Editing Guinea pig (section)

===Living environment===
[[File:Guinea pig 2011 01 10 12 58 15.jpg|Long haired guinea pig|thumb]]
Domestic guinea pigs generally live in [[cage]]s, although some owners of large numbers of cavies dedicate entire rooms to their pets.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}} Wire mesh floors can cause injury and may be associated with an infection commonly known as [[bumblefoot (infection)|bumblefoot]] (ulcerative pododermatitis),{{sfn|Richardson|2000|pages=63–64}} so cages with solid bottoms, where the animal walks directly on the bedding, are typically used. Large cages allow for adequate running space and can be constructed from wire grid panels and plastic sheeting, a style known as C&C, or "cubes and coroplast".<ref name="orcutt">{{Cite web|last=Orcutt|first=Connie|date=April 1, 2016|title=Guinea pigs with room to move|url=https://podcasts.ufhealth.org/guinea-pigs-with-room-to-move/|access-date=2021-02-02|website=University of Florida Health}}</ref>

Red cedar ([[Eastern redcedar|Eastern]] or [[Western redcedar|Western]]) and [[pine]], both [[softwood]]s, were commonly used as bedding. Still, these materials are believed to contain harmful [[phenol]]s (aromatic hydrocarbons) and oils.{{sfn|Terril|Clemons|1998|p=34}} Bedding materials made from [[hardwood]]s (such as [[aspen]]), paper products, and [[Corncob|corn cobs]] are alternatives.{{sfn|Terril|Clemons|1998|p=34}} Guinea pigs tend to be messy; they often jump into their food bowls or kick bedding and feces into them, and their [[urine]] sometimes crystallizes on cage surfaces, making it difficult to remove.{{sfn|Vanderlip|2003|pp=44, 49}} After its cage has been cleaned, a guinea pig typically urinates and drags its lower body across the floor of the cage to [[Territory (animal)#Scent marking|mark its territory]].<ref name="nrc">{{cite book|last=National Resource Council|url=https://archive.org/details/rodents0000unse/page/72|title=Laboratory Animal Management: Rodents|publisher=National Academy Press|year=1996|isbn=978-0-309-04936-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/rodents0000unse/page/72 72–73]}}</ref> Male guinea pigs may mark their territory in this way when they are put back into their cages after being taken out.{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}

Guinea pigs thrive in groups of two or more; groups of sows or groups of one or more sows and a neutered boar are common combinations, but boars can sometimes live together. Guinea pigs learn to recognize and bond with other individual guinea pigs, and tests show that a boar's [[neuroendocrine]] stress response to a strange environment is significantly lowered in the presence of a bonded female but not with unfamiliar females.<ref>{{cite journal|url = http://www.scielo.br/pdf/bjmbr/v37n6/4930.pdf | last1 = Cohn|first1 = D.W.H.|title = Female Novelty and the Courtship Behavior of Male Guinea Pigs|journal = Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research|volume = 37|year = 2004|pages = 847–851|doi = 10.1590/S0100-879X2004000600010|pmid = 15264028|last2 = Tokumaru|first2 = RS|last3 = Ades|first3 = C|issue = 6|display-authors=1|doi-access = free}}</ref> Groups of boars may also get along, provided their cage has enough space, they are introduced at an early age, and no females are present.{{sfn|Vanderlip|2003|pp=33–34}} In Switzerland, where owning a single guinea pig is considered harmful to its well-being, keeping a guinea pig without a companion is illegal.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Maurisse |first1=Marie |date=17 August 2011 |title=En Suisse, les animaux domestiques doivent obligatoirement être en couple |url=http://blog.lefigaro.fr/suisse/2011/08/en-suisse-les-animaux-domestiques-doivent-etre-en-couple.html}}</ref> There is a service to rent guinea pigs, to temporarily replace a dead cage-mate.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rent-A-Guinea Pig Service Takes Off in Switzerland|url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/rent-guinea-pig-service-takes-off-switzerland/story?id=14573692|access-date=2021-02-03|website=ABC News|language=en}}</ref> Sweden has similar laws against keeping a guinea pig by itself.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mihai|first=Andrei|date=January 29, 2021|title=Why it's illegal to own one guinea pig in Switzerland|url=https://www.zmescience.com/ecology/animals-ecology/guinea-pig-switzerland/|journal=ZME Science|volume=Animals, Feature Post|pages=|quote=Sweden has similar legislation in place and several other countries have sensible laws protecting social animals.|via=}}</ref>