Your Guinea Pig's Home

Obtaining suitable housing for your new pet is the first step in preparing for your guinea pig's stay in your home. Safe bedding, ample room and a proper cage design are all essential for providing your cavy with a place where he or she can feel safe and secure.

Selecting a Cage

You really have three choices when choosing a home for your guinea pig: you can opt for a commercially available cage, have one custom-built for you from a pet or feed-and-garden store, or build your own. No matter which route you take, however, there are some basic guidelines to follow:

• Each guinea pig should have a minimum of two square feet in its cage. If you opt to house more than one cavy in the same cage, you should adjust the available space accordingly (four square feet for two, six square feet for three, and so on). Although it is possible to house two guinea pigs in three square feet, this should be considered maximum crowding, and should be a temporary situation until a larger cage can be obtained.
• You should never, ever house a guinea pig in a cage with a wire bottom. Guinea pigs can very easily get their feet caught in the wire mesh, and break their limbs. Ferret cages, in particular, look attractive to many new guinea pig owners because of their size and multiple levels, but the wire mesh bottoms make them completely unsuitable, and very dangerous.
• Try to find a cage with a removable bottom pan, if you opt for a commercial cage. It makes cage cleaning very easy.
• Cages with a hinged top are easier to manage than those with side entrances, unless you can find a cage where the entire front panel opens up (these are the kinds off cages that many breeders use). Most commercial cages only have a small "doorway" that opens in front, and it is very difficult to reach in and remove your guinea pig from them. One of the advantages of a cage with a side doorway, however, is that it makes it possible for you to open the cage up to the room, and let your guinea pig wander in and out at will.
• Large Aquariums can be used as cages, but be aware that they are more difficult to clean thoroughly and provide little to no air circulation through the cage. In order to keep a glass aquarium sanitary, you will need to clean it more very thoroughly, and allow it to air out after disinfecting (or the fumes will overwhelm your cavies). Also, tremendous heat pressure can build up inside a glass aquarium: make sure the sun never shines directly on it. And finally, aquariums can isolate your guinea pig from its environment, which can lead to a less active animal. In general, glass aquariums are okay as long as you are aware of the risks, but most owners will recommend a traditional, wire cage.

Most commercially available cages are designed to house exactly one guinea pig. They can run anywhere from $30 to $50, depending on their quality, and are an excellent starting cage for a single pet. They also make good "travel" cages if you have multiple guinea pigs at home, and need to take one or two in to the vet.

If you wish to have more than one guinea pig, however, then you pretty much need to build your own guinea pig cage, or have someone build one for you. There are several different ways of making a suitable home for your guinea pigs; one idea is presented here.

Safe Beddings

After you have picked out your cage, you will need to line the bottom with bedding. Your bedding will serve three purposes:

• It is the "toilet" for your cavy, and should ideally absorb urine, bury droppings and control odors.
• It provides your cavy with a soft surface to walk and sleep on, as well as provide insulation and warmth.
• Depending on the bedding, your guinea pigs may also play in it, burrow through it and eat it to alleviate boredom.

When choosing a bedding for your cavy, you should take the following into account: health risks, cost, odor control, required amount, lasting quality and your guinea pig's preferences. Given below is a description of several types of beddings, that is neither complete nor definitive.

• Cedar shavings should be avoided at all costs. Cedar has been shown in studies to be hazardous, causing chronic respiratory conditions in mammals. Some animals are even allergic to cedar, and can develop severe skin rashes or more severe respiratory conditions. The problem with cedar shavings stems mostly from the oils that give it its aromatic scent. Unfortunately, it is this aroma that makes cedar so inviting as a bedding, as it covers up ammonia odors well.
• Like cedar shavings, pine shavings are also believed to be hazardous to the health of small mammals, though this is more widely disputed. Like cedar, pine is a soft wood whose oils give it an aromatic scent. Although there is still some debate as to how dangerous pine really is, many serious owners of small mammals such as guinea pigs, rats, mice and the like will recommend against its use. If forced to choose between pine and cedar, pine is definitely the better choice, but you really should avoid both if at all possible.
• Aspen shavings are completely safe as bedding, but are much more expensive than cedar or pine, if you can find them at all. Another problem with aspen is that it is a hardwood, and hence has no natural oils to give it a strong scent. This means that aspen doesn't function too well for odor control, making it necessary to change the bedding more often.
• A popular alternative to wood shavings is CareFRESH, which is made from wood pulp fibers that are too short to be made in to paper. The fibers are processed to form what looks like shredded egg cartons. CareFRESH's greatest strength is its odor-control: like most paper-based beddings, CareFRESH inhibits the formation of ammonia.
• Crown Animal Bedding consists of recycled newspaper that is compressed into pellet form. Like CareFRESH, it is excellent at odor control, but it's dense pellets don't make it ideal as the sole bedding in the cage. Crown works best when used in combination with another bedding, serving as the odor control agent underneath a layer of softer bedding, such as timothy hay.
• Another recycled paper, pelleted bedding is Yesterday's News. It comes in regular pellets and soft texture pellets, and contains an odor-controlling agent.
• Corn cob bedding is also an alternative, though it is more prone to growing mold than other beddings.
• Straw is completely unsuitable as bedding. It does not absorb urine, and the hard stalks can cause serious injuries.
• Timothy hay is arguably the best bedding for guinea pigs. In additional to being an essential food source, guinea pigs will tunnel through it, make "nests" in it for sleeping and play with it. Timothy also smells nice when fresh. It is best to buy hay directly from a feed and garden store or a farmer, as the commercially packaged hay that is sold in pet stores has been dried out to prevent molding on the shelf. It is harder, drier and less suitable as bedding than fresh hay.

  The only problem with hay as beeding is that it does not control odors, and molds very quickly when it gets wet or soiled. Hence, it is best to use hay on top of another form of bedding, such as Crown or CareFRESH, for odor control. The hay will have to be changed every one or two days, but the absorbent base can last a week or more.

  Timothy hay is more expensive than most other grass hays because it is difficult to grow, and a large portion of the hay grown in the Pacific Northwest is actually shipped to Japan. If bought by the bale, however, it is very cost effective: in the US, most bales of hay run between $8 and $15 depending on where you live, and will easily last several months. If you don't have a local supplier for timothy hay, you can purchase it from the Oxbow Hay Company. Emily Rocke writes: "...several people (including me) have had good luck with the Oxbow Hay Company in Nebraska, which ships UPS. Three 15 oz bags of Timothy costs $11.55, including shipping and handling. You can call 800-249-0366 to order or to ask for more information. This is a family business and the number goes into their home, so you may get an answering machine sometimes, even during office hours. It helps if you leave numbers where you can be reached both by day and in the evening." The Oxbow Hay company will even set up "schedules" of shipments for you.

• Many people wonder whether or not cat litter is a good bedding for guinea pigs. As a general rule, it's not a good choice: your guinea pigs will more than likely try to eat it, and most cat litters contain chemicals to mask odors that could be harmful to a cavy's health. If you insist on using a cat litter, however, you can opt for some of the "environmentally safe" products, made from recycled paper and such, and most of these are not much different than the beddings described above. Also, avoid "clumping" litters, as they make nasty messes that are difficult to clean, and the clumps of feces may actually stick to your cavy's hair. Remember: unlike cats, your guinea pigs live in their litter.

Some people opt to line the bottoms of their cage with newspapers and/or linoleum. Using newspapers can help prevent the buildup of urine stones in the cage, but it can be messy and smelly as the paper gets saturated between changings. There are advantages and disadvantages to using newspapers, and it's pretty much a matter of personal preference whether you do this or not. If you do opt to line your cage with newspapers, however, it is recommended that you use only black-and-white pages.

Linoleum is popular for people who build their own cages, particularly those with wooden bases. It's cheap and easy to clean, or can be tossed out and replaced if needed, without too much hassle. If you do opt to use linoleum, there is one caution: watch your piggies, and periodically check the lino, to see if they are nibbling on it. Eating linoleum, or any kind of plastic or vinyl, can cause blockages in a guinea pig that may be life-threatening. If your guinea pig is eating the linoleum, then you need to either protect the edges so your cavy can't nibble on it, or take it out.

Cage Supplies

In addition to the cage itself, there are some items that you will need or want to purchase that will mount on or go inside of your cage. Among the necessities are the food dish and water bottle. The water bottle should mount on outside of the cage with the tube coming down at an angle, through the bars and into the cage. Water bottles with the stainless steel tubes are the best, since guinea pigs actually chew on the ends of the tubes as they drink. Don't give water in a bowl; it will rapidly become soiled with urine and droppings, if the guinea pig doesn't spill it out first.

The food dish should have a wider base than the top, so that it can't be tipped over. Alternatively, you can select a food dish that mounts on the side of the cage, or a sifter feeder. It's best to use a small dish with a narrow opening at the top so that your guinea pig can't sit in the food dish; baby guinea pigs especially are fond of this activity. If your cavy can do this, it will invariably end up peeing or pooping in the supper dish, effectively soiling all the food therein.

In addition to the food bowl, you may want to purchase a hay rack, especially if you use hay as your bedding. The rack will prevent the hay from becoming soiled by urine and droppings, keeping your guinea pig's daily supply fresh. The hay rack mounts on the outside of the cage, and the guinea pig pulls the hay into the cage to nibble. Some guinea pigs like to play with their hay racks, too, tugging on long strands of hay and pulling them out for fun.

Some people like to mount a salt or mineral wheel in the cage. Although it's not necessary for a guinea pig, some pigs do like them, and they last practically forever. The only caution is that some owners have noticed an increase in "sludge" in their piggies' urine when using these items, which could be a precursor to the formation of uroliths (bladder stones).

For terrain and variety, many people like to add rocks, bricks and tubes to their cage. These not only provide rough surfaces for wearing down claws, but also hiding places and things to climb on or around to help alleviate boredom. Bricks are especially cheap and rocks are often times free. For tunnels and tubes, don't buy commercial ferret tubes; they are overpriced, and may not be wide enough for your adult piggie. Instead, go to a home building supply store (such as Home Depot or Home Base), and purchase 4" diameter PVC pipe fittings. Elbow and "T" joints work especially well, and sell for less than $10 each. The PVC plastic is hard, durable and easy to clean.

Some guinea pigs even like bird toys, particularly the mirrors with bells around them. In addition, some owners will put in old towels or cloths for the guinea pig to hide or nest in. This also provides the guinea pig with something that has your "scent" on it, which will help them become used to, and comfortable around, you.

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