Bringing a New Guinea Pig Home: First Week Setup, Care, and What to Expect

Choose an indoor enclosure with solid flooring and good ventilation. A minimum indoor size of about 24 x 36 inches can house one guinea pig, but bigger is better, especially because guinea pigs are social and usually do best with a compatible same-sex companion or a neutered male with a female if your vet has advised that plan. Provide at least one hide per guinea pig, heavy ceramic food dishes, and both a water bottle and/or sturdy water bowl cleaned daily.

Use paper-based or recycled paper bedding rather than wire flooring or dusty wood shavings. Wire floors can injure feet, and wood shavings may irritate the respiratory tract. Spot-clean daily and plan a full cage cleaning at least weekly. Keep the room between about 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, away from direct sun, drafts, and loud household traffic.

Unlimited grass hay should be available at all times. Timothy or orchard grass is appropriate for most adults, while alfalfa is generally reserved for young, pregnant, or nursing guinea pigs. Hay supports normal digestion and helps wear down continuously growing teeth.

Offer a small daily portion of high-fiber guinea pig pellets and fresh leafy greens plus vitamin-C-rich vegetables, such as bell pepper. Fruits and sugary treats should be limited. Guinea pigs need daily vitamin C, and many vets recommend giving it directly by mouth or as a tablet rather than adding it to water, because vitamin C breaks down quickly in water and may change the taste. If your guinea pig refuses food for several hours, seems weak, or stops producing normal droppings, contact your vet promptly.

It is common for a new guinea pig to hide, startle easily, or stay quiet for the first day or two. Some will chatter, rumble, wheek, or freeze when approached. Many eat more overnight when the house is quiet. This cautious behavior can be normal as long as your guinea pig is still nibbling hay, drinking, passing stool, and gradually becoming more curious.

Avoid forcing interaction right away. Let your guinea pig observe you from a safe hideout. Offer vegetables by hand, sit near the enclosure, and keep the environment predictable. Children should be supervised closely, since guinea pigs can be injured by falls or rough handling.

Start with short, gentle sessions once your guinea pig is eating and moving around the enclosure. Scoop with one hand under the chest and the other supporting the hind end. Hold close to your body so your guinea pig feels secure. Never grab from above or allow dangling legs.

A good first-week goal is trust, not long cuddle sessions. Many guinea pigs relax faster when handling is brief and paired with a favorite vegetable afterward. If your guinea pig struggles hard, chatters teeth, or breathes rapidly, return them to the enclosure and try again later.

Each day, check that your guinea pig is eating hay, drinking, passing normal droppings, and moving comfortably. Look for clear eyes, a clean nose, normal breathing, and a dry rear end. Make sure the water bottle works, remove soiled bedding, and refresh hay often.

If possible, weigh your guinea pig on a kitchen scale at the same time each day and log the weight. Small prey animals may hide illness, so a downward weight trend can be an early clue that something is wrong even before obvious symptoms appear.

Call your vet promptly if your guinea pig is not eating, has diarrhea, seems painful, breathes with effort, has crusty eyes or nasal discharge, drools, loses weight, or sits hunched and inactive. Guinea pigs can decline quickly when they stop eating. Heat stress is also an emergency, especially if the room is above 80 degrees Fahrenheit and your guinea pig seems weak, limp, or overheated.

A new-pet wellness exam is a smart first-week step even if everything seems fine. In many US practices, an exotic pet new-patient or wellness exam often falls around a cost range of $85 to $180, with fecal testing commonly adding about $35 to $90 and nail trimming often adding about $20 to $40 if needed. Your local cost range may vary by region and clinic type.

Focus on essentials before extras: a large enclosure, paper bedding, hay rack or hay area, heavy ceramic bowl, water bottle, hideouts, pellets, hay, vitamin C supplement if your vet recommends one, nail trimmers, and a small gram scale for weight checks. Safe chew items and tunnels can be added once your guinea pig is settled.

For many US pet parents in 2025-2026, a practical first-week setup often lands in a cost range of about $180 to $450 depending on enclosure size and quality. Ongoing monthly supplies for hay, bedding, pellets, and vegetables commonly run about $40 to $120 for one or two guinea pigs, not including veterinary care.