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Guinea pigs belong to the rodent family and come in a mixture of colors from solid white, to brown and black. Native to South America, they have compact bodies and no tails.
Typical costs: |
- Guinea pigs with short hair in white, black and cream, or those with non-distinct markings run $10-$33.
- Guinear pigs with strong multi-colored patterns in black and white, gold and white cost around $29.
Related articles: Hamster, Rabbit, Ferret
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Additional costs: |
- Cages cost $35-$80. Some pet stores offer guinea pig starter kits which include a small cage, a month's supply of food, a water bottle, a bowl and bedding for around $45. 10-gallon aquariums run $20, but don't offer the same amount of ventilation as a wire cage.
- Guinea pig food costs around $5 for a 5-pound bag, or about $5-$10 per month depending on the size and appetite of the guinea pig.
- Harnesses used to take guinea pigs for a walk or to play in the yard run $5-$7.
- Exercise balls are priced $14-$17.
- Common Veterinary costs include spay or neutering for around $45. The Humane Society offers care and handling tips for guinea pigs.
Discounts: |
- Check the local classifieds for free or low-cost guinea pigs that often come with cages and toys.
Shopping for a guinea pig: |
- Petfinder.com offers a listing by zip code of rescued guinea pigs[1] looking for a home. Enter "small and furry" under animal and "guinea pig" under breed.
- Many local pet shops only carry rescued animals, so call ahead for color and availability.
- Guinea Pigs at Petsmart[2] vary in color by shipment. Also, to prevent unwanted litters, each store only carries either females or males. Call ahead for availability.
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What People Are Paying - Recent Comments |
| Posted by: solar in Boston, OH. | Posted: October 25th, 2021 11:10PM |
| Type: white haired or black | Store: petsmart |
im excited thats all i have to say |
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| Posted by: daisykay in Camden, MI. | Posted: February 28th, 2019 10:02AM |
| Type: c&c cage | Store: |
i would like to get a c&c cage for 100 dollars or less |
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| Posted by: Vickyisb in Columbia, SC. | Posted: February 17th, 2017 01:02PM |
| Type: White haired | Store: Pet smart |
These things are so cute. I'm gonna buy my sis one for Christmas I know it's far away but considering I'm 11 it's hard so I'm saving. Get them the wire cages. Don't build your own or use a exercise ball they are terrible for them. If you really love it you will be willing to send some money on it. My sisters gineau pig just died and she is very upset and now she's blaming herself. |
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A pound or two of food is about three or four. Lasts a while, and you give them a bag of hay for about two. Guinea pig was 15 with donation( has nothing to do with color or fur type) NEVER get them a ball or wheel! There spines aren't ment to bend like a hamster, there spines can break and kill them |
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| Posted by: dorothy francis in brownsville, KY. | Posted: February 12th, 2016 09:02PM |
| Type: short haired moty colored | Store: petco |
I gave 35.00 dollars for my big guinea pig she has 3 guinea pigs avaliable. I have no extra cages. |
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| Posted by: christine Lattimore in Gastonia, NC. | Posted: July 21st, 2015 12:07PM |
I'm from north Carolina. My guinea pig had babies . |
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| Posted by: a user in Edmonton, Other. | Posted: October 15th, 2014 09:10PM |
| Type: Abyssinian | Store: Humane society |
Amazing pigs! Built a c&c cage for $60 and got the pigs for 15 each. Two little aby girls |
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| Posted by: Leila in Cork, Other. | Posted: May 12th, 2014 01:05PM |
| Type: | Store: tiny local pet shop. |
I'm just like shaking my head at this.WTF?!No don't put a bledy guinea pig in an excersise ball!my first Piggie died of a broken spine when my very ignorant cousin put him in a ball :(
Starter kits...No!
The cages are way too tiny and everything is plastic and crap and will last U about 2 months!!
Don't trust the food on there-they look all fun and colourful but that's all artificial stuff!if that isn't the food in it then its always cheap muesli type feed which WILL cause feeding and fuss broblems.Just stick with pellets and hay.healthy simple and not that dead expensive!!! |
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| Posted by: a user in lol, MA. | Posted: October 30th, 2013 08:10PM |
At my local pet store, they have their guinea pigs for free if you buy a starter kit. The starter kit costs $105.00 and includes:
1. 3 months worth of food,hay,bedding,and vitanin c tablets(its good for your guinea pig if you put a special vitamin c tablet in their food every day since guinea pigs don't get enough)
2. large 4x3x4 foot cage
3. food bowl (with portion sizes marked)
4. water bottle
5. bed
6. Bathroom dish
7. a few toys and chew toys
afterwards i also bought:
1. Harness
2. ball
3. another toy
per 3 months after i used the whole starter kit, i bought $80 worth of "refills" for the food pellets, hay, bedding, and vitamin C. Im going to wait to get another because there is this really fluffy one at the store but she's pregnant so i have to wait until she has the babies but i want to wait until all her babies are grown up and/or sold. |
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| Posted by: delphine brodlowicz in buffalo, NY. | Posted: October 2nd, 2013 02:10PM |
| Type: tri-color | Store: spca |
i bought a guinea pig from a spca shelter and it was not healthy at the time I purchased it they told me it was healthy and they gave me a free vetinarie vouchor to have her check up see if she is healthy every one told me she was healthy and now she died on me she was only 61/2 years old now I took her to the vetand they told me she has ashe had a gas bubble and then the vet also to me she had a block on the guineapig kidney or may be a stone in the kidney the vet relly did not know what to do for her and the vet was a specialist in guinea pig and gave me some medicine but the guinea pig didn t want to eat it and then she stopped eating all to gether and died three days later and now I am in remorse of my little babe guinea pig. |
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| Posted by: melanie nickerson in bingomton, NY. | Posted: February 4th, 2013 03:02PM |
| Type: short haired | Store: any |
i would really want a twenty dolller guniea pig please help me |
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| Posted by: I love guinea pigs in Bradonton, FL. | Posted: May 11th, 2012 04:05PM |
| Type: Guinea pig | Store: Petsmart |
I love guinea pigs I think there 20$ |
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| Posted by: needacuteguineapigsoon! in Mount Vernon, WA. | Posted: April 11th, 2012 06:04AM |
| Type: medium haired | Store: petco |
I have no idea what I should do there is so much info about guinea pigs that I researched all last week but the cost is so high that I don't think I will be able to afford it and I am kind of wary of the ads because the guinea pig could be sick in some way or something this is so hard I have never had a guinea pig before and I am an only child so it would be good for me to have a good pet. |
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| Posted by: a user in lebanon, OR. | Posted: July 21st, 2011 01:07PM |
| Type: short haired | Store: neighbors |
our neighbors gave us our guine pigs we paid 20 bucks for the largest cage from them. we got lucky, our kids were going thru a hard time sence there mom left and they have brought them so much joy. 5 kids and not one bite. they squeal at the sound of wrappers cause they no theres treat, carrots, salad, there so much joy, we love them, |
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| Posted by: taylor in buckingham, AR. | Posted: April 2nd, 2011 09:04AM |
| Type: Himilayin pig | Store: pet store |
i love my Guniea pig! she is so spoiled! Her name is Jocelyn and i got her for a very cheap cost! |
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| Posted by: a user in gray court, SC. | Posted: October 11th, 2010 10:10AM |
| Type: short hair gp | Store: |
i got a guinea pig from someone for 10 dollars instead of the pet store. now if you live in an area like mine which is in south carolina then this article is very true when you live out in the sticks the cost is way less. but i used to live in maryland for the first 14 years of my life and yes the costs up north are much higher but that is because ppl make more money up there. so if u live down south this is true if you live up north its gonna cost more money. gp only cost 30 dollars in a pet store down here!!! and i made my own cage the metal cubes cost 18 dollars and with all the accesories and my gp it was 75 dollars total and vet checks are 25 dollars down here. |
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| Posted by: me.net in Marriottsville, MD. | Posted: September 26th, 2010 12:09PM |
Do NOT EVER EVER EVER put a guinea pig in and aquarium or a ball. it is bad for them. Also, they need fresh veggies like kale, pepper and carrots. |
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| Posted by: set in san antonio, TX. | Posted: June 24th, 2010 05:06PM |
ok lets see, neutering is well over 100 bucks and the piggies need a lot of space, EXERCISE BALLS WILL BREAK THEIR BACK(maybe)and no no no no NOO starter kits, they're garbage |
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| Posted by: Jeff C. in Somerset, NJ. | Posted: April 3rd, 2010 04:04PM |
| Type: | Store: Breeder |
Guinea pigs are great little pets but do require more $ and care then this article says. Adoption is always best but the most you should spend for a GP is about $40. A bigger cage is always better and Marchiorio make the best cages. Like others said, NEVER put GP's in an aquarium! Albays buy at least two as well.
Diet, we feed our girls only organic veggies and fruit. They love green leaf lettuce, carrots, cucumber, baby tomatoes, dandelion greens, blue berries, strawberries, and kiwi. They need pellets (don't buy the multi color ones, the basic Kay-tee brand is best).
Timothy hay and alfalfa blocks are essential to good guinea pig health.
Be sure to find a doctor that specializes in GP's if possible. Luckily we have a great one on Long Island who is the best.
For bedding we use care fresh, it's not cheap but is the best stuff on the market.
Also we give ours at least 1 or 2 hours of free time to run around outside their cage. We put out some small rugs, little houses for sleeping and a litter tray with some fresh hay. After that we give them a treat dish full of fresh veggies, they are in heaven! |
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| Posted by: a user in kissime, FL. | Posted: January 24th, 2010 03:01PM |
| Type: male | Store: petco |
i was going to get a turtle but when i passed bye Oreo i couldent get a turtle because he was so cute! |
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| Posted by: my3siamese in Inde, IA. | Posted: January 22nd, 2010 06:01AM |
| Type: male | Store: independent pet store |
We paid $20 for our male guinea pig from an independent pet store. We got the cage/starter kit at Petsmart for around $35. I get a big bale of natural wood shavings a couple times a year for $6. The bag of guinea pig food I get at Wal Mart costs $3 and lasts him quite awhile. We get the hay online. I feel he is a pretty inexpensive pet. |
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| Posted by: a user in wichita, KS. | Posted: November 3rd, 2009 10:11AM |
| Type: medium-long haired | Store: petco |
my guinea pig cost $30 alone. the cage and its excessaries cost $75 (cage, water, food, toy, treat) that was just the started kit. i usually spend $20 at the most on him every 2 weeks for food, bedding and hay. Vet visits are 48.00 and then any mediciation needed or other things needed is an additional cost to the vet. he is expensive but i love him very much! |
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| Posted by: Adopt a pet! in Boston, MA. | Posted: July 3rd, 2009 06:07AM |
| Type: Pair of American short haired | Store: Adopted from animal shelter |
Where to even start? An aquarium isn't even close to being an acceptable cage. A good home-built cage runs about $50. A too-small store-bought cage runs well over $100. Neuter costs is in the $300 range, not $45. Those exercise balls are a hazard. Starter kits are mostly junk, in a too-small cage.
The Amount Spent is the adoption price for my latest pair of pigs (they were so happy I was adopting, the offered the pair for $30). I've had guinea pigs for over a decade. Yearly amounts for guinea pig pellets, hay, veggies and pine bedding run me about $550 for two pigs (and I get a great deal on the bedding and pellets). Vet visits, on a good year, is $0. An average year runs over $200 per pig, and in a bad year, tops over $1000 per pig. Another gotcha is they require an exotics vet -- not every dog&cat vet is going to know how to treat them.
They are amazingly entertaining and fun pets. But they are not as inexpensive as this article indicates. And please consider adoption. You'd be amazed how many guinea pigs are in shelters. |
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| Posted by: jedifreac in , NA. | Posted: July 2nd, 2009 10:07PM |
I found several mistakes on this page that could lead to severe health problems and cause costs to skyrocket.
Neutering is usually far more expensive than $45, anywhere from $100 to $300. Also, most guinea pigs should not have to be fixed as long as they live in same sex pairs. The budget should also reflect supplies for two guinea pigs since it is never reccomended to only have one. They are social animals and more prone to health problems if they live alone.
They are also more prone to health problems when living in a small cage. 10 gallon aquariums are NEVER appropriate unless you want your pig to develop respiratory infection. An inexpensive homemade cage large enough to prevent health problems can be constructed for under $50 (see guineapigcages.com)--cheaper than ANY pet store cage.
In addition to pellets, guinea pigs should also have about a cup of fresh vegetables daily. And they should ALWAYS have hay. Guinea pigs need timothy or bluegrass hay in order to stay alive; it's a dietary necessity.
Also, exercise balls should never be used by a guinea pig. Their spines don't bend that way and it could lead to back injury, foot injury, heat exhaustion etc. |
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| Posted by: Roary in queens, NY. | Posted: September 25th, 2008 12:09PM |
| Type: | Store: petco |
Guinea pigs are awesome pets but could be a little pricey. They range from 40-80$. On the bright side they are awesome and they never bite. You could cuddle with them and even take theem for long walks, I <33333 guinea pigs1 |
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| Posted by: a user in Charlotte, NC. | Posted: January 7th, 2008 03:01PM |
| Type: short-haired | Store: Petsmart and other local pet stores |
I had one guinea pig and my sybling had 4 between them both over the years. They passed several years ago and I am ready for a new one! |
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External Resources: |
- www.petfinder.com/
- stores.petsmart.com/
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