A favourite pet needs a quality guinea pig hutch

Do you love guinea pigs? If so you’re not alone, guinea pigs are one of the more popular pets amongst Australian children and are one of the most friendly.

As guinea pigs are extremely popular pets in Australia there are also a number of sources for buying quality guinea pig hutches at a reasonable price.

And that’s why we are here. Both tell you a little more about keeping guinea pigs as well as to point you in the direction of some quality, and well priced, guinea pig housing.

There’s many myths about housing a guinea pig, and there is also many hutches available. Many of them are quite inadequate for your average piggy, let alone 2 or 3. Just head down to your local pet shop and you’ll see some examples.

Many of the cages that you will see that your local pet shop will be overpriced. Most are made in China, and despite the fact that in many cases they are reasonable guinea pig cages, they are priced much higher than they should be.

Not only that but in some cases many of the cages sold for a piggy are too small, and do not give your child’s favourite pet sufficient room to move.

(There are some excellent guinea pig hutches available online at extremely reasonable prices. Choose one of the bigger ones, you can afford one. Our choice is at eBay where you can find most of the same hutches as you’d get elsewhere but at much cheaper prices.)

All cavies should have a sleeping area in their cage that is completely protected from the weather, including the wind, and is also protected from mosquitoes if you are in a mosquito prone area.

(It is in fact quite rare to find a guinea pig hutch that is manufactured with mosquito protection, however it is a simple matter to cover the hutch with mosquito netting after it is purchased.)

It should be constructed of solid material so that any predators, and in particular foxes or dogs, are unable to enter. It must have a run where your piggies can exercise under the sun, and with ample ventilation, and it is also worthwhile to have some form of handles and wheels attached to the cage so that it can be moved around from time to time.

Being able to move your guinea pig cage around the garden allows you to move it away from areas of droppings and on to areas of fresh grass for your piggies to eat.

You should avoid treated timber such as treated pine as this can be detrimental to the health of a guinea pig, as well as potentially harmful to the health of people who may be handling it. Treated pine can have a small quantity of cyanide in it which enters as part of the treatment process.

Timber used to construct the cage should also be dressed, as rough sawn timber can lead to splinters.

It should have an easy to lift lid so that the guinea pigs can be fed conveniently and the hutch can be cleaned out easily. Avoid steel hinges as these will rust if the hutch is kept outdoors which is normally the case.

It should also have some method of drainage so that urine and faeces drop through. This can be achieved by elevating the hutch above the ground, although this removes the ability of the piggies to eat grass, which is normally the case if the cage is placed on the ground.

And remember, if there is wild weather predicted, it always pays to cover the hutch with some form of weather resistant material to protect your favourite pets from strong winds and rain.

A guinea pig makes a fine pet of child, 2 are even better. But pay a little attention when buying their cage and you will have much happier piggies. A happy piggy is a piggie with a quality guinea pig hutch, and it needn’t cost a fortune.

And here’s a good video showing you more about both how to determine the size of a guinea pig cage as well as making your own hutch.