting in your bedroom watching TV,
when suddenly a stranger crawled in through your window and
started sniffing and touching all your stuff. You would totally
freak out and probably yell and scream and call 911! That's
exactly how your bunny would feel if another rabbit was just put
in his cage with him. Rabbits must be introduced in a neutral
area. It makes sense if you think about it... You would be much
more friendly to someone you met at a party or in a store than
you would to someone that walked into your house uninvited. Same
with bunnies.
Until
the rabbits are bonded, house them separately.
Prepare
yourself with a water spray-bottle.
Bring
them to a place they both have never been, preferably a small
room such as the bathroom, or a laundry room. Wear long sleeves
and gloves just in case of a bunny brawl. Prepare to squirt the
water bottle in case a fight breaks out. Let them sniff each
other but don't stick them in each other's faces. Supervise their
time together. They may fall in love right away, some rabbits
greet each other as they would a long lost friend. Others take
some time. It could happen that they get along from the start, or
it could take weeks. Give them time, most bunnies enjoy company.
If
your current bunny is a total house rabbit, and you don't have a
neutral territory, clean the introduction area thoroughly with
pet odor remover (try some Febreeze on the furniture). Place both
bunnies in separate cages, side by side. If there seems to be no
hostility, open the doors of the cages and allow them the option
of coming out. Watch them, a brawl could break out so don't leave
them alone. Watch for signs of affection: licking, resting
together, sharing food, joyous hopping, etc.
If
either bunny starts to mount the other, don't be alarmed. They
are establishing dominance, it is a natural process and you have
to let them go through it. If either bunny is getting hurt,
seperate them. Usually one rabbit will declair dominance by
mounting the other, if the other rabbit accepts this they will
live happily. Sometimes both rabbits want to be top bunny. This
will take more time. Be patient with them, letting them socialize
for 20 minutes a day. Gradually increase their time together if
they show no aggression.
If
a rabbit is fighting the ears will be in a "back and
down" position. They may chase, bite, punch, and kick the
other rabbit. If either rabbit expresses aggression, seperate
them and start over. A technique that seems to work quite well is
to put both rabbits in the back seat of a car. When the engine is
running they will probably be too nervous to start fighting. In
most cases they will be scared and will cuddle with each other.
Good
places for rabbit to rabbit introductions:
Prepare
for the worst and take things slow.
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Rats
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Rats
are omnivorous scavangers and contrary to what some people
beleive, rats are predatory animals. In the wild they
will catch and eat smaller rodents, and insects. And like any
predatory animal, they enjoy a good game of chase.
For
the most part, rabbits don't like rats. A scurrying rat startles
some rabbits. If your rat is caged while your rabbit is loose
then their relationship is not an issue. But some rabbits have
free run of the house, and most rat owners let their ratties out
to play on the floor, so if this is the situation, you will need
to be prepared when your rabbit comes in contact with your rat.
If
you put a rat on the floor with a rabbit, the senario will
usually look something like this:
After
the initial sniffing of the floor, the rat will scurry over to
the rabbit, usually near the rabbit's face or hind quarters, at
which time the rabbit will sniff the rat face to face. All may go
well and the two may ignore each other from then on. But the rat
will usually nip the bunny's nose, causing the rabbit to
feel alarmed and either thump or take flight. The rat will take
this as an invitation to play a game of chase with the rabbit. If
this chase, nip, chase, nip continues the rabbit will become very
angry and may bite and/or stomp the rat.
The
rat may try to groom the rabbit, this usually ends in disaster
because a rats idea of grooming differs greatly from a bunny's
idea of grooming. Rats groom vigorously, licking and grabbing fur
to clean themselves. They often hold each other down to complete
the job. Rabbits appreciate a more gentle approach. A rabbit will
get frightened by a rat trying to groom in an aggressive manner.
The
two may completely ignore each other, or the rat may harass the
rabbit to the point that they must be seperated. Rats are very
intelligent, frisky, and social, and will usually stop at
nothing, so if the two don't hit it off from the start, they
usually never will.
Never
keep rabbits and rats in the same cage, even if they get along.
Rabbits get frightened easily and may trample or stomp on a rat
out of fear.
If
they don't get along, let the rats play where the bunny is not.
Never leave the two alone in the same area.
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Rabbits
& Other Pets
Pets
such as aquarium fish, turtles, small caged birds, and other
small animals confined to a cage won't some in contact with your
rabbit(s), therefore there is no introduction necessary.
If
you have snakes, do not let the rabbit anywhere near them. A
snake could easily bite a rabbit, causing an infection leading to
death. You may not even know that your rabbit has been harmed
until it is too late because the bite could be very small.
Constrictor snakes, even well fed ones, may attack and kill a
rabbit. SNAKES AND RABBITS
DON'T GO TOGETHER!
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