rats & guineas?

[bumblebea04]

Hi all! I’ve gotten settled with my two guinea pigs and recently Ive been thinking of getting a couple of pet rats. Currently my guineas are in a C&C type cage with an open top in my bedroom. I’d have to also keep the rats in my bedroom, as my family won’t allow them anywhere else, but I would of course figure out some sort of cover for the guinea pigs cage if the rats were out of theirs. Does anyone have any advice or ideas about owning them both and keeping both cages in one room?
Thanks!

 

[Piggies&buns]

We have this thread Keeping pigs safe from pet rats?.
I will also tag @Engel.

 

[bumblebea04]

Hi all! I’ve gotten settled with my two guinea pigs and recently Ive been thinking of getting a couple of pet rats. Currently my guineas are in a C&C type cage with an open top in my bedroom. I’d have to also keep the rats in my bedroom, as my family won’t allow them anywhere else, but I would of course figure out some sort of cover for the guinea pigs cage if the rats were out of theirs. Does anyone have any advice or ideas about owning them both and keeping both cages in one room?
Thanks!

I’d also like to add that my guinea pigs cage has solid plastic-type panels, so there aren’t bars for the rats to get through.

 

[Engel]

Hi there. Rats are great pets. They will however, get into everything. They can definitely get through the bars of any guinea pig cage! They can harm and even kill guinea pigs. I would seriously think about adding a galvanized mesh to the guinea pig cage to prevent them getting in during free roam time as it's almost impossible to make an escape proof play pen for rats. Another option is the use of a bathroom. It is really difficult to have them in a room with other animals during free roam, not even my hamsters were safe. The only other way I can think it'd work is if you had the pig cage on a tall table with no way to get to the top; and obviously, never left unsupervised.

Edit: forgot to add they can jump quite high. 1-2ft seems to be the most common range they can jump.

 

[bumblebea04]

Hi there. Rats are great pets. They will however, get into everything. They can definitely get through the bars of any guinea pig cage! They can harm and even kill guinea pigs. I would seriously think about adding a galvanized mesh to the guinea pig cage to prevent them getting in during free roam time as it's almost impossible to make an escape proof play pen for rats. Another option is the use of a bathroom. It is really difficult to have them in a room with other animals during free roam, not even my hamsters were safe. The only other way I can think it'd work is if you had the pig cage on a tall table with no way to get to the top; and obviously, never left unsupervised.

Edit: forgot to add they can jump quite high. 1-2ft seems to be the most common range they can jump.

hi! thank you so much for all the info!