Getting a guinea pig can leave us humans with a lot of questions. Most guinea pig starter kits and other cages are just not enough to bring piggies home. If you currently have, or are getting multiple guinea pigs, the standard cage size (12in x36in) is just not enough space for them to be happy. There are a lot of things
One Guinea Pig- The minimum that would make a guinea pig happy is a 2.5ft by 3ft cage which is equivalent to 7.5 square feet. This is not an easy size to find in cages though. You can match similar sizes through C+C Cages. For me personally, If I only had one guinea pig (which I would only do if they were aggressive) I would still size up.
Two Guinea Pigs- a great minimum would be 2.5ft by 4.2ft or the equivalent to 10.5 square feet. This is where my guinea pig cage is with a 2ft by 4ft size by “Guinea Habitat”
Three or More- Most people recommend a size that is 7.5 square feet per guinea pig. When the amount of guinea pigs go up, the size often times gets fuzzy. One thing to remember is all of the things that guinea pigs should have plenty of space. Most of the time, humans will create multiple stories in this case and are a little more experienced with guinea pigs.
Keep in mind while looking for guinea pig cages or building them that it has to be a size that is good to clean. If the cage is on the floor then a deeper cage is okay. If the cage is off the ground then typically 2ft deep is the max I would do for the best cleaning. If the cage can not fit a food area, enough huts for all of your guinea pigs to sleep in, and still room to run and popcorn around, then I would upgrade to a bigger cage. Most people do not add into the equation the space your guinea pigs will need to play and to stimulate their mind to help keep them mentally and physically active.