Best Ways to Potty Train A Guinea Pig

Potty Training A Guinea Pig

Pigs are miniature poop machines. They eat all the time and poop all the time. Fortunately, pig poop is solid, small, and doesn’t smell. Plus, because they’re herbivores, it makes for great fertilizer if you’re into the whole gardening thing.

Pigs have a preference to poop in dark areas, where they feel safe from predators. In this case you have to provide an area of comfort where they will want to ‘go’ and you can’t really “train” them to go there; they either decide it’s an acceptable toilet or it’s not. The trick is to get the Poo Loo just right.

In this article we are going to look at some of the tips to help you to successfully potty train your guinea pig. Here below are some of the important tips to follow.

Place a small litter box in your guinea pig's cage in the area where he naturally eliminates. A guinea pig will choose a specific area in his cage to relieve himself and return to the same area repeatedly.

Put a handful of hay into the litter box and press it down into the bottom. Add a few of the cavy's fecal pellets to the litter box so the critter will realize what the box is for.

Observe your guinea pig to see when he uses the litter box. As soon as he relieves himself and exits the box, offer him a treat of celery leaves, strawberry hulls or carrot peels, along with a lot of praise and petting.

Tips & Warnings

• Reward your guinea pig when he uses the litter box, but just ignore him if he doesn't use the box. It may take a while for him to use the litter box consistently, but that is part of the training process.
• Empty the litter box daily and clean it with warm, soapy water. Dry the box completely before adding fresh hay to it. Keeping the litter box clean will help to potty-train your guinea pig without his having to walk in waste.

Steps for Success

• Let your guinea pigs to choose their perfect toilet corner, before placing a litter tray in the cage
• Put the litter tray in the corner that the guinea pigs seem to pee/poop in the most
• Fill the litter box with a familiar smelling and looking litter to the one the guinea pigs are currently on
• Wait to ensure that the guinea pigs are content using the same corner before changing the litter
• Change the litter box every three days as needed, and wash it every other week. This ensures that the guinea pigs’ scent is still strong on it, so they will more willingly go back to use the litter box and‘re-scent’ it.

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