Guinea pigs may not go through life stages in the same way as humans, but they still experience the ups and downs of aging. Considering that a guinea pig’s average lifespan is 5 to 6 years, life plays out a lot faster for our furry friends. For example, how old is a 1-year-old guinea pig in human years? If they were human, you’d be the proud parent of a 12-year-old teenager!
Let’s take a look at all the different guinea pig years to human years in our handy chart below, and find out if you have a preppy teenager or a wise old grandma as your furry companion.
What is the lifespan of a guinea pig?
On average, guinea pigs live around 5 to 6 years. With some piggies being lucky enough to stretch their lifespan to 8 years, and one Guiness World Record guinea pig living for a grand total of 14 years!
Over time, they go through childhood, puberty, adulthood, and retirement in the same way as humans, just a lot faster. For example, female guinea pigs can become sexually mature as early as 4 weeks old! That’s why keeping male and female piggies separate from a young age is so important, at least until the males have been neutered.
Similarly, guinea pigs reach old age at just 4 years old. This stage of their life will call for regular weight checks and better monitoring for potential health issues.
Let’s take a look at what each age corresponds to, in human years:
How can I tell my guinea pig's age?
If you are adopting your guinea pigs from a local rescue, they will be able to provide you with the age of your piggy and guidance on how to care for them. If this isn’t the case, then you can judge a guinea pig’s age based on their size, weight, and appearance.
A baby guinea pig will be small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, and a young adult piggy will weigh around 1000g to 1500g (2.2lb-3.5lb) if male, and 900g to 1100g (2lb-2.5lb) if female. However, note that weight can really vary from piggy to piggy, so it’s important to regularly weigh them regardless of age to spot any changes in their health.
Guinea pig nails can also tell you the age of your pet, as a young piggy will have thinner and whiter nails than a senior, whose nails tend to turn thicker and yellow in colour.
How to care for different guinea pig ages
At Kavee, we love to use our years of guinea pig expertise to help new and experienced piggy parents learn more about their beloved pets. That’s why we have created a variety of blogs to guide you through every step of piggy parenthood:
If these aren’t enough, and you’d love a complete guide to always refer to, download, and maybe even print out, check out our Guide to Guinea Pig Care. Created alongside Kavee Rescue’s Tara, it contains answers to every possible piggy care question you might have.
If you still can’t find an answer, feel free to reach out to our expert team on our Insta, and our Kavee Kommunity & customer care team will be more than happy to help!
Conclusion
While this may not be an exact science, there’s no doubt that a 6-year-old guinea pig will feel their age more than a young 2-year-old piggy. Just make sure you adapt your guinea pig care over the years to ensure your floofs get everything they need to thrive, both in their early and late years.
As always, the right guinea pig care starts with a spacious cage, comfy & absorbent bedding, and accessories that enrich their lives. Once you’ve set up their perfect home, they’ll be ready to happily zoom and popcorn to their heart’s content.
