Guinea Pig Care Evolution: Cage Design & Enrichment

Guinea pigs have been really popular throughout the years, without question. Originally a pet only found in affluent households, piggies are becoming accepted into homes all around the world, using non-toxic materials. And given such a lovely face and nice demeanor, we completely get why!

As you would expect, though, our treatment of these little animals has evolved greatly. Have guinea pig cages stayed the same? Are guinea pigs indeed low-maintenance animals? Read on to discover how, over time, guinea pig care has changed.

Though circumstances were considerably different for our furry pals before they were domesticated, it may be tough to picture your piggy leading a life different from the pampered one you provide. Guinea pigs are prey animals found in the wild who spend much of their time living in herds, alerting others of predators, and hunting for food (well, one thing that remains the same is their love of food!).

They were originally from the mountainous Andes, where they lived their wildest life until a party of Spanish explorers fell in love with them (understandably!) and decided to go with them. From then on, guinea pigs began to proliferate across Europe and were a regular pet for affluent homes.

Sadly, guinea pigs were also extensively utilized for scientific research as we entered the 1800s; this is something that is progressively being corrected now as companies abandon animal testing. This page will help you understand more about guinea pig history. Moreover, they remained cherished pets, and the number of piggy parents keeps rising.

After an accident early in the 1990s, a piggy father called Peter Gurney resolved to devote his time to raising knowledge of guinea pig welfare from then on. In 1992, he started penning books on guinea pig care since he was bored with how veterinary education at the time sometimes neglected these small animals.

From highlighting guinea pig behaviour to offering some natural remedies for common guinea pig health problems, Peter Gurney was instrumental in the development of guinea pig care by arming piggy parents all around with the knowledge and tools about guinea pigs that were so difficult to find back then.

Piggies were often housed at first in little inside cages or outside wooden hutches. Most people thought guinea pigs wouldn’t need much space given their tiny physical appearance and rodent-like characteristics. But these small cages restrict movement, therefore depriving guinea pigs of the lively lives they led in the wild.

Now, we know better, but sadly, some pet stores still have inappropriate tiny cages meant for guinea pigs.

The guinea pig world was rocked in 2017 as C&C cages became more and more popular. Though it’s unknown who invented this creative cage design, it’s easy to understand why it gained such instant popularity.

Made of grid cubes that fit together and a coroplast foundation, C&C stands for Cubes and Coroplast. This makes them extremely flexible, allowing piggy parents to fit each cage to their requirements, keeping it roomy for whatever size piggy herd they have.

Though she was not happy with the basic classic look, Kavee’s founder, Clem, embraced this trend for her guinea pigs without second thought. She thus developed the initial C&C cage.

Choosing thinner mesh and shrinking the grid hole size helps to stop small and baby piggies from getting out.Covering the grids with non-toxic materials will help to guarantee no curious nibbles would do piggies damage.Reducing the edges of the coroplast base and smoothing the corners will let piggies see their surroundings better and help to prevent injury.

With the outcome, her guinea pigs could not have been happier; hence, Clem decided to start Kavee and share her C&C guinea pig cage design with the world. The rest of it is history!

Since straw is readily available and easy to dispose of and renew, it was the initial preferred bedding for guinea pig cages. Though straw is a handy bedding choice for piggy parents, its hard consistency and sharp edges make it an uncomfortable (and maybe deadly!) choice for piggies. Furthermore, the most horrible thing for absorbing piggy muck is straw!

Piggy parents thus started looking for alternate choices as they became more conscious of the drawbacks of using straw as guinea pig bedding. Not too long afterward, paper bedding, litter pellets, and wood shavings arrived. On our site on bedding, we go deeper into the advantages and drawbacks of every one of these choices. All things considered, these are rather safe for piggies (as long as the wood is dust-removed and the paper is chemical-free!). However, they are not as flexible, reusable, and cozy as fleece liners.

To prevent damp bottoms, fleece liners catch every pig mistake and absorb it. Their delicate feet find the fleece soothing, and it’s easy to clean in the washing machine. See our guide on fleece liners to learn further about this kind of guinea pig bedding.

The view of small pets and their care improved as more knowledge about them became generally accessible online. People are at last realizing the variations between guinea pigs and hamsters. Their several demands and the wonderful pets they make.

The Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association then documented 3.2 million households in the UK obtaining new pets when the epidemic struck the globe in 2020. The need to spread understanding of appropriate guinea pig care has become more crucial as more people have time to look after a furry friend. Unfortunately, the increase in popularity also brings back some common misunderstandings. Such piggies just need a small cage and are easy pets to look after.

Eliminating these misconceptions is crucial, as it guarantees that whoever embraces them is prepared to be a responsible piggy parent. Otherwise, after a little time, too many piggies will be lost. At its animal rescue facilities, the RSPCA observed a 37% rise in guinea pig intake by 2023. So let’s make sure that appropriate guinea pig care becomes the standard to guarantee a permanent home for piggies worldwide!

We are fortunate nowadays to have access to so much information on guinea pig habits and requirements. And with so much information, many more fantastic things meant especially for guinea pigs have been created! Piggy parents can choose from a range of C&C cages for guinea pigs on the market. Therefore relieving them of the difficulty in locating a suitable cage for their furry pals. Designed to satisfy every requirement of your piggies. Kavee’s indoor guinea pig cages offer a wonderful home during all phases of their lives.

Guinea pigs contained within Kavee 4×2 C&C cage for guinea pigs using stand
This shift, though, goes beyond cages. Modern piggy parents may get safe and simple reusable, extremely absorbent guinea pig bedding. Like our litter bowl made especially for small animals or our whole medical kit, which has all the basics for excellent guinea pig care. They are also lucky enough to have access to a world of accessories to enrich their piggies’ lives and simplify their piggy motherhood.

Guinea pigs within Kavee litter tray designed for guinea pigs
The primary difference between piggy care in the past and today is that we have tiny pet professionals. Who commit their time to identify solutions that would make the lives of your piggies safer and better. Whether that means creating a comfy cooling mat to stop heatstroke or using natural cleaning products,. That gently removes dirt in a totally safe manner.

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