posted 03-07-2004 08:39 PM         

Guinea pigs, just like other house pets as cats and dogs, prefer not to wet the area where they eat and especially where they sleep. They will instead go out of their sleeping corners to do their little business.

Always remember when you try to litter-box train your guinea pig, that the guinea pig is praise and it’s shy by nature. Never push your guinea pig to use the litter box because this will only frighten it.

Most guinea pig owners use wooden/or paper pellets for their guinea pig’s litter box. You may use usual bedding as you use in whole cage.

Start the litter-box training process in a very small area in the guinea pig’s cage. Place a small litter box (I use a medium size plastic dog dish) in a corner of your guinea pig’s cage. Try to place the box in corner of the cage that your guinea pig preferred to use as a bathroom. Put some fecal pellets inside the box to help your guinea pigs get the idea. You may also put a pinch of hay to a corner of the box to encourage your guinea pig to use it.

When you see your guinea pig do its business in the litter box, give its favorite treat as a reward. Don’t be frustrated if you see that your guinea pig sits in the box, eats the hay you’ve placed in it, and do nothing that you expected from it, because guinea pigs often eats and defecates in the same time. Eating the hay will stimulate your guinea pig’s digestive system and finally may cause it to use the litter-box as a bathroom. If your guinea pig prefers to sleep in its litter box rather that use it as a toilet, you may want to provide it with a more attractive bed than one it has (see “Our Craft Pages” for more ideas). Also try using a different bedding material.

Once your guinea pig seems to be using the litter box in his cage and has done so for more time, you can try giving your cavy a little more space. Try to put its litter box on the floor when it is time for floor exercise. If your guinea pig starts making mistakes on the floor, then it may have been too soon to place it in a bigger area. Place the litter box back into your guinea pig’s cage and start all over.

You may also try to buy a second litter box. Keep one of them inside your guinea pig’s cage, and the second anywhere on the floor. With 2 litter boxes your guinea pig is more likely to get the right idea :-)