How Long Do Guinea Pigs Live For?

[Maisy and Poppy]

Hiya, My 2 sows, Maisy and Poppy are 10 months now! They live outside but in Sping/Summer when we move house we can keep the guinea pigs inside, hooray! My parents say that guinea pigs only live to 1-2 years, but pets@home say that they live from 5-6 years. I thought that guinea pigs lived for 6-8 years. Does anyone know how old they usually live to be ? Thanks a lot !​

 

[BossHogg]

I had a piggy that died when he was only 3, but as a rule, mine have been between 5 and 7 when they died. Some members have had piggies that lived into double figures!

 

[Poppy'sMum]

Great name My Poppy (Not the one in my avatar) lived until she was 7, but most of the others have averaged around 4 1/2 - 5 1/2 years old. It's just the luck of the draw unfortunately. Hamsters only live up to 2 years, maybe that's what your parents are thinking of. If your piggies are outside, please make sure they have plenty of bedding, lots of hay & heat pads under the lot (Wrapped to prevent them burning their paws) to keep them warm & a hutch cover over a layer of old carpet or something on the roof, as the severe cold is not good for them.

 

[Wiebke]

A healthy and well cared for guinea pig lives to about 4-7 years on average, but a few can live even longer. The oldest documented piggy has died in Australia at the venerable age of 17.

 

[Jennifer D]

I own two piggies that are 5-6 years old. I only got them a short time ago, but they needed a retirement home and I adore them As long as they are getting proper nourishment and exercise I think, like any animal, they should live happy lives!

 

[Freela]

I have always read the average guinea pig lifespan being between 5 and 7 years, if well cared for. My vet has said that he has treated guinea pigs that were 8 and 9 years old in the past. That said, some are luckier than others and acute illnesses can kill even young pigs. Out of the pigs in my life, my childhood pig lived to be about 7, my older pig, Linney, is still doing reasonably well having just turned 6, my younger pig, Sundae, is 4.5 years and doing well, but Linney's original cagemate, Frenzy, died very young due to dental abscess that got into the jawbone. She was only 1.5 years. The best you can do is good diet, clean housing, and vet care when needed. I think that a lot of people think that guinea pigs only live a couple of years because they don't get vet care when pigs are sick, and many pigs die younger from illnesses that were probably treatable had they seen a vet, or had they seen a vet with a good knowledge of guinea pigs!

 

[Cookie16]

I've has 5 piggies previously, all lived to around 5 years.

 

[Cookie16]

I've got a Maisy as well and one of my first piggies was Poppy!

 

[biscandmatt]

chesney and maisie lived to six years old. eddie sadly had kidney disease and was only just over two and a half.

 

[Gizi]

I think your parents are getting mixed up with hamster and guinea pigs. Piggies live for 4 - 6 from what I heard members pigs live up to. I find most pigs live to 3 or 4. My pigs still have a long time with me

 

[Jennifer D]

Speaking of hamsters and their life spans... We had a hamster as children named Seamus. Anyways, he escaped his cage one day and after searching for days, we gave up. Six months later I was sitting in the basement watching television and I kept hearing weird scratching noises. I found the hamster inside a wooden writing desk (an antique none the less!). He was alive and healthy! Fat little ! We figured he'd been sleeping in the insulation inside a little hole in the wall we found and eating guinea pig food and crumbs he found along his travels. He probably drank from the laundry room! We had to go out and get a hamster cage and the necessities that night! He died 4 years later. We affectionately referred to him as "Seamus, the Scottish hamster that just wouldn't die" lol!