# Guinea Pig homed with hedgehog?



## liam1

I was looking into buying a guinea pig in a few weeks. I currently have a 2.5 month old hedgehog and was hoping to be able to house them together. The cage I bought for my hedgie is 47x24 inches (this is the link Amazon.com : Midwest Interactive Guinea Habitat Plus : Pet Cages : Pet Supplies )
It was a cage originally for guinea pigs but my hedgehog has done great with it. I wanted to know if I would be able to house the two together (my hedgehog Liam is a complete sweetheart and loves meeting new people so I'm not sure if he'd have a problem with a cage mate). The cage came with sort of a cage divider that has ramps, and while they get to know each other I could always put the ramps up and have them apart making each half 23.5x24 inches (or 2x2 feet). Would that be too small for them? I could always take down the seperater when they get use to each other. My only concern would be them not getting along, and the fact that hedgehogs sleep during the day and are active at night and for guinea pigs its vice-versa. So I guess my actual question would be, is it okay to house a hedgehog and a guinea pig together?


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## Storybrooke

NO!!! hedgehogs are solitary animals and don't even get housed together unless its a mom and daughter or sisters, having a guinea pig in with a hedgehog would be the worst thing ever! do not house them together ever! they won't get a long and you're hedgehog may end up hurting the guinea pig.


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## MomLady

The ramp in that cage is not safe for hedgehogs. It needs to be enclosed.

I don't understand why a hedgehog is not enough of a pet that you have to have another. Save your money for good food, a vet fund and ensuring your hedgie is happy and healthy.


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## DesireeM81

Plenty of us do have different animals and we go through great lengths to make sure that our animals never interact. I have plenty of carnivores in my house, including ferrets and dogs that must be kept separate from each other and my hedgehogs. There is no unsupervised time between any of them. We go through great lengths to ensure the safety of all of our pets. If you want a guinea pig, I would say go for it. I hear they are fantastic little creatures but no, they should not be housed with another species. This is true almost across the board of any animals. Cats and dogs may get along but that isn't always a guarantee. A hedgehog has the capacity to really hurt another animal, remember European Hedgehogs have been known to kill snakes with their forehead quills, :???: and a guinea pig will get bigger than the hedgehog and can cause equal harm. Quills only go so far and they should never have to use them to defend themselves while in your house.

It is most certainly possible to own both and keep them both safe and happy. Just don't put them together, even for playtime. (Although, I hear guinea pigs do better with another guinea pig buddy) Hedgehogs like being alone, they don't crave the companionship of others.


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## Lilysmommy

It's not at all okay to house any other animal with a hedgehog. Guinea pigs are no exception. It would be very easy for either animal to hurt the other. There have been several occasions where people have had a hedgehog that was around a guinea pig or rabbit for whatever reason (rescued from a situation where hedgie was housed with one, was allowed to "play" with one, etc.). Both animals can & often will chew on the spines of the hedgehog. This opens hedgie up to infection. It would be very easy for either animal to cause much more serious injury to each other, or even kill each other.

If you want to get a guinea pig, you need to have an entirely separate cage for it, and ideally, it should be housed in a separate room from your hedgehog, especially for the first month or so after you bring your guinea pig home. It could be possible for them to transmit illnesses to each other.

And as you may have gathered from the first section of my response - your hedgehog should NEVER be around your guinea pig, especially in a play pen or on the floor together. They don't need to play together and it wouldn't be safe for them.

Edit: Yes, as Desiree mentioned, guinea pigs are much more social than hedgehogs, and it'd be a really good idea for you to get two, provided you have the space and money for two. They need a lot of space (the cage you link would probably only be enough room for one guinea pig) and of course you'll have food expenses, as well as vet bills. Guinea pigs are like ferrets, rats, sugar gliders, etc. - you shouldn't have just one except in particular circumstances (such as my friend having only one ferret because he's tried to kill the four ferrets he's been introduced to so far).


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## liam1

MomLady said:


> The ramp in that cage is not safe for hedgehogs. It needs to be enclosed.
> 
> I don't understand why a hedgehog is not enough of a pet that you have to have another. Save your money for good food, a vet fund and ensuring your hedgie is happy and healthy.


My hedgehog does fine with the ramp and its not more than 3 inches off the ground, I added a liner for extra support so he cant slide off the ramp. And yes Liam is enough of a pet, but it isn't wrong to want another, especially if you want them to have a good life, not just a pet store life. I am not going to house them together and instead I am going to make two c&c cages so I can be able to have both as pets. Just felt like I needed to address you in particular, but thanks to everyone who commented and I most certainly won't house them together.


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## Draenog

If you get a guinea pig you will need to get (at least) two, they are social animals and it's unfair to keep them alone, unlike the hedgehog.


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## MomLady

Sorry if I upset anyone.

I have read about 4 posts last week where people didn't want to take their hedgie to the vet because they just had another pet that they just had to take OR they didn't have any money until payday. That is unfair to your hedgie. If they are bleeding, have a lump or swelling, losing quills, not eating or drinking or not acting normally, then they need a vet immediately, not when payday comes. 

I just wanted to state that your first duty is to take optimal care of the pet you already have and get them settled before bringing in another. 

And yes, hedgehogs have very poor eyesight and can fall off a 3 inch ramp.


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## FinnickHog

I agree completely with MomLady. If you choose to get a guinea pig (or two) make sure you can afford the most expensive treatments imaginable for all your animals at any given time. 

I have 23 pets. They *always* need vet care at the same time for completely independent reasons, and I'm pretty sure they have an innate sense of when you're broke. If you can't always be financially prepared for the worst, rethink your ability to properly care for more animals before you add to your family! It leads to healthier, happier animals and less stress for you.


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## Serena8572

I have two male guinea pigs who I've owned for a while now. My fiancé and I are getting a hedgehog and were wondering if they could be housed in the same room. The pigs are in a 3X5 C&C cage and we were thinking about building a second layer for the hedgehog to live in. The hogs and pigs would have no contact other than the smells and sounds of each other. If we did a quarintine period on the hedgehog, to ensure the health of our pigs, do any of you see a problem with it?


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## Artemis-Ichiro

Serena8572 said:


> I have two male guinea pigs who I've owned for a while now. My fiancé and I are getting a hedgehog and were wondering if they could be housed in the same room. The pigs are in a 3X5 C&C cage and we were thinking about building a second layer for the hedgehog to live in. The hogs and pigs would have no contact other than the smells and sounds of each other. If we did a quarintine period on the hedgehog, to ensure the health of our pigs, do any of you see a problem with it?


This thread is old, I'd suggest you start a new one with new topics or your questions will get lost.

For what I read on this thread, they should be in different rooms, but someone with actual experience can tell you more.


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## Draenog

Shouldn't matter if they're in the same room.


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## Draenog

DesireeM81 said:


> remember European Hedgehogs have been known to kill snakes with their forehead quills,


:lol: no, they really don't.


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