Do you understand that of all the guinea pig supplies you are going to require, the most important one to maintaining a guinea pig healthy and happy revolves around your guinea hutch?

That’s right and the hutch is by far the largest investment you will make in terms of money spent on your guinea pig so you better make sure you do this properly so you will have a healthier and happier guinea pig for years to come!

The first factor you need to consider when looking at a hutch is the size. Think about your guinea pig for a minute here… guinea pigs are playful and love to run around. A small hutch means not much running and the running you are completing happens in your own feces. This isn’t a enjoyable thought for anyone.
 
I’m not saying that the guinea hutch needs to be so big that it consumes a room, but do make sure you purchase one big enough for your pet to take cover (utilize as a cave) and scamper about (to get some exercise).

If you have the space, a 4 feet by 4 feet guinea cage would be perfect… but don’t purchase one any smaller than 2′ x 2′.  However, if you have more than one cavy, you want to go with a larger hutch. Remember, if your guinea (just as with dogs) doesn’t have the ability to play and exercise, then you will have a fat pet which will probably escalate to health problems and sadness.

When looking to buy a cage an additional thing you should keep in mind is that the hutch has a solid floor.  A solid floor is a lot better than a wired floor.  If you use your imagination for a minute, you can come up with many reasons why a wired floor is not satisfactory for your guinea pig or for you. The most widespread type of a floor in a guinea cage is a plastic floor. This solid bottom is much easier to clean and look after. Additionally, if you are able to purchase one that slides in and out with ease you will be a lot happier over the course of time.

Another thing that many of people don’t think about as they are looking at cages is the door. You are going to want to pay attention to this detail and be sure that you (or the person with the largest hand in the household) is able to get your hand inside the hutch and be able to move around in the cage with ease. You don’t want to be struggling when you need to get in there!

After your hutch has been picked out, you need to settle on the kind of bedding you are going to utilize. I have utilized pretty much every type of bedding offered and hands down I will always pick a product called Timothy Hay. This is extremely safe for your guinea and they love to play with the hay and are known to consume it. As well as the bedding you are going to need to to think about buying a few toys for your new friend. These can be areas for him/her to hide and to play . You will be able to aquire items such as rocks, spinning wheels, balls, large PVC pipes, etc. Become inventive and make your guinea hutch an exciting place for your guinea to play and sleep!