Starter kit for guinea pigs and rabbits: what you need for day one

It pays to have everything ready before your guinea pigs or rabbits arrive, because the first days are about settling in, not shopping trips. The good news is that the list is shorter than you might think. The bad news is that pet shop shelves are full of accessories nobody actually needs.

The most important item is not a thing but a companion

Before we talk equipment, one thing needs saying: guinea pigs and rabbits are herd animals. Kept alone, even the finest cage is just solitary confinement. Guinea pigs should come at least in pairs, and for rabbits a bonded pair is the baseline too. Size the housing and the portions for two animals from the start.

Housing: bigger than the box promises

The average shop-bought cage is too small in most cases. Two guinea pigs need a floor at least 120 centimetres long, and preferably more, while for rabbits you should be thinking in terms of a pen or a fenced-off part of a room rather than a cage at all, with free-roam time every day. The ground rule is simple: both species need to run, jump and stretch up tall every single day, and it is the housing that has to make this possible, not the owner's guilty conscience.

The shopping list for before they arrive

• Housing: a cage or pen panels, sized for two animals.
• Litter: a dust-free, absorbent base layer with hay on top.
• Unlimited hay, plus a hay rack mounted on the wall or the bars to keep it clean.
• One hideout per animal plus a spare: a wooden hideout house is safe even when chewed.
• Water: a cage-mounted water bottle and a stable ceramic bowl, both to start with.
• A feeding bowl for greens and pellets, in heavy ceramic so it cannot tip.
• A carrier, because sooner or later the vet is unavoidable.

That is all. They will do wonderfully without electric fountains, leads, plastic exercise balls and the rest.

Why hay and its rack matter so much

Guinea pig and rabbit digestion is built on continuous hay eating, and their teeth grow throughout their lives, worn down precisely by all that fibrous chewing. Hay is therefore not a side dish but the foundation of their diet: it must be available always and in any quantity. The hay rack is no luxury here. Hay scattered on the floor gets trampled and urinated on, and from that point they will not eat it. From a rack, though, they always pull clean strands, so less goes to waste and the enclosure stays tidy longer.

Bottle or bowl?

The great advantage of a water bottle is that the water stays clean, cannot spill and you can see the level from across the room. At the same time, many rabbits and guinea pigs drink more, and in a more natural posture, from a bowl. The safest approach is to offer both at first and let your animals decide. Whichever wins, fresh water needs changing daily.

What can wait

Chew toys, tunnels, treats: the demand will come, but not on day one. In the settling-in week the best gifts are calm, hay, a hideout and predictable feeding times. Once the animals move about confidently and take food from your hand, it is time to expand.

Not sure how much space your pair needs? Write to us and we will happily help you put the starter kit together.