Start spreading the news! Guinea Pig Awareness Week is back for 2025 to help guinea pig owners understand their beloved pet piggies better.
18th September 2025
They have an odd number of toes, don’t come from Guinea, and aren’t related to pigs, but the mysteriously named guinea pig is one of the nation’s most popular pets – and each and every one of them deserves to live a happy, healthy life.
To help all guinea pigs get the understanding they need, Guinea Pig Awareness Week (GPAW) is back for 2025, running from Monday 20 October to Friday 24 October. This year’s theme is ‘Comfort, Care, Companionship’, highlighting the importance of reducing stress in guinea pigs to help them live long, healthy lives.
Burgess in-house vet and deputy managing director, Dr Suzanne Moyes, says: “Guinea Pig Awareness Week has grown from strength to strength each year and is a much-needed opportunity to support guinea pig owners in better understanding their pets. Guinea pigs have complex needs and are as vulnerable to stress as any other animal. We want to help with spotting the signs of stress and creating the ideal environment for them.”
What is GPAW and who runs it?
Now in its fifth fantastic year, GPAW is the UK’s largest welfare initiative dedicated to guinea pigs. It’s led by small pet experts Burgess Pet Care in partnership with leading UK animal charities – the RSPCA, Blue Cross, Woodgreen and Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare, who come together each year to support guinea pig welfare.
“GPAW has become a key fixture in the pet care calendar, uniting veterinary practices, animal welfare charities, rescues, retailers and pet owners,” adds Dr Moyes. “This year’s focus is on stress management – a common yet often overlooked factor in guinea pig welfare. Guinea pigs can be stressed by inadequate housing, rough handling, a poor diet or lack of companionship. Along with input from leading veterinary professionals and behaviourists, we also want all guinea pig owners to share their tips, insights and stories about caring for these sweet creatures.”
I love guinea pigs! How do I get involved in GPAW 2025?
Guinea Pig Awareness Week starts on 20 October 2025 – so, get ready to help us spread awareness about Guinea Pig Welfare!
- Register for your GPAW 2025 pack reminder here >>. You’ll receive an email notification when your FREE GPAW pack is ready to download. It’ll be filled with loads of guinea pig fun and information, including posters, printable bunting, colouring-in sheets and the Perfect Piggies Programme.
- Join our Excel guinea pigs Berry and Bramble over on the GPAW Facebook page and on Instagram @GuineaPigAwarenessWeek to discover five days of top tips, expert advice, and, of course, lots of super cute piggy photos! Also, keep an eye out for some cool competitions!
Dr Moyes adds: “GPAW really matters because, despite their popularity, guinea pigs are among the most misunderstood pets in the UK. A lack of knowledge means that their very specific welfare needs can be overlooked. We’re on a mission to inform and educate guinea pig lovers everywhere so that these much-loved pets have everything they need to be healthy and happy. Together we can create a safer and more loving environment for all guinea pigs.”
MORE EXCITING GUINEA PIG NEWS!
Burgess Pet Care is thrilled to announce an exciting new development – the launch of Guinea Pig Welfare UK (GPW UK) – the first national guinea pig charity focusing on education, research and advocacy to advance the health and welfare of all guinea pigs in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
On the board of trustees are John Chitty, a former president of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association, Mary Coles, a PhD researcher at the University of Liverpool, Rae Walters of the Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund, and Ellie Parkes, nutritional adviser at Burgess Pet Care, who has a master's degree in animal nutrition.
Find out more about the charity and how to support it by visiting GPWUK. You can also follow Guinea Pig Welfare UK on Facebook and @guineapigwelfareuk on Instagram.
How much do you know about gorgeous guinea pigs? This is what they want you to know!
- WE’RE OFTEN WIDE AWAKE! Although crepuscular creatures, who are most active during dusk and dawn, guinea pigs are awake for up to 20 hours of the day. This means their environment needs to enable them to have constant access to food, water, companion guinea pigs, safe hiding places, a guinea pig run, and plenty of things to do to keep them occupied.
- WE NEED SPACE TO CALL HOME Traditional small hutches do not provide the space guinea pigs need to behave normally. Instead, a hutch should just be viewed as your guinea pigs’ ‘bedroom’ and be permanently attached to a much larger guinea pig run where they can exercise freely at any point in the day or night. This can be a safe guinea pig-proofed room indoors or a large run outdoors.
- WE’RE ALWAYS ON THE SCENT Guinea pigs scent mark their stuff by rubbing their chin or cheeks across things, which helps keep their home smelling familiar and reassuring. This is why it’s important to make sure that you transfer some of the old bedding back into their accommodation when cleaning. They also drag their bottoms across the ground to leave scent secretions as messages, which are only understood by other guinea pigs.
- WE HAVE BUSY BODIES To keep healthy, guinea pigs need to keep their digestive systems busy with a mix of two kinds of fibre (called digestible and indigestible fibre) moving through the gut at all times. They can get this from eating good quality feeding hay, which also keeps their continually growing teeth in check. Like humans, they also need a daily dose of Vitamin C. Feeding, high quality guinea pig nuggets, which are high in fibre and contain Vitamin C, along with a small handful of leafy greens, will ensure they’re getting everything they need. Avoid ‘muesli’-style food as these have been shown to cause digestive problems and dental disease.
- WE NEED TO BE SAFE FROM HARM In the wilds of South America, guinea pigs are constantly at risk of being a hot lunch for various mammals, birds of prey and reptiles such as anacondas and caimans. Unsurprisingly, it’s in their nature to be constantly on the alert, looking out for danger, and easily startled. What’s required is cosy, predator-proof accommodation, with places to hide and lots of high quality hay and soft paper bedding to tunnel in to help them feel safe.
- WE HAVE GREAT SOCIAL SKILLS Wild guinea pigs live in close family groups of five to 10 individuals, though several groups may live in close proximity, forming a colony. Pet guineas can only be truly happy if they have another cavy to chat to, as one of a pair or as part of a small group. The best mixes are ideally littermates – two females or a neutered male with one or more females.
- WE LIKE TO CHAT These small animals are very vocal and like to chat away to each other. They communicate using several noises, including the well-known ‘wheek-wheek’ call – a sign of excitement or to find a friend – and a low ‘purring’ sound, which they make when they are feeling content and chilled out – if you hear this when you’re petting your piggies, you can be pretty certain that they like you! They also emit a series of short ‘putt-putt’ noises when they’re happily exploring stuff and a disgruntled ‘chutt’ sound when they’re annoyed about something.
- WE WANT FEEDING TIME TO BE FUN Foraging behaviour is second nature to piggies, and you can encourage this by scattering a portion of guinea pig nuggets in different places around their accommodation, hiding it in cardboard egg cups, or mixing it with feeding hay. A few tasty Nature Snacks will add to the fun. This will keep them happily busy, which is really important, as not having enough to do is not good for their health and wellbeing.
* While it’s lovely for children to enjoy the company of guinea pigs, the responsibility for any animal’s wellbeing lies with adults. Small animals are often more complex to feed and care for than a cat or dog and require more looking after than a child can offer. *
SERVE UP ONLY THE VERY BEST DINNER FOR YOUR GUINEA PIGS!
Our small pets deserve a high-quality diet that’s created just for them. At Burgess, all our foods for small pets is made at our factory in the heart of Yorkshire, using only ingredients that meet our stringent specifications.
*It’s no surprise that 92% of UK vets recommend our Burgess Excel small pets range!*
What should I feed my guinea pigs? >>
With a long tradition of supporting British farmers, we actively source all our ingredients as close to our mill as possible and have launched many innovations. These include the world’s first indoor guinea pig nuggets which are made with a Calm formula. And, as well as a choice of yummy Nuggets with Mint or Blackcurrant & Oregano, there’s also a variety for mature guinea pigs with cranberry and mint.
Don’t forget to check out our range of tasty, high-quality feeding hay and nutritious and delicious healthy treats, which are perfect for handfeeding and mixing with hay for a fabulous foraging experience!
CARE MORE Find lots of useful advice on caring for all your guinea pigs from Burgess, the pet experts. Health, housing, feeding, companionship and guinea pig behaviour. It’s all here >>
Are your guinea pigs Burgess guinea pigs? Join the Burgess Pet Club for exclusive offers, competitions and expert advice from our in-house vet, Dr Suzanne Moyes.
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