There will be times when life is tough, overwhelming, and stressful that we do not seem to be interested to any human interaction but, at the same time, do not want to feel isolated. During this depressing moments is when a pet – a living thing that shows care and love without uttering a word – can ease up all the tensions and agitations you have been feeling with just a caress or a purr. Having a pet is like (or sometimes even better than) having a friend that you live with in every hour of your day under the same roof. You can buy or adopt one or more, and finding the one that can match with your behavior is a challenging task. You absolutely have to know and understand your new friend so you can both live in harmony.

If you happen to choose a Rex Guinea pig as your new ‘housemate’, then through this article, you will be on the right path of being acquainted with it. Paying attention to its characteristics, gaining knowledge about the type of food it needs for a long and healthy life, and the necessary details regarding its cage are just the tip of the iceberg, which you will all learn by reading this article. 

What is a Rex Guinea Pig?

The Rex Guinea Pig is a breed of guinea pigs known for being cute, hedgehog-like animals having friendly and calm nature – making it a popular pet. They can grow from 20 to 45 cm and come in different hair color varieties such as brown, white, or agouti. Today wide variety of hair types occur due to cross-breeding in the reproduction process.

Rex Guinea Pigs enjoy receiving pats with their short coat (no longer than 1 cm) that is dense and woolly in texture, which curls and stands up on end. Rex Guinea Pigs are often mistaken with Teddy Guinea Pigs as both breeds are short-haired. The difference is that the Teddy has a much smoother and softer hair than Rex. Being short-haired, Rex Guinea Pigs require minimal amount of grooming unlike other varieties. On the other hand, their nails tend to grow much quicker and thicker than the other breeds.

A Rex Guinea Pig can live up to 6 years, depending on the environment they live in, and the care and love they receive. For a female Rex, the perfect breeding period would be between the ages of 20 weeks to 1 year, while the gestation period is from 65 to 72 days and can produce 3 litters.

The Rex Guinea Pig Diet

Rex Guinea Pigs has the same nutritional requirements as most other Guinea Pig breeds, such as a food mix that contains fibers, proteins, and other dietary specifics which your little friend needs. It is known that guinea pigs do not produce their own Vitamin C so if necessary, you can supplement this vitamin in their body through the help of fruits and vegetables. However, feeding fruits and vegetables in large quantities will get them sick or worse like liver problems or diarrhea. It is advised to give them these type of foods only as treats.

To help you keep your pet healthy, here are some foods that can make your Rex Guinea Pig live the longest life possible:

Vegetables: broccoli, parsley, corn skills, tomato, carrots, Chinese cabbage, dandelion, and clover;
Fruits: banana, apple, cantaloupe, melon, strawberries, and blueberries;

Water also plays a vital role in their diet, just like for us humans. Make sure to let them drink fresh water daily because surely you don’t want your little friend to get sick due to contaminated water. Give them extra water on hot days but less during winter.

The Rex Guinea Pig Nook

Rex Guinea Pigs are gentle and calm furry friends but they can be playful too, so the recommended house for them is a medium cage with the dimensions of 0.5 meters long by 0.5 meters wide by 0.25 meters high. Cages with a plastic base and wood shavings for floors are quiet suitable for them. You can put some boxes or tubes in the cage as their “hiding” places and for their playtime. In the wild they tend to be more active at night as they are vulnerable to heat stress, so their house must be well kept and sheltered from the sun. 


The Rex Guinea Pigs are mostly recommended to new owners who have not had the chance to adopt such a pet before. Being very lovable and gentle creatures plus the fact that they are easy to look after, they are perfect for children. Kids will surely enjoy their presence and it will become a daily habit to play with their little friend, leading to a very strong bond. And to top it all, Rex Guinea Pigs can get accustomed to their owners’ voices and will recognize it every time – how cool is that?


Now that you are quite familiar about the Rex Guinea Pigs, I hope that you have gained enough knowledge and decided to buy or adopt one (or more) in the future, and get aboard on the smooth, simple, calming with a bit of bouncy trail of life.