Anyone who has ever owned guinea pigs will know first-hand how much they poo! cage cleaning is essential for guinea pig health. Here we explore the question can you litter train a guinea pig? If you’re new to owning a guinea pig, then start with our Getting Started section first.
Find Out More:
- Can Guinea Pigs Be Littered Trained?
- Understanding Toilet Behaviour
- How To Litter Train Your Guinea Pig
- The Litter Tray Set Up
- Give Them Rewards
- Keep It Clean
- Patience Is Key
Can Guinea Pigs Be Littered Trained?
It’s important to remember that all guinea pigs are not the same. Some guinea pigs will find it easy to learn to poo in a new place whilst others may never understand it. Never force your guinea pig or hold them in place to make them poo. Kindness is key.
Some guinea pigs are happy to be litter trained and seem to pick it up really quickly. We’ve had guinea pigs in the past, that have always used just one corner. This makes it so much easier to train them since they are already partway there!
Our current guinea pigs liked to view everywhere as their bathroom so it took some adjustments. It’s all about being flexible and ensuring you find a method that suits both you and your guinea pigs. Trial and error are key here as some will work and others not. Keep trying and find the way that is right for both of you.
Don’t see it as a failure for you or your guinea pig. Even well-trained guinea pigs will have the odd accident here and there.
Understanding Toilet Behaviour
Guinea pigs only have small bladders and can only hold in urine for 15 mins at most. This means they urinate frequently and it’s usually quite a lot too! The good news is that most guinea pigs like to urinate in the same spot.
It’s usually in the corner of the cage and somewhere that is either undercover or behind something. Our guinea pigs used to actually move their toys out of the corner so they could urinate there!
Since they like to use the same spot, it makes it much easier to know where to put the litter tray. It also means they are happy to use that corner even if you put something new in there.
The reason guinea pigs use the same corner of the cage is due to their natural instincts to avoid predators. Predators can be attracted to guinea pig urine and use the scent to track them.
How To Litter Train Your Guinea Pig
Discover Their Favourite Spot
As mentioned above, guinea pigs like to use the same spot to litter in. The next time you clean out the cage, ensure you notice where most of the poo and urine is. It should be relatively smelly!
If your guinea pigs poop everywhere then it may be harder to work this out. Check in the corners and also inside shelters, near hay rack and water bowls.
The Litter Tray Set Up
Choose your litter box carefully. Litter trays intended for rabbits are not usually suitable since they are too big. The perfect litter tray is low enough for your guinea pigs to climb into without being too steep. However, it shouldn’t be completely flat either, otherwise, the waste will just roll out onto the cage.
There are special ones that fit snuggly into the corners or ones that are more rectangular. Ensure you choose one that is right for your cage design, your guinea pigs personality and your own preferences.
If you can’t see one you like or are short of funds, then make your own. Any old plastic tub will do as long as it’s free from sharp corners. Ensure it is completely clean and free from any harmful chemicals. I have used an empty ice cream tub in the past when my guinea pigs were babies!
Give Them Rewards
Similarly to training most other animals, the key to successfully training your guinea pig is through their stomach! Every time your guinea pig behaves how you want them to ensure you offer them a treat. Make sure it’s not only delicious but also healthy.
We recommend rewarding them every time they step into their new tray for the first few times. Then reduce this to every time they urinate in it.
After several days, your guinea pigs should be using the tray every time they need to empty their bladder.
Remember – don’t panic if your guinea pig doesn’t get the hang of this straight away. It can take some guinea pigs longer. Keep trying and rewarding as needed.
Guinea pigs like to eat, sleep and use the toilet all in the same place. Our current guinea pigs love to do this! It may sound like a problem, but it’s actually really easy to litter-train them. Instead of leaving their hay loose in their bedding area, they have a litter tray each. Inside each litter tray is hay.
Both piggies use only these trays now for all toilet needs and we simply empty the tray out daily and wash it.
Keep It Clean
No guinea pig will use a dirty, disgusting litter box that desperately needs a clean. Ensure you frequently empty out the litter tray daily. If you have more than four guinea pigs using it, then it will require emptying more than this.
In the beginning, don’t fully wash out their urine scent. As horrible as this sounds it will help keep them using it, even after emptying.
Once they are always using the tray, then it can be given more of a deep clean.
An interesting point is, guinea pig urine stains the litter tray a lot. As long as the tray is clean then the staining isn’t that much of an issue. You are welcome to put sheets of newspaper down inside the tray in order to soak up the urine.
Ensure your guinea pig’s litter tray has some hay in it and is close to the water bowl or bottle.
Patience Is Key
Never scold your guinea pigs for not using their litter trays! Some guinea pigs need much longer than others to understand litter training. All guinea pigs are different. Some pick it up straight away whilst others take longer.
Remember your guinea pigs are not doing anything wrong. It is their nature to just go to the toilet wherever they want to.
Keep cleaning your guinea pig cage as usual even if your guinea pig is litter trained. Clean cages are essential for happy, healthy guinea pigs.
I tried a corner tray and put woodshavings in it (same as what’s in the rest of their pen although I’m considering going to fleece). Problem is they still didn’t really wee in it (still all over cage) and mostly decided to sleep in it – so if they did wee there they’d just sleep in their wee. Any ideas?
HI Sarah,
Are you choosing a place they already urinate or where you would like them too? The best place to choose is somewhere they already go alot. It can be hard to tell when it seems like they go everywhere!
Once you’ve found out where they already like to use, thats where to place the litter tray. Reward them often when they choose to use it.
Another way is to learn the signs of them needing to urinate. Guinea pigs usually figet or start backing up when they need to go. Simply placing them into their tray to see if they go can work wonders. Give plenty of rewards!
I hope this helps and keep us posted!
This write-up is such helpful advice on how to litter train guinea pigs. I will make sure to try this for my guinea pig. I know in the long run, it will not just benefit me but, most significantly, my guinea pig.
Hi,
Thanks for your comment. That’s a great attitude to have! Good luck with your litter training journey and keep us posted!