29/10/2026
Guinea Pig Awareness Week: Geriatric Guinea Pigs
Did you know, like people, guinea pigs are at risk of developing age-related conditions as they get
older, which can impact their quality of life if left unaddressed? So, what can we do about it?
Here, our RVN Yvonne, discusses how she noticed her older guinea pig, Agatha, was not quite right
and what she did next to keep Agatha ‘Happy and Healthy’ – the theme of this year’s GPAW:
Guinea pigs have an average lifespan of 4 to 7 years, but some can live much longer which has been
aided in recent years by our increased understanding and improvement of their dietary, husbandry
and health requirements.
Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, every pet owner takes on a legal responsibility and duty of care
to make sure they meet The Five Welfare Needs for their animal as follows:
1) To provide the animal with a suitable environment
2) To provide the animal with a suitable diet
3) To provide the animal with outlets to be able to express normal behaviour patterns
4) To be housed with companions if they are a social species (which guinea pigs are), or to be housed separately if not
5) To protect the animal from pain, suffering, injury and disease
Aging is a natural process and with it can come the development of age-related diseases, some of
which can cause discomfort or affect a guinea pig’s ability to feed or move round and express behaviours properly, or lead to other more serious symptoms and illness. As per the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is important guinea pig owners are aware of this and on the lookout for signs their lovely little companions may not be feeling 100%, and are willing to seek veterinary advice and treatment as needed to improve the welfare and quality of life of their guinea pigs.
I began to notice some subtle behaviour changes and signs of illness in my oldest guinea pig, Agatha.
These included:
• hiding away more than usual
• chasing off her companions (increased aggression) and chattering at them
• whilst I observed her eating, the food was not disappearing as quickly, suggesting someone
in the herd was not eating as much as usual (like Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, I deduced it
was Agatha who was the one with the reduced appetite!)
• being more sedentary and build-up of faeces produced where she was sitting, indicating she
was not moving away from the area as often
• quieter in herself – she is normally a very nosey, bossy pig!
• a slightly hunched appearance
• she started to leave calcium deposits when she urinated and then she started with blood in
her urine
I took her in for an examination with our Vet, Simone, and we discussed her symptoms and behaviour. I felt Agatha was experiencing discomfort, which was causing her to not want to move about, not want to forage for food which in turn may have started to slow her guts down (gut stasis, also a painful condition), the discomfort was making her grumpy towards her companions, being a prey species she did not want to display illness so hid away more and was quieter in herself, and because she was hiding away more she was also drinking less, which was causing some dehydration and build-up of calcium deposits in her urine. This then lead to an inflamed bladder which showed as blood in the urine and would have added to her discomfort levels. Pain causes emotional and physical stress on the body and, if left unaddressed, will lead to worsening of all these symptoms and poor welfare and quality of life. My feeling was Agatha was experiencing discomfort in her joints and the stress of this and reduced eating/drinking then started to affect her urinary system as well, however, the other thought was it could be a urinary condition on its own causing all the symptoms. Simone examined Agatha, identified there was some swelling round one of her ankles and agreed she was likely experiencing some pain. Simone diagnosed osteoarthritis taking into account Agatha’s age and the symptoms, and cystitis. She prescribed pain relief to be given by mouth. I had already been supplementing Agatha by syringing feeding Supreme Selective Recovery Diet to increase her fibre and fluid intake and keep her guts moving. Agatha’s symptoms improved dramatically with treatment and she was much happier! She was back to her bossy self, moving round more, the food was disappearing again, she seemed brighter, the blood in her urine went away and the calcium deposits reduced. We gave the pain relief for a week and stopped it, but the blood in her urine and other symptoms returned. Simone and I felt the urinary issues were as a result of pain, discomfort and stress caused by arthritis, which is a chronic progressive condition, so I was advised to keep Agatha on her pain relief long term and have her checked up by the Vet to continue her prescriptions on a regular basis. Agatha has remained happy, nosey and bossy ever since so I am content she is living a comfortable, happy and healthy life as she continues to age gracefully 😊
Around the time of her diagnosis, Burgess Excel had just released a new nugget diet for ‘Mature Guinea Pigs’ (aged 4+) which is formulated for brain health and contains prebiotics for healthy digestion, protected Vitamin C and Glucosamine to support healthy joints. I was already feeding Burgess Excel ‘Indoor Guinea Pig’ nuggets so I transitioned all my guinea pigs to the ‘Mature’ diet so that the added Glucosamine might benefit their joints and to provide a suitable diet formulated for their needs as they age. Supreme Pet Foods Science Selective produce a ‘Joint and Mobility Care’ supplement which contains Glucosamine as well. These products may benefit your guinea pigs if they are approaching 4+ years too.
Guinea pigs really are special little creatures with wonderful personalities. They deserve to live a life
where ALL their needs are met so it can be the happiest, healthiest life possible. We should be
mindful about the age-related changes our golden-oldie geriatric piggies may experience and
address these accordingly. If you have an older guinea pig, why not book in for a Guinea Pig MOT
with one of our Vets and discuss any health concerns you may have or discuss your current set-up
and see if there is anything you are able to improve?
Don’t forget the following when transporting guinea pigs to the practice:
• ensure they are in a sturdy carrier such as a large plastic cat carrier (that has only ever been
used for guinea pigs, not cats!)
• cover the bottom of the carrier with comfortable bedding or substrate they can hide in
• bring one of your guinea pig’s companions too as this will help keep stress levels down.
• place a towel or blanket that has been sprayed with Pet Remedy Calming Spray over the
carrier to help calm your piggies and darken the carrier to reduce stress and muffle the
sound of any cats and dogs at the practice.
• Please keep the carrier on your lap, facing towards you and do not allow them to face cats or dogs, or allow dogs to poke their faces into your guinea pig’s carrier as they are prey species and this can be very scary and stressful for them.
• Perhaps book an appointment at the very start or end of consulting slots when it may be quieter, or leave your guinea pigs in the carrier in the car if safe to do so (not in warm/hot or very cold weather) until called for your appointment, or ask our staff if there is a quiet area available for your guinea pigs to wait for their appointment (unfortunately, we may not always be able to guarantee this).
