Guinea pigs – Perhaps the best apartment pet

Most people land here because they’re weighing up a guinea pig for apartment life: will it be quiet enough, kind enough, and practical enough to care for properly in a small home?

The answer is usually yes—if you can give them generous floor space, steady daily feeding, and a calm routine. Guinea pigs are ground-dwelling grazers. In an apartment, their world becomes the enclosure you build for them, the hay you keep topped up, and the minutes you spend each day handling them gently and letting them move.

Are guinea pigs good apartment pets?

Guinea pigs can suit apartment living because they’re small, mostly quiet, and don’t need outdoor walks. Their sounds are generally short bursts (squeaks, chirps, “wheeks”), not continuous noise, and they spend much of the day eating, exploring, and resting.

They’re also highly social. Most do better with a compatible guinea pig companion rather than living alone, provided you have space and can manage introductions sensibly.¹

What apartment life asks of you (the practical reality)

A guinea pig doesn’t need a big house. It needs a big, clean footprint on the floor, stable temperatures, and fresh food every day. In an apartment, the common pinch points are space, odour control, and heat.

• Space: a small “starter cage” is the most common welfare problem.
• Smell: usually a cleaning issue, not an “inevitable guinea pig” issue.
• Heat: guinea pigs are vulnerable to heat stress, so placement and ventilation matter more than people expect.²

Housing: the enclosure matters more than the room

Choose the largest enclosure you can reasonably fit, prioritising usable floor area over height. Guinea pigs are not climbers; they’re built for moving across ground and ducking into cover.

Australian welfare guidance recommends a minimum of 2,500 cm² of usable floor space for a guinea pig over 450 g, plus 900 cm² for each additional guinea pig (with larger animals needing more). Bigger is better, especially for pairs.²

Flooring, bedding, and cleaning

• Avoid wire floors. Use a solid base to reduce foot and leg injuries.
• Use safe, absorbent bedding and change it often enough that the enclosure stays dry and low-odour.
• Provide shelters. At least one hide per guinea pig helps them feel secure and reduces stress during normal household noise.^{2, 3}

Where to put the enclosure in an apartment

• Keep them out of direct sun and away from heaters and hot kitchens.
• Aim for a quiet corner where they can watch the room without being in the traffic lane.
• Choose a spot with good airflow (without cold drafts).

Diet: the daily routine that keeps them well

Apartment guinea pigs thrive on the same core diet as any other: grass hay as the main food, a daily mix of leafy greens, and a small amount of quality guinea pig pellets if you use them.^{4, 5}

Hay comes first

Hay should be available at all times. It supports digestion and helps wear down constantly growing teeth.^{4, 5}

Vitamin C is not optional

Guinea pigs can’t make their own vitamin C, so it must come from food every day (often via capsicum and leafy greens). Deficiency can develop quickly if vitamin C isn’t provided consistently.^{4, 6}

Pellets and treats (keep them modest)

If you feed pellets, choose a guinea pig pellet and keep the portion small—pellets shouldn’t replace hay. Fruit is best treated as an occasional extra rather than a daily staple.^{4, 5}

Exercise and enrichment in a small home

In an apartment, movement is usually “built in” through good enclosure design. A spacious layout encourages gentle roaming, foraging, and short bursts of speed.

• Hideouts and tunnels: encourage natural exploring and retreat behaviour.
• Chew-safe items: support dental wear alongside hay.
• Daily floor time: a secure playpen or guinea pig–proofed area can work well if you can supervise closely.

Skip exercise wheels and balls. Guinea pigs aren’t shaped for them, and the risk of injury isn’t worth it.

Health and veterinary care (correcting a common mistake)

Guinea pigs do need veterinary care, but they are not vaccinated against myxomatosis or rabbit haemorrhagic disease—those are rabbit diseases and rabbit vaccines are not part of standard guinea pig care. Instead, the basics are nutrition, hygiene, temperature control, and early attention to signs of illness.⁶

Signs to take seriously

• Not eating or eating much less than usual
• Laboured breathing, persistent sneezing, or nasal/eye discharge
• Diarrhoea or very soft droppings
• Lethargy, hunched posture, reluctance to move
• Sudden weight loss (a small kitchen scale is genuinely useful)

Because guinea pigs are small and their condition can change fast, it’s worth finding an exotics-capable vet before you need one.

Social life: companionship without chaos

Guinea pigs are social animals and many do best with a compatible companion, especially in an apartment where stimulation is limited to what you provide. If you keep more than one, ensure the enclosure is large enough and plan for careful introductions.

They also shouldn’t be housed with rabbits. The two species have different needs, and rabbits can injure guinea pigs or transmit certain bacteria and parasites.²

Choosing and adopting a guinea pig for apartment living

Look for a guinea pig that is bright-eyed, alert, and moving comfortably, with a clean nose and bottom. Ask what they’re currently eating and keep the diet stable for the first week, changing gradually as needed.

• Plan your enclosure and supplies before bringing them home.
• Adopt in pairs if possible (and if you can house them properly).
• Handle low to the ground at first; guinea pigs can wriggle, and falls are a common cause of injury.

Final thoughts

Guinea pigs can be excellent apartment pets when their essentials are treated as non-negotiable: plenty of flat space, constant hay, daily vitamin C–rich foods, stable temperatures, and gentle handling. Get those right and apartment life becomes quiet, contained, and surprisingly lively—small feet padding through tunnels, steady chewing, soft calls when the fridge door opens.

References

1. RSPCA Australia — Safe and happy guinea pigs
2. RSPCA Australia — Safe and happy guinea pigs (space guidance, companionship, rabbits)
3. RSPCA South Australia — Your questions answered: Guinea pig edition
4. RSPCA Australia — How should I care for my guinea pig?
5. RSPCA NSW — How to care for your guinea pig
6. Merck Veterinary Manual — Guinea pigs (nutrition and vitamin C)
7. RSPCA WA — Pocket pets (guinea pig care notes including heat stress)
8. Agriculture Victoria — Code of practice: minimum housing standards (guinea pigs)