Tips for litter training your Guinea Pig!
Like 3 Dislike 0 Published on 24 Jan 2012
As the video says, these are some things which I have done (unintentionally at first) which I think have helped my guinea pigs to be mostly litter trained :) I say mostly, and this is true - no guinea pig is perfect in that department! But mostly does mean I don't have to change the fleece as often, once a week at most. Also it means I don't have to sweep up hundreds of poops every day, just the occasional few. And finally the cage doesn't ever look a state which keeps me a happy owner!
Things I did in the past
1. They were kept on newspaper and hay to start off with, then woodshavings and newspaper and hay. I wouldn't say the woodshaving part is necessary though!
2. I introduced litter pans into their cage and limited the hay to these (Something I forgot to mention - hay makes them go to the toilet! For example, put hay in your lovely pigaloo on your lovely fleece and it won't be lovely for long! Also, you can try putting a little of their pooped/weed on hay into the new litter trays to encourage them to use them, as their smell is already present - I no longer have to do this)
3. Whenever they had floor time I put out the litter trays with hay in them. This meant they got used to using the litter trays when they were out for floor time, as any guinea pig is unlikely to urinate on a surface they are not used to (unless they are desperate or love ruining your carpet!). Also, doing this often enforced this, because floor time generally won't last long enough for them to go on the carpet accidentally and think - "Oh that wasn't too bad! I might not bother with that hay tray next time!". As I say in the video, when I changed to using fleece, I think they carried this thinking over and treated the fleece as a different and new texture, something they didn't want to pee on!
Things I do now, and recommend for a cleaner cage and less hassle!
1. Have litter trays, filled with newspaper and hay (newspaper makes them easier to clean - just roll it up, bag it, spray it, wipe it and put new paper down). I have never tried litter, as hay has always worked so well. Always keep litter pans in the same areas/corners of the cage, and when deciding where to put them (if they are new to the cage), try putting them in the shadiest part of the cage, one corner might be slightly darker than the others. Alternatively, look for where your guinea pigs currently tend to go more than other places - if this isn't absolutely everywhere! and put it there (you will probably find it is also the darkest part of the cage).
2. Once in place, try using something to shade the area even more - at the moment I use pillowcases draped over each corner, but a grid with fleece/towel draped over it will probably work better!
3. Continue to use litter pans for floor time - I use them when I'm changing the cage, even if its only for 10 minutes or so.
4. If you do use hay like I do, it is important that your piggies don't eat spoiled hay. Change the litter trays every day, top the hay up whenever it looks depleted and use hay racks. This only takes a few minutes of my time.
I think that's everything! Please let me know if you have questions, or if you tried one of my tips and it worked!!!!! Thanks :D