When us hoomans have a reason to celebrate, we don’t want to be party poopers - so we get our precious pigs involved in our celebrations! Especially around the holiday season, some piggy parents are tempted to put Halloween costumes for guinea pigs or Christmas costumes for guinea pigs on their little floofs. Who could resist making the cute cavies look even more adorable?
While guinea pig costumes look fun from the perspective of the piggy parent, they’re restrictive and even dangerous for the sweet piggies. So can guinea pigs wear costumes at all? And do guinea pigs like wearing clothes? You’re about to find out the answers (and much more!) to these questions!
For the ins and outs of safe guinea pig supplies, have a look here!
Can Guinea Pigs Wear Costumes?
The short and sweet answer to that question is a simple no. At Kavee, we’re all about improving animal welfare and making the lives of our precious pets better, and costumes for guinea pigs do the exact opposite. Guinea pig Halloween costumes can be uncomfortable for our furry friends and, in the worst case, even become dangerous. That’s why we think it’s best to avoid saying yes to the fancy dress when it comes to the floofy furballs.
Seeing Halloween costumes for guinea pigs in a shop can be a temptation, especially if you want to take them trick or wheeking. In the last few years, more and more guinea pig costumes line pet shop shelves, but it doesn’t mean they’re any less restrictive for the poor pets. And even if you see sparkly Christmas costumes for guinea pigs that would turn your pets into the little angels they are, we urge you to resist the temptation. We know they’re cute, but they’re not comfortable for your cavies.
Leading animal welfare organizations, including the RSPCA, have also taken a strong stance against guinea pig costumes. They stress that any costumes for guinea pigs or other pets should benefit the pet, not their parents. If a pet needs extra clothing to stay warm and cozy, for example, that’s another matter. But if the clothing doesn’t serve the pet, it’s just not worth the stress for our special companions.
Let’s find out a little bit more about the problems with guinea pig costumes!
7 Reasons Not To Say Yes to the Fancy Dress for Guinea Pigs
We already know costumes for guinea pigs are a bad idea because they’re uncomfortable and sometimes even dangerous. But exactly what is the problem with guinea pig costumes? Let’s take a look at all the reasons you should avoid dressing up your cavies (and aim to dress up their cage instead)!
1. Guinea pigs are not hooman
When piggy parents think of their pets as little humans, instead of animals with their own unique needs and wants, this is known by a great word: anthropomorphism (if you took several attempts to pronounce this word… don’t worry, so did we!). But the truth is our precious pigs aren’t hooman. Much as they’re part of our families and homes, the sweet floofs don’t like or need all the same things as we do.
So while it’s absolutely normal for us to get dressed every morning, this same thing is stressful for our furry friends. Guinea pigs are prey animals, so restrictive costumes for guinea pigs make them feel scared, either because it feels like they’re being attacked or because they can’t move freely and run away when needed.
For your piggies’ mental wellbeing, it’s best to say no to costumes for guinea pigs.
2. Halloween costumes for guinea pigs cause stress
Animal welfare organizations like the RSPCA have confirmed that pet costumes cause unnecessary stress. Our furry friends are skittish by nature because they’re prey animals, and Halloween costumes for guinea pigs or any other clothing makes them feel unsafe, anxious, and really stressed.
And while stress is an unpleasant part of a hooman’s life, it actually affects a guinea pig’s wellbeing. Stress can open the gates for a number of health problems, with respiratory infections right at the top of that list. Upper Respiratory Infections (URIs) are common in pigs and need immediate veterinary support, often with week-long medical care.
In your pigs’ best interest, we really hope you ditch the Halloween costumes for guinea pigs this year!
3. Ouch! Guinea pigs costumes cause injuries
Guinea pigs are delicate little creatures - and it doesn’t take much to hurt the poor pets! If you pop your pigs into a costume for guinea pigs and they panic, there’s a real risk they could injure themselves. And we’re not just talking scrapes and bruises (though those are bad enough). A piggy’s bones and spine are fragile, and so is their skin, so guinea pig costumes can damage very vital parts of a pig.
The most common problem with costumes, though, is the risk of strangulation. A lot of piggy clothing has ribbons and strings that go around the front of the pig’s neck to keep it on. If your pig tries to run off and gets caught with their costume on anything, it can have very serious consequences.
We think it’s best to play it safe and keep the costumes away from our cavies.
4. No room for natural behavior
Have you watched your piggies groom themselves for minutes on end? Our cute companions are naturally clean animals, and they always want to put their best foot forward - so they groom their fur several times a day.
If piggy parents put guinea pig costumes on their sweet floofs, the furry friends can’t reach their own fur anymore. Worse, trying to bend this way and that to groom themselves could get them tangled in the costume.
And by restricting their grooming sessions, cavy carers can end up with stressed and dirty pigs - the perfect recipe for a Urinary Tract Infection (URI). Like a UTI, this has to be treated by a vet with medication. It’s painful for pigs and expensive for piggy parents.
You’ve probably guessed what we’re about to say: let’s skip this year’s Christmas costumes for guinea pigs!
5. They’re a party pooper… literally!
Piggies are little poop machines - we don’t have to tell you. But did you know that they have two different types of poop, and that they eat one of them? Although it sounds yucky, these caecals are actually a really important part of their diet and nutrient intake. Piggies bend over and eat the softer poop straight where it comes out.
Now, if they’re wearing a restrictive guinea pig Halloween costume, they can’t bend that far. That means they’ll miss out on all-important nutrients that impact their piggy health.
Another reason costumes are a bad idea for pigs!
6. Too hot to handle
Although the wild ancestors of our pets come from warmer regions of the world, the furry friends we keep in our homes are very sensitive to temperatures. If it’s too hot outside, heat stroke is a fatal danger to our pets. And the same happens when they’ve got guinea pig costumes on that make them feel hot.
The little critters can’t sweat, so it’s difficult for pigs to adjust their body temperature. If clothing makes them feel too hot, they have no defense against this. And overheating is a whole hazard for our pigs as it is.
The worst kinds of costumes are ones made from manmade fibers, like polyester, because they don’t let the piggies’ skin breathe. These fibers make the pig’s body temperature rise all the quicker, and it’s often too late by the time the cavy carers realize what’s wrong.
Skip the costumes this year, and keep your pets’ palace at a comfortable temperature of 65 to 73° F (18 to 23° C).
7. Costumes on guinea pigs are for people’s gratification, not the piggie’s!
We’ve mentioned it before - pet clothing should always help the pet, not their parent. Unless a guinea pig is recovering from surgery or has some unique health needs, costumes for guinea pigs really don’t do much for our furry friends. It’s all about the cavy carers enjoying the new piggy look. And we get it, it’s cute and an opportunity for a festive photoshoot.
But putting your pigs’ wellbeing at risk, often with long-term consequences and sometimes even fatal accidents, is not worth the Pigstagram post. If you want to make your companions part of the holiday celebrations, why not dress up their cage instead of your Kavee?
Ditch the guinea pig Halloween costumes this year, and set up a cavy-savvy spooky castle instead!
Safe Guinea Pig Costumes Ideas for Guinea Pigs
Are you wondering if guinea pig Halloween costumes are completely off the table? Well, not quite. While we think it’s best to skip the fancy dress for our floofs, there are a handful of safe alternatives to traditional Halloween costumes for guinea pigs you can try without putting your pigs at risk.
Let’s find out more!
Safe Halloween and Christmas costumes for guinea pigs
If you’d really like a super quick shot of your piggies in cute Christmas costumes for guinea pigs, there are a couple of things you can use safely. The key to risk-free costumes for guinea pigs is that they’re non-restrictive. That means that the costume doesn’t close around your pig anywhere with a strap and doesn’t stop them moving freely. If your piggies move while wearing their safe guinea pig Halloween costumes, the clothing should simply fall off them.
A few examples of safe costumes for guinea pigs are
- a witch’s hat without any strings as guinea pig Halloween costumes for guinea pigs
- a light cape without any strings
- a Santa hat without any strings as Christmas costumes for guinea pigs
- little angel wings without any strings
If you’re after a pretty photo of your pigs, why not decorate an area of your home with piggy-safe objects and place your pets in them? It’ll look even better than any guinea pig costumes, and your precious pigs won’t be stressed.
Another great alternative to costumes for guinea pigs are safe cage decorations. Instead of dressing up your cavy, try redecorating their cage with garlands and paper decorations. Just remember to keep anything they shouldn’t chew out of their reach!
How to dress your guinea pigs ethically
If you’re looking at Halloween costumes for guinea pigs and you’re wondering if they’d put your pigs at risk, there’s a few things to consider:
- Can your pigs still behave normally when wearing the clothing?
- Can you introduce the clothing slowly, so they can get used to it?
- Do you know what your pets look like when they’re happy? Can you tell if they’re upset by the guinea pig costumes?
- Could the clothing hurt your pig or upset them in a way that puts them at risk of injury?
- Can you supervise your pigs at all times when they’re wearing the clothing?
Even if you can answer all of these questions to your satisfaction, it’s best to skip the piggy costume parade wherever possible. Let’s put our pets’ needs first!
Amazing Alternative: How about Guinea Pig Costumes for Humans?
If you’re still thinking about guinea pig costumes now, how about we turn the tables? Instead of dressing up your cavy, get a human-sized guinea pig costume! What better way to make a memory than by joining your herd as one of the pigs? You know you want to. And it’s a unique costume idea for sure.
Whatever you and your pigs do, make sure to stay safe during Halloween, the holidays, and the rest of the year.
FAKs
Frequently Asked Questions about Guinea Pig Costumes
About the author
Fine is an ardent animal lover and particularly enjoys the company of her three guinea pigs, Tiberius, Ziri, and Henry. With more than 15 years of pigsperience, she knows the ins and outs of guinea pig care. Today, Fine lives in Glasgow, Scotland, with her three pigs and three noisy birds.
