Train Your Guinea Pig

Guinea pigs, also known as cavies, are very intelligent and can be trained to follow simple commands and do tricks. To ensure the training goes smoothly and properly, make sure you Care-for-Guinea-Pigs and meet all of her daily needs. Keep mind each guinea pig is unique and it may take time for her to catch on to your commands during training sessions. Be patient and use positive reinforcement with your guinea pig; over time, she should be able to follow basic and advanced commands.

Steps

Teaching Your Guinea Pig Basic Commands

  1. Train her to come to you when she is called. Like most pets, guinea pigs can learn to come to you when called with a little practice and motivation in the form a treat. Make sure you use your guinea pig’s name often and address her by name when you feed her and give her treats.
    • You can also practice getting her to come to you when called by taking her out of her cage and placing her a few feet away from you. Call her by name and hold out one of her favorite treats.
    • Your guinea pig should be motivated to run to you. When she does so, give her a treat as a reward. Practice this at least once a day and over time she should come to you when called by name outside her cage and inside her cage.
  2. Practice the stand up command. This is another simple command you can teach your guinea pig using a treat.
    • Hold a treat above your guinea pig’s head so she has to stand on her back legs to get to it. Say the command “Stand up” and then let her have the treat once she is on her back legs.
    • Repeat this command once a day on a consistent basis. Over time, your guinea pig will stand up when you command her, even when you are not holding a treat.
  3. Do the turn in a circle command. You can practice this command with your guinea pig when she is in her cage or outside of her cage.
    • Hold a treat in your hand and let your guinea pig approach you. When she is in front of you, move your hand so you make a circle, and say the command “Circle”.
    • Your guinea pig should follow the motion of your hand, with the treat, and make a circle. Once she makes a circle, give her the treat. Repeat this once a day until she can circle on command, without the treat.

Teaching Your Guinea Pig Advanced Commands

  1. Train your guinea pig to push a ball. Use a ball that is not too heavy and not too big, like a tennis ball, so your guinea pig can maneuver it easily. You will also need a treat that is long and flat, like a carrot stick.
    • Place the carrot stick on the ground and then put the tennis ball on top of the carrot stick.
    • Encourage your guinea pig to try to push the ball off the treat so she can access the treat and say “Push the ball.”
    • Repeat these steps and over time you should be able to remove the treat so she learns to push the ball on her own, without the treat.
  2. Teach her to jump through a hoop. You will need a hoop that is about 6” - 10” in diameter, or you can use pipe cleaners to form a hoop that is close to that size. The top of an ice cream tub, or a tennis racket without the strings would also work. Make sure that whatever you use as a hoop, there are no sharp edges or anything your guinea pig can get stuck on as she learns to jump.[1]
    • Begin by holding the hoop so it touches the ground or the bottom of your guinea pig’s cage. Hold a treat on one side of the hoop, or have someone help you by holding the treat as you hold the hoop.
    • Call your guinea pig’s name and make sure she can see the treat on the other side of the hoop. Say the command: “Through the hoop”. You may need to give your guinea pig a nudge or a gentle push to convince her to jump through the hoop. Over time, she will be motivated enough by the treat to jump through the hoop and get it.
    • Praise her and give her the treat when she goes through the hoop. Repeat these steps until your guinea pig starts to go through the hoop on her own, without the motivation of the treat.
  3. Practice litter box training. Many guinea pig owners teach their pets to go to the bathroom in a litter box. However, this takes a lot of patience and practice. When you are first litter box training your guinea pig, be prepared for some accidents and do not scold or punish your guinea pig if this happens. Your guinea pig will respond more to positive reinforcement and acknowledgement.[2]
    • To litter train your guinea pig, place a litter box in the spot in her cage where she goes to the bathroom often. Place a handful of hay in the box and a few fecal pellets.
    • When you notice your guinea pig using the litter box, give her a treat as praise. Over time, she will understand that using the litter box is a good thing that leads to treats and she will start to use it on a regular basis.



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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.guineapigagility.com/?id=369
  2. ↑ http://www.smallanimalchannel.com/guinea-pigs/guinea-pig-behavior/basic-guinea-pig-training.aspx

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