A guinea pig is a faithful friend and a very intelligent animal that can be easily trained. If you doubt whether start a rodent because you are afraid of constant dirt and smell from the cage, learn how to train your pet to go to the litter box. This will make caring for the guinea pig much easier, help keep the cage clean and improve your relationship with the animal.
Guinea pigs are so arranged that they eat almost all the time. Mainly hay and delicious vegetables and fruits. And, of course, they poop a lot, leaving behind oblong compressed peas of manure. When a guinea pig spends a lot of time in a cage, it often chooses one corner to go to the toilet. But if this corner is not fenced off in any way, as a result, her droppings combine with the filler and spread throughout the cell. As a result, you have to constantly clean and change the litter, or the pet smears itself and lives in its feces, which is unacceptable. However, the frequency of bowel movements is not a reason to abandon a cute, good-natured pet. A guinea pig can be trained to a tray - it is smart enough to understand that it is better for it to go to the toilet in an enclosed area.
Domestic guinea pig (common), guinea pig or guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) is a mammal from the group of rodents of the Caviidae family of the genus Cavia.
How to accustom a guinea pig to a tray?
- Determine the place where your pet prefers to go to the toilet: it is visible when cleaning the cage. Put a tray there with low sides so that the pig can easily climb over them. The tray must fit the animal completely.
- Fill the tray with filler (it is best to use organic paper-based, sawdust is not very comfortable and can cause respiratory problems in guinea pigs).
- Watch the pet: many of them immediately understand the purpose of the tray and start going to it. Especially if it smells of urine and droppings (you can put quite a bit of already contaminated filler in the tray). If the pig does not go to the tray by itself, put some hay. If you put treats like cucumber or carrot, not every pig will go to the toilet next to the food. She treats hay more easily.
- Encourage the guinea pig. She responds to your intonations and good attitude. Say kind words to her, reward her with her favorite treats as soon as the pig goes to the toilet to the tray.
What not to do when training a guinea pig to a tray?
- Scolding and punishing. So you will only cause a persistent rejection of the animal to the need for a tray.
- Use cat litter. Absolutely not! It contains odor/flavoring chemicals and the pig can eat it. In addition, it can swell in the stomach. The consequences can be sad. Choose a filler for rodents. Consult a veterinarian, which is better to choose a filler.
- Blame yourself if you fail to accustom the pig to the tray. Yes, the result is not one hundred percent, and some pets may refuse to go to the toilet in the place designated for this. And it's not about your skills as a trainer. That's just how they are arranged, everyone has a different character and needs. What you can do: Put extra trays in different corners of the cage: Sometimes a guinea pig chooses to go to the toilet in more than one place, and you will see this by the piles of excrement during collection. Sometimes it helps when the pig has a choice.
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