Last Updated on February 26, 2023 by Marjon Ramos
It’s fine if your rabbit eats small amounts of guinea pig food, but make sure that you don’t make it a habit.
Rabbits and guinea pigs have different nutritional needs.
As an example, rabbits can make their own vitamin C while guinea pigs can’t, which is why most guinea pig foods are loaded with vitamin C.
Feeding large amounts of food that contains vitamin C to rabbits can lead to kidney damage.
Now that I’ve given you the gist of the article, read on as I explain in more detail why rabbits can’t eat guinea pig food:
Table of Contents
Risk of feeding guinea pig food to rabbits.
Rabbits and guinea pigs have different nutritional needs, feeding your rabbits guinea pig foods has risks if fed long term.
Here are some of the risks associated with feeding your rabbits large amounts of guinea pig food:
Kidney damage
Excess vitamin C in rabbits is shown to be converted to oxalates, which in turn may trigger the formation of kidney stones.
Rabbits are already making their own vitamin C, feeding high amounts of additional vitamin C, like what guinea pig food has, can lead to the formation of kidney stones if fed long term.
Here are the signs that your rabbit might be suffering from kidney stones caused by excess vitamin C:
- Blood in the urine (hematuria)
- Thick, pasty, cloudy, or beige-to-brown-colored urine.
- Urine staining in the area between the anus and genitals.
- Straining or pain during urination.
Diarrhea
Diarrhea in rabbits is often caused by the wrong diet or when the diet is changed too fast.
Feeding your rabbit large amounts of guinea pig food would check those two boxes I mentioned.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Should you panic if your rabbit ate a little bit of guinea pig food?
While it’s true that rabbits should not eat guinea pig food, taking a small bite of guinea pig food is not a problem.
Rabbit food and guinea pig food are actually quite similar; it’s just that guinea pig food contains an additional vitamin C.
As long as you’re not feeding your rabbit a lot of guinea pig food, you should be fine.
Just observe your rabbit for any behavioral changes or any changes in their poop.
What to do if your rabbit ate guinea pig food?
Observe their behavior, poop, and urine for any changes.
If you did notice something after your rabbit accidentally ate guinea pig food, call a veterinarian for proper advice.
Conclusion
Guinea pig food should never be fed to rabbits intentionally.
Rabbits are not designed to consume large amounts of vitamin C, which they already make.
If your rabbits ate a little bit of guinea pig food, just observe their poop, urine, and behavior for any changes.
Rabbits’ and guinea pigs’ diets are almost identical.
So your rabbit should be fine if they accidentally eat some guinea pig food while you’re not looking.
If you have noticed some behavioral, urine, and poop changes, call a veterinarian for proper advice.
Image credit – Photo © Derek Harper (cc-by-sa/2.0)
