Linners Essentials
Liners & Bedding , Care Guide

3 Elderly Guinea Pigs Care Tips (2023 Update!)

Caring for elderly guinea pigs isn’t talked about a lot, so let’s talk about it today. Guinea pigs can live from 4 - ...
read this blog to learn how to start taking care of guinea pigs that are aging or is a senior guinea pig

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!

3 Elderly Guinea Pig Care Tips

1. Comfortable Living

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.

Piggy Condo C&C Cage

Overall, providing a comfortable and safe living environment is crucial for the health and happiness of your elderly guinea pig. With a few simple adjustments, such as using the Premium GuineaDad Liner, removing any obstacles that are difficult to climb, and expanding their living space, you can help ensure that they live out their golden years in comfort and contentment.

2. Health Issues

guinea pig health problems

    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

      how to care for guinea pigs

        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.

          Bond with your piggie with Premium GuineaDad Liner

          Related Products

          Back to blog

          7 comments

          My piggies is almost 8 and the vet gave her some strong medication for arthritis and now she can’t walk. I am doing all I can to help her get her strength back.

          Eme Johnson

          Guinea pigs with soft or mishapened poo should be given a pro biotic like bene-bac. They should also be on prebiotic (bene-bac) when they’re on an antibiotic.

          Vic

          The food for my piggie has .35% calcium. He is about 5 to 6 years old. There are some white marks on the pad. Is he getting too much calcium and what should he be getting?

          Caryl

          Thank you so much for your newsletter. I started with my Curly last year and rescued a companion for him. They are doing great. I rescued my Reeses and then my Milly but they prefer to just have their space between them. There is no love greater than Guinea pigs. Thanks again for all the information you give us

          Kathy

          Thank you for the blog, our boys are now 4 and we are trying to learn what senior pigs will need. This was helpful.

          stacey

          Leave a comment