Pet Health And Care  >>  Questions Asked  >>  Guinea Pig Training

How To Litter Train A Guinea Pig?



(August 13, 2010)

Guinea pigs are quite a popular choice as pets, mainly for children, mainly because of their gentle nature. They are quite sociable and love receiving attention and affection; they love to be held and petted. A guinea pig will usually return your affection, with a gurgle of contentment, a head butt or a loving nuzzle. Leaving a guinea pig alone or ignoring him, is like torturing the animal. While they are not exceptionally intelligent, they are fairly bright. It is important to make sure that as a pet, guinea pigs are taken care of properly. This means that they should receive a steady supply of food and water and their cages should be kept clean.

One of the biggest concerns that pet owners may have is about how to litter train a guinea pig. In fact there are several pet owners who have been unsuccessful in their endeavor of guinea pig potty training, and believe that it is not possible to train these animals. However, that is not necessarily true. Guinea pig litter training is not really difficult, but is may require a little patience, as it is repetitive. Given below are a few steps on how to potty train a guinea pig:

Guinea pig potty training, inside a cage: 
  • Place some hay in an accessible corner litter box and place a small towel or some hide over it, to let your pet feel safe while using the box. It is important to know your pet’s litter preference, as some guinea pigs may prefer paper towels instead of hay or newspaper.
  • Guinea pigs have the tendency to go where they eat and sleep, so place the litter box (or a newspaper) close by, within the cage.
  • Most guinea pigs show preferences for places, by picking a spot. Place the litter box in that place.
  • In the beginning, place a few droppings in the litter box, encouraging your pet to use it.
Guinea pig litter training, outside a cage may be a bit more challenging, as your pet’s running area will need to be limited in the beginning. Moreover, you may need to leave your pet on the litter box for about five minutes or so, till your pet is potty trained. Every time your pet uses the litter box appropriately, it is important to reward him with praise or food, to reinforce good behavior.

Guinea pigs are usually gentle animals and should never be disciplined in a harsh way, even if they make mistakes repeatedly. A lot of patience and perseverance is required during guinea pig training.
Submitted by N M on August 13, 2010 at 06:56

 
Read more questions in Guinea Pig Training
 
Log In Here
*
(User name is your email address)
*
 

Explore Pet Categories
  • Questions Asked