diff --git a/gcloud/bigtable/happybase/connection.py b/gcloud/bigtable/happybase/connection.py
index 475d80bfb01c..7ef6b483bfce 100644
--- a/gcloud/bigtable/happybase/connection.py
+++ b/gcloud/bigtable/happybase/connection.py
@@ -15,6 +15,9 @@
 """Google Cloud Bigtable HappyBase connection module."""
 
 
+import six
+
+
 # Constants reproduced here for HappyBase compatibility, though values
 # are all null.
 COMPAT_MODES = None
@@ -97,6 +100,16 @@ def __init__(self, host=DEFAULT_HOST, port=DEFAULT_PORT, timeout=None,
             raise ValueError('Protocol cannot be set for gcloud '
                              'HappyBase module')
 
+        if table_prefix is not None:
+            if not isinstance(table_prefix, six.string_types):
+                raise TypeError('table_prefix must be a string', 'received',
+                                table_prefix, type(table_prefix))
+
+        if not isinstance(table_prefix_separator, six.string_types):
+            raise TypeError('table_prefix_separator must be a string',
+                            'received', table_prefix_separator,
+                            type(table_prefix_separator))
+
         self.timeout = timeout
         self.autoconnect = autoconnect
         self.table_prefix = table_prefix
diff --git a/gcloud/bigtable/happybase/test_connection.py b/gcloud/bigtable/happybase/test_connection.py
index bc1c3467b355..5913ab2219c9 100644
--- a/gcloud/bigtable/happybase/test_connection.py
+++ b/gcloud/bigtable/happybase/test_connection.py
@@ -68,3 +68,17 @@ def test_constructor_with_transport(self):
     def test_constructor_with_protocol(self):
         with self.assertRaises(ValueError):
             self._makeOne(protocol=object())
+
+    def test_constructor_non_string_prefix(self):
+        table_prefix = object()
+
+        with self.assertRaises(TypeError):
+            self._makeOne(autoconnect=False,
+                          table_prefix=table_prefix)
+
+    def test_constructor_non_string_prefix_separator(self):
+        table_prefix_separator = object()
+
+        with self.assertRaises(TypeError):
+            self._makeOne(autoconnect=False,
+                          table_prefix_separator=table_prefix_separator)