[Gpdd] [Care] Re: Litter Training

[Suzy Dünser]

Hi Donna,

Well, I didn't have much luck training my guinea pigs to use a litter  
tray, but I did notice something today, which is that Rocky used one  
corner of the cage this past week much more than anywhere else. (It's  
amazing how much more you learn about their habits when there's only  
one... )-: ) It made me wonder if I should try putting a tray in that  
corner, so I can clean it out easily. I read somewhere that with  
rabbits, they will choose the place they want to go, and the easiest  
way to train them to use a litterbox is to put it in that spot! I did  
that with my rabbits, and it worked brilliantly. The other thing you  
could try is getting a second pigloo, so the litter tray still has a  
cover on it - maybe Abby likes that.

The main thing I know about litter is that you shouldn't use the  
clumping kind, in case they do eat it. Since Rocky and Cocoa seemed to  
eat everything within reach (including gnawing the plastic coating off  
the wire cubes of the cage), I would go on the assumption that Abby  
will at least sample whatever it is. I just put the same stuff in the  
litter tray as I have for the bedding/flooring in the cage - newspaper  
on bottom, then dried pine shavings (I know, I know, but they do have  
an entire fleece-lined second floor as well, and still choose to hang  
out downstairs most of the time), then hay on top. I think there are  
different kinds of recycled paper pellets etc. you can get to use for  
litter boxes, but someone else will know more about that!

Cheers and wheeks from
Suzy and Rocky
and Cocoa in our hearts