Comments on: Can I potty train my new guinea pig by putting a small box of cat litter in her cage?

By: the_happy_green_fish

the_happy_green_fish — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 18:16:59 +0000

Yep, it is possible to train a guinea pig to use the "toilet," but it generally only works with young pigs, the older ones won’t pick it up.

Don’t use cat litter, if your guinea pig eats it it’s likely s/he’ll become sick. Use whatever you have in your cage, I put sawdust in my litter tray with hay on top, often the pig will eat while pooping, how nice!

Put some of the guinea pig’s poo in the tray, this will encourage her, but bear in mind you will need to be persistant until she gets the idea! Some pigs never get the hang of it but others will use it regularly and it makes cleaning a lot easier.

I use a tray for my guinea pigs, but my rabbits use a corner of their outdoor run. If you use a tray you can see if its working more easily, it won’t be scattered all over the floor, and it is then easier to be cleaned out without cleaning the whole cage. Make sure it is big enough for your pig to sit in comfortably or s/he won’t use it.
References :
Own experience with guinea pigs

By: Toni f

Toni f — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:36:59 +0000

They go as and when they need to
References :
Cavie owner for 36 years

By: tutis000

tutis000 — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:23:59 +0000

Its hard to "train" G.Pigs and rabbits but if you want to make cleaning up the cage easier, then put a litter pan in the cage and fill it with a light layer of litter like "yesterdays news" or "Carefresh" then at one side put the hay for the animal to eat. They will hop into the pan and eat the hay. Most of the time they poop when they eat their hay! So you can keep the cage cleaner by changing the pan and not the whole cage every day! We used this trick in the Exotic clinic I worked at.
References :

By: xx20x13xx

xx20x13xx — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:14:59 +0000

use that wood shaving. it should work. good luck
References :

By: mel

mel — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:34:59 +0000

Yes you can. Put the litter tray in a corner of the cage, as far away from it's food and bedding as you can. If it poops elsewhere, pick it up and put it in the litter tray. It will soon get the idea that that is where it is supposed to go. Don't despair, it could take a few weeks. good luck x
References :

By: MemphisGal

MemphisGal — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 16:04:59 +0000

Some pigs can be trained to use a corner litter box like the rabbit ones. However, DO NOT USE CAT LITTER. Use the regular bedding that you are using in the cage. Carefresh or woodchip (kiln Dried Pine or Aspen)
References :

By: jess c

jess c — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:46:59 +0000

Well i imagine that if i could train my hamster you can train a ginepig although i read somewhere that you can only potty train the male ones i don’t know if this is true or not i used litter for small pets at the start and then just used cat litter to help with training them put some of their current droppings in the box to start with and place them on it so they have a sniff about. make sure it is cleaned reguarly since they don’t use it if its very dirty.

even though i used kitty litter listen to them up there use an alterative don’t want it to choke and die
References :

By: diborntobeblonde

diborntobeblonde — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:08:59 +0000

my daughters friend tired that and her guinea pig just smelt it
References :

By: Sarah G

Sarah G — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:01:59 +0000

Yes, it is possible to potty train a guinnea pig but whatever you do DO NOT use cat litter or cedar...cat litter will get in thier lungs and they will get sick and possibly die and cedar is toxic so you can use a wood based litter or wood shavings like you use for the bedding.
References :

By: irishdecky

irishdecky — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:27:59 +0000

i wouldn't think so.
References :