Let’s start with a little-known fact:
Most cages sold for guinea pigs are too small!
And unfortunately, we have heard many stories of people with depressed guinea pigs, merely because they were living in guinea pig habitats that were too small.
For that reason, we have decided to write this article outlining the best guinea pig cages out there…
… for the sake of you and your guinea pig 😊
If you’re in a hurry, you can find our pick of the best guinea pig cages right below the cut.
Below this, you’ll find an extensive guide on how to set up your guinea pig cage.
Best Guinea Pig Cages (for 2)
After researching more than 30 different kinds of guinea pig (and rabbit!) cages, we have found 3 large guinea pig cages that we can recommend to all guinea pig owners out there.
These three cages are simply the best options, and large enough to host two guinea pigs.
Midwest Guinea Pig Habitat Plus review
The Midwest guinea pig habitat plus is hands-down, the best option for most guinea pig owners out there. There is a lot to love about this c&c cage and here’s our main reasons for loving it:
Large: The guinea habitat plus is approx. 10 square feet in total, with the main area being 8 square feet and the ramped, care area being 2 square feet. It is thus more than large enough for two guinea pigs
Easy to clean: Come with removable, leak-proof and washable canvas bottom. In addition, the bottom provides protection for the sensitive feet of the guinea pig. When cleaning, you can use the divider to keep the pigs in the care and/or the play area, while you clean out the other area
Expandable: Looking to get more guinea pigs or just want to give your current pigs even more space? No problem, as you can easily expand the guinea habitat through the wire gates
Easy to use outdoors: Can easily be detached from the bottom canvas and used outside. Your pigs will love this during the Summer
Removable top: You can choose whether to have the top on or not. If you have cats or dogs, this is a good idea, while you can safely remove it if you have no other pets in your house
From an animal care standpoint there is no argument for not getting the c&c cage. The main reason most don’t get this is needing a more typical cage that is easier to move.
- Provides 8 square feet of living area for Guinea Pigs as recommended by Veterinarians and Breeders. Assembled product dimensions (L x W x H): 47 x 24 x 14 inches
- Fully removable wire mesh top to protect your Guinea Pig from predators. The multi-access folding top and divider panel with hinged "lock-in-place" ramps/doors separate play and care areas
Midwest Home for Pets review
If you’re looking for a traditional indoor cage, our budget pick is from Midwest, the same company that makes the Guinea Pig Habitat Plus we reviewed above. Here’s why this is a great cage:
Large: Yes, same reason as above, as this is the number 1 criteria for a guinea pig cage. This one comes in just shy of 8 square feet at the bottom, but also provides extra ground floor space in the feeding area, which brings us to…
Lots of accessories: The cage comes with a hay rack, food bowl, water bottle and the elevated feeding area. This makes it a one-stop shop and makes sure you don’t forget to get anything.
Option for extra space: In addition to the cage, you can get a wire extension and/or a wooden hutch extension, both of which brings the total area up to approx. 11 square feet
Easy to clean: The two side doors span the full width of the home, making it easy to clean. In addition, there is a large top door if you just want to take your piggies out for play-time
Easy to move: The cage is quite sturdy and easy to move (especially compared to the c&c cage).
- Rabbit Cage includes FREE hay feeder, water bottle, feeding bowl & elevated feeding area | Ideal for Rabbits, Guinea Pigs & Chinchillas
- XL Rabbit Cage measures 47.16L x 23.62W x 19.68H inches providing a large living space & maximum comfort
AmazonBasics Pet Habitat: Jumbo review
Amazon themselves has recently entered the world of guinea pig cages and they’ve done so with great success.
It comes with many of the same attractions as the Midwest home for Pets above, being the same size, having the same accessories and being easy to clean and move. In addition, both are very easy to assemble.
Instead of repeating ourselves we want to point out a few differences between the two cages instead.
The Amazon cage cannot be expanded in the same way the above cage can. As such, if you think you might be getting more piggies in the future, go for the Midwest cage.
The Amazon cage has a larger feeding area. This has a couple of advantages. Having a larger feeding area in itself provides more space, both on the top and the lower deck and many pigs like the added privacy of a larger hideout below.
- An Amazon brand
- Jumbo small-animal habitat for pet rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, or other small pets
How big should a guinea pig cage be?
When getting a cage for your guinea pig, size matters. The American Humane Society has the following guidelines for cages:
- 1 guinea pig: 5 square feet cage (minimum) size.
- 2 guinea pigs: 5 square feet (minimum), but 10.5 square feet is preferred
- 3 guinea pigs: 5 square feet (minimum), but 13 square feet is preferred
- 4 guinea pigs: 13 square feet (minimum), but more is better
Unfortunately, there are a lot of cages out there with a smaller size. In this article, you’ll see that all the cages we recommend are larger than what is needed for 2 guinea pigs.
If you want to house more than two guinea pigs, you should opt for c&c cages, as these are the easiest ones to expand.
C&C Cages (for Guinea Pigs) – and what is a C&C cage?
The definition of a C&C cage is “cubes and coroplast”. The first C comes from the frame and wire portion of the cage is built from wire grids. Or in other words, the cubes.
The second C refers to Coroplast. This refers to the plastic sheeting on the bottom of the cage. This has some remarkable features including:
- Non-toxic
- Water- and urine proof
- Will not be harmed by soap, vinegar, and other commonly used cleaning items
- Indigestible so even if your piggy somehow eats it, it will merely pass through its digestive system
You can build a c&c cage yourself, however, it can be hard to get the material. Also, you want to make sure that both cube and coroplast are safe for your guinea pig, which can require a lot of research.
With that said, there are a few good options on Amazon and you’ll need the following:
DIY Guinea Pig Cage
If you’re looking to make a DIY guinea pig cage, you’ll need cubes and you’ll need coroplast. Below are the best options we have found.
Cubes for DIY Guinea Pig cage
We recommend getting two of these to be on the safe side.
- UPGRADE VERSION: Cable ties and anti-slip pieces added in. Cable ties help build doors or ramps or reinforce the whole structure. Anti-slip pieces prevent connectors from slipping on the floor.
- DIY EXPANDABLE: Make qualified metal wire grids into different shapes, a low wide exercise pen, or a two-storey premium villa
Coroplast for guinea pig care
In terms of coroplast, it is very important you get the correct kind. The item below lives up to all requirements and will have more than sufficient floor space.
- 4mm, white fluted polypropylene Guinea Pig cage blanks designed for indoor cage use.
- Waterproof, solvent & stain resistant. Our Guinea Pig Coroplast package is ideal for temporary walls and partitions.
Large guinea pig cages
If you need a large guinea pig cage to house 4 or more guinea pigs, you’ll need at least 13 square feet of ground area for your piggies. It can be rather hard, if not impossible to find a classical cage this size, and you will have to go with a c&c cage instead.
Here you basically have two options:
Get 2 of Midwest Guinea Pig Habitats. This will provide at least square feet of play area and will be easy to assemble. Guinea Habitat Plus Guinea Pig Cage by MidWest w/Top Panel, 47L x 24W x 14H Inches
DIY Guinea Pig Cage
Assemble a cage yourself. We recommend getting the Tesco Playpen and the coroplast for guinea pig care.
Cheap guinea pig cages
Back in the days, you often overpaid for guinea pig cages that were too small, of poor quality and hard to clean.
Back then, you pretty much only had the local pet store to rely on.
Luckily (for both owner and guinea pigs) that is no longer the case and today, there are a lot of good and cheap options out there.
However, if you are to invest in a properly sized guinea pig cage with at least 7.5 square feet of space, the truth is, that it is associated with a cost but a cost, that is affordable for most, and you should be prepared to spend more on guinea pig hay and food than you do for your cage.
With this said, our pick for a budget cage is the Midwest Home for Pets. It comes with a lot of value for the price, and the inclusion of hay rack, water bottle, food dish and the elevated area will likely save you a lot of money compared to cages without this build in.
- Rabbit Cage includes FREE hay feeder, water bottle, feeding bowl & elevated feeding area | Ideal for Rabbits, Guinea Pigs & Chinchillas
- XL Rabbit Cage measures 47.16L x 23.62W x 19.68H inches providing a large living space & maximum comfort
Indoor guinea pig cages: Why it is our recommended choice
There are many great reasons for having the guinea pig cage indoors. Here are a few of the reasons why we recommend having it indoors:
Temperature: Guinea pigs need a constant temperature of 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit. This is hard to provide outside.
Low and stable humidity: Guinea pigs like a low and stable humidity (they come from the plains in the wild). Fluctuations in- and high humidity is just as bad for a guinea pig as a high temperature. This means you should place the cage inside with stable humidity and not in a garage or close to laundry rooms or showers.
Draft free: Drafts are bad for guinea pig health and they can get infections from drafts.
Where to put your guinea pig cage
Based on temperature, humidity and the risk of drafts, we recommend putting your cage inside, preferably in the living room. Here are the reasons why:
- Socializes the guinea pigs
- Is near family activity (which your piggies love)
- Not on the floor – you’ll look like a giant and the piggies will feel every step much more violently
- Also, it’s easier to pet the guinea pigs and clean the cage when not on the floor
What do you need in a guinea pig cage
When you have gotten the large cage (which you cavy will love) it is time to figure out what to put in it. Here’s our checklist:
- Water bottle and holder
- A Food bowl. Ceramic food bowls work the best as they are un-tip-able and un-chewable. You should get one for each piggy you have.
- A house to hide in. These are important as your piggy needs a place where it can sit while feeling secure. Again, you’ll need one house per pig.
- Toys and tunnels
If you are unsure what to get, we have covered house accessories and toys here.
Easy clean guinea pig cage
One of the things you simply must do as a guinea pig owner is cleaning the cage, and unfortunately, there is no easy way around this.
However, having a system in place and a cage that is well suited for cleaning helps. Here is the system we use for the C&C cage below:
- Put the guinea pigs into the smaller area, seal it off with the divider and clean the large living space, replacing all bedding and cleaning the toys
- Reverse the process and put your pigs in the large play area while you clean everything in the small care space
- This usually takes 15-20 minutes and we recommend doing it once a week
- Provides 8 square feet of living area for Guinea Pigs as recommended by Veterinarians and Breeders. Assembled product dimensions (L x W x H): 47 x 24 x 14 inches
- Fully removable wire mesh top to protect your Guinea Pig from predators. The multi-access folding top and divider panel with hinged "lock-in-place" ramps/doors separate play and care areas
Conclusion
We hope you’ve enjoyed this guide to the guinea pig case. As you can see, there are unfortunately a lot of (too) small guinea pig cages out there, but with our guide, you can easily bypass these.
If you have any questions, just ask them below and we’ll be around to answer them 🙂