The ideal location for a guinea pig cage involves balancing six key areas that influence their life. By placing the cage in the wrong spot you can cause unwanted stress on your guinea pig which can lead to health problems later in life.
For the most part, guinea pigs are pretty resilient and can handle quite a bit. However, any loud noises or areas with ton of activity will get them either excited or very scared. If you’re trying new places around your home for your guinea pig you’ll want to keep an eye on them and their behaviors. Your guinea pig’s behavior shouldn’t change much with a new location.
If you’re seeing your guinea pig constantly jumping around you’ll want to start breaking down reasons why they may be showing new emotions. If nothing has changed in their life except for habitat placement it’s likely the cause and you’ll want to comfort your guinea pig.
The criteria you should keep in mind when selecting the best spot in the house for your guinea pig are:
- Draft-Free
- Good Lighting
- Stable Temperature
- Low Humidity
- Near Family
- Not on the Floor
Best Place for Guinea Pigs in Houses
The best place for a guinea pig is a bedroom or office away from windows and doors. The location of your guinea pig’s cage is key. The biggest factors you’ll want to take into account are temperature, activity level and noise. Guinea pigs cannot sweat when they become too warm and are particularly susceptible to heat stroke if you don’t keep the temperature stable.
Don’t put your guinea pig’s cage in an unheated room, breezeway, garage or other chilly location. Place the cages in a draft-free area (i.e. away from doors and windows and on an elevated surface).
Basic criteria checklist:
- Draft-Free: Keep your guinea pig away from windows and doors where there will likely be a breeze. This can increase their chances of airborne diseases and respiratory problems.
- Good Lighting: You don’t want to place them in direct sunlight but a room with good lighting will help them as they play and explore.
- Stable Temperature: Guinea pig’s can’t sweat and suffer from heat stroke very easily. If the room is too hot they will likely have a heat stroke. Their bodies are a little less balanced compared to a human but the general rule of thumb is that you want them to be as comfortable as you want yourself with temperature.
- Low Humidity: You want to avoid areas like bathrooms and laundry rooms as humidity is just as bad as having a constant draft for their health.
- Near Family: Guinea pig’s are social by nature. It’s critical to their long-term health and mental stability to be around their owners. They love being held and showing affection.
- Not on the Floor: It’s very easy to harm your guinea pig if they are on the floor. Being closer to the floor means they will feel vibrations when you walk or from sub-woofers. Typically drafts are more noticeable at floor level. Children, unsupervised, can let the guinea pig out or harm them by accident.
Best Place for Guinea Pigs in Apartments
If you set up the right habitat for guinea pigs they can thrive in smaller areas like apartments. Naturally, guinea pigs want larger spaces to roam around and explore. It’s critical in their development to not be confined to a small space, such as a cage, for extended periods of time.
The key to having a guinea pig in an apartment isn’t building out but building up instead. For example, instead of trying to maximize the width of your apartment you should look to build raised level platforms or other areas they can explore. Make sure you’re not building too high so that they stay safe and don’t fall and hurt themselves.
If possible, try to give them a room to themselves. For instance, if you have a room in your apartment you don’t use that often then set that up as their “room” and allow them to consistently roam and do as they please. You’ll be surprised at how docile guinea pigs can be once, especially if you start training your guinea pig.
Since apartments are smaller than homes your locations may be a bit limited. You should still try to follow the six rules for placement of their habitat. Focusing on airflow, humidity and temperature are the three most important things for your guinea pig. If there is too much airflow or the temperature isn’t stable it can make your guinea pig very sick.
Places You Shouldn’t Put Your Guinea Pig Cage in the House
There are many places in the home a guinea pig can live and live comfortably, however, there are a few areas you’ll want to avoid for their sanity and health. Keep in mind, the location of your guinea pig’s cage is crucial to their social behaviors and health.
You’ll want to keep your guinea pig away from:
- Very noisy areas such as playrooms, garage or entertainment centers.
- Do not mix your guinea pig with other pets, especially larger ones.
- Don’t put guinea pig’s in places where small children and babies can get to them.
- Don’t put your guinea pig in or around kitchen’s or other food prep areas.