In a couple of weeks I will be volunteering at a rabbit rescue (I'm going to see the place today). I am aware that rabbits and piggies should never be kept in the same airspace but what are the risks of transmission from me to my piggies? What can I do to reduce the risk? Is good hand washing and changing my clothes enough?
Thank you in advance
You can't directly transmit any diseases between the two species, just indirectly. Good hand washing hygiene and having a separate set of comfy old 'rescue clothes and shoes' will be ample precaution.
I would also recommend that you always wash your hands anyway before feeding any pets and between feeding/handling etc. different pet species as your normal automatic default habit anyway.
PS: For owners of both rabbits and guinea pigs, keeping them in separate spaces is recommended. Since rabbits can carry or be affected asymptomatically by several diseases that are fatal for guinea pigs, always feed, medicate, groom and clean your piggies (including cleaning any feeding dishes) first before you deal with the rabbits.
Always keep any piggy dishes apart or above the rabbit ones, so nothing can ever fall from a rabbit dish (including the underside) onto a guinea pig dish since it is a potential e.cuniculi transmission route, as a forum member has discovered the hard way. I would also recommend that you have two sets of cleaning equipment (ideally differently coloured), one for each species and a different apron for handling.
These very simple organisational measures, once you have accustomed yourself to them, will go a very long way. E.cuniculi is the one illness that we have seen on here can affect both species even in good care because it can be transmitted indirectly without direct contact through contaminated food particles. The other illnesses require direct contact/air space.
Contagion - Inter-species transmission and pet care during owner illness/pregnancy (incl. Covid)
Have a great time volunteering!
