Guinea Pig Cage Size Guide – What are the requirements?

Owning a guinea pig is incredibly rewarding and a great source of companionship. Guinea pigs are the most popular rodents kept as a pet and yet their available housing is relatively smaller to keep more than one guinea pig. 

You can find a variety of options for guinea pig cage size at the pet shop, however, you need to provide them with an ample space to roam and exercise and separate spaces for food, water, sleep, and bathroom area.

They love to socialize and spend time with human families and other guinea pigs. Being a social creature, owners keep them with several other guinea pigs. Thus, housing them in a smaller space can result in unhealthy guinea pigs.

Study shows, most of the available sizes in the market are generally undersized or designed for one pig. So, what should be the right guinea pig cage size?

Here is an extensive guideline that you should follow before making a sweet home for your loved pet.

Guinea Pig Cage Size – What is the right size?

Unlike other animals, guinea pigs rely on floor area rather than digging, climbing, and burrowing. However, low height platforms and ramps provide a variety while playing and exercising.

You can follow the below guidelines before planning to design a guinea pigs cage:

For One Guinea Pig:

For one guinea pig, you must consider having a minimum of 7.5 square feet, that is 30” x 36”, cage size but bigger is better, and choosing 42” x 24” size of the cage will be a wise option.

Your guinea pig cage should be at least 12 to 18 inches tall in addition to 7.5 square feet space for your guinea pig to run around in.

For Two Guinea Pigs:

New guinea pig owners are advised to have them in a pair to keep each other company and adding up 2 to 4 square feet of space per guinea pig is a rule to always follow.

Therefore, using this rule, a cage for two guinea pigs should be anywhere from 9 to 11 square feet of space. Keeping the same height from 12 to 18 inches, 30” x 50” is a good size for a pair of either male, or female, or one male and one female (one fixed in one cage).

For Three Guinea Pigs:

Having a 15 square feet cage size is ideal for three guinea pigs, however, 13 square feet should be the minimum cage size, that is, 30” x 62”.

The housing of three guinea pigs could be a little trickier thing. Housing only one male guinea pig in a mixed herd can avoid conflict. You should always house one male with two other female guinea pigs, or three female guinea pigs, but you should not ever house one female guinea pig with two other male.

For more than three guinea pigs, you should consider following the above rule of increasing two to four square feet of space per guinea pig.

Guinea Pig Cage Size Chart:

Must Read: Beginner’s Guide to Guinea Pig Care

The Bigger the Better!

Spacious guinea pig cages can lead to happier and healthier guinea pigs. Considering guinea pigs’ life span of about four to seven years, the one-time investment in the right cage is really very important. Also, getting 30” x 72” or larger cage sizes could be difficult to find at any pet shop and even if you do, they will be expensive for sure.

The good choice will be to have a CNC guinea pig cage that is completely customizable, light-weighted, and available at affordable prices. There are many other benefits of having CNC guinea pig cages. First of all, it can save you money by spending less and getting more space for your guinea pigs whereas, at the pet shop, you will end up spending double the amount for the comparatively smaller cage.

Another benefit of CNC guinea pig cage is that you have endless design possibilities. You can create unique and exciting L-shaped cages, multilevel cages, cages with cubes, or top stands. CNC guinea pig cages are super easy to clean and you don’t even need to dismantle it to fix any fleece bleeding.

Even after building your entire cage, your leftover unused CNC does not get wasted. The material is so versatile that you can make a kitchen area, hay rack, or a hidey house outside. There are many uses that your money can not go waste.

Guinea Pig Cage Size – Why Bigger Cages are needed?

Still wondering, if investing in the bigger guinea pig cage be a good idea? Here are a few more reasons to consider bigger cages. The bigger cage provides more space to exercise and roam around. Exercising regularly can keep guinea pigs away from developing medical conditions like heart diseases, diabetes, bumblefoot, and anal impaction.

Guinea pigs are more likely to get along together in more space. Bigger guinea pig cage allows guinea pigs to exercise on their own terms. Guinea pigs tend to be most active during morning and evening when it might be difficult for you to take them out of the cage to play.

More cage space will benefit you both. Also, more space means that your pet can choose a specific area to use as a bathroom instead of urinating and defecating here and there throughout the cage.

Guinea Pig Cage Size – Outdoor Hutches or Indoor Cages?

Outdoor hutches are not recommended for guinea pigs in the hotter area. Guinea pigs are most like to survive in the temperature between 18^OC and 25^OC. They are sensitive to heat strokes and keeping them outdoors could be harmful in some high-temperature areas.

Being a social creature, housing them outdoors, will keep them away from the interaction with their human families. Also, they do not do well in damp areas. Parallelly, you have to make sure that they are away from other animals that look at them as prey.

FAQs

Conclusion

Having a bigger guinea pig cage will definitely benefit two or more guinea pigs, however, one guinea pig can also benefit from a larger cage. You can purchase an expandable cage if you plan to have additional guinea pigs later since this is the investment you won’t do every now and then.

If you can exercise and play with your pet on a regular basis then having a minimum cage size should be good enough for your guinea pig but if you think your daily schedule cannot allow you to do so, getting a larger cage at the first time will be a wise option for you guinea pigs health. To conclude, bigger is better! Look for the biggest guinea pig cage you can find and afford.