How To Potty Train A Guinea Pig
Guinea pigs are equally intelligent pets that can learn a few tricks, and one of them is potty training.
Guinea pigs’ poops can be annoying if they are just dropped anywhere. As a pet owner, you can learn how to potty train a guinea pig.
Training a guinea pig is one of the ways to spend time together. Apart from potty training, you can also do many other interactive games.
We will focus on stopping guinea pigs from pooping anywhere in this article. Read on for details!
How Do You Stop a Guinea Pig from Pooping Everywhere?
Guinea pigs poop several times a day. These can be annoying if they are just dropped anywhere. To stop that habit, you should train them on the spot where you want them to dump their waste. It will help you keep proper hygiene in the guinea pig cage.
However, the learning process takes time and effort. Therefore, patience is crucial when potty training your guinea pigs.
Are Guinea Pigs Easy to Potty Train?
Yes. It is easy to train guinea pigs to use a litter box, but it needs patience. They are intelligent animals that can learn many things if the traning process is executed as expected.
The key to doing that is to continuously do it. It may be necessary to repeat the sessions many times.
What To Prepare To Potty Train A Guinea Pig
You can train your guinea pig to use a litter box inside the guinea pig cage or outside. That means you need to buy a litter box and identify the spot where the piggies like pooping.
As a prerequisite, you need to be familiar with your guinea pigs before any training session. Their learning ability is adversely affected if they feel threatened or don’t trust you as the owner or trainer.
Spend time interacting or playing with your guinea pigs so that they get close to you.
Litter Bedding Box Pet Pan for Guinea Pigs
7 Basic Steps To Potty Train A Guinea Pig
Potty training guinea pigs is procedural. You have to follow all the steps, one after the other, to make the learning easy. Don’t be in a hurry to complete the training session if you want your guinea pig to learn using a litter box.
You can train your guinea pigs to use a litter box in 7 steps, as outlined below:
Figure Out Where Your Guinea Pigs Likes To Urinate
You don’t even have to figure this out, as it will be evident if you interact with your guinea pigs. These cute pets have the habit of urinating in one spot repeatedly. That is true for all situations, whether inside the cage or not.
Guinea pigs usually identify dark spots in the cage to become their favorite spot for passing out waste. That is the best place to set up the litter box.
Set The Litter Box in That Spot
Potty training guinea pigs require a litter box. You can make this by yourself or buy them from a nearby pet store. Choose an ideal litter box that offers the best space and maximum comfort.
Some litter boxes you will find at a pet store are generally small. Our advice is to go through the DIY process if you cannot find that big enough litter box to accommodate your pet. It should also be sturdy, not easily tipped over.
After getting the appropriate litter box, you need to line it with a different material. If the main cage has a fleece lining, consider a newspaper as the ideal material for lining the litter box.
Next, find the best place for the litter box. The determining factor is privacy. Guinea pigs never like exposure when urinating or pooping.
The best spot is what you identified earlier, where they often urinate or poop. That scent plays a role in the process.
Sometimes the cage space cannot accommodate a litter box. In that case, you can just use a neatly folded newspaper as a litter zone.
Cover That Spot With Some Hay
As mentioned, you need to line the litter box. You can do that with hay, fleece, newspaper, or other material. But remember to use a different material from that used to cover the spot.
It is necessary to cover the spot to hide the litter box. Your guinea pig should use the new restroom unknowingly and get a reward for it.
Hold a Delicious Snack Close To It
The next step is to draw the attention of your guinea pigs to the new restroom. Find their favorite snack and hold it just above the litter box.
They will get attracted to the snack and discover their new spot. You may need to train them to jump into the litter box instead of climbing it,
Sit Back and Wait for Your Guinea Pig to Use The Litter Box
It may take time, but it will not be so long before your guinea pigs use the litter box. Guinea pigs poop several times a day. So, your patience will not be tested here.
Just make yourself comfortable close by until you see them use the new restroom.
Reward Your Pet
As usual, you need to reward a good deed or anything done correctly. If your guinea pigs succeeded in using the litter box, give them the snack.
That encourages the behavior, and they will learn to use it in no time because there is a prize attached to it.
Repeat, Repeat, and Repeat Again
Repetition is a theme that every pet trainer knows. They don’t master the tricks in just one session as we, humans, do.
Repeat the training as many times as possible or until your guinea pigs can comfortably use the litter box without instructions.
Tips:
Don’t scold your guinea pig! Even if the guinea pigs miss the idea, just be patient with them. They are not humans. Therefore, they cannot tell right from wrong.
Scolding them will only scare them and them to be afraid of you, something that will adversely affect your future interactions with your pet.
How Long Does It Take To Litter Train A Guinea Pig?
There is no definite answer to this question. Do your best during the training sessions and expect the best because it can be days, weeks, or even months.
Your patience is crucial. Don’t be irritated when they take longer than you anticipated, but never force them to learn.
Make a good relationship with your guinea pigs. That will make them trust you and improve their learning ability. Lastly, don’t forget to reward them if they use the litter box.
These seemingly underrated tips can reduce the learning curve of your piggies.
Some Thought
Potty training guinea pigs is to your advantage. These cute piggies habitually poop several times a day. If you don’t train them to use a litter box, prepare to frequently clean the cage.
If you choose the latter option, divert the time to different tricks. 7 Fun Tricks You Can Train Your Guinea Pig
Guinea Pig Toilet
Conclusion
Invest time in potty training your guinea pigs. It is a way of maintaining proper hygiene in the guinea pig cage or in your house.
All their poops will be concentrated in the litter box instead of scattering everywhere. Training your guinea pigs to poop in a litter box may take time, but the outcome is worth it.
Thank you for reading this article at Pestive. We appreciate your time and invite you to explore the site to learn more about guinea pigs.
Also, we encourage you to share this article with other pet enthusiasts who might be interested in potty training their guinea pigs.
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