Rabbits are some of the best household pets you can have, especially if you’re looking for a starter pet for your children. However, if you’ve got other pets in the home, then it can be tricky trying to decide if the rabbit will get along with any current pets that you might have.
Eight animals that get along well with rabbits include:
- Cats
- Dogs
- Birds
- Guinea pigs
- Chinchillas
- Hedgehogs
- Pigs
- Turtles
There are a ton of different pets you can have that get along with rabbits, no matter if your bunny is free-range or caged. The eight animals we’ll talk about here are sure to work well for you and your new pet rabbit.
1. Cats are Great Rabbit Companions
You might be surprised to find out that cats actually make great companions for rabbits. Despite the fact that cats are natural predators (and rabbits natural prey), domesticated cats are typically accepting of having a rabbit in the home.
Cats and rabbits can become quick friends, but it’s important to make sure you watch them the first few times they meet each other. Most of the time, cats are fine with rabbits, but if you notice that your cat is stalking or about to pounce, make sure to cut the meeting short.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that the smaller your rabbit, the higher the chance that your cat might see “prey” instead of a new furry friend. Don’t introduce a baby rabbit to an adult cat—it’s best to just wait until the rabbit’s grown up.
Cats and rabbits are even better together if they’ve grown up in the same household.
You can actually introduce baby rabbits to kittens without worrying. In fact, this should help your cat develop better attitudes towards other animals.
2. Dogs and Rabbits are Wonderful Friends
Everyone knows that dogs are social animals that get along well with plenty of other different kinds of animals, and rabbits are no exception! However, dogs are naturally predators just like cats, so it’s important to watch the animals as they meet. There are some things you can do to actually ease this process.
One thing you can think about doing is getting your dog used to the scent of the rabbit. If you have a dog, then you know how they’ll sniff you excessively if you’ve been around other animals.
Spend some time petting your rabbit or holding your rabbit, making sure to get as much rabbit fur on your shirt as possible. Then just spend some time with your dog! Let them know that the scent is friendly, and they’ll have an easier time meeting the rabbit.
Something to keep in mind is that dogs are, typically, excitable—this can be really scary for rabbits, especially if your dog is large. This can lead to the rabbit becoming hostile, which can also trigger the dog into predatory instincts. Make sure you monitor the initial meetings your furry friends have.
If your dog loves to play with toys or is hyper in general, then make sure that you’re watching the two animals together at all times. When it comes to smaller animals, a lot of dogs play “cat and mouse”; in other words, your rabbit might be getting pushed around, which can cause a bad situation.
3. Birds and Rabbits Get Along Well
In most cases, birds and rabbits can actually become great friends! Small birds are the best when it comes to getting along with rabbits, and they’re also the safest option. Larger birds, such as African Grays, are predators whereas other birds, like Diamond Doves, aren’t.
Rabbits are incredibly sensitive to high-pitch noises. If you’re looking for a bird that whistles a lot, or your bird is particularly noisy, then you shouldn’t get a rabbit. However, if you’re looking for a smaller, quieter bird, then the two animals can easily become friendly!
If you do happen to have both a large bird and a rabbit, then it’s important that you let them free and out of their cage at different times in order to protect your rabbit. This will also give your rabbit peace of mind because most rabbits will be nervous around animals that express predatory habits.
If you’ve got a rabbit or a bird and are concerned about getting the other, then feel free to call up your vet! He or she will be able to give you great advice on your specific situation and what’s best for the pet you currently have.
4. Guinea Pigs and Rabbits Go Well Together
Guinea pigs and rabbits make great friends, and it’s a fun way to bring both pets a sense of happiness. In fact, a lot of guinea pigs will actually get along better with rabbits than they will with other guinea pigs.
These animals are roughly the same size, so you don’t have to worry about either one hurting the other easily or just by trying to play. Because of their similar size, neither animal should feel threatened enough to snap easily.
One thing to keep in mind is that guinea pigs are naturally lazy; they don’t really enjoy running around a lot, especially compared to rabbits. Most rabbits, when they’re comfortable, can run around most of the time they’re awake. If you’ve got a very hyperactive rabbit, then this can frustrate some guinea pigs. Other than that, you have nothing to worry about when it comes to putting these two animals together!
5. Hedgehogs and Rabbits are Friendly with Each Other
Hedgehogs are becoming popular pets, and they’re great caged animals to have. They also get along famously with rabbits! Hedgehogs aren’t predators, and they’re generally not going to be stressed out about rabbits when they’re running around a room.
An important thing to remember is that hedgehogs can be territorial, so it’s not a good idea to keep both animals in the same area for too long, or in too tight of spaces.
Some people try to keep different animals in the same cage, and this is not something you should do with hedgehogs and rabbits.
6. Chinchillas and Rabbits are Wonderful as Friends
Chinchillas and rabbits are another pretty common pairing. Because of their similar size, they fall in the same boat as guinea pigs. These two animals get along great, but that doesn’t mean that they’re going to be best friends in all cases.
Chinchillas and rabbits, while generally pretty peaceful, can hurt each other significantly if they don’t get along or if something happens between them. For this reason, it’s pretty important to supervise them when they’re together, especially in the beginning.
7. Pigs and Rabbits are Adorable Together
Small pigs are becoming more and more popular as people share videos of adorable mini pigs walking around the house, and rabbits can make great companions for these little pigs! Because neither animals are really predators, they make great companions for each other.
The only thing that you need to worry about is the size of your pig, even if it’s a mini pig. Most rabbits are pretty small, so even a small pig can accidentally step on or fall on a rabbit and do significant damage to your pet.
Make sure to supervise play time between these two animals, but there isn’t much to worry about between these rabbits and pigs compared to other animals. If the two animals don’t become friends, then more often than not, the pig is going to ignore the rabbit.
8. Turtles and Rabbits Make a Great Duo
Turtles (and tortoises) and rabbits are another great combination of pets. In general, neither animal is going to greatly care about the other being there, and they can even play together to an extent.
Because turtles are so slow, there isn’t really much to worry about when it comes to letting the two roam around together. The only thing is watching out for a grumpy tortoise; if they get angry, they can easily hurt small animals by ramming into them, and rabbits are no exception.
You’ll want to watch out for is the tendency that rabbits have to eat the poop of other animals.
Turtles can carry diseases like salmonella that can be excreted in their waste, and salmonella is extremely deadly to rabbits.
Make sure to keep them in separate cages and not to leave them alone for long periods of time!
Bonus: Rabbits Get Along with Rabbits!
Unsurprisingly, rabbits are actually one of the best pets you can keep with other rabbits! If you’ve ever seen how rabbits behave together when you buy them, you’ll quickly see why.
Rabbits, like other animals, live in small groups naturally. Since they’re social animals, they’ll get along with most other rabbits without too many problems. Even if the rabbits haven’t grown up together, they can still bond fairly quickly, and you’ll see them snuggled up together in no time.
However, rabbits with bad temperaments can still harm each other. Make sure to get a good judge on how good they are together before leaving them alone, and give them plenty of room to run around in—rabbits do enjoy playing together.
What to Consider When Introducing Rabbits to Other Animals
Things aren’t always as black and white as “this animal gets along great with rabbits.” There are a ton of different factors that can contribute to how well your pets get along, so make sure to skim through these before thinking you’re in the clear.
The Personality of the Rabbit
No matter how peaceful or how well another type of animal is, your rabbit has to be peaceful enough to get along with it.
If your rabbit is skittish or not very social, then it might not be the best idea to let the two animals be together.
It can be difficult to know how your rabbit is going to respond to other animals. There are personality traits that can help you determine where or not your rabbit is going to do well with other animals.
Consider the following questions before introducing any animal to your pet rabbit:
- Does your rabbit get scared easily? If so, this can cause some serious issues when it comes to other animals. Getting scared can trigger your rabbit’s defensive tendencies as well as causing other animals to get predatory.
- Does your rabbit enjoy your company? If so, then this is a great sign that your rabbit is friendly! You’ll want a good-tempered bunny if you’re going to get another animal.
- Is your rabbit hyper? If so, then this is a great sign that your rabbit will get along with other animals!
The Personality of the Other Animal
On top of looking out for your rabbit’s personality, you need to pay close attention to the personality of the pet you’re introducing to your rabbit as well! With so many different types of animals, it’s hard to use a blanket statement. Animals have different personalities just like people, so it’s important to think about it.
Oftentimes animals act differently with people compared to animals. Some pets are very friendly with people but extremely hostile with other animals and vice versa—don’t ever assume that your pet is just going to like other animals because it likes people.
You can use the same guidelines above for both your rabbit and the other pet. If you’ve already got a pet and you’re looking to get a rabbit, try taking your pet to public areas and see how they get along with other animals they see.
If you’re looking to get a new pet, then try taking your rabbit with you to see how the new animal responds. It’s important to make sure that both your rabbit and the new pet are going to be comfortable together.
The Species of Each Animal
Another important factor that you should consider before getting a new pet to get along with your rabbit is the different breed of the animals we’ve talked about. For example, some breeds of dogs are much better with rabbits and other small animals in general.
When it comes to dogs, you should do some research and see what your dog’s breed was initially bred for. Some dogs, like Labradors, are big but very friendly with small animals. However, other dogs like Yorkshire terriers seem like they would get along initially but are actually not very good with small animals.
Yorkshire terriers and plenty of other dog breeds were bred with the intent to kill small animals during hunting seasons. Because of this, some dogs still have a much higher predatory drive than others, and you want to know this before you place your rabbit in front of a predatory dog. For an extensive list of dogs that were bred for hunting, see this Dog Breed Info article.
Bacteria and Diseases These Animals May Carry
This might not be on the forefront of your mind, but animals carry a lot of different diseases and bacteria, some of which can be extremely harmful, if not deadly, to rabbits. In some cases, you may want to stay as far away from some animals as possible, like rats.
However, as long as the rabbit isn’t getting into the poop of most animals, then this shouldn’t be a huge problem. The best thing you can do is speak with your vet about what kind of animals you’re looking at getting and if that could pose a threat to your rabbit.
Also, if you do happen to get a pet that can carry deadly diseases for rabbits, watch out; rabbits are notorious for eating poop, and you’ll want to avoid your rabbit from eating the other animal’s poop at all costs! You can do this by making sure cages are far away from each other as well as limiting playtime to shorts bursts instead of hours on end.
Here is a list of animals to speak with your vet about before introducing to your rabbit:
- Cats
- Rats
- Pigs
- Outdoor animals like possums and skunks
Animals that Rabbits Do Not Get Along With
Snakes
In no situation should you ever have a snake and a rabbit in the same house together. There are a few reasons, but first and foremost is that snakes eat rabbits.
Snakes are carnivores, and they will see a rabbit as food and not as a friend.
Snakes are also much more wild than some of the other animals on this list. They are harder to understand and read, so it’s difficult to get a gauge on their personality when it comes to other animals. However, we can tell you that snakes and rabbits are not going to get along.
Even if you keep them completely separated from each other, snakes do tend to escape their cage. If this happens, your rabbit is going to be a sitting meal stuck in a cage; this is, for obvious reasons, not ideal.
Ferrets
Ferrets, like snakes, are not going to get along with rabbits (or any other small creature). Ferrets are also carnivores that were bred specifically to help hunt small animals; you don’t want to bring a ferret and rabbit together for the same reason you don’t want to bring a rabbit and a Yorkshire terrier together.
Also like snakes, ferrets are extremely sneaky. You can try to keep the two animals separated, but it’s hard to do with clever ferrets. Once again, your new rabbit will be a meal served on a golden platter if your ferret happens to find it.
Finding the Right Companion For Your Rabbit
Choosing the best companion animal for your rabbit can be confusing, and we hope this guide helps! Just remember that rabbits are social creatures, and they’ll typically enjoy being around most other animals.
