Guinea pigs are often bought as first pets for kids because people think they’re low maintenance and easy to care for, as well as cheap pets. Any piggy parent can tell you otherwise! Guinea pigs need just as much care, if not more, than dogs or cats. They’re not only a personal long-term commitment, but a financial one as well. Guinea pigs can live for 8 years or longer, so it’s important to decide if you can commit to caring for them their entire lives.
To help you make the decision if guinea pigs are, financially, the right pet for you, we’ve put together a breakdown of costs you should plan for when getting two guinea pigs. Remember, piggies are extremely social animals and should never live the single guinea pig life!
Please note that this is a general guide based on an average budget. Some items can vary in price, depending on where you live and shop.
The cost of guinea pigs and their setup: £260 to £430
All together, the price of guinea pigs and their setup is about £260 to £430. You can reduce this amount by buying second-hand guinea pig supplies, but check everything is of good quality and thoroughly cleaned before you take it to your pets.
You can save on the costs of guinea pigs by adopting from a rescue. Take into consideration that a rescue (or even a reputable breeder) might ask to see your set-up before you can adopt your floofs to ensure the piggies are going to the best home and that the new piggy parents are ready to deal with how much guinea pigs cost!
How much do guinea pigs usually cost?
Remember that guinea pigs must live in pairs or herds as they're social animals, so don't let any pet store or breeder convince you otherwise. Usually, the price of guinea pigs will vary depending on where you get them from and their breed.
A rescue or shelter is likely to ask for a contribution, but will probably cost less than a breeder. While buying a rare guinea pig breed from a breeder is likely to be the most expensive option. It’s up to the piggy parents to decide what they’re after.
Free guinea pigs
Sometimes, piggy parents can no longer care for their little cavies, so they offer their pets for free to a good home. If you come across some priceless yet free piggies, make sure to ask the following questions:
- Why they’re being rehomed
- Why they’re free
- If they’re sociable and have been handled
- If they have a medical history
Please note: if you need to make the sad decision to rehome your own piggies, it’s always best to ask for an adoption fee. You wouldn’t want the furry friends to end up in the wrong hands just because they were free.
Rescue Guinea Pigs - Adoption fee: £20 to £40
Most animal shelters are overrun with small furries, including guinea pigs, so by adopting your floofs, you’re giving piggies in need a good home and making room for more pets in need. The price of guinea pigs from a shelter can be around £20 to £40 per piggy. This is to cover the piggies’ food and care while they are with them.
These pets come from all backgrounds and circumstances, and you can get to know them at the shelter before taking them home, like a piggy meet and greet! Shelters are great at bonding piggies, so they can also help you with finding the best piggy match.
Breeder Guinea Pigs - Fee £40 to >£100
The cost of guinea pigs from a breeder is around £40 or higher on average. But how much you really pay depends on the breed you select, and sometimes also on your location. If you’re looking for guinea pig breeds that are rare in your local area, the prices go sky high.
The cost of guinea pig cages: £80 - £250
Before you bring your piggies home, you’ll need the right indoor guinea pig cage for them. While we recommend you keep your guinea pigs indoors, you could opt to house them outside, but only if you take extra steps to guarantee their safety.
The best guinea pig house is a C&C cage, as it's spacious, safe, and a great long-term investment for your furry family. This type of cage allows you to expand and modify your existing set-up without having to buy a whole new cage. If you get a pair of female guinea pigs, a 4x2 C&C cage would be the minimum size recommended, starting at £92 at Kavee. For a pair of male guinea pigs, a 5x2 C&C cage is a better choice, starting at £82. You can then add a loft and ramp, a stand, and lots of lovely accessories to it.
The initial costs of guinea pig bedding: ~£70
Fleece liners make the best guinea pig bedding, as they’re easy to clean, reusable, super absorbent, and soft to your piggies' feet. Plus, you don’t have to worry about dust causing respiratory problems, like other types of bedding do. An all-round winner for your piggies!
The price of guinea pigs' fleece liners is around £80 to £100 if you take into consideration getting more than one to have as a spare. Kavee’s plush and lush fleece liners fit neatly inside our C&C cages, so if you’re starting off with two fleece liners for your 4x2 cage (so you can use one while the other one’s being washed), you’d be looking at £93. This can seem like a big investment at the start, but you’ll actually save money compared to bags of wood shavings and other bedding, as it's reusable.
The costs of guinea pig accessories: £110-130
If these floofs are your first piggies, you’ll need lots of accessories for their cage. Guinea pigs need space in their cage to run, good bedding, and also lots of entertainment and comfy hiding spots.
As a starter kit, you’ll want to get these essentials before you pick up your pigs:
|
Item |
Cost |
|
Hideys (x2) |
£84.00 |
|
Water bottle |
£1.99 |
|
Bottle brush |
£2.50 |
|
Food bowls (x2) |
£8.00 |
|
£22.00 |
|
|
Outdoor run for exercise time |
£50.00 |
|
Enrichment toys (assorted) |
£9.00 |
|
Scale (for health checks) |
£8.00 |
|
£54.00 |
|
|
Nail clipper |
£2.50 |
|
Vitamin C |
£8.99 |
|
Syringe |
£2.99 |
|
Total Cost |
~£254 |
These accessories help you make sure your piggies have access to fresh water and food at all times. They’re also important for foraging fun and enrichment to keep your piggies busy, and plenty of grooming tools that keep them looking their best. A weekly health check is key to healthy guinea pigs, so the brush, scales, and nail trimmers are crucial to staying on top of your pets’ wellbeing.
The initial cost of guinea pigs probably seems pretty high, but by investing in the right equipment from the beginning, you’re saving lots of money in the long run and also kicking off your relationship with your pets with a great start.
The Yearly Routine Expenses of Two Guinea Pigs: ~£1000
Once your furry friends are set up in a nice guinea pig cage with everything they need, it’s time for piggy parents to think about the upkeep costs. The small furries are known for their big appetites, so the food bill is likely to be the highest cost of guinea pigs to plan for.
How much does a guinea pig’s food cost? ~£500
A piggy’s diet should consist of unlimited amounts of hay, a small teacup of veggies per piggy per day, a portion of pellets, and fresh, clean water. But not all guinea pig food is equal!
The right hay makes a big difference for your guinea pigs’ overall health, including their teeth, and Timothy hay is the best option for piggies. A bit of meadow and oat hay is also good for them. When it comes to veggies, it’s all about variety, so as long as the vegetables you choose are safe, you can have fun trying out different ones until you discover their faves.
Pellets for guinea pigs, instead, vary in quality. Many brands have artificial colouring and grains or cereal in them that could harm your cute cavies. It’s also a good idea to avoid soy, corn, wheat, and GMOs in your pets’ diet. Piggy parents may end up spending a little more on their piggies’ food, but it’ll save them a lot of trouble - and money - with vet bills later on.
Here’s an idea of what a piggy diet could cost for two pigs:
|
Item |
Cost per month |
Cost per year |
|
Hay |
£9.99 |
£119.88 |
|
High Quality Pellets |
£19 |
£228 |
|
Mixed Vegetables |
£40 |
£480 |
|
Total Cost |
£68.99 |
£827.88 |
The cost of yearly care for guinea pig bedding - £30-40
Your choice of bedding makes a big difference to the annual cost of guinea pig care. Surprisingly, the higher upfront cost of fleece liners pays off really quickly because you can reuse them as many times as you like. By comparison, the annual cost for guinea pig single-use bedding is much higher.
Even the cheapest type of alternative bedding adds over £100 to the annual cost of guinea pigs - plus, the reusable liners are much better for the environment and super soft under your piggies’ paws.
|
Breakdown of Fleece Washing Cost |
Cost Breakdown |
|
Washing Machine Cost (No dryer as air drying is recommended) |
£0.31 per week |
|
Detergent |
£0.30 per week |
|
Fabric Softener (white vinegar) |
£0.30 per week |
|
Yearly |
~£48 |
The cost of yearly healthcare for two guinea pigs - ~£60
We’d love for guinea pigs to always be happy and healthy. But sometimes, there’s no way around a visit to a cavy-savvy vet, and a routine check-up once a year helps piggy parents prevent very expensive emergency trips. How much veterinary care for your sweet floofs costs depends on location and your piggy’s health problem, so it can be anywhere between £30 to £3,000.
With an annual check-up at your trusted vet, you can care for your guinea pigs while also making sure your vet knows your precious pets. Our furry friends are prey animals, so they hide illnesses for as long as piggily possible. By the time our untrained eyes spot something’s wrong, the piggies could already be very sick. A yearly vet visit to monitor your pets’ wellbeing can help you spot any issues much sooner.
If you’re worried about the cost of guinea pig veterinary care, you can look into insuring your pets for around £20 to £30 a month. Or putting a little money into a piggy healthcare bank every month, so you’re prepared for any surprise vet trips.
Emergency treatment - £250 to £3,000
When it comes to your piggies’ health, you won’t want to save on the cost of a guinea pig’s healthcare. It’s best to have a plan in place for any surprise vet visits, especially when it comes to emergency care.
Conclusion: Guinea pigs can cost you around £1470 the first year!
If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that our small pets definitely aren’t cheap. The cost of caring for two guinea pigs is high, sitting at around £1000 to £1470 or more depending on the accessories you wish to get. Since a guinea pig's life expectancy is around 5 to 7 years, if not longer, new piggy parents should to consider the financial commitment of these small pets carefully.
FAKs - Frequently Asked Kavees about the Cost of Guinea Pigs
How much do guinea pig cages cost?
Choosing the right cage for your furry friends makes all the difference to their quality of life. A good C&C cage costs between £56 and £296 and is worth every penny!
How much do guinea pigs cost a year?
For bedding, food, and healthcare, the annual cost for guinea pigs is around £1470. Potential piggy parents should consider carefully whether this is a commitment they can make for their adorable friends.
How much is the guinea pig neutering cost?
What the guinea pig neuter will cost varies depending on your location. The average guinea pig neuter cost is around £50 per pig.
