Printable owner manual
Two facts drive most vet visits. This covers both.
A 41-page printable manual with the real floor space standard, the hay that is 80 percent of the diet, the vitamin C guinea pigs cannot make on their own, bonding a pair, and eleven pages of health triage.
Not sure yet? Download the first 4 pages free, contents page included.
- 41 pages, print or view
- Beginner and intermediate friendly
- No external links inside the PDF
Edition 2.1
Sep 2026 路 41 pages
Care-sheet roulette
- A cage sized for the pet store display, not real life
- Vitamin C treated as optional instead of daily
- Dental disease and GI stasis nobody explained
- Bladder stones dismissed as "just getting older"
This guide
- Real floor space, shape and flooring requirements, checked and dated
- Daily vitamin C targets, and scurvy by stage if they were missed
- Dental disease and GI stasis called out where you cannot miss them, with the 8 to 12 hour rule
- Bladder stones and ovarian cysts covered as the real health issues they are
What's inside 路 41 pages
Everything from first setup to daily routine.
Housing and space
Enclosure size, shape and flooring, bedding, hides and layout, heat stress and household climate.
Hay, vitamin C and diet
Hay as the 80 percent, daily vitamin C, daily vegetables and greens, pellets, treats and the never-feed list.
Health and red flags
GI stasis and bloat, dental disease, scurvy, respiratory infection, bladder stones, ovarian cysts, mites and antibiotics.
Pairs and handling
Choosing pairs and groups, introducing and bonding two guinea pigs, handling, sounds and body language.
Grooming and the vet
Nails, coats and boar cleaning, sexing and neutering, and the anesthesia and vet conversation.
Owner tools
Setup checklist, emergency card, budget and shopping list, first 30 days, symptom reference, pet-sitter sheet, and the logs.
Every page, section by sectionThe package's own contents page, all 41 pages of it. Nothing here is a teaser for something sold separately.
Getting Started
- How to Use This Package
Quick Profile
- Quick Profile & Cost Overview
Full Care Guide
- Enclosure Size, Shape & Flooring
- Bedding, Hides & Cage Layout
- Temperature, Heat Stress & Household Climate
- Common Mistakes, Enrichment & Floor Time
- Pairs and Groups: Choosing Your Guinea Pigs
- Introducing & Bonding Two Guinea Pigs
- Handling, Sounds & Body Language
- Hay: the 80% Nobody Budgets For
- Vitamin C: the Rule That Makes This Species Different
- Daily Vegetables & Greens
- Pellets, Fruit, Treats & the Never-Feed List
- Grooming, Nails, Coats & Boar Cleaning
- Sexing, Neutering & the Breeding Deadline
Health & Common Issues
- Health Red Flags & the 8 to 12 Hour Rule
- GI Stasis, Bloat & a Pig That Stops Eating
- Dental Disease & Malocclusion
- Scurvy: Stages, Treatment & Recovery
- Respiratory Infection & Pneumonia
- Bladder Stones & Urinary Disease
- Ovarian Cysts & Reproductive Disease
- Mites, Lice, Ringworm, Lumps & Bumblefoot
- Antibiotics & Enterotoxemia
- Anesthesia & the Vet Conversation
- Droppings, Weight & Body Condition
Quick Reference
- Setup Checklist & Targets
- Emergency & Quick Targets Card
Owner Tools
- Budget & Shopping List
- First 30 Days Checklist
- Symptom Quick Reference
- Daily, Weekly & Seasonal Routine
- Heat Waves, Power Outages & Travel
- Pet-Sitter Sheet
- Owner Log
- Equipment & Vet Log
Reference
- Glossary
- Sources & Further Reading
- Version History & About
Take a look inside
Print-first pages, clearly marked.
Click a page to see it at full size. The contents page is complete; the others fade out where the paid content starts.
The first 4 pages, free
Pages 1 to 4 as a PDF: the contents page and the introduction, so you can see every page the full package covers. None of the care guide itself.
Who this is for
- New guinea pig owners setting up the right amount of space
- Keepers of pairs who want one consistent standard
- Anyone who wants to catch dental or bladder issues early
What it's not
- Not a substitute for an exotics-experienced veterinarian
- Not a live website mirror, a clean printable package instead
- Not a subscription, one purchase and every corrected edition is free
Ready when you are
Guinea Pig Care Package
41 pages. PDF. Print it or keep it open on your phone, tablet, or computer. Yours the moment you check out.
Edition 2.1, published September 5, 2026. Paid through Stripe. The download link arrives on the next page, and it stays in your library for as long as the package exists, always as the current edition. Not a substitute for a vet.
More care packages
Same format, other animals.
Hamster Care Package
The starter kit is too small and too shallow. Start here instead.
37 pages 路 PDF 路 edition 2.3
Rabbit Care Package
Real space, unlimited hay, and GI stasis caught early.
40 pages 路 PDF 路 edition 2.1
Bearded Dragon Care Package
Basking temps you don't have to guess at.
35 pages 路 PDF 路 edition 3.1
The free guinea pig guide is still free
This package is the same research as our guinea pig care guide, reformatted into an offline manual with the checklists, logs, and triage tables the web pages do not carry. Read the free guide first and buy this only if you want it in your hands.