Small Pet Housing: Minimum Enclosure Sizes and Bedding by Species

This page is for choosing or checking an enclosure before you buy one. It gives the minimum size each common small pet needs, the bedding depth and flooring that suit it, and where the main welfare sources disagree.

Minimum enclosure size by species

Species	Minimum space	Bedding and depth	Floor
Rabbit (pair)	10 × 6.5 × 3.3 ft (3 × 2 × 1 m) living space including exercise area (RSPCA)	Hay, straw or paper; separate toilet area (RSPCA)	Solid, non-slip; no wire (RSPCA)
Guinea pig	Hutch at least 5 × 3.3 ft (1.5 × 1 m) plus a 6.5 × 3.3 ft (2 × 1 m) run (PDSA); Merck: 7 sq ft (0.65 m²) for one, plus 2–4 sq ft per extra animal	Dust-free hay or paper; no pine (RSPCA; Merck)	Solid, with a good depth of litter (RSPCA)
Hamster	39 × 20 in (100 × 50 cm), the German Veterinary Association for Animal Welfare minimum quoted by PDSA	At least 10 in (25 cm) to burrow (PDSA)	Solid (RSPCA)
Gerbil	Gerbilarium about 20 in (50 cm) high, glass sides, mesh lid (RSPCA)	8–12 in (20–30 cm) of woodchip and hay mix (RSPCA); Merck says fill a third of the cage	Solid (RSPCA)
Rat	”As large as possible”, multi-level (RSPCA)	Non-aspen wood chips, cellulose chips or shredded paper (RSPCA)	Solid; shelf mesh no wider than ½ in (Merck)
Chinchilla	Large, multi-level, no drop over 24 in (60 cm) (RSPCA)	Dust-free hay (RSPCA); kiln-dried pine or recycled paper (Merck)	Mesh with a solid resting area; side gaps no more than 1 × 2 in, floor ½ × ½ in (Merck)
Degu	Room to run, climb, dig and dust-bathe (RSPCA)	Deep hay, shredded paper or non-toxic shavings (RSPCA)	Solid (RSPCA)
Ferret	3 × 3 × 2 ft (91 × 91 × 61 cm) cage, plus 2–4 hours out daily (Merck)	Towel or blanket that won’t unravel (Merck)	No bare wire under paws (Merck)

Where sources disagree

Rabbits. Merck lists minimum cage sizes for a single rabbit: 18 × 24 in (46 × 61 cm) for small breeds, 24 × 30 in (61 × 76 cm) for medium to large, 30 × 36 in (76 × 91 cm) for giants. The RSPCA’s 10 × 6.5 ft (3 × 2 m) is for two rabbits’ whole living space, which is many times larger. A Merck-size cage only works as a base inside a much bigger pen, and Merck itself says open pens need sides at least 4 ft (1.2 m) high to stop escapes. Merck also accepts wire floors with a solid resting mat; the RSPCA says no wire floors at all because of sore hocks. The rabbit page uses the RSPCA figure.

Guinea pigs. Merck’s 7 sq ft for one animal is about 42 × 24 in (106 × 61 cm), far smaller than PDSA’s hutch-plus-run. Guinea pigs should live in groups (RSPCA), so start from PDSA’s figure. Youngsters need around 12 in (30 cm) of height to “popcorn” (RSPCA).

Hamsters. PDSA notes “there isn’t a lot of evidence” for an exact size and quotes the German 100 × 50 cm figure as a minimum. Merck gives only a minimum height of 6 in (15 cm), preferring 8 in (20 cm) or more for deeper bedding. See the hamster page.

Pine bedding. Merck warns against cedar and untreated pine for hamsters, gerbils and rats, but accepts kiln-dried pine for guinea pigs and chinchillas. The RSPCA advises against softwood such as pine for guinea pigs. For gerbils, Merck calls aspen and kiln-dried pine “controversial”. Paper-based bedding avoids the argument.

Bedding and substrate dos and don’ts

Do:

• Use paper-based bedding where unsure; it is digestible if eaten, while wood shavings can block a gerbil’s or chinchilla’s gut (Merck).
• Give burrowers real depth: 10 in (25 cm) for hamsters (PDSA) and 8–12 in (20–30 cm) for gerbils (RSPCA).
• Return a little used, unsoiled bedding after cleaning so the enclosure still smells familiar (RSPCA). See cleaning and maintenance.

Don’t:

• Fluffy or cotton-wool nesting. It separates into strands that can tangle limbs, cutting off circulation and leading to amputation or euthanasia (RSPCA).
• Sawdust. A respiratory hazard for gerbils, rats and guinea pigs (RSPCA; Merck).
• Cedar. Its oils may be toxic to ferrets (Merck).
• Aspen, scented or coloured bedding for rats, or over-absorbent material that dries the air too much (RSPCA).
• Cat litter for guinea pigs. It can’t be digested (Merck).

Housing mistakes and their consequences

• Wire floors for rats or ferrets. Grid flooring damages rats’ feet and legs (Merck), and bare wire hurts ferrets’ pads (Merck).
• A tall, single-level chinchilla cage. Drops over 24 in (60 cm) risk injury (RSPCA).
• Shallow bedding for a gerbil. Repetitive digging in one corner is a sign the setup is too shallow (RSPCA).
• Wooden rat cages. Rats can chew through wood and escape (Merck).
• Cages placed near TVs, monitors, vacuum cleaners or running water. Hamsters and gerbils hear ultrasound from these and find it stressful (RSPCA). Placement and escape-proofing for free-roaming time are covered in pet-proofing your home.