
Guinea Pig Care: How to Pick the Right Cage for Your Cavy
Guinea pigs make delightful pets, with their cute squeaks and adorable personalities. However, to ensure they live a healthy and happy life, it’s crucial to provide them with a suitable living environment. One of the most important aspects is getting them the right cage, as their little legs like to run. This guide will help you understand the key factors to consider when choosing.
Types

Keep your cavy safe, healthy and happy with durable and pet-friendly guinea pig cages. The most common cages for guinea pigs are hutches. These were traditionally used to house rabbits, and some piggy parents. This is especially the case when the guinea pigs are housed outdoors.
When choosing a hutch keep in mind the proper ventilation. This is especially important for the ones made from wood. Proper ventilation is vital because, without it, your guinea pigs run the risk of developing respiratory issues that can inevitably lead to respiratory infections. Any material that absorbs fluids can be e potential threat as it can lead to bacterial growth if the cage is not cleaned properly and thoroughly enough.
Additionally, many hutches on the market come with ramps for the animals to go from one level to another. Consider whether the ramps have any sides to protect guinea pigs from falling over and off the ramp. This can be dangerous for your cavy and could lead to injuries since their bodies are so little and delicate. While this doesn’t always happen, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
All in all, as long as you choose wisely, hutches can be terrific cages for guinea pigs because they enable your rodent to get access to fresh air and sunlight.
There are some cages advertised as “small animal habitats” that include guinea pigs as one of the animals that can utilise them. However, a quick look at them will tell you that there isn’t even enough space for one guinea pig, let alone more. These cages are intended for smaller animals such as mice and hamsters, and marketing them as suitable for guinea pigs is not only unsafe for the guinea pigs, but also irresponsible on the part of the retailers and manufacturers.
However, the best part about these little animal habitats is that they are open air, despite the fact that it is confined by bars and a solid plastic floor. This allows for adequate ventilation but not much more. Still do not use these cages for your guinea pigs unless they are the appropriate size.
Basic Requirements
No matter what shape or type of cage you choose for your guinea pig, some basic requirements must be satisfied for it to be safe to use. The number of guinea pigs you have determines the size of the cage required. The best rule of thumb is that more space is better. There’s no such thing as too much space.
Guinea pigs are herd animals who can become depressed and lonely on their own, therefore they require companionship to be interested and active. Having appropriate space for the number of guinea pigs that will be living in the cage is vital because it prevents the guinea pigs from becoming overly territorial.
Two guinea pigs require at least 10.5 square feet of space; three guinea pigs need at least 13 square feet; and four guinea pigs require at least 16 square feet. For each extra guinea pig, you should add 3 square feet or more.
Giving your rodents floor time in safe areas of your home is also beneficial to their health. Just make sure that you’re guinea pig-proofing your home to make sure that there’s nothing unsafe or damaging to your piggies when they’re running around.
Another important criterion for guinea pig cages is the ease of cleaning. Make sure that the cage you use for your guinea pigs is something you can quickly and thoroughly clean. This implies that you should be able to wipe down all of the surfaces to clean them, and none of the guinea pigs’ cage’s surfaces should be absorbing any liquids, since this could promote bacterial growth.
Additional Considerations

When it comes to your guinea pigs’ health and safety, prioritise quality and advantages over cost. Consider this a long-term investment in the health and longevity of your cavy. Guinea pigs can live anywhere from 4 to 8 years on average, but in certain situations, they can live up to 10 years if they are healthy and happy.
Finding the ideal guinea pig cage is only the beginning. There are other factors to consider, such as picking the ideal type of bedding, outfitting with the safest toys, and placing their food in a way that is easy and accessible for them to enjoy.
The best bedding will not only do the bare minimum of being soft and absorbing your guinea pigs’ urine but will inhibit bacteria from growing and making your guinea pigs sick. The best guinea pig toys will be the ones that encourage and accommodate guinea pig behaviour while enabling them to be themselves without being harmful.