Guinea pigs are a popular pet choice for millions in the US and beyond. But sadly, as pointed out by The Human Society, they’re also a popular pet to rehome soon after adoption. While their sweet furry faces make it easy to fall in love with them at first sight, the reality of guinea pig care can take new piggy parents by surprise.
Thankfully, you don’t have to figure everything out by yourself. We’ve compiled the ultimate guide on how to take care of a guinea pig, featuring all the information you need to know to become a piggy expert.
Not all guinea pigs are the same
Let’s start by saying that every piggy is different! Their breed and gender will influence your approach to guinea pig care so let’s have a look at what you should know about their differences.
What guinea pig breed should I get?
There are 13 guinea pig breeds recognized by the American Cavy Breeders Association, and over 40 breeds recognized by The British Cavy Council. Certain breeds are quite rare (like the Lunkarya and their wild mane) while others can be found in most pig-sessed homes (like the popular American guinea pig). The main thing you should learn about the different types of guinea pigs is their personality and grooming needs.
If you know you’ll struggle to follow a strict haircare routine, look into short-haired cavies to reduce the number of grooms per day (but remember, their fur will still need regular brushing!). And while it’s difficult to predict the personality of a piggy solely based on breed, it’s still worth considering to get an idea of what to expect with your new furry friend.
You can find a list of all the different guinea pig breeds and their characteristics in this blog.
Guinea pig gender
It doesn’t take a piggy expert to know that if you bring a male piggy and a female piggy together, without neutering either of them, baby piggies will soon be on their way! But this is just one of the few things to consider when picking the gender of your herd.
Male piggies (also known as ‘boars’) are more likely to be aggressive with one another, especially if housed together with female piggies (also known as ‘sows’). And if you think a herd of only sows will be enough to dissuade squabbles, think again - dominance fights happen even between girl piggies, and if it’s not the right match, they’ll persist until separated.
You can learn more about the differences between male and female guinea pigs in this blog.
How to house guinea pigs indoors
There are different benefits to choosing to house your piggies indoors or outdoors. But unless you live somewhere with a temperate climate (guinea pigs prefer temperatures around 60-73°F) , keep on top of weather conditions and can meet your outdoor piggies’ extra needs, we’d always recommend housing piggies indoors. Taking care of guinea pigs is a lot easier when they’re within line of sight!
What guinea pig cage should I get?
One crucial step in proper guinea pig care is finding the right cage for your piggies. This will be determined not only by the space you have available but also by the number of piggies. And don’t let the small size of these pets trick you, even two piggies need a spacious cage where to happily popcorn and zoom around! We suggest you have a look at this blog on the different indoor guinea pig cage sizes to get started.
It’s also important to consider where the guinea pig cage will go. Next to a radiator, it can get too warm, and close to a TV it can be too loud and frighten them. Do you have other pets? Make sure you get a cage lid and keep them safely away from your piggies. Thankfully, a C&C guinea pig cage is designed to easily adapt to your every need, from adding extras like cage lids to fitting your set-up tightly into a corner. They can even be expanded to welcome any new floofs to the family, and are designed to be easy to clean! Check out this blog on the benefits of choosing a C&C cage for guinea pigs.
Which guinea pig bedding should I use?
Of course, getting the right guinea pig cage is just the start. You’ll then have to figure out what to put inside it! Even if you’ve opted for a coroplast base, it won’t be enough to keep them comfortable and prevent bumblefoot (an infection of the feet that commonly affects piggies!).
You have a few guinea pig bedding options to choose from, ranging from shaved paper to pellets. But if you’re looking for the best guinea pig bedding out there, then you need to try fleece liners. We might be biased, but fleece liners are the kind of guinea pig bedding designed to make both piggies and their parents happy. They successfully absorb moisture (preventing soggy bottoms), can easily be cleaned with a machine wash, and come in a variety of colors and patterns.
You can learn all there is to know about fleece liners for guinea pigs in this blog.
How to take care of a guinea pig
Outside of spending hours playing with your piggies, looking at them adoringly, and begging for furry cuddles, there are a few other activities that must be at the top of your to-do list. A big part of guinea pig care involves cleaning their home and looking after their fur.
How do I clean a guinea pig cage?
The best guinea pig cage isn’t just spacious, it’s also regularly cleaned. As you might already know, guinea pigs poop up to 100 times a day, so keeping on top of cage cleaning is essential. You’ll be expected to clean your guinea pig cage from top to bottom once a week, and do the occasional spot clean every day.
This way, any soggy bedding gets replaced before it can affect your piggies, and the many poops don’t start piling up around the cage. If this sounds like a lot, don’t worry, as we’ve compiled a guide on the cleaning and maintenance of a guinea pig cage.
How much grooming do guinea pigs need?
Whether you’ve brought home a piggy with long luscious locks or short fuzzy hair, they’ll rely on you to keep their fur in check. As a rule of thumb, long-haired piggies should be brushed daily, while short-haired floofs can be brushed once a week. Have a look at this blog to learn how to groom your guinea pig.
Trimming their nails is equally important, as long nails can cause infections and bring discomfort. We recommend you clip a guinea pigs’ nails at least once a month, but keep an eye on them, as for some piggies they can grow faster. Check out this blog for how to cut a guinea pig’s nails.
How to keep a guinea pig healthy
All the above points keep your piggies happy and healthy, but there are a few other things you should know for the wellbeing of your pet.
What do guinea pigs eat?
We can’t talk about how to take care of a guinea pig without mentioning their diet. Piggies love to eat (as their constant wheeks like to remind us!) but what makes up their meals should fit into three categories: hay, fresh veggies, and pellets.
Hay should make up the majority of your guinea pigs’ diet - it’s so good for their health, that they can have access to unlimited amounts. While pellets and fresh veggies are there to supplement their diet, providing them with much-needed nutrients. You can also enrich their meals with safe fruits (as long as they’re given in moderation!) and foraged plants.
You can check out our ultimate guide to a balanced diet to learn more about guinea pig nutrition.
Guinea pig health
Ultimately, guinea pig care should focus on prevention. Everything we’ve mentioned helps with that - soft bedding reduces the chance of bumblefoot and providing them with the right cage keeps them active, avoiding health issues caused by obesity.
However, even with our best efforts, guinea pigs can sometimes still be affected by infections and sickness. That’s why learning to spot the signs of common health problems in guinea pigs is so important! Read our guide to guinea pig health to learn about common health issues in guinea pigs. And as always, if you’re in doubt, don’t hesitate to bring your piggy to a cavy-savvy vet.
Conclusion
As you can see, guinea pigs have numerous care needs but they make highly rewarding pets. One popcorn and a sweet look are enough to make you forget how many poops you keep cleaning up!
Discover the Kavee must-have products for great guinea pig care, you can get everything from spacious cages to comfy bedding, from cozy hideys to caring essentials, and much more. And if you wish to learn more about taking care of guinea pigs, check out our care pack. It’s a great free resource containing everything from a list of guinea pig safe foods to pairing advice and much more.
