How to Choose Guinea Pig Cage?
Most guinea pig owners are not aware of how important housing these little creatures can be. Since guinea pigs spend most of their time in the cages, these structures should be large enough to accommodate them.
Besides, they should be outfitted with the best accessories and supplies to keep their occupants comfortable throughout. So, if you are planning to house your guinea pigs, you must pick a suitable cage that will meet their needs.
In addition to being spacious, the ideal cages should be easy to clean, safe for your pets and easily accessible. Sadly, finding cages that fulfill all these factors is usually a challenging affair if you are not experienced enough with raising guinea pigs.
This is attributed to the wide selection of these structures out there. Most of them are designed to cater to the needs of smaller pets such as rabbits.
But that should not worry you given that we are here to take you in the right direction when choosing your perfect guinea pig cage. Below is a comprehensive guideline that you should take seriously when shopping for these items.
Size
Even though guinea pigs are not of the same size as the normal pigs, they aren’t as small as other rodents. As a matter of fact, they are considered one of the largest groups of gnawers. This should you tell you that they deserve a sizeable space to call home. In other words, you should take into account the size of the cage in relation to that of your guinea pigs.
Unfortunately, there are too small cages on the market today that cannot accommodate an average guinea pig. Most of them are designed primarily for smaller rodents.
Getting the right size for the guinea pig cage is essential for different reasons. One of the main reasons why you should take the size seriously when purchasing these cages is to make your pets comfortable.
When comfortable, your guinea pigs will stay active, healthy and have the opportunity to co-exist. One thing you need to know about these rodents is that they are extremely social animals. That is the main reason you should cage them in twos or even more.
Therefore, having a large cage means that you can keep them all together without any problems. This is very important, given that guinea pigs have different personalities among themselves.
Another benefit of housing these fluffy pets in a large cage is that they can get enough room to stay active most of the time. Keeping your pets active is an essential part of enriching their lives.
In addition to that, a large cage will enable you to add a few important accessories or play items to keep your pets active. The extra space in the cage allows them to move freely from one corner to another.
Being active plays a significant role in keeping your guinea pigs healthy and fit. Just like human beings, inactiveness among guinea pigs can result in some health complications. With that in mind, choose a cage that has enough space to keep your guinea pigs comfortable throughout.
Ventilation
Ventilation is essential for your guinea pig cage. Luckily for you, most of these cages are made from materials that allow free circulation of air. Regardless, you need to consider this factor to keep your fluffy friend comfortable and happy all the time.
A well-ventilated cage should be able to keep your pet at the right temperature. Mostly, guinea pigs prefer a temperature range of approximately 67 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Anything below or higher than that can put these rodents at risk. This is due to the fact that guinea pigs don’t sweat when it is too warm. As a result, they become susceptible to heat complications such as heat stroke. And this can lead to sudden death if no drastic measures are put in place at the right time.
Also, proper ventilation will discourage extreme humid conditions inside the cage. A lot of humidity encourages the growth of mold especially in your guinea pigs’ bedding and hay. Such conditions can lead to some serious sickness where ventilation is a problem.
Finally, ventilation helps in reducing stuffiness inside the cage where more than one guinea pigs are housed. Lack of ventilators can create an unfavorable environment inside the cage causing suffocation or respiratory problems. That being said, make sure that you purchase a guinea pig cage that has all the essential features that promote ventilation.
Accessibility
A well-structured guinea pig cage should be accessible by your pets and you. Simply put, your guinea pig should be able to explore every section of the cage without difficulties. Whether the cage comes with different levels or a single level, make sure that your fluffy friend can move from one place to another with ease.
At the same time, the cage should be designed in a way that allows you to access different sections. This will help you a lot when cleaning it, reaching out to your pets or changing bedding inside.
Accessibility goes hand in hand with the type of doors that these cages come with. The door to your guinea pig cage is one of the most important considerations to make when purchasing these structures.
Take your time to check every model and see the type of door they have. Those with small doors should be a no go zone for you by all means. Due to their small sizes, they will most probably limit your ability to grab your pets when necessary. This will make your work a little bit stressful and time-consuming, to say the least.
In this case, go for the cages that have a relatively larger size of doors that will allow you to get hold of your pets without much of a hassle.
On the other hand, you may settle for the cages that have multiple access points to save your time and effort when grabbing your pet. For instance, you can opt for a cage that comes complete with a top door and side door for easy access. Take this factor into consideration every time you go out looking for an ideal guinea pig cage.
Maintenance
When choosing your ideal guinea pig cage, you need to consider the maintenance. Mostly maintenance of these structures involves repairs when broken and cleaning.
Speaking of cleaning, you should choose a cage that you can easily maintain its cleanliness. This promotes sanitation thus preventing the cage from smelling. For that reason, choose cages that have plastic bottoms. This type of cages are usually easy to clean and dry.
Apart from the materials, the cage should be easily accessed to make cleaning effortless. Accessibility plays a critical role in cleaning the cage because you can easily reach every section of the entire unit.
Now that you have all these factors at your fingertips, finding the right guinea pig cage should not be a problem anymore.
What is the Best Size Cage for Guinea Pig?
Guinea pigs are among the largest rodents roaming around today. As pets, their cages are supposed to be large enough to accommodate them. This means the cages should be more spacious to allow them to move around freely.
That’s why there are different designs of cages to meet your fluffy friends’ needs. For example, the small size cages utilize vertical spaces in order to encourage climbing, burrowing, digging and increase living area.
Platforms and ramps at low heights are included to provide different options for your guinea pigs to exercise or play around. So, this brings us to the question of the best size cage you should consider for your guinea pigs.
Since size matters a lot when shopping for this type of shelter, there are considerations you need to make:
- For one guinea pig, you require a 7 ½ square-feet cage at a minimum although a 30×36-inch structure is a better option.
- Two guinea pigs can also occupy 7 ½ square feet cage but you may consider looking for a 10 ½ square feet cage for comfortability.
- A 13 square feet cage is ideal for three guinea pigs but you may go the extra mile to settle for a 30×36-inch cage to provide enough space for your pets.
- When it comes to housing four guinea pigs, you should consider investing in a 30×76-inch cage.
All these sizes depend on a number of factors, with the size of your pets taking the top slot.
How Many Guinea Pigs Should You Get?
In their natural habitat, guinea pigs coexist in groups of not less than 10. These are social animals and prefer spending most of their time in the company of their own kind. But you if decide to raise them as pets, you should consider keeping them in twos or threes of the same gender.
Unlike other creatures, two females can live happily together in the same way two males or boars will enjoy each other’s company (particularly if they’re siblings). Also, two boars aged differently will live together peacefully provided that there are no sows (female guinea pigs) around.
Should you decide to keep a male and female guinea pig together, the male must be castrated immediately unless you are breeding them. In this regard, make sure that your guinea pigs are properly sexed so you may not end up with an overpopulated cage within a short time.
Otherwise, the number of guinea pigs you want to raise depends on you and your budget. You can have as many as you want as long as you can provide for them.
How Many Guinea Pigs Can You Put in One Cage?
The minimum size of a typical guinea pig cage is 7 ½ square feet (30×36 inches) as explained above. This cage size is just right for one adult guinea pig.
If you want to keep up to four of these pets, you need to look for a 13 square feet cage or 30×76 inch cage. You can use the same parameters to determine the size of a cage that can accommodate more of these rodents.
Besides the size, you must look out for features such as materials used in the construction, doors, design and many more.
Do Guinea Pigs Get Lonely?
What you need to know is that guinea pigs are social or herd animals. From that statement alone it is obvious that they should not be kept alone.
Regardless of how you take care of them, they will still feel lonely if you keep them as individuals. On that note, it is important to raise them in pairs or small groups so that they can interact among themselves.
Do Guinea Pigs Need a Wheel?
The astounding answer to this question is no. These fluffy pets don’t need a wheel around them, especially inside their cages. Wheels are more likely to damage their backs.
Compared to other similar rodents like hamsters, guinea pigs have different anatomy and that’s why a wheel is not a good choice for them. In addition to that, they will not use a wheel even if you provide them with one.
Do Guinea Pigs Need a Hiding Place?
Naturally, guinea pigs are considered prey animals. Most of their relatives spend some time hiding from predators and this trait is common with all guinea pigs wherever they are.
Domestic guinea pigs do not have to worry about predators given that they are already in safe hands. But they still have the desire to feel safe at any given time. As a result, they will resort to hiding when they feel like doing so.
A hiding spot for your fluffy friends is essential when they are in their cages. Structures such as plastic igloos, wood houses, tunnels, flexible sticks, and homemade hiding places should be provided to give your fluffy friends some privacy.
Conclusion
At this point, you should find it easy when it comes to buying a guinea pig cage. Look out for key factors such as size, ventilation, accessibility, and maintenance when selecting these structures. Most importantly, check your budget to know which item you can afford before getting to the market. With the right cage, your fluffy friend will stay happy, healthy and comfortable much to your delight.