Guinea Pig Accommodation

Space: Quantity and Quality

Unfortunately, many pet shops still sell small cages and hutches, totally unsuitable for guinea pigs; these have been adapted from laboratory cages or breeding facilities that were not designed with welfare as a priority (examples are shown below under unsuitable accommodation). Small cages/hutches mean the animals cannot perform basic natural behaviours such as running, popcorning, tunnelling in hay or stretching to full height (guinea pigs do stand up on their hindlimbs) or length. Therefore this compromises their wellbeing. Space is important for exercise and to explore, so guinea pigs have control and choice over their environment.

It is true of course that guinea pigs need plenty of refuge to feel safe and that open space may be perceived by them as 'dangerous' habitat, however, you can provide space, ensuring there are hiding places strategically located so that they feel safe moving around the area. At least in my experience, once they are familiar with their home area and who is in it (i.e. piggy and people family), they will use the space provided for them to race about and play. Check out the clip above of two of my guinea pigs, Roxy and Belle, having a blast in my lounge - frequently a 'guinasium' (excuse my feet)! It gives you an idea of how fast guinea pigs run and how much fun they have with one another given the opportunity! Everyone I show this clip to is surprised by the spatial awareness and speed involved in guinea pig play. I make sure the space is safe of course - more on piggy-proofing below!

Studies thus far of wild guinea pigs, have found Cavia aperea in densities of 12.5 individuals/hectare, and individual average home range sizes of between 543 - 1,387 metres squared for males, and 302 - 1,173 metres squared for females (see Adrian and Sachser, 2011). So, although research has not been conducted on minimum enclosure size for domestic piggies, we can see wild cavies are capable of moving great distances. Diseases such as osteoarthritis have been linked to insufficient space and stimulation - guinea pigs become bored and don't have enough space to explore so their joints don't get used. Also, if piggies are active, I have found that their nails get more wear, so need less trimming. For this reason, I prefer not to think in terms of minimum size. By providing more space, you will benefit too, because you can create great areas for simply observing your piggies or interacting with them - you will really get to know your piggies' characters :)

It is not only the quantity of space but also the quality of the space that is key. Space enables you to provide an interesting environment with plenty of refuge for your piggies to express their natural hiding behaviours. You need to have more than enough refuges for each guinea pig in the group, to provide choice, more space allows for this. Consider how many houses you will need, you can use types of shelter like tunnels too, so they all have somewhere to go if they want to be alone. Enrichment goes into more detail about quality of space.

The Question of Indoor or Outdoor Accommodation?

There are pros and cons to both - an overview of the issues will help you decide whether guinea pigs are suitable pets for you. You should evaluate whether you would be best be able to take care of the needs of guinea pigs indoors or outdoors of your home. Maybe you have more space outside with a ventilated, safe shed and garden space? Or perhaps you have a great, well-ventilated spare room, where they will feel and be safe (see below), which allows in the air/sunlight for piggies, as well as a garden for a temporary outdoor pen for good weather days (see below for research on UVB and Vitamin D). If accommodation is permanently outdoors, you need to ensure your guinea pigs will not be ignored - they need care to ensure any health problems are caught early and monitored. Some piggies enjoy human company so individual characteristics and past experience need to be taken into account. Important factors are detailed in the following section and on the next page.

Indoor Accommodation

During warm weather, cooling aids will be needed in guinea pig accommodation, whether indoors, or outdoors. Ice pods are great, Rosie is pictured here cooling her paws on an ice pod, which has a cover on for comfort - it was straight from the freezer so a little too cold iniially for piggy paws or tums!

There are some concerns related to indoor living that need to be considered, such as indoor environments being warm, dry environments, so dehydration could be an issue. Lack of UVB light has also been raised in recent research - see further details on UVB below. Safety considerations for indoor piggies need to be ensured; because they're rodents, guinea pigs will gnaw on certain objects such as wooden, or even plastic and rubber edging on household items, or plastic/rubber items e.g. hoovers, bags, mats and flip flips (!) and electric cables. Obviously these items present a health hazard, plastic and rubber contain nasty chemicals. So ensure to remove hazardous items. Guinea pigs have sensitive respiratory systems so avoid rooms where sprays or scents are used. Fortunately, I have a large space indoors with no slippery floors, plenty of great ventilation and light entry; all gnawable, hazardous items are removed. Indoors, my guinea pigs have free reign in my lounge, in addition to their 'C and C' (Cubes and Correx) set-up. My lounge works for me as I don't have other pets or children. My piggies also have temporary outdoor accommodation when the weather is fine.

As mentioned above, a concern for indoor piggies is warm, dry air that does not get much movement and a lack of direct sunlight. There is a risk that guinea pigs become dehydrated in the long-term in this type of environment, which can lead to other health issues. So provide plenty of water, in bowls, bottles and on fresh veggies. Allow air movement and light entry but avoid drafts. Equally, ensure they don't get too hot if central heating is on. Also, if you have dogs or cats, you need to consider how safe your piggies will be (remembering that dogs and cats are predatory species). Piggies need plenty of hay (see diet and bedding pages), so if indoors, you need to be ok with mess, cleaning, and bedding requires a storage place.

Free reign piggies - a note on pee and poo

You may be thinking what about the pee and poo if piggies are free reign?! My guinea pigs have areas where they pee and poo; in their 'C and C' area and their other regular resting sites, these 'hotspots' are where I focus my daily cleaning efforts :) I know some people toilet-train their pets, I just didn't have to. Never ever punish piggies for behaviour you don't like - this is human perception, not relevant to piggies - they have to pee and poo somewhere! Punishment is very cruel, it will not work, it will only make your piggies very scared.

Suitable Indoor Housing

The image above shows part of a C and C (Cubes and Correx) set-up, suitable for indoor housing. The base is made of correx and the side grids connect easily using 'connector plugs'. I wanted to create a 'C and C' set-up bigger than the largest 'C and C' units available, so I combined different C and C cages I had bought, by modifying the correx flooring, use of alternative waterproof flooring and joining the grids with more connectors (you can buy these as separate accessories if needed). C and C set-ups that I am aware of are available online, see: https://candcguineapigcages.co.uk/standard-cages/ and https://kaveecage.co.uk/.

You can see how much hay I like to provide within a 'C n C' indoor set-up. You need to be prepared for a bit of mess if keeping guinea pigs indoors because they must have lots of hay! Cleaning time will get messy! See the Enrichment page for ideas to make your guinea pig accommodation fun and appropriate for guinea pigs.

Research on Ramps

With safety in mind, I will briefly discuss ramps. It is important to be aware that ramps can cause fatalities due to the risk of falling. Advice with regard to ramps is to either not use them or ensure that the ramp has a low angle slope with high enough sides and a non-slip surface to prevent falls and injuries. There is insufficient research regarding safe dimensions but research published in 2022 (see Begum-Diamond et al. 2022) concluded that the average height that guinea pigs failed to climb was 29.1 cm (slope 14.2 degrees), which is much lower than the slope angle suggested on one of the online guinea pig forums. We also need to consider that trying to climb high slopes may contribute to physical harm as guinea pigs do not have the paw structure to grasp rungs or grooves on a steep ramp (see Barbera et al. 2019). Piggies may experience real difficulty in accessing areas via ramps due to the ramp slope angle, or their health condition e.g. arthritis. I see many two-tier housing for sale with ramps that are totally unsafe, therefore compromising the welfare and ultimately the lives of guinea pigs.

UVB and Outdoor Time for 'Indoor' Piggies

Research has shown that UVB may be more important for guinea pigs then previously considered. The importance of natural light/UVB is thought to be linked to optimal vitamin D metabolism and outdoor access has been identified by a study as important for maintaining dental health - for more details see articles by: Watson et al. (2014), Minarikova et al. (2015) and Norman and Wills (2016). Aside from natural grazing and UVB, time spent outdoors, could be otherwise beneficial for guinea pigs; in fact, although research is limited, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence on the benefits for companion animals being in contact with the earth's surface (earthing/grounding) or by way of 'grounding mats' - future studies are needed to elucidate all the benefits of being outside.

If your piggies are kept primarily indoors, you can use a safe, secure, temporary set up for outside when the weather permits. Grass areas are best of course, the grass is a cushioned surface and they're able to graze naturally. Be mindful that the hard nature of some surfaces, can be associated with sore feet, so check feet with your vet, you could try modifying such areas. Movement of guinea pigs to a new area can cause stress because the piggies won't be familiar with the new environment; don't forget their need for refuge - provide hiding places in temporary 'runs' too. The area must be covered in case of predators, such as cats or birds of prey, and to provide shelter from the elements. Monitor signs of stress, checking that these have diminished (signs may include hiding, shaking, excessive grooming, 'freezing', hypervigilance, increased heart rate, dilated pupils, widened eyes or intense digging). Ideally, you would want to start to see positive behaviours (expressing curiosity; interested piggies, readily eating grass, moving around or laying down with feet out and head relaxed, popcorning and generally appearing happy to be outside) after a short time in their temporary outside area, as they start to feel ok and more confident. If they are relaxed in your presence (I say this because newly adopted piggies may not be yet) you can try talking to them in a reassuring tone and sitting with them to put them at ease. A condition which may present itself with 'indoor' piggies initially going outside on grass, is known as 'bloat'; refer to gradual introduction to grass.

Times of Year that Present Serious Risks

There are times of year which present real risks to guinea pigs, including indoor guinea pigs, such as flystrike, temperature extremes and firework season:

Flystrike occurs primarily in the summer months when certain species of fly become more active. Flies quickly lay eggs on soiled bedding or hair. These turn into maggots that burrow into open sores and moist places like bottoms. Guinea pigs who struggle to keep themselves clean due to old age, obesity, urinary issues, or poor diet and gut/dental issues, or arthritis are most at risk. Guinea pig condition must be checked daily anyway, but be aware that during peak fly strike season, they need regular monitoring throughout the day, bottoms need checking for any urine or faecal staining, as this encourages flies to land - a 'butt' bath may be needed. Make sure soiled bedding is removed to reduce smells that attract flies. Flystrike is an emergency, so will need immediate attention by a vet.
The RSPCA (England, UK) states that temperatures above 26°C can cause heatstroke; below 15°C can cause guinea pigs to become chilled; see 'Guinea Pig Awareness Week' advice for cold and hot weather. Cooling aids include ice pods, please see here.
Guinea pigs can be very scared of fireworks, this can even be fatal. Depending on whether your guinea pigs are usually indoors or outdoors, you can do the following to help your piggies. Consider bringing pets inside, this should be done gradually due to environmental change so ask your vet for advice about this. Partly cover enclosures. Close curtains. Put on the television or radio, talk in a calm manner - I read to my piggies. Classic FM and the RSPCA have partnered to provide a Pet Playlist to help pets. Provide plenty of bedding, lots of hay, so piggies can tunnel into the hay to feel safer and it may reduce noise. You can also ask your vet about appropriate calming products.

The above risks will depend on individual susceptibility, how your guinea pigs are housed, how well temperature can be controlled, or in the case of fireworks, to what extent loud bangs or light flashes can be mitigated in their accommodation.