The 8 Essential Guinea Pig Supplies of 2023

Best Habitat

MidWest Homes for Pets Guinea Habitat Plus

4.8

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It's common to find guinea pig habitats that are way too small for these playful, sociable creatures, but the MidWest Homes for Pets Guinea Habitat Plus provides a roomy eight square feet of space. The cage assembles easily (or can be collapsed into panels for easy storage), with a wire top that provides multiple ways to access the interior, either to pick up your pig, or for cleaning. Two side doors make changing water and food convenient.

Cleaning is one of the Guinea Habitat's strengths, with a PVC-lined canvas bottom that reaches several inches up the side. This waterproof liner contains messes and spills. It's easy to wipe down, or you can remove the whole liner for a more thorough cleaning. It's always important to provide a flat surface for your guinea pig—wire cage bottoms aren't appropriate for their sensitive feet.

The Guinea Habitat Plus also includes a divider panel which splits the cage into two segments, allowing you to provide a separate area for litter or feeding. The two different spaces are bridged with included ramps.

The MidWest Homes for Pets Guinea Habitat Plus is suitable for one or two guinea pigs, or you can buy a second habitat and easily connect it to the first for double the space.

Price at time of publish: $73

^{Dimensions:  47 x 14 x 24 inches | Materials: Alloy steel, PVC-lined canvas}

Best Food

Oxbow Essentials Adult Guinea Pig Food

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Oxbow Essentials Adult Guinea Pig Food is nutritionally complete. Made from high-fiber Timothy grass meal, these pellets provide protein, fat, calcium, phosphorous, Vitamin A, Vitamin D3, and Vitamin E. Provide unlimited hay, some leafy greens, and 1/8 cup of these pellets to each of your adult guinea pigs every day, and they'll be receiving the right blend of vitamins and other nutrients.

This guinea pig food comes in the form of identical pellets, which is meant to keep your guinea pig from selectively eating only the parts they like most. Instead, Oxbow Essentials is designed to be supplemented with greens and other treats.

There are also formulations available for young and senior guinea pigs.

Price at time of publish: $13 (5-pound bag)

^{Primary Ingredients: Timothy grass meal, soybean hulls, wheat middlings, soybean meal, cane molasses, sodium bentonite, soybean oil, salt, lignin sulfonate, limestone, yeast culture, vitamin C, vitamin E supplement | Sizes: 5, 10, 25-pound bags}

Best Hay

Small Pet Select 2nd Cutting Timothy Hay

4.5

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Hay should make up about 80 percent of a guinea pig's diet, and should be available at all times. Useful for wearing down always-growing rodent teeth, hay also provides fiber, protein, and moisture. While there are a variety of hays that guinea pigs can eat, timothy hay is often recommended by veterinarians as the best hay for daily consumption, since it's not too hard and not too soft, plus it has the best balance of fiber, protein, and fat.

The hay that's harvested first is the toughest and primary stems. Small Pet Select's 2nd Cutting Timothy Hay comes from the subsequent yield, and its softer, with more leaves and tasty flowery heads. While Small Pet Select has a wide range of hays, including their Gourmet Hay Medley, the 2nd Cutting Timothy Hay is their bestselling, and most likely to work well for your pig's daily needs.

It's also convenient, with delivery options ranging from 12-ounce bags to 40-pound boxes, with a wide range of sizes in between. Shipping is efficient, and free if you spend over $40. It's also easy to set up recurring shipments.

The main downside to Small Pet Select Timothy Hay is that it's only available through delivery. If you're looking for a brand that's easier to find in pet stores, check out Oxbow Western Timothy Hay instead.

Price at time of publish: $24 (5 pounds)

^{Sizes: 12-ounces, 2-, 5-, 10-, 20-, 25-, 40-pounds}

Best Water Bottle

Choco Nose Small Animal Water Bottle

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The 11.2 ounce Choco Nose Small Animal Water Bottle has a leakproof nozzle that can be fitted to most standard plastic bottles. The included bottle is BPA-free and easy to fill. The Choco Nose water bottle is also a cinch to install, so long as the wires of your cage are less than 1.5 inches apart. And while the plastic bracket is easy to tighten by hand, we do wish it had more durable metal components instead of plastic.

The Choco Nose Small Animal Water Bottle has a 10-millimeter nozzle and is available in three different colors.

Price at time of publish: $12

^{Dimensions: 3.5 x 2.75 x 6.5 inches | Volume: 11.2 ounces | Color: Royal blue, green, pink}

Best Treat

Vitakraft Guinea Pig Crunch Sticks

4.3

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Each Vitakraft Guinea Pig Crunch Stick combines dried fruit, honey, cracked corn, oats, and other foraging treats. It's also supplemented with Vitamin C and other micronutrients. Each treat is triple-baked, creating a hardened chew that's appropriately tough on your pig's teeth, with lots of crunch. Plus, the treat is attached to a chewable wood center, so it's not a big deal if your pig is a little over-eager eating it.

Designed to be hung inside your pig's cage, each Crunch Stick has a plastic hook for easy hanging. Each stick is about nine inches tall, and most retailers sell them in multi-packs too. There are multiple flavor options, including Apple & Orange, Fruit & Honey, Wild Berry & Honey, and Grains & Honey.

Price at time of publish: $4

^{Dimensions: 3.5 x 1.25 x 9.5 inches | Flavors: Apple & Orange, Grains & Honey, Fruit & Honey, Wild Berry & Honey,}

Best Tunnel

Living World Hagen Pet Tunnel

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The Living World Pet Tunnel is available in a medium size (35 inches long and 6 inches​ in diameter) and a large size (35 inches long and 8 inches in diameter)—either one would be suitable for a guinea pig. Both sizes have a hole in the center of the tunnel for peek-a-boo. It can also be attached to other Living World products, like the Living World Tent for Pets.

Price at time of publish: $16 (Large)

^{Sizes: 5.9 x 5.9 x 35.4 inches (Medium); 7.9 x 7.9 x 35.4 inches (Large) | Colors: Red (medium), blue (large) | Materials: Polyester}

Best Grooming Kit

Ware Manufacturing Small Animal Grooming Kit

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Guinea pigs don’t need much grooming maintenance, but they do need some. Use the Ware Manufacturing Small Animal Grooming Kit to make sure your creature’s fur is smooth and clean, and their nails are shorter to prevent scratching.

The kit comes with two types of brush. The first is a pin or slicker brush, which has thin metal pins that are excellent at removing fur—perfect for when your guinea pig is visibly shedding. The kit also has a bristle brush, which is gentler, and more suited for a soothing, bonding brushing session. It will help distribute oils and keep your pig's coat shiny.

The Ware Small Animal Grooming Kit also icludes nail clippers, and even a wooden chew toy to engage your guinea pig as you groom.

Price at time of publish: $14

^{Dimensions: Packaging is ‎10 x 7.25 x 1.25 inches | Materials: Plastic, wood, and metal}