litter training

Question
I have a 1 year old guinea pig named Huey. I got him from a shelter about 2-3 months ago. I'm trying to litter train him. I put some bedding and droppings in his litter box and he seems to go to the bathroom everywhere but in his box. What do I do now?

Answer
Emma,

To get Huey litter trained you're going to need to work with him every day for at least 30 minutes. Here is the easiest and most effective way I know to litter train a Guinea Pig.

To begin training, place the litter box in the area of the guinea pig's cage where he normally relieves himself and away from food and water. Place a few fecal pellets in the box. To encourage him, you can place a small amount of hay. Some guinea pigs enjoy sitting in the litter box, munching on the hay. That's okay. Eating stimulates degestion and the guinea pig will use the box as intended. Hopefully, your guinea pig makes a connection and uses the box. When you see your guinea pig using the box, praise Huey and offer a treat. Never scold or holler at the guinea pig for not using the litter box. Remember, not all guinea pigs take to litter box training, and being negative certainly won't encourage him.

Once the guinea pig uses the litter box in his cage, the next step in training is to get the guinea pig to return to the box when he's outside the cage. This is easiest if you train in one confined area at a time, so place the guinea pig in a small room such as a bathroom or laundry room, along with a litter box, food, water, etc. Watch to see if he returns to the litter box, when nature calls. If he does, offer praise and a treat. If not, return to the cage and begin again.

Eventually, you can expand the boundaries if the guinea pig consistently uses the litter box. Do this a little at a time, say from the bathroom only, to the bathroom and a hallway. Don't make the mistake of increasing the area too quickly, though, or you'll be cleaning up a mess. As the guinea pig becomes trustworthy in one area, you can increase the boundaries gradually. Some owners avert accidents by using more than one litter box, placing a new box in each area new to the guinea pig.

I hope this helps,
 Take Care now,
     Jules