Chickens and guinea pigs share a lot of characteristics. Pets who prefer to be outside are both social animals who prefer to be with other people at all times. The enclosure and run are essential for the success of guinea pigs and chickens. Consequently, people prefer to group them together in order to save on space when deciding where to live. Does it, however, make sense for guinea pigs and chickens to coexist?
It is possible to house both guinea pigs and chickens in the same standard enclosure if they are introduced to one another when they are young. Because their needs are so dissimilar, it is not recommended that they live together. Guinea pigs prefer to live indoors in an environment that is clean and secure. In some instances, they can also become territorial.
When housing them together, always take the necessary precautions to keep them healthy.
The coop should be of sufficient size, and you should be mindful of any health issues that may arise during construction.
Keep in mind that chickens can carry diseases with no visible signs of illness, which can cause your guinea pigs to become ill.
Please be advised that keeping guinea pigs and chickens together is not recommended. In any case, if you intend to do so, there are a few things you should be aware of before proceeding.
Is it a good idea to keep guinea pigs and chicken together?
If you take the proper precautions, you can keep guinea pigs and chickens together. In contrast, it is not advisable to simply place a pair of guinea pigs in a chicken coop and hope for the best because guinea pigs and chickens are completely different animals.
It will take some time for them to get to know one another because they have very different requirements.
It is possible to keep guinea pigs and chickens together if you are patient and committed.
Despite this, there are a few ground rules that must be adhered to in this situation.
It is only in the following circumstances that guinea pigs and chickens will tolerate one another:
- Introduce them when they are young: We will advise you to introduce them to each other while they are young. As both the species become intolerant as they grow older.
- Guinea pigs must be spayed or neutered: Male guinea pigs mount anything in sight. That can be considered as an act of domination, or they may be sexual. So we will advise you to neuter them as it will help to calm them down.
- Clean Environment: Guinea pigs are much cleaner as compared to chickens. Your guinea pigs can get stressed if they are surrounded by filth. It can also lead to many other health problems in guinea pigs.
- Sleeping Area: You must include a hideout for your guinea pigs in the coop. By doing this, your guinea pigs will feel safer, and they will also be cleaner as chickens poop regularly.
- Two of each animal: Just keeping one guinea pig and one chicken can make both of them feel stressed and lonely.
- Behavior: If their relationship starts collapsing, you should immediately separate these animals at once to avoid aggression.
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What is the advantage of keeping chicken and guinea pigs together?
There are numerous advantages to keeping guinea pigs and chickens in the same enclosure. Some of them are discussed in greater detail below:
- Space Saving: Your guinea pigs and chicken can live in one large enclosure that will also be more space-efficient than each type of animal living in separate homes.
- Company: If in case it is not possible for you to keep your guinea pigs indoors, chickens will give them a good company. It will be a joyful moment for you to see how well these animals get along. But this is only possible if they are introduced early enough.
- Security: As guinea pigs and chickens are prey animals, they even attract the same predators
- . So if they are kept together, they will enjoy more safety in numbers.
- Reduced Smell: Guinea pigs are much cleaner than chickens, but their waste has a pungent aroma compared to chicken. So, it will be mandatory for you to clean their enclosure regularly. That means that your guinea pigs will get a better hygienic environment.
- Temperatures: Guinea pigs and chickens both flourish in a stable environment. Thus it is quite easy to maintain an even environment for them.
There are a variety of reasons why these animals should be kept together. However, there are numerous drawbacks to keeping them together, which you must be aware of as well as learn about.
What is the disadvantage of keeping chicken and guinea pigs together?
When it comes to practical considerations, it is not recommended to keep guinea pigs and chickens together.
It is not recommended that you keep your guinea pigs and chicken together because of the following reasons:
- Food: Guinea pigs and chickens do not have the same nutritional needs. They both have different dietary needs. If they feed on each other’s meals, they might fall ill. We will suggest you feed guinea pigs separately as chickens eat anything.
- Temperaments: Guinea pigs and chickens are different in behavior. Chickens get scared of fast-moving animals, which can lead to pecking, clawing, and fighting.
- Disease: Guinea pigs and chickens can be prone to many diseases. It is even possible for them to share parasites. You must know that one unpleasant outbreak can destroy your whole animal family.
- Cleanliness: Cleanliness can be considered as both pro and con. Guinea pigs are much cleaner as compared to chickens. That means that you will have to clean their enclosure regularly. That also helps to eliminate the risk of parasites and flies, but this increases your workload.
- Mating: A male Guinea pig may mount with every chick in the enclosure. Neutering is a solution for this, but even neutering may not stop their behavior altogether.
- Coop Materials: As guinea pigs have very soft skin, they may hurt themselves on a wire chicken coop. So, we will advise you to use suitable materials for both species.
Do guinea pigs and chicken get along?
In fact, guinea pigs and chickens can get along well if they are introduced to each other when they are young. However, you will need to be on the lookout for their warning signs.
The stress and anxiety you are putting on your animals can make them ill. Listed below are some cautionary indicators that should be taken into consideration:
- One species are running after a member of another species.
- Aggressive behavior towards humans from a calm animal
- Excessive Grooming
- Dullness and depression
If you notice any of these behaviors, separate them immediately and for an extended period of time.
Even if a brief separation does not alleviate the situation, it is time to consider a separate enclosure.
Do guinea pigs attack chicken?
Small animals with strong personalities, guinea pigs are regarded as such. This means that if they become alarmed, they may turn on chickens and attack them. This can escalate into a potentially dangerous situation.
In the event that guinea pigs become agitated, they can become surprising aggressive. Because some guinea pigs are territorial animals, they may become hostile if they perceive a chicken encroaching on their territory, which is common.
The introduction of guinea pigs and chickens together when they are young becomes mandatory as a result of this. Guinea becomes more comfortable with sharing their space as a result of this arrangement.
The following are signs that guinea pigs are preparing to launch an attack:
- Grunting with teeth-chattering and hair fluffing
- You should take your guinea pig out of the house as soon as you notice these behaviors because they are not normal.
- We would advise you to take action as soon as possible. As the less stressed guinea pigs begin to believe that their cues are being recognized, they will become angrier.
- Additionally, keep an eye on your guinea pigs when they are chasing chickens because it can be tricky because guinea pigs chase through play and this can be dangerous. On other occasions, they have devised a plan to tear the chicken’s feathers out from under it.
You should experiment with letting your guinea pigs chase for a while to see what happens. If they decide to pull out at the last minute, you can just relax and remember that it was just a game.
Chickens are known to be light on their feet, and it is possible that they are all having a good time. As soon as you notice the first sign of teeth/claws, separate them as soon as possible to avoid further damage.
Can guinea pigs damage chicken eggs?
Guinea pigs are completely uninterested in the eggs of a chicken. Because guinea pigs are herbivores, they have no reason to believe that they would benefit from eating eggs.
It’s important to know that guinea pigs are also naturally curious. They might be concerned about the eggs that are in their enclosure.
That will pique the interest of your guinea pigs, and they will investigate. If you look closely, you may notice them sniffing and nudging the eggshell, and there is a chance that they will break it.
Chickens are fiercely protective of their eggs, and it’s no surprise. As a result, if they discover that guinea pigs have been tampering with their eggs, it may result in a rift between them.
The chicken will stay in a nest for at least 21 days, sitting in it 24 hours a day and only coming out to drink water. Their eggs will be kept warm by each of them in turn. It’s possible that guinea pigs will find this confusing.
How to introduce guinea pigs and chicken?
Gnu-pigs and chickens should be introduced when they are young in order for them to live in harmony with one another later.
We recommend that you wait until male guinea pigs are old enough to be neutered before introducing them to your guinea pigs, as this will help the guinea pigs to settle down.
You can’t introduce them by putting them in a room and expecting them to get along with each other. When introducing guinea pigs and chickens, it is recommended that you follow the steps in the process step by step.
- You should introduce both species on different sides of the fence. Allow them to feel each other from a distance.
- You should allow them to run free together. They may ignore each other at first, but this also means that they are not scared of each other.
- Allow your chickens to run freely in the enclosure and place your guinea pigs in the run. Then after a while, reverse the roles. That will eventually help both the species to be used to share a space.
- You should keep an eye for territoriality in your guinea pigs as they may get jealous and guard their space. You can provide guinea pig-only retreat, as it will help with this process.
Do guinea pigs and chicken share diseases?
Guinea pigs are susceptible to diseases transmitted by chickens. Chicken feces can cause serious health problems in our guinea pigs, and we must avoid feeding them.
Guinea pigs and chickens are also parasite-sharing species. According to studies, chickens are not frequently infested with fleas, but it is possible that they will become infected.
As a result, we will not recommend that you keep them together because one small mistake can cause your entire animal family to perish.
Can chicken make my guinea pig sick?
Many chickens have a disease called salmonella but display no symptoms. Chickens can infect guinea pigs without even realizing it. Also, many guinea pigs do not show the symptoms of the disease, though.
There is also a high risk of coccidiosis. That occurs when a parasite connects itself to a chicken’s digestive tract. If it is transmitted, it can cause serious health problems to guinea pigs and chickens.
Can guinea pigs make chicken sick?
Pasteurellosis in guinea pigs is also known as snuffles. It is a bacterial infection in the upper respiratory tract.
Snuffles is transmissible between guinea pigs. It can cause serious health problems to our guinea pigs if they have a weak immune system.
Pasteurellosis can cause serious health issues to chickens like fowl cholera. We strongly recommend you to vaccinate your chickens as it is available. It is necessary if you decide to keep two different species of animals together.
It is best to separate your guinea pigs from chickens if your piggies have snuffles.
You should provide them with a separate enclosure, and let your guinea pigs recover before they rejoin the group as it is the only way to prevent its spread.
Do guinea pigs get along with other animals?
No, it is not recommended to pair your guinea pigs with any other animals other than their own kind. Guinea pigs are prey animals, and as such, they are incapable of defending themselves against their predators, particularly when they grow in size.
Many owners attempted to pair their guinea pigs with rabbits, but this proved to be a disastrous idea because rabbits are capable of killing guinea pigs in a matter of minutes. Rabbits can grow to be twice the size of guinea pigs, according to some estimates.
Instead of fighting back, guinea pigs would freeze and become terrified of their predators, causing them to flee. As a result, we recommend that you do not pair your guinea pigs with any other animals.
Conclusion: Guinea Pigs and Chickens
The survival of guinea pigs in the same enclosure is possible if they are introduced to each other at a young age. However, we do not recommend putting them together because there are diseases that can be transmitted from chickens to our guinea pigs if they are kept together.
Salmonella in chickens can cause serious health problems in our guinea pigs, even if they show no signs of illness at all. Not only should chickens and guinea pigs not be kept together, but they should also not be kept with other animals.
Finally, we would like to advise you to take good care of your guinea pigs and to show them as much affection and attention as possible.
