different animal species living together?

Hi guys!

I need your experiences and even believable hearsays.
About different animal species living together in the same household or family.
Can they be friends? Do they tolerate each other? Or you must always watch out?

We know cats, dogs, horses usually can coexist and usually be good friends, if they belong to the same household.

But others? Rats, mices, gerbils, parrots, ferrets etc and so on...

Lotsa possible combinations.

ALL experiences welcome!

I had already this question in another thread, but I want it to be own thread so I do get more answers...
Links to good articles are also useful.

You are also welcome to PM me if you dont want to write in the open.


The question is extra interesting for me. At this moment, Im working at a museum. The exhibition in the fall will be about "Love and Hate". I had been asked to contribute with some small telltales about some historical real live cases.

One of my ideas is to mention about the love of cats and the symbiosis between cats and humans. Continue the thought with saying: in favourable circumstances can almost all animals be friends with each other.


Of course, the intelligent onlooker may take the conclusion this counts also for humans....

Stefan, you may have seen this one already, but here's a pictorial story of a monkey that adopted a kitten in Bali. There are text articles if you google it. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen...5/bali-animals

Ok - the annoying thing about most of these videos is that the cats aren't spayed. !!! BUT... the mommas are adopting other animals.

There are quite a few stories of cats adopting and nursing orphaned rabbits: http://www.thedailytail.com/videos/c...s-baby-rabbit/

Or adopting a baby squirrel: http://www.thedailytail.com/pictures...rrel-colombia/

Another cat adopted squirrels: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4h3K...=13&playnext=2

Not the happiest thing because of the situation and the dog mom, but the cat adopted the puppies:
As to other animals becoming friends:

An Elk rescued a drowning marmot at a zoo in Idaho recently. Zoo keepers couldn't figure out why he kept pawing at his water. Then he stuck his antlers in there - apparently to move the marmot so he could then pick him up. http://www.krtv.com/news/elk-rescues...-at-idaho-zoo/

Too cute: A golden retriever being surrogate mom for three white tiger babies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_zM-...eature=related

OK, this is amazing: A lion adopted a baby antelope! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZw-1...eature=related

Pit Bull and Iguana: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUmJF...eature=related

Spend some time on YouTube LOL. Polar Bears playing with dogs, A lion rescuing a baby rhino, dogs adopting fox babies, a mother tiger adopting piglets, dog adopting ducks...

Here's a slideshow - really cute! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYmsm...eature=related (Kitty riding the pig, and a kitty sleeping with a tortoise are too cute!)

When I was in high school I had a miniature poodle (Kaiser) and my sister had an iguana (Dino). I wouldn't say they were the best of friends, but they got along OK. Kaiser used to lick Dino's scales and when Dino had enough he would THWACK! Kaiser with his tail (just warning, he never got injured).

Dino also used to enjoy sitting on my head.

My ferret likes to play with the cats. The rabbits don't . I think a predator/predator relationship is more likely to work out in the long term than a predator/prey relationship . I'm not sure a nursing mother adopting babies of other species counts. . .she's under the influence of powerful mothering hormones. I'd like to see how those relationships are doing in a year or so.

My oldest cat's best buddy for her first two years was my mini lop bunny.

baby Spaz and Buttons wrestling

Originally Posted by Willowy

I'm not sure a nursing mother adopting babies of other species counts. . .she's under the influence of powerful mothering hormones. I'd like to see how those relationships are doing in a year or so.

Click to expand...

Yes, this thereafter is the real "probier-stone".

At zoos they had often used dog females for raising lion tiger or lion cubs.
I remember myself from my childhood pictures of a dachshound nursing two cubs. *shock*
Where / are they still friendly when grown ups? Even submissive to their little mom?

Anyone knows for sure?


Auell, in her Ayla- series, firmly believed that was so. The great lion was submissive to Ayla, his foster mom. And friendly with Winnie the horse mare, his foster sis. But the lions wild mate the big lioness, was of course the uncertainty for them.
This is pure hearsay, but Auell did done her research.

IME the closer the species are to being predator and prey the more dangerous the cohabiting can be.