Is there a rule for guinea pig cage size?

Many people are unsure when buying a guinea pig cage. That’s because guinea pig cage size can vary enormously, and so many people don’t know what size cage to buy.

There is no formal rule about the size hutch a guinea pig needs. We can’t say to you that so many centimetres by so many centimetres is the exact requirement for one guinea pig.

What we can say is that the general rule must always be that bigger is always better. We have 2 guinea pigs and they are housed in an area that would be at least 4 metres square. They have plenty of hiding holes, pipes to run in, boxes to play in and hay to make runs in.

So many of the guinea pig hatches you see in the pet shops are so small that it’s impossible to give you a guinea pig proper accommodation, and you certainly can’t provide him with places to play and to hide.

That’s the general rule for guinea pig cage size. Bigger is always better. Don’t be fooled into buying one of those tiny cages found in the pet shops simply because they are cheaper. You can buy much better value on the net which allows you to buy a bigger cage for the same amount of money.

In our view eBay is by far the best place to buy a cage for your guinea pig. As the hutches there are so much cheaper you can afford to buy your piggies a much bigger cage.

Here is a wonderful video showing you exactly what a great cage is like.
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It’s very possible to find a very cheap guinea pig cage

Whilst it is true that one of the big advantages of having a guinea pig as a pet is that they are very cheap to buy and keep, it is also true to say that buying a guinea pig hutch can be a large expense for many people, so they end up buying a cheap guinea pig cage.

And for this reason so many people end up buying a guinea pig cage that is way too small for their guinea pig. We have explained before why a guinea pig needs a cage that is way bigger than the average hutch sold in pet shops.

Of course the best way to get a cheap guinea pig cage is to build it yourself. If you scrounge some materials and are handy with a hammer and nails it’s quite possible to build yourself a guinea pig hutch relatively cheaply, or even for free.

But of course it’s also true that there are many people are unable to build their own guinea pig hutch. So if they are able to source a cheap guinea pig cage then they may well end up buying a larger cage than if they purchased at the pet shop.

Of course the cheapest guinea pig cages are on the Internet. That’s because online sellers are not paying the overheads on a physical store and so are able to work on much lower margins. If you search on the net you’ll be surprised to find how cheap you can find a guinea pig cage.

And the cheapest place of all to buy a guinea pig cage on the net is eBay. It is entirely possible to buy a very cheap guinea pig cage on eBay if you spend a little time looking for a bargain there. You can see some examples of the bargains available on guinea pig hutches above this article. Read the rest of this entry

We’ve been asked where to find the cheapest guinea pig cage for saleOne of our readers has asked us which is the best place to find a guinea pig cage for sale.

Image via Wikipedia

Before we answer that we should stress, as we have stressed before on this website, that the most important consideration when buying a guinea pig cage for your piggy is not the price.

In fact the most important consideration when looking for a guinea pig cage the sale is that you buy a cage that is sufficiently spacious the house your guinea pig in comfort.

Far too many people choose the cheapest guinea pig cage they can find. In almost all cases the cheapest guinea pig cage is also the smallest, and many of the cages that you find in pet shops are way too small for your guinea pig.

Of course if you’re on a budget it’s important to get the best value that you can find. And the best value guinea pig cages aren’t in the pet shop.

Yhe pet shop has to pay large overheads including holding all the stock and paying rent on the shop and therefore they sell their guinea pig cages at full retail price.

You can find much better value on the Internet, and after spending some time looking around in our value the best value guinea pig cages for sale are on eBay. If you’re a canny buyer you can get some extraordinary bargains on eBay.

So if you’re looking for a guinea pig cage the sale you’ll see some of the listings on eBay above. Check them out and see what bargains there are to be had on guinea pig cages the sale on eBay right now. Read the rest of this entry

I’ve seen a plastic guinea pig cage for sale. Is it a good cage for my guinea pig?

One of the most common problems with guinea pig hutches is that they are generally purchased too small. Often the same applies to plastic guinea pig cages. If you do see one for sale, and they are not common, they are usually too small.

Whilst most of the guinea pig cages on the market are made from timber it is quite possible to buy a plastic guinea pig cage however. The problem with these cages is that they can be close to airtight, and therefore there is poor air circulation and your guinea pig can develop respiratory problems from damp air. It is also possible for them to develop bacterial infections for the same reason.

That’s not to say that a guinea pig hutch with a simple plastic floor is a bad hutch. If it is merely the floor of the hutch that is made of plastic this is much better than wire which is found on the floor of many cages.

Wire is the worst material to put on the floor of your guinea pig hutch because walking on wire can cause guinea pigs to develop problems with their feet.

A plastic floor on a guinea pig hutch is easy to clean and easy to take care of and your guinea pig will be happy walking on it. Read the rest of this entry

You do need to clean the Guinea Pig Hutch regularly

Keeping a guinea pig as a pet is a lot of fun, but it isn’t all fun. There’s some work involved to keeping a happy and healthy guinea pig, much of it to do with cleaning the guinea pig hutch. And you need to pay attention to your guinea pig’s diet as well.

Piggie should be fed twice a day. He needs a range of fruit and vegetables for general health and for vitamin C, which we’ve spoken of before. And he also needs dedicated guinea pig pellets which also, if they are well made and fresh, should contain vitamin C.

Whether it’s cold, or raining, or you just don’t feel like it you need to go out to his cage twice a day, every day, and feed your guinea pigs properly.

And don’t forget to check whether they have adequate water as well.

If you’re guinea pig is suffering from low vitamin C you will notice weakness in his back legs. This is a sure sign that you need to increase his vitamin C intake. In this case you can use vitamin C tablets from a supermarket, crush one up and dissolve it in his water to give him a quick burst of vitamin C.

Of course feeding you’re guinea pig should be a pleasure, not a chore.

But there’s more work involved in keeping the guinea pig hutch nice and clean. Of course guinea pigs leave droppings in the hutch, and these need to be regularly cleaned out. How often this is done depends on how big your guinea pig cage is, of course bigger cages need to be cleaned less frequently.

However as there are many small guinea pig hutches available for sale many owners keep their piggies in very small cages. If this is the case you need to clean his hutch at least every 2nd day if not daily. Read the rest of this entry

You need some entertainment in their Guinea Pig cage

Whilst we have spoken before about the importance of providing your guinea pig with a guinea pig hutch of sufficient size this is not the only factor in keeping a happy and healthy and well adjusted guinea pig as a pet.

Guinea pigs are social creatures, and it is best to keep more than one. If you are keeping more than one you need to consider which sexes go together best. Of course if you have a male and a female together then you will be unable to prevent them breeding unless at least one of them is desexed or you keep them apart.

Keeping two male guinea pigs together can lead to fighting, though they may eventually get on well. However if you are looking to keep several guinea pigs the best way to do this is to buy 2 females.

However there is still more that you can do to make sure that your guinea pigs are happy and well adjusted. Guinea pigs need things to do and if you provide a sufficiently spacious cage they will have room to exercise and run around, but little to do.

Therefore you need to consider providing them with a little stimulation. Fortunately this is not difficult. We provide ours with some plastic pipes around 4 inches in diameter for them to run in and out of, a few small boxes with holes in them so they can play in and out of the boxes, and some little hiding holes as well.

If ou give your guinea pigs a few things like this then you’re giving your guinea pigs things to do. And don’t forget that they need something to gnaw on to keep wearing down their teeth, or they will gnaw on something that you don’t want them to. A piece of wood or bark is sufficient. Read the rest of this entry

Housing Guinea Pigs indoors is fine as long as you follow some basic rules

Of course it is entirely possible to keep your guinea pig indoors. Whereas outdoors they are normally housed in a dedicated guinea pig hutch many people keep them indoors in a variety of different cages or other housing.

However just as for keeping your guinea pig outdoors, when keeping him, or them, indoors there are some things that you need to think about.

There are hazards for guinea pig’s indoors that do not exist outdoors.

The first thing to think about is the type of housing you will provide to him. Whilst it is perfectly possible to use the normal guinea pig hutch that you would use outdoors this does have some limitations. For example an outdoors hutch generally has an open floor to allow the guinea pig to graze on grass. This is of course not always the case but is common.

Using this type of cage indoors means that all the mess will end up on your floor. Of course you can always lift the guinea pig cage up and clean, however there are easier ways. One of the first things to think about when considering your guinea pig housing is how easy it is to clean. For example there are guinea pig cages solid plastic floors that are much easier to clean.

Some outdoors guinea pig hutches have a wire floor. We suggest that this is inappropriate in any case, however should also be avoided for indoors guinea pig housing.

Much better than using an outdoors cage for your cavy is using an open topped cage. This allows for easy cleaning as well as allows for the people to pick the guinea pig up very easily. There is no need for a roof on your guinea pig hutch where he is kept indoors. The sides should be around 30 to 40 centimetres high.

Should make sure that your guinea pig housing is not located under a window where it will be drafty or near any appliances such as the heater where there may be dangerous fumes. This is also better not to locate the guinea pig cage in direct sunlight through a window as that can get very hot in summer, and cold in winter. Read the rest of this entry

You need quality feed in his Guinea Pig Hutch

Feeding your guinea pig isn’t difficult. You can buy premade commercial guinea pig food in your pet shop and this should be provided in a dedicated feeding bowl in the guinea pig hutch at all times. However there are some other things you should feed your guinea pig as well.

Hay is a big part of the guinea pigs diet, and many people will use hay both as a lining for the floor of the guinea pig hutch as well as the floor of the sleeping area, and as there is hay in the cage already the guinea pigs will eat that.

However guinea pigs also like green leafy vegetables, (although you should avoid cabbage and lettuce as these can cause diarrhoea). They will also happily eat fruit and root vegetables like carrots, though it is better not to feed these in large quantities.

A guinea pig needs plenty of roughage in the diet which gets them chewing which helps wear down their teeth, otherwise the teeth can grow and cause dental problems.

Good vegetables to feed are the leaves of broccoli celery brussels sprouts and spinach and Asian greens. Read the rest of this entry

Most pet shop Guinea Pig hutches are too small

There is a huge range of Guinea Pig hutches available in your local pet store. There’s all shapes and sizes, some of them being very good hutches.

However the majority of Guinea Pig hutches that are purchased in pet shops are too small. There are several reasons for this but the prime reason is because small Guinea Pig cages are cheaper.

We have seen tiny triangular cages housing 2 or 3 Guinea Pigs, which gives them virtually no room to run around.

As a general rule bigger is always better when it comes to housing your guinea pig.

However it is not particularly important that the hutch be high, as guinea pigs do not require height in their cage.

It is also important to avoid hutches that have wire on the floor unless you cover the wire with a soft material such as hay has guinea pigs can get foot problems, and in particular a condition called bumble foot, from constantly walking on wire.

It is also important that the hutch be put in a position where it is not in contact with damp ground. If your Guinea Pig hutch is placed on the ground in the darkness and cause your Guinea Pig to become sick. It is better to raise the hutch off the ground. Read the rest of this entry

How do you take care of your Guinea Pigs?

Here’s a good collection of videos that give you some tips on Guinea Pig care.

Of course there’s always differences of opinion about Guinea Pig care, but there’s some good general principals.

One slightly contentious subject is washing your Guinea Pig. Some people suggest that you shouldn’t give your Guinea Pig a wash/shampoo more often than once a month or so as it dries out their skin. Some others though suggest every week.

Like everything it’s a case of seeing how things work for you.

Enjoy the videos.

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