🐹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.

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

• What cage for a guinea pig? The C&C enclosure is the real answerBedding & habitat

  What cage does a guinea pig need? Minimum floor space, the advantages of a modular C&C enclosure and a realistic budget: our guide to a truly suitable habitat.

• What cage for a rat? Height, levels and dimensions to respectBedding & habitat

  What cage does a pet rat need? Minimum height, number of levels, bar spacing and budget: our advice for an aviary-style cage suited to this born climber.

• A tank for gerbils: finally giving them something to digBedding & habitat

  Why a glass tank beats a barred cage for gerbils: substrate depth, minimum dimensions, ventilation and budget for these tireless little diggers.

• Chinchilla housing: a large, cool aviary cage above allBedding & habitat

  Chinchilla housing demands a tall aviary cage of at least 1 metre, wooden platforms and a cool room below 22 °C: our detailed advice and budgets.

• Exercise balls for rodents: why vets advise against themToys & enrichment

  Exotic-pet vets advise against exercise balls for rodents: stress, injuries and overheating. The reasons why, plus safe alternatives for burning off energy.

• Hemp or corn cob bedding: which should you choose for your rodent?Care & grooming

  Hemp or corn cob bedding? Absorbency, dust, price per litre and suitability by species: our comparison to help you choose the right plant-based bedding.

• Which bath sand to buy for a chinchilla, gerbil or hamster?Care & grooming

  Which bath sand should you buy? Sepiolite, quartz sand or bathing dust: the right products, the ones to avoid and prices per kilo for healthy fur.

• Feeding your rat: how to nourish a true omnivoreFood

  The rat is an opportunistic omnivore: complete lab blocks, fresh food share, animal protein, forbidden foods and a realistic monthly budget.