How to make your guinea pig comfortable in its cage

Pet guinea pigs are one of the amazing pet rodents you can have as they live for a long time, so you can enjoy them longer than most other rodents. They are very vocal, making it easy to know their personalities and create bonds, they are also fun to play with and very entertaining.

Just like every pet, your guinea pig needs guinea pig toys, guinea pig accessories, guinea pig food, guinea pig healthcare and cleaning and most importantly guinea pig cage.

For this article, we would be focussing on how to make your guinea pig comfortable in its cage.

Below are some helpful tips;

1. Select the Right Size Cage

Your guinea pigs love living large. It would mostly prefer a cage with an expansive floor area and wider space to give it more room to move around and exercise. When looking for an enclosure, think floor area, not vertical space. You may need to create one, buy one, or reach out to someone who can build one for you.

Humane Society suggests the following cage sizes or larger:

Cage Size for one guinea pig: 7.5 square feet, or about 30”x 36”

Cage Size for two guinea pigs: 10.5 square feet or about 30” x 50”

Cage size for three guinea pigs: 13 square feet or about 30” x 62”

Cage size for four guinea pigs: 15.8 square feet or about 30” x 76”

1. Get the right location for the cage

After getting the right size cage for it, placing it at a location where the guinea pig will be comfortable is very important.

Guinea pigs cannot stand extreme heat or cold and crave an ambient temperature throughout the day.

They tend to get stressed by noise or disturbance from other pets.

Do not place your guinea pig's home near noisy surroundings and make sure the cage is placed out of reach of small kids or other curious pets.

1. Create the Cage with Correct Material

Guinea pigs love well-furnished interiors too.

Ensure that the cage's floor has a good-quality liner and a fine carpet of dust-free absorbent bedding ( that can be made from soft paper cuttings or hay). Do not use wood shavings or sawdust as wood shavings, especially from cedar and pine, often consist of phenols that are toxic to guinea pigs.

1. Provide Your Guinea Pig Company From One of Its Kind

When alone, an isolated guinea pig could feel anxiety and ultimately depression. Consider getting more than one guinea pig. It will not significantly add to the cost of care. Keeping groups of guinea pigs will help pets feel less bored. An added advantage is that they will help each other with grooming.

For this to be a success, you will need to change the size of the cage, the quantity of furnishings, the frequency of changing, and the supplies like water and food. Spaying or neutering your guinea pigs would help in reducing fighting, particularly between males.

1.  Peace of Mind

Even though we stated that guinea pigs like company, they can be stressed by handling. Employing a small box to move your guinea pig can curtail stress.

When handling, hold your guinea pig under the front legs and use a second hand under the rump and back legs to support your guinea pig’s back. Your Guinea pigs can hate being petted around the head or rump. If you would like to touch your Guinea pig, rub it lightly under the chin or on its sides.

Other things to take into cognizance;

• Caging a pet might not be suitable for any pet parent but you can make the cage comfortable by following some guidelines stated above
• Do not hesitate to check with your rodent veterinarian whenever you discover signs of illness or stress such as poor coat quality, rapid breathing, or a change in your pet's behaviour