Aims: To describe the size and type of housing used by owners for pet guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) in New Zealand.
Methods: A survey was distributed via social media (3 September 2020 to 3 November 2020) to guinea pig interest groups and animal agencies in New Zealand. Participation was self-selected by respondents who were asked a range of questions regarding the housing and husbandry of their oldest guinea pig. Data regarding conspecifics, cage location and type, time spent out of the enclosure and size are reported here. Descriptive statistics were calculated and the associations between housing type and size were assessed.
Results: A sample of 330 owners provided details of housing for their guinea pig. Most respondents housed their guinea pigs in groups of two or more (283/330; 85.7%). The most frequently reported housing types were a hutch or cage with an attached run (155/330; 47.0%) and inside the house in their own area (90/330, 27.3%). The mean size of enclosures was 3.3 (SD 4.3; median 2.0; min 0.3: max 37.5) m2 and the mean area provided per guinea pig was 1.4 (SD 1.6; median 0.9; min 0.2; max 10) m2. Of the owners using enclosures, 59/284, (21.1%) provided less cage space than the minimum recommended by the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RNZSPCA; 1.0 m2 per pair of guinea pigs). Nearly two-thirds (89/318; 59.4%) of respondents provided their guinea pigs daily time in a different area to their main living area (pen, garden, house, deck or garage) on a daily basis.
Conclusions and clinical relevance: While mean cage size reported by respondents was greater than that recommended for pet guinea pigs by the RNZSPCA and fell within the range recommended by animal welfare groups internationally, a notable proportion of guinea pigs were housed in cages smaller than the recommended size. Furthermore the majority of guinea pigs were not provided with time outside this cage. Further work to investigate the effect of housing size on welfare of pet guinea pigs is required.
Keywords: Guinea pig; cage size; housing size; standard; welfare.