Is A Guinea Pig The Right Animal For You?

Guinea pigs are native to South America, where they are widely found in the Andean mountains and grasslands. They were originally domesticated there as food animals, but now they are kept as pets in the UK. When properly cared for, they can make nice, docile pets that live between 5-7 years.

Guinea Pig Accommodation

Guinea pigs can be housed outside in a hutch with an enclosed run area for exercise, or inside a secure enclosure in the home.

It goes without saying that the hutch should be as big as possible, but at least 100 cm long and 50 cm wide is advised, ideally with an attached run to allow the guinea pigs to exercise whenever they like. The minimum size of the run should be 150 x 100 cm, but again, the area should be as big as possible.

Ideally the hutch should be placed in a sheltered area away from direct sunlight/rain/wind, and to avoid extremes of temperature. All hutches must be well ventilated. Drill holes in the back just under the eaves of the hutch roof to encourage airflow but prevent your guinea pig sitting in a draft, this will help prevent pneumonia. Protection from predators is also essential.

Always provide bedding, such as straw or hay and wood shavings. In colder weather, there should be additional bedding available. Provided your guinea pig has enough bedding it can cope very well with our winter climates so you don't need to cover the front as this will reduce ventilation.

The hutch should be cleaned out at least once a week to help prevent disease.

Companions

Since they are highly social creatures, guinea pigs do best when housed in single-sex groups or pairs. However, they should not live with rabbits because they can be easily bullied and are susceptible to some diseases that rabbits may carry. If the opposite sexes are kept together, male guinea pigs should be castrated as entire (un-neutered) males may fight.

What Guinea Pigs Eat

The bulk of the diet should consist of hay or grass to maintain dental and gastrointestinal health. Daily feedings should include a small amount of fruit (not fruit high in simple sugar) and fresh vegetables. This is important for guinea pigs as they cannot produce vitamin C on their own and must get it from their diet.

Commercial diets are also available and can make up a small part of a guinea pig’s diet. Most commercial diets do contain vitamin C but the content in the diet diminishes over time, so should not be relied on after 90 days from the milling date. Ideally food should be purchased in small bags. These should be used for one month then discarded.

Each day, clean water must be provided in a bowl or water bottle.

Signs of Ill Health

As guinea pigs are a prey species they will hide disease, so the first time you see any signs you must act quickly.

Dental disease – guinea pigs need a high fibre diet as their constantly growing teeth need to be worn down in order to avoid dental problems. If your guinea pig is losing weight, drooling, eating less or passing less faeces than normal, dental disease should be suspected and a thorough dental examination should be carried out (often under general anaesthetic).

External parasites – Guinea pigs are susceptible to a variety of mites and lice, which will generally cause itching, scratching and hair loss. These may require repeated treatments of topical or injectable medication for both the affected guinea pig and any companions. Fungal infections are also common.

Respiratory infections – The most common cause of respiratory infections in guinea pigs is a bacteria called Bordetella bronchiseptica. Signs of infection include discharges from the eyes or nostrils, sneezing, wheezing or difficulty breathing.

Bleeding or discharges from anywhere should be assessed by your vet.

Limping, change in grooming behaviour or wounds should be assessed by your vet.

If you have any concerns contact your vet as soon as possible.