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American Guinea Pig
Small Pets · Guinea Pigs

American Guinea Pig

Cavia porcellus

The classic smooth-coated cavy: social, vocal, easygoingIntermediate

Lifespan
5-7 years
Size
8-12 in
Social needs
Highly social, keep 2 or more
Time
Medium-High (daily)
Cost
Medium
Diet
Herbivore: unlimited hay + vitamin C

Overview

What is this animal?

  • The American is the classic smooth, short-coated breed and the most common guinea pig in homes worldwide.
  • Its low-maintenance coat needs only a weekly brush, making it the easiest cavy breed to keep well.
  • Underneath, it is everything a guinea pig is: a gentle, vocal herd animal from South America that is more demanding than its reputation as an easy children's pet suggests.
  • Companionship is a welfare need rather than an option: never keep one alone.

Temperament

  • Guinea pigs are timid by nature but become trusting with gentle, consistent handling.
  • They communicate through a wide range of sounds and recognise their keepers, often wheeking at feeding time.
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  • They rarely bite and tolerate careful holding, making them good interactive pets for calm families.
  • They do best with routine, the company of their own kind, and quiet, predictable surroundings.

A good fit for

  • Families wanting interactive, vocal pets
  • Keepers able to house a bonded pair or more
  • Owners committed to daily fresh food
  • Homes with space for ground-level enclosures

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Keeping a single guinea pig alone
  • Cages too small or with wire floors
  • Forgetting daily vitamin C, causing scurvy
  • Missing the emergency that is loss of appetite

Enclosure

Minimum 22 sq ft of floor, for the pair · 6.5 x 3.3 ft

Cannot be kept alone. The minimum is 2, and the space above is for that group.

  • House at least two together.
  • This guide's minimum for a pair is 21.5 sq ft of floor, for example 6.5 x 3.3 ft, the figure TVT, the German veterinary association for animal welfare, and Swiss Animal Protection give, and more is better.
  • PDSA asks for more again in total, a hutch of at least 59 x 39 in with a 6.5 x 3.3 ft run attached, while RSPCA Australia's 11 square feet and Humane World for Animals' 7.5 sq ft are smaller figures.
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  • Use a solid floor with soft, absorbent bedding, never wire mesh, which injures their feet, and provide a hide for each pig to prevent bullying.
  • Keep indoors at 64-73°F, away from drafts and extremes, as they suffer in heat above 79°F.
  • Guinea pigs need ground-level space rather than height, plus daily floor time to exercise.

Check your enclosure

Supplies

Setup

  • Enclosure, 22 square feet or larger for a pair
  • Hides, tunnels, bowls, hay rack
  • Carrier
  • Digital kitchen scale

Ongoing

  • Grass hay in the largest fresh box you can store
  • Plain vitamin-C-stabilised guinea pig pellets
  • Bell peppers (fed daily; a staple, not a treat)
  • Mixed leafy greens for daily rotation
  • Chewable or liquid vitamin C supplement, for a pig that eats few vegetables or on a vet's advice
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  • Hay rack that keeps hay off the floor
  • Heavy ceramic bowl plus a water bottle and brush
  • Measuring spoon for the pellet ration

Safe substrate: Fleece liners over an absorbent layer · Dust-extracted paper bedding · Deep soft hay over an absorbent base

Work out the cost

Care routine

Daily

  • Check the rear end, coat and skin; brush long coats
  • Company and time out
  • Feed and clear yesterday's leftovers
  • Fresh vitamin C
  • Fresh water
  • Spot-clean and shake out fleece
  • Top up unlimited hay
  • Watch them while they are awake
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Weekly

  • Deep-clean and change bedding
  • Hands-on health check
  • Rotate enrichment
  • Weigh-in

Every few weeks

  • Trim nailsevery 3 weeks

Monthly

  • Check supplies and dates

Vet: Annual exam and dental check, every 12 months (every 6 months from 4 years old)

Tools

Is your enclosure big enough?Check your measurements against the recommended sizeWhat will it cost?Setup, monthly and over its whole life, itemisedCan it eat that?Search 57 foods, from everyday to never

Care in depth

Diet

Herbivore: unlimited hay + vitamin C
  • Unlimited grass hay must make up the bulk of the diet to wear down continuously growing teeth and maintain gut motility.
  • Add a measured portion of plain guinea-pig pellets and a daily mix of fresh vegetables.
  • Guinea pigs cannot make their own vitamin C and need a daily dietary source, from vitamin-C-rich vegetables such as bell pepper and fresh, in-date stabilised pellets, or they develop scurvy.
  • A direct supplement, given by mouth or on food rather than in the water, is only needed for a pig that eats few fresh vegetables or is ill, pregnant or nursing.
  • Provide constant fresh water and avoid sudden diet changes.

Health

Signs of good health, and the common problems
  • Vitamin C deficiency (scurvy), dental malocclusion, respiratory infections, bladder stones, ovarian cysts, and bumblefoot from poor flooring are all common, as are mites and fungal skin disease.
  • Any guinea pig that stops eating is a medical emergency, as gut stasis kills quickly.
  • Weigh weekly, monitor appetite and droppings, and keep an exotic-savvy vet on hand.
  • Long-haired and certain breeds need extra grooming and rear-end hygiene.

Is this urgent?

5 warning signs and how fast to act, 2 of them right away

Weigh weekly. It is the highest-value two minutes in guinea pig keeping, and it is the only way to see trouble coming.

Go now

Not eating, or not producing droppingsCall now. The gut stops when food stops moving. Same mechanism as a rabbit, same urgency.
8 hours
Crusty eyes, laboured or clicking breathingGo now. Respiratory infection moves fast in cavies and is a leading cause of death.
Now

Today

Weight down 1.8 oz or more in a week, or falling three weeks runningCall an exotics vet with the weight log. A guinea pig can lose a significant share of its body weight before an owner sees any change.
Today
Dropping food, drooling, or a wet chinBook a dental examination. Back teeth grow continuously and can bridge over the tongue. The animal keeps trying to eat and cannot.
Today

Soon

Sitting apart from the others, or stopped talkingWeigh, then watch closely. A social species going quiet is often the first behavioural sign.
A day or two

A guinea pig must not live alone. Switzerland treats keeping a single guinea pig as a welfare offence, and the practical consequence there is a rent-a-companion service for a bereaved survivor.

This is general guidance for a healthy adult, not a diagnosis. An exotics vet who knows your animal always overrides it, and the time to find one is before you need one.

Bedding and substrate

3 safe, 1 with a caveat, 3 to avoid

Guinea pigs do not burrow, so the priorities are absorbency, dryness and grip.

Safe

Fleece liners over an absorbent layerPopular and comfortable. It only works with absorbency underneath and a wash every few days.
safe
Dust-extracted paper beddingThe simplest reliable option.
safe
Deep soft hay over an absorbent baseFood, bedding and cover at once. Not for a long-coated breed such as the Silkie: loose hay works into the coat and soils it, so use fleece liners over an absorbent layer and offer hay from a rack.
safe

With a caveat

Kiln-dried aspenSafe, but less absorbent than paper for an animal that produces a lot of urine.
with a caveat

Never

Pine and cedar shavingsAromatic oils; respiratory irritation in a species with fragile lungs.
never
Sawdust and very dusty beddingGuinea pigs are prone to respiratory infection, and dust is a direct contributor.
never
Wire mesh floorsCauses sore hocks and trapped feet.
never

Top resources for more info

Independent creators and organisations we would send a friend to. We have no affiliation with any of them, and nothing here is sponsored. Links checked 2026-10-22.

YouTubers

Los Angeles Guinea Pig RescueHealth checks, handling and care from the largest US cavy rescueLittle AdventuresGuinea pig housing, DIY cages, diet and everyday careSqueak DreamsGuinea pig health, diet, housing and daily care

Sites

Keep going

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Is your enclosure big enough?

These are the smallest sizes that give good conditions, not legal minimums. More room is always better.

Minimum 22 sq ft of floor, for the pair · 6.5 x 3.3 ft

Every figure, and where it comes from
Minimum floor area22 sq ft of continuous, unbroken floor
As dimensions6.5 x 3.3 ft
CompanyCannot be kept alone. The minimum is 2, and the space above is for that group.
The recognised standards do not agree on this one
TVT, the German veterinary association for animal welfare: At least 22 sq ft for two to four guinea pigs, plus 5.5 sq ft for each extra animal. The figure this site uses, for a pair. Checked 2026-10-23.
Swiss Animal Protection STS: At least 22 sq ft for two guinea pigs; several dozen square feet would be ideal. The same figure, though STS lets a second level count toward it; this site checks the floor alone. Checked 2026-10-23.
Swiss Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (BLV): About 22 sq ft for two or three guinea pigs, as better than the legal minimum. The same figure. Checked 2026-10-23.
PDSA (UK): Hutch at least 59 x 39 in, with a 6.5 x 3.3 ft run attached and open at all times. A larger standard: 38 sq ft in all, split between a hutch and a run. Checked 2026-10-23.
Wood Green, The Animals Charity (UK): 5 x 2 ft cage for two females or a neutered pair (6 x 2 ft for two males), plus a 6 x 4 ft run or indoor exercise area. About 33 sq ft in all, but the run is for daily exercise and grazing time; the cage on its own is under 11 sq ft. Checked 2026-10-23.
RSPCA Australia: 10.8 sq ft for a pair, for example 6.5 x 1.6 ft. A smaller figure. Checked 2026-10-22.
Humane World for Animals (US): 7.5 sq ft minimum for two, 10.5 sq ft preferred. A bare minimum, with the larger figure preferred. Both are below the figure used here. Checked 2026-10-22.
Switzerland, Tierschutzverordnung (legal minimum): 5.5 sq ft for two guinea pigs, plus 2.2 sq ft for each extra animal. A legal minimum, recorded for context. Checked 2026-10-23.
Austria, 2. Tierhaltungsverordnung (legal minimum): 39 x 24 x 20 in for one or two guinea pigs, plus 2.2 sq ft for each extra adult. A legal minimum, recorded for context. Checked 2026-10-23.

What it really costs

Setup, monthly, first year and across a whole life, itemised and with the electricity worked out from the actual wattage. Published figures for the same animal disagree by a factor of four, so the calculator shows ranges rather than picking one.

Can an American Guinea Pig eat that?

Guinea pigs cannot make their own vitamin C, so a daily source is not enrichment; it is the difference between health and scurvy.

The full list: 57 foods

Never (21)

AlcoholNo safe amount at any body weight on this site.
never
AvocadoPersin, concentrated in the leaves, skin and stone. It damages the heart in birds and in many mammals, rabbits and rodents among them; it has not been studied in reptiles, so treat it as unsafe for them too.
never
Bread and baked goodsRefined starch ferments in the hindgut and causes gas and stasis. No nutritional case for it either.
never
CaffeineCoffee, tea and energy drinks. Cardiac and neurological toxicity at tiny doses for an animal this size.
never
ChocolateTheobromine and caffeine. Small mammals and reptiles cannot clear either.
never
DairyAdults are lactose intolerant and the gut flora cannot handle it.
never
Dried fruitSugar concentrated several times over, and it sticks to the teeth. Most commercial small-pet treats are exactly this.
never
GarlicSame allium toxicity as onion, and more concentrated by weight.
never
Iceberg lettuceAlmost entirely water with negligible nutrition, and it contains lactucarium, which causes diarrhoea in quantity. It displaces food that would have been useful.
never
LeekAllium family. Same mechanism as onion and garlic.
never
MeatA hindgut fermenter has no way to process animal protein. It disrupts the gut flora the animal depends on.
never
MushroomsNot part of any of these animals' natural diet, and the risk from misidentified varieties is not worth the zero upside.
never
NutsFat and phosphorus loads a herbivore is not built for, and a choking risk.
never
OnionOrganosulphur compounds damage red blood cells. The whole allium family is out.
never
OrangeAll citrus, orange, satsuma, lemon and lime included: the RSPCA lists citrus among the foods guinea pigs can't eat, and it is acidic. Bell pepper is a better vitamin C source.
never
PotatoSolanine in the skin and any green part, plus a starch load the hindgut cannot handle.
never
Raw beansLectins. Also a gas producer in a species that cannot vomit or belch.
never
RhubarbVery high in soluble oxalate, high enough to cause acute kidney injury. The leaves are worse than the stalks.
never
Salty or seasoned human foodSalt, oil and seasoning. Crisps, chips, seasoned leftovers and processed meat are all out.
never
SweetcornThe hulls are indigestible and are a recognised blockage risk in small herbivores.
never
Vitamin C drops in waterDegrades within hours, makes the water taste odd so the pig drinks less, and gives no reliable dose. Feed the vitamin, do not dissolve it.
never

Rare treats (12)

AppleSugar. The seeds contain a cyanogenic compound and must be removed. A thin slice, once or twice a week. Never the seeds or core.
rare treat
BananaVery high in sugar and starch, and most animals will overeat it given the chance. A slice the width of a fingernail, rarely.
rare treat
BlueberrySugar, but a small portion size makes it easy to control. One or two berries, twice a week.
rare treat
Brussels sproutsHighly gas-forming. Half a sprout, rarely.
rare treat
CarrotSold as the archetypal rabbit food and it is nothing of the kind: carrot is a root vegetable with a high sugar content. The leafy tops, by contrast, are an excellent green. A thin slice as a treat. The tops can be fed freely.
rare treat
CauliflowerOne of the most gas-forming brassicas. A very small piece, occasionally.
rare treat
GrapesVery high in sugar. Halve them, because a whole grape is a choking hazard. One halved grape, rarely.
rare treat
PearSugar. Remove the seeds. A thin slice occasionally.
rare treat
PeasHigh in starch and sugar. The pods and leaves are better than the peas. A few pods occasionally.
rare treat
StrawberrySugar, though lower than most fruit. The leaves are actually the better part. Half a small berry, once or twice a week.
rare treat
TomatoThe ripe flesh is safe in small amounts. The leaves, stems and any green fruit contain tomatine, a glycoalkaloid related to the solanine in potatoes, and must never be offered. A small piece of ripe flesh, occasionally. Never the plant.
rare treat
WatermelonSugar and a very high water content, which together can loosen the gut. Remove the seeds. A small cube in hot weather, rarely.
rare treat

Occasional (18)

BasilSafe and well liked. Rotate rather than relying on it. A few leaves.
occasional
Bok choyGood green, mildly goitrogenic like other brassicas. A leaf or two a few times a week.
occasional
BroccoliNutritious but a notable gas producer. Leaves and stalk are better tolerated than the florets. A small floret or a piece of stalk, twice a week.
occasional
CabbageA brassica. Gas-forming in quantity, and goitrogenic with heavy long-term feeding. A small piece, once or twice a week.
occasional
CelerySafe and well liked. Cut across the stalk so the long fibres cannot catch. A short piece, cut into segments.
occasional
ChardSame oxalate issue as spinach. A small leaf, occasionally.
occasional
CourgetteSafe and mild. Serve raw. A few slices a few times a week.
occasional
CucumberSafe, but it is mostly water with very little in it. Useful for hydration in warm weather, poor as a staple. A few slices.
occasional
Dandelion leavesWell liked, but one of the highest-calcium greens, in the same range as kale and parsley, and calcium feeds bladder stones in guinea pigs. Pick well away from roadsides and sprayed ground. A few leaves, two or three times a week, in rotation.
occasional
DillSafe in rotation. A few fronds.
occasional
Green beansSafe cooked or raw in small amounts. Gas-forming in quantity. One or two, occasionally.
occasional
KaleHigh vitamin C, high calcium. Good in rotation, a stone risk as a daily staple. A leaf or two, twice a week.
occasional
MintSafe in small amounts; strongly flavoured and not every animal wants it. A leaf or two.
occasional
ParsleyVery high in vitamin C, and also high in calcium. Rotate it rather than feeding it daily. A few sprigs a few times a week.
occasional
PumpkinSafe and well tolerated in small amounts. A small cube occasionally.
occasional
RocketPeppery and well tolerated in rotation. A small handful, a few times a week.
occasional
SpinachHigh in oxalates, which bind calcium and contribute to bladder sludge and stones in animals prone to them. A single small leaf, no more than once or twice a week.
occasional
WatercressNutritious, strongly flavoured, high in calcium. A small handful occasionally.
occasional

Everyday foods (6)

Bell pepperThe single best everyday vitamin C source on this list, and low in sugar and oxalate with it. Red has the most; green is still good. A quarter of a pepper per pig, daily.
everyday food
Carrot topsThe leaves are a proper green and much better food than the root. A handful as part of the daily greens.
everyday food
CorianderWell liked, good vitamin C, no oxalate problem. A generous handful daily as part of the mix.
everyday food
Grass hayShould be about 80 percent of what this animal eats, available at all times. It is what wears the teeth down and what keeps the gut moving. Unlimited, always.
everyday food
PelletsA plain vitamin-C-fortified guinea pig pellet. Vitamin C degrades in the bag, so buy small and check the date rather than relying on it as the only source. A measured fresh portion daily, about a tablespoon per pig, alongside unlimited hay.
everyday food
Romaine lettuceDark leafy lettuce with real nutritional content and a good water balance. A generous handful daily as part of a mixed selection.
everyday food

That food is not on our list. Leave it out and check with an exotics vet. Guinea pigs are conservative eaters and a food they have never had can be refused for weeks afterwards.

Guinea pigs imprint on what they ate as youngsters and can refuse anything unfamiliar for life. Offer variety early and keep offering it.