🐹Guinea pig: gear and buying guides

The guinea pig is a highly social, diurnal rodent that must live in pairs at the very least: a lone animal becomes depressed. It communicates through a rich range of whistles and loves routines, especially vegetable time. Group living and its size call for an enclosure far larger than most pet-shop cages.

Profile : Around 20 to 30 cm and 700 to 1,200 g, a lifespan of 5 to 8 years, and a gentle, expressive temperament that rarely bites.

Species profile

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Adult weight

700 to 1200 g

Minimum floor space

120 × 60 cm

Temperament

Sociable and expressive, it wheeks at feeding time and copes badly with solitude.

Health watch

scurvy (vitamin C deficiency) · dental malocclusion

🩺 The health watchpoints on this page are for information only: only a veterinarian can examine your animal and make a diagnosis.

Guinea pig gear, family by family

• 🍖 Food

  Unlimited hay (80 percent of the diet), daily fresh vegetables and a small amount of pellets. Like humans, it cannot make its own vitamin C: a daily intake of roughly 20 to 30 mg from rich vegetables or a supplement is vital.

• 🧴 Care & grooming

  Nail trims every 4 to 6 weeks, regular brushing for long-haired breeds, and weekly teeth and weight checks. Change the bedding often: guinea pigs urinate a lot.

• 🎾 Toys & enrichment

  Tunnels, hideouts, hay stuffed into foraging toys and hazel branches to chew. No wheel and no exercise ball: its spine is not built for them.

• 🏠 Bedding & habitat

  An enclosure of at least 120 x 60 cm for two, ideally an indoor pen of 2 square metres or more. A solid floor covered with bedding or fleece, and one hide per animal to prevent squabbles.

• 🧳 Travel & safety

  A rigid small-animal carrier (15 to 30 euros) lined with hay; transport cage-mates together to reassure them. Sensitive to heat: never leave one in a car in full sun.

• 🧰 Accessories

  A hay rack, duplicated water bottles or heavy bowls, nail clippers and a brush. Plan 150 to 300 euros of setup for a pair, then weekly hay and vegetables.

Guides to read

• Degu diabetes: how to build a sugar-free dietFood

  Chilean degus are genetically prone to diabetes: why they can't tolerate any sugar, what research shows, and how to plan their daily ration.

• Checking your hamster's teeth at home: recognising the signs of malocclusionCare & grooming

  Hamster dental malocclusion: why their incisors grow continuously, which signs to watch for at home, and when to see an exotic-animal vet.

• Getting your rodent used to its carrier before a tripTravel & safety

  Vet visits, travel, moving day: how to gradually get your rodent used to its carrier to cut stress on the day itself.

• Litter training rats and guinea pigs: can they really learn?Accessories

  Litter boxes for rats and guinea pigs: what science shows about their natural toileting habits, and how to train them to use a dedicated corner.

• Fur chewing in chinchillas: causes and solutionsCare & grooming

  Chinchilla fur chewing: what research shows about this compulsive behaviour, its likely causes, and how to address it day to day.

• Setting up a mouse cage: the essential accessoriesBedding & habitat

  Substrate, nesting material, wheel, hides, and enrichment: the accessories that are genuinely useful for setting up a pet mouse's cage.

• Senior rat: adjusting his diet to protect his healthFood

  Calories, protein, texture, and meal frequency: how to adjust an ageing rat’s diet to support him through his senior years.

• Gerbil enrichment: why she needs to dig deepToys & enrichment

  Deep substrate and real tunnels reduce stress and stereotypic behaviour in the Mongolian gerbil.