Don’t be fooled by A Guinea Pig’s size and soft fur - they make really exciting pets – they’re energetic, full of fun and talkative too!

Guinea Pigs are also known as “cavies” – a name that comes from their origins in South America where some of their cousins still live in abandoned burrows. Guinea Pigs like company and, although yours is nice, they’d prefer to have another guinea pig living with them. They will want a really large cage so that they have plenty of room to run around. They can live indoors or out, although inside is best in extremely cold weather.

If you are going to have two or more cavies, then girls will live quite happily together in any number. But if you want a male, either keep him with one of his littermates (boys prefer living in pairs), or pair him with a female - but you must ensure that either the boar (boy) or the sow (girl) is neutered to prevent unwanted piglets (baby guinea pigs).

It’s probably best not to put Guinea Pigs in with rabbits, because they are dominant and may try to bully them.

Guinea Pig Facts

Latin Name: Cavia porcellus
Female: Sow
Male: Boar
Young: Piglets
Life Span: 5-8 years
Litter Size: 1-6 piglets
Birth Weight: 70-100gms
Eyes Open: at birth
Gestation Period: 59-72 days
Average Weight: Male 750-1000gms / Female 750 – 1000 gms
Sexual Maturity: 45-70 days
Weaning Age: 3 weeks
Diet: Omnivorous

History of The Guinea Pig

Guinea pigs originate from South America where the Incas used to breed them for food and sacrifice. People in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia still keep guinea pigs, like chicken, for food. The Spanish introduced guinea pigs to Europe in the 16th Century after they conquered the Incas. Wild populations of guinea pigs still exist in South America in a range of habitats including grassland, swamps, forest and rocky areas.

Guinea pigs have the Latin name "Cavia porcellus" which means “pig-like cavy”.

Are You Ready For a Furry Friend?

Before buying a pet you must make sure that you can care for it properly.

You MUST be able to:

provide the right housing
have room for it to exercise
feed and water it daily
handle it daily
exercise it daily
groom it regularly
clean out the cage daily to control germs
check for signs of illness or disease
take your pet to the vet for regular health checks and other procedures
know someone who will look after it for you when you are away

In their natural habitat guinea pigs eat a range of grasses, seeds, weeds, bugs, grubs and fruit. Guinea pigs are often mistaken as herbivores, but they are omnivores and do need protein in their diet to keep them healthy.

They also have continuously-growing teeth so need the opportunity to eat fibrous material to help wear down their teeth. Guinea Pigs also need Vitamin C daily as they can’t produce their own and will fall ill without it.

Housing / Hutches

In the wild guinea pigs live in caves and burrows, spending the majority of their time foraging for food. Living in a hutch allows your guinea pig to live outside and receive plenty of sunshine and fresh air every day.

Guinea pigs need good, secure, roomy housing. Bought hutches and runs are not cheap but they are perfect for your pet. Alternatively you might know someone who could make one for you. Remember that guinea pigs will gnaw on wood, so make sure that any wooden hutch is treated with non-toxic products.

Hutch Size
A good hutch will be two tiered and have at least two compartments – one for the day and one to nest and hide in at night. Don’t forget that if you have more than one guinea pig you will need a bigger hutch. They prefer to sleep separately at night, too, so need their own nesting areas. Would you want to share your bedroom all the time?

The minimum size for a good hutch is 3ft wide x 2ft deep x 18in high (91cm x 61cm x 45cm), It should be around 4-5 times the length of the guinea pig when it is stretched out. This will need to be much larger if you are keeping more than one guinea pig.

Remember that a hutch can NEVER be too big – buy or make the largest hutch you can manage.

Hutch Hygiene

Hutches should be cleaned out on a regular basis. This is especially important in warmer weather in order to prevent flies being attracted to the hutch, as this may result in an infestation of maggots. In the wetter months, bedding can become damp and mouldy from extreme weather.

Did you know that guinea pigs can catch nasty diseases from dirty hutches? So make sure you pay lots of attention to keeping your guinea pig’s hutch clean and hygienic.
Here are some tips to help you:

Every day
Remove any soiled bedding

Once a week
Remove all bedding. Thoroughly sweep out all the soiled bedding. Rinse with warm water and mild detergent and wait until dry. Spray inside of hutch with a safe cleaning product and wait until dry. Replace with clean bedding (check for signs of mould etc. on bedding and discard if necessary).