Guinea Pig Care Guide

Written and reviewed by Hugo Mellado · Last updated August 2026

Guinea pigs are talkative, ground-dwelling herbivores that live six to eight years — considerably longer than most families expect from a small pet. They need company, floor space, hay in front of them at all times and a daily source of vitamin C, which their bodies cannot make.

Nutrition

Unlimited grass hay is the centre of the diet. Timothy, orchard or meadow hay should be available around the clock: it wears down teeth that never stop growing and keeps a sensitive gut in motion. Alfalfa suits pups under six months and pregnant sows, but is too calcium-rich for healthy adults.

Vitamin C is the detail that separates a thriving guinea pig from a sick one. Like humans, they cannot synthesise it, and deficiency causes scurvy — stiff joints, a rough coat, bleeding gums and lethargy. Supply it through fresh food every day rather than through drops in the water bottle, which degrade in light and put animals off drinking.

• One cup of fresh vegetables per pig per day, split into two servings.
• Excellent vitamin C sources: bell pepper of any colour, especially red; parsley; cilantro; kale in moderation.
• Daily leafy base: romaine, green leaf lettuce, cilantro, dill, carrot tops.
• A measured eighth to a quarter cup of plain timothy-based pellets fortified with vitamin C.
• Fresh water daily in a bottle and a bowl. Wash the bottle spout often — it clogs invisibly.

Avoid

• Iceberg lettuce, and large amounts of spinach or excessive kale, because of oxalates and calcium.
• Seed and muesli mixes, nuts, grains, bread, dairy, meat and any yogurt drop treat.
• Sudden diet changes; introduce a new vegetable in a small amount and watch the droppings.
• Potato, onion, garlic, avocado, rhubarb and any unidentified garden plant.

Habits & Behavior

Guinea pigs have a real vocabulary. A rhythmic wheek is the food call, learned quickly and aimed squarely at the refrigerator door. Soft purring while being stroked means contentment, while a higher, tense purr with stiffness means the opposite. Rumbling accompanies dominance displays, chattering teeth is a warning, and a repeated chut sounds like quiet conversation. A popcorn — a straight-up jump with a twist — is joy.

They are herd animals. A solitary guinea pig is an under-stimulated one, and in several countries keeping only one is discouraged or restricted. Two sows, a neutered boar with sows, or a stable pair of boars raised together all work; introduce newcomers on neutral ground with plenty of hay and two of everything.

Unlike hamsters and rabbits, guinea pigs are poor climbers and poor jumpers. They need horizontal floor space rather than levels, and they run in bursts along the perimeter — a behaviour called a lap. They are also prey animals that freeze rather than flee, so approach at their level and scoop with both hands, supporting the hindquarters.

Care & Grooming

Space is the single most common shortfall. Pet-store cages are far too small: aim for at least around seven and a half square feet for a pair, and more if you can, in one open level. Solid flooring only — wire floors injure feet. Use paper-based bedding, kiln-dried aspen shavings or washable fleece over absorbent layers, and never cedar or untreated pine, whose oils irritate the airways.

• Cleaning: spot-clean daily, full change once or twice a week. Ammonia builds up quickly and damages lungs.
• Temperature: comfortable between roughly 65 and 75 °F. Guinea pigs suffer heatstroke easily above 80 °F and should never sit in direct sun.
• Brushing: weekly for short coats; daily for long-haired Peruvians and Shelties, whose coats mat and drag. Many owners keep long coats trimmed short.
• Nails: trim every three to four weeks; they grow fast and curl.
• Grease gland: the area just above the tail can get waxy, particularly in boars. Clean it gently with a little coconut oil and mild soap.
• Boars: check the anal sac monthly for impacted material — an unglamorous but necessary part of ownership.

Bathe only when genuinely needed, with a small-animal shampoo, and dry thoroughly in a warm room away from drafts.

Games & Enrichment

• Hide vegetables and hay inside paper bags, cardboard tubes and hay balls so eating takes work.
• Provide at least two hides with two exits each, so no pig can be cornered.
• Build tunnels and a low ramp to a hay-filled loft — modest height only.
• Offer chew items: willow balls, apple sticks, plain cardboard.
• Set up a safe floor-time pen with a fleece runway; many guinea pigs popcorn on new surfaces.
• On warm days, supervised time on untreated, pesticide-free grass is close to ideal, with shade available.

Health & Veterinary Tips

Guinea pigs are exotic patients; confirm your clinic sees them before an emergency. Yearly exams should include weight, teeth and an ear and skin check. There is no routine vaccination schedule, so prevention rests on diet, hygiene and observation.

• Weigh weekly on a kitchen scale. A steady loss of more than about five percent is an early warning that beats every other test.
• Dental problems are common: drooling, dropping food, or eating only soft items means the cheek teeth need checking.
• Respiratory infection is the classic guinea pig illness — sneezing, crackly breathing, discharge from eyes or nose, and lethargy need same-day treatment.
• Urinary stones and bladder infections show as squeaking while urinating or blood in the urine.
• Check the skin for hair loss, crusts and intense scratching, which suggest mites or ringworm.
• Quarantine new arrivals for two weeks before introductions.

See a vet urgently

• Not eating, or not passing droppings, for more than a few hours.
• Laboured or open-mouth breathing.
• A sudden head tilt, circling or loss of balance.
• Bleeding, a wound from a cage-mate, or any collapse.

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Next: all our guinea pig articles, or the rabbit care guide for the other great hay eater.