🐹✨ Vet Guide 2025: How to Care for Your Guinea Pig — By Dr Duncan Houston

Guinea pigs are gentle, social companions with unique care needs. This 2025 guide provides everything you need—housing, diet, grooming, enrichment, health, and bonding—to support your cavy’s wellbeing and ensure a joyful, healthy life together. Let’s give them the best! 🌟

1️⃣ Habitat & Housing Essentials

• 🏡 Provide a spacious cage with solid floor (no wire), ≥7.5 ft² for one or ~10 ft² for a pair especially with platforms available :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}.
• 🛏 Use absorbent paper or fleece bedding; change liners/spot-clean daily and sanitize weekly :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}.
• 🌬 Keep the enclosure in a quiet, draft‑free room at 65–75 °F; avoid extreme heat or cold :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}.
• 🚧 Provide hiding spots (tunnels, huts) and multi-level platforms for security and exploration :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}.

2️⃣ Nutrition & Hydration

• 🌾 Unlimited high-quality grass hay (e.g., Timothy, orchard) supports digestion and dental health :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}.
• 🍽 Provide measured fortified pellets (plain, cavy-specific) at about ¼–½ cup/day; avoid seed mixes :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}.
• 🥗 Offer ½ to 1 cup of fresh leafy greens daily for hydration and vitamin C :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}.
• 🍊 Supplement vitamin C (≥10 mg/day) via pellets or fresh produce—critical as cavies cannot synthesize it :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}.
• 💧 Keep fresh water available in both a dish and bottle; change daily :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}.

3️⃣ Social Interaction & Bonding

• 👥 Guinea pigs thrive in same-sex pairs or bonded groups—single cavies may get lonely :contentReference[oaicite:13]{index=13}.
• 🐾 They are crepuscular—most active at dusk and dawn; expect predawn "popcorning" and gentle vocalizations :contentReference[oaicite:14]{index=14}.
• 🤝 Spend time daily at floor-level, offering treats and gentle handling to build trust :contentReference[oaicite:15]{index=15}.

4️⃣ Grooming & Hygiene

• 🧼 Long‑haired breeds need brushing daily; short‑haired once weekly to prevent matting and skin issues :contentReference[oaicite:16]{index=16}.
• 🐾 Clip nails monthly, taking care not to cut the quick; use small-rodent shampoo if needed, rarely bathe :contentReference[oaicite:17]{index=17}.
• 🧴 Clean boar grease glands with diluted gentle soap or coconut oil—avoid over‑stripping natural oils :contentReference[oaicite:18]{index=18}.

5️⃣ Enrichment & Exercise

• 🎲 Provide safe toys—tunnels, hideaways, chewables, snuffle mats—to promote natural chewing and exploration :contentReference[oaicite:19]{index=19}.
• 📦 Offer supervised floor time in a guinea-pig-proofed area daily for exercise and curiosity :contentReference[oaicite:20]{index=20}.
• 🔄 Rotate toys weekly and use foraging-style feeding to keep mental engagement high :contentReference[oaicite:21]{index=21}.

6️⃣ Health Monitoring & Common Concerns

• ⚖ Weigh monthly; adults usually 700 – 1200 g—worry if weight drops or appetite falls :contentReference[oaicite:22]{index=22}.
• 🩺 Annual veterinary check‑ups including dental exams, and more frequent for seniors :contentReference[oaicite:23]{index=23}.
• 🚨 Watch for sneezing, eye/nasal discharge, diarrhea, hair loss, lumps—signs of respiratory or dental disease, scurvy, mites, or bumblefoot :contentReference[oaicite:24]{index=24}.
• 📈 Early veterinary care reduces risks—cavies are prey animals and often hide sickness until advanced :contentReference[oaicite:25]{index=25}.
• 📱 Use the Ask A Vet app to send weight or photo updates between visits if you're unsure.

📌 10‑Point Care Checklist

1. Spacious cage with solid flooring, clean bedding
2. Unlimited grass hay and daily greens
3. Measured fortified pellets and vitamin C source
4. Fresh water in dish + bottle
5. Parallel guinea pig or group housing
6. Daily handling and bonding routine
7. Regular grooming and nail trims
8. Safe toys, tunnels, and floor time
9. Monthly weight logs + annual vet checkups
10. Monitor behavior/stools; consult vet at first concern 🐾📱

🌈 Final Thoughts from Dr Duncan Houston

Guinea pigs bring joy, warmth, and gentle companionship. By meeting their needs—through proper housing, nutrition, grooming, enrichment, and attentive health care—you set the stage for a long, loving journey together. Stay proactive, use the Ask A Vet app whenever in doubt, and cherish every happy squeak and popcorning moment. Here's to their happiest, healthiest life! 🐹📱