The Ultimate Guinea Pig Hutch
There are lots of different types of homes that you can provide for your pet cavy. Depending on your space limitations you might keep your pet cavies in an “enclosure”, or a “cage” or in a guinea pig “hutch”. You can define these any way you like, but regardless of how you do so each of these differently described cavy homes will need to provide very similar features, all of which are essential to the health and well-being of your pets.
For this article I am going to refer to the cavy’s home as a guinea pig hutch for the sake of consistency rather than switch back and forth between terms. In truth I would use, as you probably would also, a different one of these terms to describe different types of cavy homes. I think the term “hutch” usually conjures up an image of a larger wooden “cage” that stands on legs and is usually for keeping pets outside. Having said that, I do believe that a majority of guinea pig owners would certainly agree with me that you should not house cavies outdoors no matter how nice, or how big the hutch is, due to temperature and predator considerations. A hutch is certainly suitable as an indoor home for your pet cavies.
The Bigger the Better
The first and most critical thing to consider is the size of the hutch. Big is good, and the bigger the hutch is, the better it will be for your pet. This is because cavies are happiest when they’re able to run around and romp and play with their cage-mate(s). And this running around amounts to exercise that is very important to your cavy’s health. Without a great deal of exercising your guinea pig could possibly get fat as well as depressed. Both of these ailments will cause additional health problems.
A hutch must be sufficient for two cavies, since they’re social animals and must have company. The recommended area for two cavies is about 10.5 square feet. That may sound like a huge cage, but its actually only about 3′ x 3.5′ feet. This will adequately allow for food bowls, toys, water bottles, as well as their own individual hideaways (not only do your cavies have to have room to play with each other, they also need space to get away from each other and be by themselves).
Make sure your hutch has a solid floor and not a wire mesh floor. This would ensure that your cavies do not injure their unprotected feet or limbs by stepping through the mesh. If possible avoid wooden floors as well because they have a tendency to absorb urine after which its hard to get out, its stinky, and unsanitary. A plastic surface is usually the best material for the floor since it is easier to clean.
Bedding Materials
Your guinea pigs will also need to have “bedding” in their hutch. A lot of people utilize a combination of shredded paper and hay on top of a couple of layers of newspaper. But I’ve also been reading in the forums that many people are using cotton towels (as the absorbent bottom layer) with a fitted piece of fleece on top. The fleece wicks away the moisture/urine and it is absorbed by the cotton towels. Wash up can be as simple as throwing everything into the washer.
You still need to include a hay inside the guinea pig hutch, for two reasons, both of which are very important. Guinea pigs love to munch on hay. The most popular variety for guinea pigs is Timothy hay. This hay will be course enough that while the guinea pigs chew on it it will help wear down their teeth. This really is essential for the reason that cavies’ teeth continue growing throughout their lives, and if there wasn’t some way for the cavies of keeping their teeth ground down they would develop mouth complications, which means vet bills. The additional reason for the hay is the fact that it is a great digestive system aid for your guinea pigs. Intestinal health is important and will help avoid additional veterinarian bills.
