The question is: can guinea pigs and rats live together? Well, these two animals have a lot in common but they can’t live together.

Guinea pigs are larger than rats. The average size would be 12-13 inches. Rats are smaller than the others since their average size is 7-9 inches.

In cages, these two animals should not be joined together because they have different types of diets. Thus, they have different needs.

There would be a conflict if an animal is joined together with another animal that is similar to it, but there are some parts and info that needed to be considered.

There is what we call supervision and this idea is one of the possibilities that these two animals would not be compatible and comfortable.

So let us not waste our time and we will be going to delve deeper into this article.

 

History Of Guinea Pigs And Rats

Even both rodents would tend to cause pain to the other rodent species, types, and kinds.

Creatures like the guinea pig are a type of rodent that comes from Europe and comes from the Caviidee family called cavies.

While on the other hand, a pet rat originated in Southeast Asia and then spread to Northeast Asia many years ago.

Guinea pigs are known for having heavy bodies and rats have been active since then compared to guinea pigs.

Rats can do some exercise and can even swing. They can be more active and can do some movements for their health.

These two animals can carry diseases and bacteria, especially if they have been taken care of in a dirty place. They even smell, especially if you don’t give them tender, love, and care. 

You can love these two animals as your pet, but you must love them and take care of them well.

Animals like them love to eat veggies or vegetables, fruits, and even pellets. A portion of food is important for pets to have a good weight and health.

Owners must know how to take care of their pets and be responsible for taking care of them to avoid injury and other problems.

Owners must have an idea of how to be cautious about knowing the background of these two animals.

So, can guinea pigs and rats live together? 

These two animals must not be joined in the same habitat, room, or area, since even though they are both rodents, one may be a predator and a prey.

Guinea pigs have been more gentle than rats and they are easier to take care of than rats.

 

Differences Between Guinea Pigs And Rats

When it comes to background, rats originated in Southeast Asia. They are known for eating food as well as contaminating it.

These rodents are also ascribed for the disappearance of other mammals; these are their prey.

Even though these rodents are cute and vary in size, they can be predators of other small mammals like birds and reptiles.

Food poisoning, typhus, and plague have been known diseases that exist because of rats.

But even though they bring diseases, some of them have been used in laboratories, such as the brown rat.

For medical, genetic, and biological research, these rodents have been used to explore improving human health.

In the Edo period, it is the time when the first form of domestication came from Japan as a human source of research pieces of information.

Domestication is the process of using wild animals and an example of this is rodents, just like rats.

Even plants have been used to adapt such kinds of processes to be used in research or for human exploration purposes.

On the other hand, guinea pigs have been considered to be far from rats in many ways.

This is an animal that is bigger than rats but they are more gentle and sensitive.

They love to eat good foods that are rich in vitamin c, such as fruits, vegetables, hay, and even pellets. They also love lots of treats.

Cage bars must exist so that they will be separated from each other if there is no available cage for the other animal.

Hamsters are also a kind of animal that is similar to these two. On the other hand, we also have mice that have been considered to be pets too.

Even though these animals have common similarities and signs that they can be joined together, things must be considered first; they have different personalities!

Some of the considerations that you need to focus on before joining them in the same area are their movements and reactions.

Other considerations that are needed to keep and determine are their environment, their background, and the characteristic of their territory.

These two animals are both rodents, but they exist as different individually since they’re different species.

Guinea pigs came from a family that is called Caviidee and they exist and are known as cavies.

While rats, on the other hand, come from a family that is called Muridae and is known as a cute species also.

 

Reasons To Join Guinea Pigs And Rats (Not)

Here are the following aspects and areas that prove that they have differences from one another:

 

#1. Diet

Let us first talk about the sensitive and cute ones- the guinea pig. This animal has a diet that consists of veggies, pellets, water, and hay only. 

They have been considered prey herbivores and they do not eat some foods that come from other animals or other meat.

Some wild animals have become predators of these animals, since these animals love to sleep and eat only.

Well, they are perfect for your household, as they can be fed with ease. 

On the other hand, rats have been known as omnivores and will eat any, may it be vegetables, fruits, cheese, and even some animal meat.

Anyway, you may want to know the answer to your question: can guinea pigs eat cheerios?

Pellets consist of animals’ meat that these animals will eat. They’ve been considered predators and it may be a risk for other prey herbivores.

These animals have a violent nature for one main reason- they come from the wild. Their environmental reaction and action are different from other animals.

Despite having different diets, these two animals still need to have vitamin c and calcium in their bodies to live.

 

#2. Personality

When talking about territory, a rat has been territorial since then. They often cause wild reactions and violent actions towards other animals.

They have been aggressive to the other rodents and it is pretty much like the struggle to join them with the other animals in a cage.

If they are kept together, along with the other female and male animals, dominance will exist and can be seen by them.

Knowing the fact that even if they are small and little, they have a high level of aggression and violent reaction, they can kill.

But as to guinea pigs, if they feel stress, they excess it to the foods that they consume and it is not advisable and relatable. 

Too much food intake because of stress on them is bad for their health and immune system.

To them, stress can leave loss of weight and size, could lessen their life span, and can cause some infection and illness to them.

If these two fight, there is a high chance that the guinea pigs will lose and it is not far from the possibility that they will die.

Their weakness in fighting is transparent because of their weak and sensitive spine.

They have been known and considered to be prone to infection and keeping them close to rats with their sharp teeth is dangerous.

Keeping them close, especially to a rat, is something that an owner or a person must prevent by housing them separately.

Rats’ sharp teeth and claws are dangerous. Putting them close to small piggies would be responsible for their death and even diseases in humans.

A rat that would attack and bite a guinea pig puts them at risk. Putting rats in living environments that could cause conflict is harmful.

On top of all of these, put in mind that both of them have been considered to be social in their kind. But they mustn’t be joined together.

Well, let us know your thoughts; post your comments below!

 

#3. Physical activity

Just like people, they also need playtime. Exercise is the need of these two rodents. But the level and requirements need to be in order and it’s different.

Guinea pigs must have enough space to be able to run and explore and to have a point area to hide in.

They are prey and, most of the time, their tendency to hide is at a high chance of possibility.

As to rats, they also love to roam and run around, but they can do it in a small space, especially if they have a playpen and a running wheel.

They also love to climb using a running wheel, since it is their form of exercise and fun.

Unlike the guinea pig, they cannot run on a wheel since they have a sensitive spine and it could be bad for them.

Guinea pigs need a large cage or enclosure to explore their movements and owners must know how to accommodate these tendencies of them.

They do not know how to climb but they love to zoom back and forth, run, walk, and even hide.

Anyway, you may be interested to know what do guinea pigs like to play with!

 

It’s A Wrap!

Now you know the answer to the question: can guinea pigs and rats live together? My dear friends, may this article equip you with all the useful information!

These two fur pets must have shelter, bedding, and a vet of their own. 

It is important that, as an owner, you do not house them together to prevent some conflicts in the present and the future.

It may sound a little disappointing, since these two pets have been considered as cute, small, and furry, but they should not be together.

It may cause harm to the other rodent to be with the other rodent since they have different living environments and habitats.

We hope that this article has equipped you with information and ideas that you could use for future purposes.

Thank you for your time reading this article thoroughly. May you have a great day ahead!