Birds & Bunnies

[kc_y0]

Hey guys
I am going to get a rabbit soon, and I was wondering if anyone else has experiences with Birds and rabbits? They will be housed separately (Rabbit outside, Audrey is inside) but I was wondering will they ever be friends? Haha.
There isn't anything that a bird can catch from a rabbit and visa versa is there? Can either of them cause harm to the other if both are inside together? In saying that, they would always be supervised while in the same room.

 

[Didomum]

Rabbits and birds like cats,dogs and birds can live together quite happily. But only under close watch. But having the rabbit out side and bring it in you may want to watch. Rabbits can pick up fleas and ticks just like other pets. And they may have some thing that could be passed from rabbit to bird. So making sure you keep the rabbit in top shape is important for both of them.

 

[Molcan2]

Why not keep the bunny inside? They are easy to litter box train. I had one for years that lived inside. I also had some outside as well growing up. As far as outside goes, they will get fleas. We used the puppy/kitten sized Revolution for the rabbits, put on topically on the nape of their necks once a month. Its good to use on them because it does fleas/ticks and scabies (which rabbits can be prone to). The ones we kept outside were loose in a 20'x20' pen on the ground so that they could dig if they wanted and eat grass. I also had a rabbit once, he was 15lbs, when I moved and had no place to put him so I put him in the backyard with the dogs (at the time where I was renting the dogs had to live outside ) and he slept with them in the dog house. My black lab used to sun himself and my rabbit would run around him and jump over him, it was super cute to watch.

Sorry for the rant, I dont see why a rabbit and a bird wouldn't get along. Rabbits are very quiet in nature and I don't believe a bird would view them as a threat. I think they would co-habitate peacefully.

 

[FutureDVM]

One thing to be aware of is that rabbits can carry pasteurella, which birds are susceptible to. I'm sure there are people out there who make it work, but I would be very cautious about letting them interact.

 

[kc_y0]

Thanks for the input everyone.
I don't have the room to keep the bunny inside, I only live in a small apartment. (If I had anymore room inside, I'd have more birds haha!) I thought about fleas and worms, but I'll treat them both for it, I already treat Audrey for worms and mites
Do you know how Pasteurella can effect birds? I cant seem to find much information on it. Can the rabbit be vaccinated for it?

 

[PotentialParrotMama]

Hi there,
I happen to have a lot of rabbit experience as I raise and show French Angoras, I board my personal animals at this time with my best friend and rabbitry partner but I've been a serious hobbyist for about 10 years.
Rabbits are prey animals and as long as you learn their body language and know what to look for as far as stress or agression you'll be fine. The first response of a frightened or ticked off bunny is a loud thumping of their back feet against the floor, often they will do so multiple times in rapid sucession. The ears may alternate between being forward towards the percieved threat and laying flat back against the head and body (assuming your rabbit is normal earred and not a lop). Just foot thumping is typically a fear reaction.
Aggression or self defense will present itself with the rabbit being leaned forward seemingly on its toes, body tense and ready to leap toward the threat, head held low and neck extended, ears back. The bunny may vocalize by grunting or growling.
A scared bun will typically hop away from the threat into a nearby corner, back into the wall, facing out, ear forward listening, and then the thump comes. It can be quite loud on a hard floor.

My rabbitry partner has kept her many rabbits in very close proximity to her own birds, a conure and a cockatiel for a couple of years and has never had any issues with bird or bunny illnesses though the rabbits do not directly interact with the rabbits.

Pasturella AKA Snuffles is a disease that many Vets believe the vast majority of the worlds population of rabbits have been exposed to. It can lie dormant in the system of a rabbit for either its entire life never showing itself or it can present symptomatically after a stressor to the rabbit. There is no vaccine for Pasturella, nor is there a cure. Typical treatment is a antibiotic which can qwell the symptoms for a time but it will never go away. Pasturella is airbourne and can be carried on clothing and shoes. The most common symptoms are sneezing, white nasal discharge, and crusty front paws on the inside from the rabbit wiping its nose. The rabbit will be lethargic, go off feed, and may be listless. Breathing will be noisy and the chest may rattle.
All of this said I've know several bunny breeders who also either had pet birds or who were also bird breeders and I've never heard of a bird contracting Pasturella from a rabbit. I will find you some links on this in the morning but if it were a major concern just handling a rabbit could track it into your home on your clothes or shoes so actual interaction between bird and rabbit would not be nessesary. My thoughts are that there are most likely two different strains involved, a bird strain and a rabbit strain. I'll look into it since I have a lot of rabbit medical literature.
Sincerely,
Jenna

 

[kc_y0]

Thank you so much for your detailed answer, Jenna, that tells me a lot! My bunny is a lop eared, so I wont be able to tell via the ears for stress, but I will watch out for thumping and growling. Audrey and bunny haven't been introduced yet, so I'll do it slowly so that I dont stress either one out. Thanks again!