Guinea pigs need larger cages than what chain pet stores sell. This is because their ancestors lived in large open plains and darted around to find food and shelter. They don’t burrow or sit in one place. Having too small of a cage not only leads to unhappiness, the sedentary lifestyle also causes circulation problems in their legs which in turn means expensive vet bills and being “a bad pet”.
Note that male guinea pig pairs are more territorial and need more space. Choose one size up from the list below for males.
The minimum cage size for 1-2 guinea pigs is 7.5 square feet. 10.5 square feet is preferred. Add 3 square feet for each additional guinea pig. *Note that a guinea pig should never be alone. Even the rare case of an actually aggressive guinea pig should live in a cage side by side with another one that they can see and talk to. See Are my guinea pigs antisocial?
Recommended guinea pig cages
7.83 square feet – minimum for 1*-2 guinea pigs
Amazon Basics Small Animal Habitat
7.65 square feet – minimum for 1*-2 guinea pigs
2×3 GuineaPigCagesStore C&C cage
8.15 square feet – suitable for 1*-2 guinea pigs
Note: a grid is 14″, NOT 12″
2×4 GuineaPigCagesStore C&C cage
10.87 square feet – preferred for 1*-2 guinea pigs
Note: a grid is 14″, NOT 12″
You might also be interested in:
Guinea Pig Care Center 
3 thoughts on “What size cage should guinea pigs have?”