Guinea pigs may be small creatures, but they need a surprisingly large amount of space in order to live their best lives. Unfortunately, many pet shops sell and promote cages that are just too small. Guinea pigs love to run and explore, they need space to have time apart from their cage mates if needed. Imagine if you and a friend had to live in your bathroom for the rest of your lives…you would survive, but would you thrive?
Having an appropriately sized cage has many benefits for the owner, it will be easier to keep clean, your piggies will be healthier and display more natural behaviours and pairs are less likely to fight.
So what is the right size?
The bare minimum for a pair of Guinea Pigs is 7.5 sq ft, examples of cages that provide this are a ferplast 160cm (the ones sold in pet shops are usually the 100cm!), most five foot hutches or a 2x4 c&c cage. However, an area of 10.5 sq ft is preferred, especially for a pair of boys. This could be a 6 foot hutch, a 5x2 c&c or the 160 ferplast with an extension. As you add more piggies, the space needed increases. All this space should be provided on one level, any extra levels are a bonus. Its worth noting, often piggies struggle with ramps and they interrupt the running space available. If it doubt, measure the internal dimensions of your cage to find the area.
I’m always happy to provide help and advice on sourcing the best cages.
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