Okay, finally got my guinea pig,Charlie. He is a sweet little boy. How do I potty train him?

Question

I got Charlie just like 5 months ago. From a pet store near me, All About Pets. His Mama is a show pig at the fair. The mama has had a lot of litters. In his litter he had one brother and a sister. I think maybe he had 2 brothers but I am pretty sure it was one. (If that helps)

Okay so one time my dad was holding Charlie and he started to struggle and then he went pee ALL OVER my dad! And we are kinda grossed out because he also pees this like white stuff. I need to potty train him so I can hold him without having to put him in a little towel thing. He is really cute. Here is what he kinda looks like.

http://www.gotpetsonline.com/pictures-gallery/small-animal-pictures-breeders-babies/guinea-pig-pictures-breeders-babies/pictures/guinea-pig-0039.jpg

I couldn't get a real picture of him cause I haven't taken any of him yet.

But what charlie really looks like is on each side of his face like that guinea pig he has color. Except it is black. And his orange on his body is darker and deeper orange.

HELP! I Love Charlie just I don't want him to go potty on me anymore!!!!!!!!!

Answer 1

I am sorry to disappoint you but you can't potty train a guinea pig.  You can train a rabbit but not a guinea pig.  My guinea pigs always pee on me when I hold them.  I don't know what to tell you.  Wrap him in a towel when you hold him.  Your guinea pig is adorable.   He looks just like my Gizmo.  

Answer 2

You can't perfectly litter train them like you can a cat or rabbit.

He was struggling to let you know he had to go pee.

Please adopt next time and don't support breeding

http://www.guinealynx.info/rescues.html

Answer 3

he is just streetes out

Answer 4

You can train a guinea pig. I have one, and she rarely goes on me. She holds it as long as possible, and as soon as I put her in her cage, she gos. I would suggest putting your pig in a position he can't pee. It is harder for them to go when they have their rear in the air, so holding him like that may help. (Find a position he is comfortable in) Say he pees every 15 minutes. If that is the case, you need to keep him out in that position for 25. Then, when you put him back, he'll go right away. Praise him. As soon as he's done, pick him up and repeat. This may take days for him to figure out, but I am confident he will someday.  

Answer 5

I don't know what these people are talking about because my guinea pig was COMPLETELY potty trained. She always went to the litter box to pee/poo except for floor time because I didn't put litter trays out. She NEVER EVER went potty on me, except maybe the first few days I got her (and that was out of fear). So..yeah, maybe I just had a smart pig.

Anyway, my pig seemed to get the hang of the litter box after I switched her bedding to fleece. I put CareFresh in the litter box only and then lined the cage with fleece. Maybe it was because I bought her at a pet shop and she was used to peeing in CareFresh. Well, Idunno, but maybe consider using fleece? It's actually cheaper in the long run than bedding because you can wash it and reuse it. I personally love it.

You've had Charlie for 5 months? Hmm..he might still be afraid of you and your dad. Guinea pigs are prey animals in the wild and, sorry to disappoint, but most DO NOT like to be held. Just try petting him instead. Offer him lots of veggies while petting/holding him.

To potty train him to go in the litter box in his cage, put poos in the litter. Also, when you do a weekly clean, put some of the soiled bedding in the litter box so Charlie recognizes the scent (Guinea Pigs almost always have a particular corner in which they like to go potty. If you know this spot, you will save yourself a lot of trouble with the potty training by putting the litter pan in that spot.

Hmm..the white stuff could be his junk (if you know what I mean) but PROBABLY not..I think I read somewhere that it's a Vitamin C deficiency or it means that they have too much Vitamin C in their system. Maybe do a google search: Vitamin C deficiency in Guinea Pigs or something like that.

Overall, I would say just give him time. Also realize that he will probably never like to be held (some do, most don't.) Have you considered buying a friend for Charlie? Guinea Pigs are herd animals and do better with a friend of their own species. Maybe even consider 3 piggers (they are not more work than just one, just a little more money each month). Most likely Charlie will calm down if he sees that you are holding another piggie and realizes that you're not hurting it. He will just calm down in general, really. It will also give him someone to play with while you're not there.

If you do consider another pig..consider aopting. AND, if you're using a commercial store-bought cage, it will not be big enough for 2 piggies. PLEASE consider making a C&C cage. They are very cheap to make, spacious, customizable, and really easy to clean. Find out more at http://www.cavycages.com

I hope this helps, good luck with Charlie!

Feel free to email with any further questions.

EDIT: I don't understand what all the thumbs-downs are for. My answer was thorough and informative. This user actually emailed me because she thought my answer was helpful. I can't help it if you people had unsuccessful pigs.

Answer 6

Only thing I can say is don't hold them for more than 30 or 45 minutes. Don't feed them while you're holding them. Sometimes you can feel a rumble in their stomach and that usually means that they're about to pee. Also, try a towel when you hold them.

Answer 7

You can't potty train a guinea pig. When they are desperate they can't help going. Why can't you hold him with a towel?

In the past I have had guinea pigs who pull on my clothing to tell me when they need to go... but that was purely them, I didn't teach them to do that.

Answer 8

Guinea pigs are very very hard to potty train. The white stuff in his pee is just calcium its nothing to worry about, so don;t be grossed out by it. When he started to struggle, that was because he was telling you he needed to pee. Guinea pigs generally dislike peeing on people, because when they pee, they have to sit in a certain way and its very incomfortable to do so on a human lap.

So when your holding him, watch his behaviour, he might become restless, or he might chew your clothes or finger when he needs to pee. My guinea pig usually just gets restless, and I've never been peed on by a guinea pig, he will be all relaxed then suddenly he will stand up and chew my sleeve or something.

Usually they do tell you they need to pee, although they don;t think twice about pooping on you! lol Someone I know managed to train her guinea pig to pee in a litter pan, but not p**p.

Like someone has already said, when kept on fleece if you put like hay or carefresh in a litter pan then they might consider using it, the person who trained their piggie to pee in a litter pan did this. But generally guinea pigs, especailly boys are messy, dirty little things who enjoy peeing and pooping everywhere.

Its also worth noting that guinea pigs usually pee/poo where they eat, so maybe put extra bedding in his eating area, or something to help absorb stuff.

Good luck with Charlie :)

Answer 9

They can not be trained. They are like birds. There are certain animals that have no control over their pee and bowel movements. SO just try holding them on a towel the next time. I have raised, showed and bred cavies for 25 yrs and a vet to boot.