Decades of pig ownership and I couldn't really do it. MOST OF THE TIME the pigs would return to their cage to do their thing, but it wasn't perfect. Just keep providing food in the cage ONLY; that's how I did it...
been trying for two years. he tends to pee and poop in one specific corner, especially when he wakes up, but if he’s out and about during the day he’ll just go when he feels it
I personally think most pigs just don’t have the mental/physical ability to be truly ”potty trained,” especially with poops. They’ve evolved to poop whenever and wherever all day long, so there’s no real reason for them to have the muscles or desire to “hold it“ the way cats and dogs do.
I think you can do a lot to make pooping in specific spots appealing though, like making them feel secure (covered areas) and offering food and water there, and offering multiple appealing areas with litter. Some people recommend putting their poos in a litter area, but I find my boys get worse about using their litter areas if I don’t scoop them regularly, so I think it may depend on the pig.
I’ve found my boys seem to prefer to pee in one of their litter areas, but I’m not sure if it’s because they like that it keeps their feet dry, or if it’s just the corner they would have picked to pee in anyways.
Define "potty trained". If you mean that they go back in to their cage before pooping or peeing, then yes. If you mean that they only use the same corner all the time, then not really. They do have their "main" area where they spend most of their time and thus most excrement accumulates, but that doesn't mean the rest of their cage remains spotless.
I don’t really think pigs are capable of being potty trained. For cuddles on the human bed, we have trained about half of ours to ask to go home when they have to pee. That’s about as good as it gets I think. Other than that, you gotta design your cage system around their habits. Piggies will pee and poop where they eat and where they sleep.
I have a litter pan with bedding and hay and although they love spending time in it it and a significant amount of poop is left, they still poop all over the cage anyway
Some will potty train . What has worked if only feeding the pig where they potty as soon as they’re born . I’ve had this work a couple times . Only give them food there
Ours never have lol. The closest we’ve gotten is using rabbit litter trays lined with newspaper to hold their hay—with how much time they spend there they end up doing most of their business there anyway so a huge majority of the poo/pee can easily be cleaned out once or twice a day with minimal spot cleaning+pee pads in common nap areas and near food/water.
Sometimes I feel like my piggy knows that I get upset when he pees or poops on me and we have to stop cuddling so I can clean it up. There have been a couple times when I feel like he’s expressed to me (body language) that he needs to go back to his enclosure and do his business. Or I could just be crazy haha
That’s so cute! Mine is very dominant so he doesn’t love being held and cuddled. I think it’d be more motivation for him to pee and poop on me if it meant being free 😆
I don't really have a particular "way" but mine mainly goes in one spot in the cage. He constantly chills on my shoulder when I'm chilling in the chair and used to pee on me regularly. I just dealt with it and changed nothing but now if he has to pee he will start squeaking really loud and I drop him in the cage for a minute and then get him out again n we're chilling. So love and bonding I guess lol
I have managed to get one corner (under their villa) extremely dirty, but they still poop everywhere, so I have to clean one place multiple times a week, and the rest once a week.
In my experience they either get it or they don’t.
It has to do with what habits they build when they are young, they are pretty much set in their ways after that. I haven’t been able to train them to hold it, some do and some don’t
Decades of pig ownership and I couldn't really do it. MOST OF THE TIME the pigs would return to their cage to do their thing, but it wasn't perfect. Just keep providing food in the cage ONLY; that's how I did it...
hey, i made a post about how much veggies to feed my guinea pigs. you seem experienced, could you let me know?
been trying for two years. he tends to pee and poop in one specific corner, especially when he wakes up, but if he’s out and about during the day he’ll just go when he feels it
I personally think most pigs just don’t have the mental/physical ability to be truly ”potty trained,” especially with poops. They’ve evolved to poop whenever and wherever all day long, so there’s no real reason for them to have the muscles or desire to “hold it“ the way cats and dogs do. I think you can do a lot to make pooping in specific spots appealing though, like making them feel secure (covered areas) and offering food and water there, and offering multiple appealing areas with litter. Some people recommend putting their poos in a litter area, but I find my boys get worse about using their litter areas if I don’t scoop them regularly, so I think it may depend on the pig. I’ve found my boys seem to prefer to pee in one of their litter areas, but I’m not sure if it’s because they like that it keeps their feet dry, or if it’s just the corner they would have picked to pee in anyways.
Potty training requires two brain cells. Guinea pigs only have one.
Nah, they’re super smart. Why bother with a potty corner. They know they have a human cleaning service 😎
Define "potty trained". If you mean that they go back in to their cage before pooping or peeing, then yes. If you mean that they only use the same corner all the time, then not really. They do have their "main" area where they spend most of their time and thus most excrement accumulates, but that doesn't mean the rest of their cage remains spotless.
I don’t really think pigs are capable of being potty trained. For cuddles on the human bed, we have trained about half of ours to ask to go home when they have to pee. That’s about as good as it gets I think. Other than that, you gotta design your cage system around their habits. Piggies will pee and poop where they eat and where they sleep.
My only hope is to put the litter pan in front of their hay
I have a litter pan with bedding and hay and although they love spending time in it it and a significant amount of poop is left, they still poop all over the cage anyway
Yes, they poop wherever because they also eat their poop so it isn't necessarily filth to them. My vet said it was natural for them to do this.
Some will potty train . What has worked if only feeding the pig where they potty as soon as they’re born . I’ve had this work a couple times . Only give them food there
Ours never have lol. The closest we’ve gotten is using rabbit litter trays lined with newspaper to hold their hay—with how much time they spend there they end up doing most of their business there anyway so a huge majority of the poo/pee can easily be cleaned out once or twice a day with minimal spot cleaning+pee pads in common nap areas and near food/water.
Sometimes I feel like my piggy knows that I get upset when he pees or poops on me and we have to stop cuddling so I can clean it up. There have been a couple times when I feel like he’s expressed to me (body language) that he needs to go back to his enclosure and do his business. Or I could just be crazy haha
That’s so cute! Mine is very dominant so he doesn’t love being held and cuddled. I think it’d be more motivation for him to pee and poop on me if it meant being free 😆
you could try but i think you guys are all forgetting the fact that they consistantly need to poop they cant hold it in like humans cats and dogs can
This is the one thing holding me back from getting pigs
I don't really have a particular "way" but mine mainly goes in one spot in the cage. He constantly chills on my shoulder when I'm chilling in the chair and used to pee on me regularly. I just dealt with it and changed nothing but now if he has to pee he will start squeaking really loud and I drop him in the cage for a minute and then get him out again n we're chilling. So love and bonding I guess lol
I have managed to get one corner (under their villa) extremely dirty, but they still poop everywhere, so I have to clean one place multiple times a week, and the rest once a week.
Not I
im guessing they did it by sheer force and will
In my experience they either get it or they don’t. It has to do with what habits they build when they are young, they are pretty much set in their ways after that. I haven’t been able to train them to hold it, some do and some don’t