Guinea Pig & Small-Mammal Sitter SF
For a lot of San Francisco families, a guinea pig is the first pet — the one a kid begs for, names on day one, and then, quietly, falls completely in love with. Small mammals have a way of doing that. They are undemanding on the surface and deceptively particular underneath. A guinea pig needs unlimited hay in front of it at all times, fresh vegetables every single day, a steady source of vitamin C its body cannot make on its own, and a caretaker who notices the difference between a pig that is simply napping and a pig that has stopped eating. That last distinction matters more than most people realize, because in a guinea pig — or a rabbit, or a chinchilla — a gut that goes quiet is a genuine emergency, not a wait-and-see. A dog-and-cat sitter, however wonderful, is usually not equipped to weigh a pig on a gram scale, spot the early signs of GI stasis, or syringe critical-care formula into an animal that has gone off its food. That is exactly the gap our team was built to fill.
House of Guineas Pet Care is based in San Francisco’s Inner Sunset, and the name is not an accident — the whole business grew out of guinea pig care. Small mammals are the heart of what we do. Our caretakers provide in-home care across the entire city, so your pigs, chinchillas, ferrets, and pocket pets stay in their own enclosures, on their own routines, eating their own hay, while you are away. (Have a chinchilla, ferret, or rat? See our dedicated chinchilla & small-mammal sitter page.)
Why San Francisco Small-Mammal Owners Choose Us
San Francisco is full of thoughtful pet parents who do their homework — and the small-mammal community here is especially serious about doing right by animals that are easy to underestimate. What they tell us they need is a sitter who brings real clinical rigor to the job. Here is what sets us apart:
- Veterinary background. Our veterinary-informed team has backgrounds spanning wildlife rehabilitation to exotic veterinary hospital work, and every pet caretaker is trained under that same clinical lens. Our founder, Alexandria, previously worked as an exotic veterinary assistant and volunteered with the House Rabbit Society, administering subcutaneous RHDV2 vaccines.
- Species specialization. Exotic pets and cats are our whole focus — small mammals, and other exotics. That kind of focus is genuinely hard to find.
- Clinical-grade care. We weigh pets on a gram scale to catch problems before they show, we can syringe-feed and give critical-care formula to a guinea pig in GI stasis, and we monitor appetite and output at every visit — because in a small mammal, those are the numbers that tell you what is really going on.
- Flexible scheduling. Early-morning visits before work, evening visits after a long day, and mid-day timing for medications or a second feeding — we build the schedule around your itinerary, not the other way around.
Small Mammals We Care For in San Francisco
- Guinea pigs — including bonded pairs and whole herds
- Chinchillas
- Ferrets
- Hamsters
- Rats
- Other pocket pets — if it is small and furry, ask us
We also care for rabbits, which have their own particular needs — see our dedicated rabbit sitter in San Francisco page. If your species is not listed, call or text us and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right fit.
What In-Home Small-Mammal Care Involves
Good small-mammal care is quiet, consistent, and detail-driven. At every visit we make sure there is unlimited timothy hay available, because a guinea pig or rabbit should be grazing on it around the clock. We put out fresh vegetables daily, and for guinea pigs we pay special attention to vitamin C, which they cannot produce themselves. We keep clean water available, spot-clean the enclosure and refresh the fleece liner so your pet stays dry and comfortable, and we weigh each animal to track the trend over time. Most importantly, we watch for the early signs of illness — a guinea pig that has stopped eating is an emergency, and catching it a day early can be the difference that matters.
San Francisco Neighborhoods We Serve
We cover the whole city, from the western avenues out to the bay. Small mammals are family pets, and we see a lot of them in San Francisco’s family neighborhoods — Noe Valley, the Sunset District right in our own backyard, and the Richmond District — but wherever you are in San Francisco, our caretakers can reach you.
Pricing for Small-Mammal Visits
- 30-minute visits start at $85
- 60-minute visits start at $115
- Twice-daily care runs $140–$190/day depending on visit length and number of pets
These are in-city San Francisco visits, so there is no Peninsula travel surcharge. If you would rather your pet stay with us, boarding is hosted personally by members of our team in their San Francisco homes for $75/night. Based down the Peninsula? See our Peninsula guinea pig sitter page.
Liner swaps and hay restocks make wonderful someone-else’s-jobs. Many San Francisco guinea pig families schedule standing routine care — weekly or every-other-week visits where their caretaker changes the liners, tops up the hay, records gram-scale weights, and does a gentle health check, so your time with the herd is popcorning and wheeks, not laundry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you care for a bonded pair or a whole herd of guinea pigs?
Absolutely — guinea pigs are the heart of what we do, and we regularly care for bonded pairs, trios, and full herds. Each pig gets weighed on a gram scale and monitored individually for appetite and output, so even in a group we catch if one animal is off. Just tell us how many pigs and their setup during the meet-and-greet.
What if my guinea pig stops eating while I'm away?
A guinea pig that has stopped eating is an emergency, and our caretakers are trained to recognize it. We monitor appetite and output at every visit, and we can syringe-feed critical-care formula to a pig in GI stasis while getting it to an exotic vet. This is exactly the kind of situation our veterinary-informed team was built to handle — our founder previously worked as an exotic veterinary assistant — and we will reach out to you before you land.
Do you handle rabbits too?
Yes. Rabbits have their own particular needs, and our founder previously volunteered with the House Rabbit Society administering subcutaneous RHDV2 vaccines. We have a dedicated rabbit sitter in San Francisco page with the full details on how we care for them.
Do you offer small-mammal boarding?
We do, in a limited way — a few spots at a time, hosted personally by members of our team in their San Francisco homes at $75 per night. Bring your pigs' usual enclosure and supplies, and nothing about their routine changes but the address.
How much does a San Francisco guinea pig sitter cost?
For a single pig or a bonded pair in the city, a 30-minute visit at $85 usually covers hay, vegetables with their daily vitamin C, and a gram-scale weigh-in comfortably; larger herds or a full liner change tend to fit better in a 60-minute visit at $115. Pet parents who want morning and evening feeds book twice-daily care at $140–$190 per day depending on visit length and how many pigs are in the herd. These are in-city San Francisco visits, so no travel surcharge applies. Text 415-484-6493 with your dates for an exact quote.
Ready to line up care for your small mammals? Call or text us at 415-484-6493 and we will get a meet-and-greet on the calendar. You can also read more about our in-home exotic pet care service, our boarding option, hosted personally by members of our team in their San Francisco homes, or browse the full FAQ page. New to guinea pigs? Start with our guinea pig care guide. And if you want to keep your pigs dry between spot-cleans, take a look at our handmade guinea pig fleece cage liner.