Guinea Pig

Guinea pigs are gentle, intelligent animals who make lovely pets. Guinea pigs are usually very sociable with each other and they’re more likely to see humans as friends if you spend time with them. However, they prefer to keep all four feet on the ground and will very much interact with people on their own terms.

Despite having been commonly kept as pets for many years, many people still have the misconception that they are ‘starter’ animals for children. In fact, Guinea pigs do require quite a bit of care in order for them to stay happy and healthy.

Whether you’re thinking about getting a new companion for your Guinea pig, or you’re a first time Guinea pig owner, please consider adopting from one our centres. Our advice can help you prepare for bringing home and caring for your furry friend.

You might also be interested in our pages about getting Guinea pigs, caring for your Guinea pigs, and Guinea pig health.

For further information, please view our Factsheets.

Costs

Adoption fees are often more economical than buying a Guinea pig from a commercial pet shop or from a breeder.

Guinea pigs should live in pairs or groups so you need to consider this when calculating costs of accommodation, food, enrichment items and any veterinary treatment or procedures they may need.

Time and Effort

Make sure you have plenty of time to show your new pet all the love, care and attention they need.

Guinea pigs are incredibly inquisitive and are active for around twenty hours of the day, mostly at dusk and dawn. Therefore, they need a lot of physical and mental stimulation to stop them from getting bored.

Not giving them enough handling, interaction and opportunities to be active can lead to them becoming more nervous or skittish around people.

Living environment 

Guinea pigs need to live in social groups of two or more in order to be happy and healthy.

They can live indoors or outdoors providing they have the right type of accommodation. They need a living space with a large footprint filled with plenty of hiding places, enrichment items and enough space for the number of Guinea pigs.

Any young children in the household would need to understand how to interact with the Guinea pigs and would need to be supervised when interacting with them. If you have other pets, you need to think about whether or not they’d be suited to living alongside Guinea pigs. Contrary to popular belief, rabbits do not make good companions for Guinea pigs. They should never be allowed to free-roam with other pets.

Responsibility

Guinea pigs typically live for around eight years. You must be able to commit plenty of time each day to caring for your Guinea pigs. They require regular feeding and grooming as well as plenty of human interaction. Their living area also needs cleaned and bedding replaced regularly.

Where should you get a guinea pig from?

We regularly have Guinea pigs available for adoption so please consider adoption from one of our Centres.

Every Guinea pig we rehome is health checked by a member of staff and referred for a full veterinary check if there is a problem.

If adoption isn’t an option for you, please take your time to find a responsible breeder or pet shop.