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Small Pets · Guinea Pigs
American Guinea Pig
Cavia porcellus
The classic smooth-coated cavy — social, vocal, easygoingIntermediate
- Lifespan
- 5-7 years
- Size
- 20-30cm
- 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.
- 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 10,000 cm² of floor (1,550 sq in) — for the pair
Cannot be kept alone. The minimum is 2, and the space above is for that group.
- House at least two together.
- Welfare bodies set a minimum of about 0.7 square metres for a pair, but aim for at least 1 square metre, with more strongly preferred.
- 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 18-23C, away from drafts and extremes, as they suffer in heat above 26C.
- Guinea pigs need ground-level space rather than height, plus daily floor time to exercise.
Supplies
Setup
- Cage, 1 square metre 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 (a weekly staple, not a treat)
- Mixed leafy greens for daily rotation
- Chewable or liquid vitamin C supplement for direct dosing
- Hay rack that keeps hay off the floor
- Heavy ceramic bowl plus a water bottle and brush
- Measuring cup for the pellet ration
Safe substrate: Fleece liners over an absorbent layer · Dust-extracted paper bedding · Deep soft hay over an absorbent base
Care routine
Daily
- 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
Weekly
- Groom and check the rear endevery 3 days
- Hands-on health check
- Rotate enrichment
- Weigh-in
Monthly
- Deep-clean and change beddingevery 2 weeks
- Trim nailsevery 3 weeks
- Check supplies and dates
Vet: Annual exam and dental check — every 12 months (every 6 months from 4 years old)
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 2026-09-19.
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
Go deeper
Diet
- 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 fresh greens and a stabilised supplement, or they develop scurvy.
- Provide constant fresh water and avoid sudden diet changes.
Health
- 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 your enclosure big enough?
Minimum floor area10,000 cm² (1,550 sq in) of continuous, unbroken floor
CompanyCannot be kept alone. The minimum is 2, and the space above is for that group.
Is this urgent?
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 hoursCrusty eyes, laboured or clicking breathingGo now. Respiratory infection moves fast in cavies and is a leading cause of death.
NowToday
Weight down 50 g 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 through the coat.
TodayDropping 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.
TodaySoon
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 twoA 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.
Can a 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
Never (20)
AlcoholNo safe amount at any body weight on this site.
neverAvocadoPersin, concentrated in the skin, stone and leaves. Implicated in cardiac damage across birds, rodents and reptiles.
neverBread and baked goodsRefined starch ferments in the hindgut and causes gas and stasis. No nutritional case for it either.
neverCaffeineCoffee, tea and energy drinks. Cardiac and neurological toxicity at tiny doses for an animal this size.
neverChocolateTheobromine and caffeine. Small mammals and reptiles cannot clear either.
neverDairyAdults are lactose intolerant and the gut flora cannot handle it.
neverDried fruitSugar concentrated several times over, and it sticks to the teeth. Most commercial small-pet treats are exactly this.
neverGarlicSame allium toxicity as onion, and more concentrated by weight.
neverIceberg lettuceAlmost entirely water with negligible nutrition, and it contains lactucarium, which causes diarrhoea in quantity. It displaces food that would have been useful.
neverLeekAllium family. Same mechanism as onion and garlic.
neverMeatA hindgut fermenter has no way to process animal protein. It disrupts the gut flora the animal depends on.
neverMushroomsNot part of any of these animals' natural diet, and the risk from misidentified varieties is not worth the zero upside.
neverNutsFat and phosphorus loads a herbivore is not built for, and a choking risk.
neverOnionOrganosulphur compounds damage red blood cells. The whole allium family is out.
neverPotatoSolanine in the skin and any green part, plus a starch load the hindgut cannot handle.
neverRaw beansLectins. Also a gas producer in a species that cannot vomit or belch.
neverRhubarbVery high in soluble oxalate, high enough to cause acute kidney injury. The leaves are worse than the stalks.
neverSalty or seasoned human foodSalt, oil and seasoning. Crisps, chips, seasoned leftovers and processed meat are all out.
neverSweetcornThe hulls are indigestible and are a recognised blockage risk in small herbivores.
neverVitamin 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.
neverRare treats (13)
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 treatBananaVery high in sugar and starch, and most animals will overeat it given the chance. A slice the width of a fingernail, rarely.
rare treatBlueberrySugar, but a small portion size makes it easy to control. One or two berries, twice a week.
rare treatBrussels sproutsHighly gas-forming. Half a sprout, rarely.
rare treatCarrotSold 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 treatCauliflowerOne of the most gas-forming brassicas. A very small piece, occasionally.
rare treatGrapesVery high in sugar. Halve them, because a whole grape is a choking hazard. One halved grape, rarely.
rare treatOrangeAcidic and sugary; can irritate the mouth and gut. A tiny segment, rarely if at all.
rare treatPearSugar. Remove the seeds. A thin slice occasionally.
rare treatPeasHigh in starch and sugar. The pods and leaves are better than the peas. A few pods occasionally.
rare treatStrawberrySugar, though lower than most fruit. The leaves are actually the better part. Half a small berry, once or twice a week.
rare treatTomatoThe ripe flesh is safe in small amounts. The leaves, stems and any green fruit contain solanine and must never be offered. A small piece of ripe flesh, occasionally. Never the plant.
rare treatWatermelonSugar and a very high water content, which together can loosen the gut. Remove the seeds. A small cube in hot weather, rarely.
rare treatOccasional (18)
BasilSafe and well liked. Rotate rather than relying on it. A few leaves.
occasionalBok choyGood green, mildly goitrogenic like other brassicas. A leaf or two a few times a week.
occasionalBroccoliNutritious 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.
occasionalCabbageA brassica. Gas-forming in quantity, and goitrogenic with heavy long-term feeding. A small piece, once or twice a week.
occasionalCelerySafe and well liked. Cut across the stalk so the long fibres cannot catch. A short piece, cut into segments.
occasionalChardSame oxalate issue as spinach. A small leaf, occasionally.
occasionalCourgetteSafe and mild. Serve raw. A few slices a few times a week.
occasionalCucumberSafe, but it is mostly water with very little in it. Useful for hydration in warm weather, poor as a staple. A few slices.
occasionalDillSafe in rotation. A few fronds.
occasionalGreen beansSafe cooked or raw in small amounts. Gas-forming in quantity. One or two, occasionally.
occasionalKaleHigh vitamin C, high calcium. Good in rotation, a stone risk as a daily staple. A leaf or two, twice a week.
occasionalMintSafe in small amounts; strongly flavoured and not every animal wants it. A leaf or two.
occasionalParsleyVery high in vitamin C, and also high in calcium. Rotate it rather than feeding it daily. A few sprigs a few times a week.
occasionalPelletsA 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. About a tablespoon per pig per day.
occasionalPumpkinSafe and well tolerated in small amounts. A small cube occasionally.
occasionalRocketPeppery and well tolerated in rotation. A small handful, a few times a week.
occasionalSpinachHigh 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.
occasionalWatercressNutritious, strongly flavoured, high in calcium. A small handful occasionally.
occasionalEveryday 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 foodCarrot topsThe leaves are a proper green and much better food than the root. A handful as part of the daily greens.
everyday foodCorianderWell liked, good vitamin C, no oxalate problem. A generous handful daily as part of the mix.
everyday foodDandelion leavesOne of the best greens available, and free. Pick well away from roadsides and anywhere that may have been sprayed. A generous handful daily.
everyday foodGrass 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 foodRomaine lettuceDark leafy lettuce with real nutritional content and a good water balance. A generous handful daily as part of a mixed selection.
everyday foodThat 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.
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.
Bedding and substrate
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.
safeDust-extracted paper beddingThe simplest reliable option.
safeDeep soft hay over an absorbent baseFood, bedding and cover at once.
safeWith a caveat
Kiln-dried aspenSafe, but less absorbent than paper for an animal that produces a lot of urine.
with a caveatNever
Pine and cedar shavingsAromatic phenols; respiratory irritation in a species with fragile lungs.
neverSawdust and very dusty beddingGuinea pigs are prone to respiratory infection, and dust is a direct contributor.
neverWire mesh floorsCauses sore hocks and trapped feet.
neverCompare with other animals
The same axes for every animal, side by side — the way the guides are written makes that a fair comparison rather than two articles.
Keep going
Guinea Pigs, side by side
Same axes, same care guides — the honest way to choose between types.
See all Guinea Pigs side by side →
