# Potty Training Guinea Pigs



## xchocolatexmustardx (Mar 14, 2011)

My roommate basically won't let me get guinea pigs because she says that they will smell. 

I know the guinea pig its self won't smell, and I heard that their poop doesn't smell, its the urine.

I want to only clean the cage once a week and use fleece as it would be cheaper in the long run and I was thinking I could litter train them. I know this isn't 100% effective and they might not catch on at all.

My question is basically, do the pee in the littler box too? And would it help the smell if I cleaned it out every day to every couple days? I realize that if they do get litter trained they will still occasionally not use it, but I was wondering if it would make the smell if any stay in my room and be more manageable for once a week cleaning. 

Thanks!


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## Amethyst (Jun 16, 2010)

xchocolatexmustardx said:


> My roommate basically won't let me get guinea pigs because she says that they will smell.
> 
> I know the guinea pig its self won't smell, and I heard that their poop doesn't smell, its the urine.
> 
> ...


I have heard people say this can be done, but to be honest I doubt it very much. Guinea pigs generally pee and poop as they go and that includes while they sit on your knee 

You'll need to clean out more than once a week, especially if in a smaller cage and living indoors :smile:

If you use fleece be prepared to wash it daily and consider how you will feel (and your friend) about washing pee soaked fleece in your washing machine everyday 

Personally I wouldn't like to do this 

Guineas don't have a strong smell, though intact males do scent mark by dragging their bottoms in cage and will do so on carpets, some are worse at this than others. As they are social animals, I presume you will be getting two? So keep in mind that is twice the cleaning and fleece washing ...


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

I personally would use hay and sweep up any poos and wet bedding daily. even indoors flies will happily lay eggs on wet poo and bedding and this can turn into maggots within hours


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## xchocolatexmustardx (Mar 14, 2011)

I realize bedding would be better but I don't know if I could afford the amount of bedding that would be required.


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## Sarah+Hammies (Jul 20, 2009)

To be honest if you cant afford their bedding then you wont be able to afford to pay vet bills if something cropped up, and in my opinion if you cant afford to pay for their care then you shouldnt get them in the first place. 

Why not keep something cheaper? x


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## Kermitlover (Mar 28, 2011)

I actually have a potty trained guinea pig, although we didnt train him, he was like that when we adopted him. He's a free range, which means we dont have him in a cage (and no, he doesnt get into any trouble, but thats just him) but he'll only go in certain places in the house. For example, we placed a footstool in a corner in the living room, then put those training pads for puppies under it and used a bit of hay to let him know where to go. We still occasionally find poop, but its not often. 

I used to keep him in a cage, which I built myself, and I would change the bedding once a week. The bedding i got was about $6, so I would buy a months worth at one time.


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## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

for 2 pigs you are talking 1 good handful of hay for feed and 1 for poo a day even at pet shop prices thats less than £2 a week and at equine places thats probably £6 for a bale that would last for 6 months.

You could also use shredded paper or products specially designed to reduce smell like megazorb. wood shavings are not good for piggies respiratory systems and fleece would get wet very quick.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

There is a new bedding called back-2-nature which is a recycled paper product
Which supposed to be really highly absorbent, and have really good odour control, and supposed to be economical as it is long lasting.

Dont know how good it is yet, as I was given a free trial pack for my daughters guineas from where I get my dog food from and they are with her at uni at the moment.

Might be worth looking into though, as it was a free trial pack I cant tell you how much it is, but you could check.


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## xchocolatexmustardx (Mar 14, 2011)

Sarah+Hammies said:


> To be honest if you cant afford their bedding then you wont be able to afford to pay vet bills if something cropped up, and in my opinion if you cant afford to pay for their care then you shouldnt get them in the first place.
> 
> Why not keep something cheaper? x


I have to save money for such problems as vet bills.


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## fluffybunny2001 (Feb 8, 2008)

i have tried to litter train my 3 but have not succeded,in thier cage they tend to poo in one area,but they wee everywhere,the same in their run,i use a wood or paper based litter in the corners of my cage,to soak up as much urine as possible,and i clean them out twice a week


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## sullivan (Aug 29, 2008)

having had 6 g pigs over a period of time both males and females ive never been able to get them litter trained as said above they do have a tendency to pooh as they go along . And yes as also said above males do have a stronger smelling odour to there wee. I always used hay with my piggies as found it useful also to keep there teeth in check. It is sometimes cheaper to get it in bulk than to buy in smaller bales. 
The only thing id say is i wouldnt reccomend just getting one ,there very social and love the company of others . to be honest if you are worried about costs if your piggy gets ill as some do can you be sure your have the funds to keep it vet treated as some problems can often return. You also have to consider the cost of the fresh veg and fruit sources, needed to keep your piggie healthy. they need a consent source of vit c. Also sunlight or natural light is also a benefit to absorb vit c from there foods. Always keeping a shade area also. they may need there nails ,teeth clipped if ness. Can get lice and mites that may need medication. I would recommend really reading up on them first if possible. dont want to put you off but its some things to think about. with reguards to fleece be aware that alot of gpigs are awful nibblers and will eat holes through it. Natural bedding may be a better option. goodluck with what you choose.my only other comment is you may need to clean out more than once a week. As yes they can smell if not done often enough. i use to do mine everyother day but i had 3 and having mine indoors ,but out on a nice day.i wanted to make sure i kept them clean and odour free. Dirty pigs will attract flies and can cause fly strike.


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## xchocolatexmustardx (Mar 14, 2011)

sullivan said:


> having had 6 g pigs over a period of time both males and females ive never been able to get them litter trained as said above they do have a tendency to pooh as they go along . And yes as also said above males do have a stronger smelling odour to there wee. I always used hay with my piggies as found it useful also to keep there teeth in check. It is sometimes cheaper to get it in bulk than to buy in smaller bales.
> The only thing id say is i wouldnt reccomend just getting one ,there very social and love the company of others . to be honest if you are worried about costs if your piggy gets ill as some do can you be sure your have the funds to keep it vet treated as some problems can often return. You also have to consider the cost of the fresh veg and fruit sources, needed to keep your piggie healthy. they need a consent source of vit c. Also sunlight or natural light is also a benefit to absorb vit c from there foods. Always keeping a shade area also. they may need there nails ,teeth clipped if ness. Can get lice and mites that may need medication. I would recommend really reading up on them first if possible. dont want to put you off but its some things to think about. with reguards to fleece be aware that alot of gpigs are awful nibblers and will eat holes through it. Natural bedding may be a better option. goodluck with what you choose.my only other comment is you may need to clean out more than once a week. As yes they can smell if not done often enough. i use to do mine everyother day but i had 3 and having mine indoors ,but out on a nice day.i wanted to make sure i kept them clean and odour free. Dirty pigs will attract flies and can cause fly strike.


Thank you for your concerns. I always have money put away for emergency reasons so if a medical issue shows up i will have money to get them the help they need. I love animals and I would never do anything to an animal that would bring them harm, including not being able to take care of them properly. I Want to try fleece and if i see that they are chewing then I will get them a different kind of bedding.

Thank you for your response though, you did help me.


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