Chinchilla and Rabbit

[ChinchillaExpert]

Unfortunately when i got my first chinchilla Laya about 2 and a half years ago i didn't know anything about chinchillas other then the temperature they need and they take dust baths. So i had a rabbit at the time when i bought the chinchilla and i let them play together not knowing i wasn't suppose to and now that i know you can't let them play together because the rabbit can kill the chinchilla and other reasons it won't happen again, but the chinchilla and the rabbit didn't fight at all. They just both minded there own business and no fighting happened at all. I'm just wondering if this is very unusual ? (don't worry i will not let them ever play again knowing what can happen).

 

[Ash]

For the most part, rabbits and chinchillas aren't overly aggressive, so they're not going to attack each other. However, their versions of "play" are different which is where you can have accidents. Also, rabbits can carry a bacteria naturally that is fatal to chinchillas. So it's not so much they go after each other, but their natural tendencies that make them dangerous to one another (moreso the rabbit to the chinchilla).

 

[ChinchillaExpert]

Okay , thank you

 

[ticklechin]

Rabbits and chins should be kept appart so they cannot share body fluids such as a sneeze or saliva, pasturella can be harbored silently in a rabbit and it is fatal in chinchillas, same goes with cats and dogs.

 

[chinnychinchinchilla]

i have heard of some rabbits getting along well with chinchillas. and some not. it depends on the pets. i think a smaller rabbit would be a safer bet because it will be closer in size. rabbits also cary a disease (cant remember the name) that doesnt effect the rabbit but can be fatal to chinchillas. also rabbits can kick if its in a bad mood or just annoyed for whatever reason at the chinchilla. even a mild kick can be deadly. if you were to ever let them play again they will need VERY close supervision. also the rabbit should be taken to the vet ahead of time to check for that disease.

 

[ticklechin]

Chins and rabbit should not play together ever.

 

[minrex]

i have heard of some rabbits getting along well with chinchillas. and some not. it depends on the pets. i think a smaller rabbit would be a safer bet because it will be closer in size. rabbits also cary a disease (cant remember the name) that doesnt effect the rabbit but can be fatal to chinchillas. also rabbits can kick if its in a bad mood or just annoyed for whatever reason at the chinchilla. even a mild kick can be deadly. if you were to ever let them play again they will need VERY close supervision. also the rabbit should be taken to the vet ahead of time to check for that disease.

Pasteurella CAN affect the rabbit, actually. It can cause "cold-like" symptoms, such as sneezing and nasal and/or eye discharge. It can also cause abscesses on the rabbit, including internal abscesses.

Even discounting the pasteurella risk, I would never let even a dwarf rabbit play with a chinchilla. A dwarf could still deliver a pretty good blow with its hind legs. And most dwarf rabbits still outweigh most chinchillas.