Guinea pigs are cheap to buy and more than most people expect to keep. Enter how many you have, one pair or a whole herd, for a rough budget that scales with the number of pigs.
Because guinea pigs are small, dry food goes further than people expect, hay and pellets are cheap per pig, especially bought in bulk. Fresh vegetables are usually the biggest ongoing line. Housing is the big one-off, and it scales: two pigs share one cage, but thirty need several.
The real wild card is the vet. Guinea pigs need an exotic vet who knows them, and an unexpected illness can cost more than a year of food, which is why we build in a small savings fund.
Cage size calculator See the supplies
Last updated August 2026 · Written from years of keeping long-haired guinea pigs in the Houston area. This is general care information, not veterinary advice. For anything medical, please see an exotic vet.
