Quarantine How far should I keep a rabbit away?

[FailedFoster]

Hello!

I have two adorable male guinea pigs - one is in a 2x4 C&C and the other one is in a 2x5 C&C. Both cages are about 3-4 feet off the ground.

I'm considering adding a rescue rabbit to my household. I own my own home, so landlords won't be an issue. I know that guinea pigs and rabbits shouldn't be housed together, but I was wondering: how far away should I keep the rabbit from the guinea pigs? The biggest reason I'm asking is because of bordetella bronchiseptica, a germ that rabbits carry that is the leading cause of URI's in guinea pigs. I would of course NEVER allow them to interact, but I was thinking of having the rabbit's main enclosure in the same room as the GP's. What do you all think?

Thanks!

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

Bordetella bronchiseptica has been shown to be airborne, and has been proven to be transmittable in short distances like a room or a barn, so I would think it would not be a good idea.

 

[FailedFoster]

Thanks! I have a third bedroom I should be able to keep the bun in, so that shouldn't be a problem. Also, just so I can do research myself before taking up space on the forum, can you tell me where you found the info about it being transmittable in short distances? I like to try to research before asking, so I'm always gathering new resources!

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

I just googled bordetella bronchiseptica airborne, and read through the results. I remember reading others saying it was a bad idea, so I looked into why.

 

[FailedFoster]

Ah gotcha! An elegant solution. Thank you very much for responding to my posts! I referred a new piggy parent here recently, so it's good to see that there are plenty of active, knowledgeable folks on here.

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

I found this place by accident several years ago looking for C and C cages. Didn't actually join until a couple years later, but I can honestly say this forum has saved my pigs life.

 

[FailedFoster]

Wow that's amazing! Just from looking over the posts, it looks like others have had their pigs' lives saved from this website as well! This is such a useful resource.

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

That's why I stay, to pass on what I've learned. And of course, to learn more.

 

[bpatters]

And thank you for doing that, @Guinea Pig Papa. Reasonable, knowledgeable voices are worth their weight in gold!

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

And thank you for doing that, @Guinea Pig Papa. Reasonable, knowledgeable voices are worth their weight in gold!

Quite a lot of what I've learned, I've learned from you. Between you and @spy9doc, you both have been the biggest voices out there when I've needed help. So thank YOU.