One or two Guinea Pigs? House size?

Question
Hi. My seven year old son is very gentle with animals and we have decided to allow him to have a guinea pig (of course we,the parents, will be the primary caretakers). In researching the care and personalities of Guinea Pigs we have come across several sources that say that they dont thrive well when they are alone. Is it better to have two guinea pigs together, rather than one? If so, how big should the cage be?
Thanks for your help,
Michelle Greer  

Answer
Hi,
It's best to have one guinea pig. I had one guinea pig and I wanted to get him a friend so I bought two more guinea pigs and only one guinea pig got along with him so I had to keep the other one in a separate cage. If your were going to get two guinea pigs don't get males because they tend to get very territorial, females tend not to that much. It's totally up to you. The cage size for one guinea pig should be at least 2ft in length and at least 1 ft in width (like the size of a rabbit cage). If you get two then that should be double. The size doesn't have to be exactly around their but just close enough. Use your judgement on the cage size.
Good luck on your new Guinea pigs,
Christine
P.S. Remember don't get wire cage bottoms make sure the bottom of the cage is plastic so your guinea pig(s) don't hurt their feet. Also don't use bedding that is dusty because that could lead to respiratory infection i had a guinea pig that died fromt that. Good luck!