One type of guinea pig cage is a wooden hutch. The smaller hutches most commonly seen in Pet Stores for guinea pigs are only 30-36 inches in length and so should be avoided as these do not provide a sufficiently large area. However, many Pet Stores also stock larger wooden hutches which are more suitable for housing guinea pigs and there are also companies that specialise in producing suitable hutches for guinea pigs.

Guinea Pig hutches have an enclosed wooden paneled area with a door that is necessary so that the guinea pig can seek privacy to sleep and shelter from weather conditions if kept outside, with a larger area with wooden roof, back and sides and a wire mesh front.

If the guinea pig is to be housed outside it is important that any guinea pig hutch purchased has a sloping waterproof roof in order to prevent the wood soaking up water and becoming damp and cold in periods of bad weather. Guinea pig hutches that have a plain wooden flat roof are designed for indoor use and should not be used outside.

There are also guinea pig hutches available with a wooden framed extension with wire mesh sides and no floor (called a "guinea pig run"). This type of guinea pig hutch with a guinea pig run is intended to be placed on grass so that the guinea pig has free access to a grass area where it can graze and also play and exercise. There are also two storey guinea pig hutches available where the bottom storey is a guinea pig run and the top storey is the hutch with a ramp connecting the two levels and providing the guinea pig with plenty of room.

The disadvantage of a wooden guinea pig hutch is that the wood soaks the urine and so deep floor covering to soak up the urine and frequent cleaning is needed to keep the cage free from smell, particularly if the guinea pig is kept indoors.

Guinea pigs can also gnaw the wood and so any wooden guinea pig hutch may need repairing from time to time.

Other Guinea Pig Cages  »

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