3 Elderly Guinea Pigs Care Tips (2023 Update!)

2023 Update!

Hey there, GuineaGang!

Do you have old guinea pigs? It happens sooner than we expect, and there are some important ways to help our guinea pigs maintain a good quality of life as they age. Here's what you need to know:

Caring for elderly guinea pigs isn’t talked about a lot, so let’s talk about it today. Guinea pigs can live from 5 - 7 years depending on their health and how they are raised! Each piggie shows signs of aging differently and at different rates. It really shows in their activity, physical appearance, and more. Many believe that piggies show their senior side after 3 years of age, some show signs way later in their lifetime. Hopefully these tips will give you an easier time understanding and caring for your guinea pig no matter what age they are. Better to be prepared!

1. Comfortable Living

As your guinea pigs get older, it's important to keep them comfortable and safe in their living environment. Older piggies sleep more, so providing plenty of plush and soft places for them to rest, such as a bed or soft fleece liner, is crucial. We recommend the Premium GuineaDad Liner for comfortable living. It's also important to clean their living space a little more frequently than when they were younger, since they will be staying in one place for longer periods of time.

To make it easier for your elderly piggy to move around, remove any toys or obstacles that are hard to climb, like ramps. Keep everything on a single floor so your piggie doesn't have to work too hard when walking around. This will also help ensure that they have easy access to their food, water, and litter box.

If you have the Piggy Condo C&C Cage with Balcony & Ramp, you can turn the balcony base into a ground floor base extension as your guinea pigs get older. This will give them more room to explore and move around, which is especially important as they age and may have difficulty climbing up and down the ramp.

2. Health Issues

As your piggie ages, the more health issues they may have. Weighing your piggie frequently could let you diagnose if there is a problem or not and the sooner you figure it out, the better. Weight loss is one of the first signs that shows something is off. As piggies age, some of the health issues they may experience is arthritis, heart failure, kidney problems, overgrown molars, brittle teeth, cataracts, and more. Most problems may be small and can be easily solved with some medicine while others may need more serious attention. If you suspect that there is a problem, get in contact with a veterinarian as soon as possible.

3. Food and Water

Food intake for older piggies differ from when they are younger. It is recommended to not give them as many pellets as when they were younger. A pellet with low protein and low calcium would work better. Giving them too many pellets at an old age could lead to bladder stones so be aware! A sign of good guinea pig health is how much food they take in, a healthy guinea pig of any age should have a good appetite. To monitor how much your elderly guinea pig is eating, you can use a measuring cup for pellets and hay. For water, take a marker to mark before and after each day to see how much they drank. Remember, older piggies are more susceptible to illnesses so be sure to change out their water and good more frequently!

Guinea pigs should still be loved just as much as when they were young! Just because they need a bit more care doesn’t mean they can’t give the same amount of love to you. Be sure you familiarize yourself with your guinea pig’s habits and routine so that you can spot when it changes and don't be scared to quickly reach out to a vet when problems arise.