Litter Training

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Pig Slave

Pig Slave

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Hi everyone,

I wondered if it is at all possible to litter train a pig. I had two previous pigs that used to toilet in the same corner of the cage which made it easier to spot clean but they did this without any input from me. However my current two girls (1 year old) go everywhere meaning I have to do a complete change of bedding much more often. They are pretty good during cuddle time and give me a couple of minutes warning to put them down if they need to go so I've tried putting them down in the same spot but this hasn't worked. I have tried putting food in all corners except one but they either move it or go on top. Any tips or experiences please?
 
All our 8 go wherever they please. Some on here seem to have had some success litter training but others none. If you search "potty training" or "litter training" using the search forum option it should bring up a few threads where it has been discussed before which you might be interested in reading. I'm sure others will be happy to reoly to you here with their experiences. Welcome to the forum.
 
How long have you had your girls? I know mine mostly toilet in the same places, they litter tray under the hay, and a particular bed in the corner, but I know it's notoriously hard to litter train pigs.
 
Piggies cannot be litter trained. You can encourage them to use toilet corners - a tray filled with soft underneath a hay rack makes a good nibbling, napping and crapping place, for instance. Ideally you observe which corners or spaces your piggies have chosen for preferred toiletting. A good bit is usually bound to go amiss, though.

A lot depends on how well up on hygiene piggy mum was. Guinea pigs that have grown up in a general mess never get the idea of being tidy, for obvious reasons. Other guinea pigs are extremely neat, even up to hanging their bum out for peeing outside their favourite sleeping corner.
 
This is a great question, my pigges actually stay on a large blanket comforter which I wash every week (I don't like paper or wood bedding, it's not as comfortable and it gives them allergies). They also have their own towels and t-shirts that I place in spots I know they will use more often for the bathroom. Although I don't think you can litter train them, I do feel you can get them used to having their cage setup the same and spot clean as much as possible. They tend to go everywhere if they feel like there isn't clean open space available. They're more likely to go in corners and away from their food (mine also don't like to go near their water bottle. An example of how guinea pigs can be temperamental if their routine or environment is changed: Before I got Maximus, Reptar was really tidy about going in the same place but with a new boar and a bigger and much different live in play pen he started to be messy and go everywhere. That was a month ago and now he is into a routine and really familiar with his pen so he began going in a special place again.
 
I have litter trays and peg fleece over the cage where the litter trays are.Most pees a're done in there but they poop everywhere as well as in trays.The trays have aubiose and hay in them and the water bottle hangs over it.
 
Biscuit is quite good at toileting, she will generally reverse herself into the corner/side of the playpen or cage and do her business there. I found it quite funny at first as I'd never imagined she would do anything like that (as I knew they were messy animals). Fudge just goes where she wants, sometimes next to the food dish, as she likes to lay there.
 
I find peoples responses to these questions fascinating. Mine were tending to wee in the same spots (where they sleep or eat) but they just randomly dropped poop as they were walking/running along cos obviously my pigs are too busy to stop and poop! :)) :)) :))
 
Talk about personalities! Neat piggies and messy piggies, it's very fascinating how different they are, and quite amusing too.
The top sow will only pee at one spot, and if i put any huts or toys in that area she will flip them out of her way. The other one pees next to her waterbottle, probably because she drinks all the time :P
But none of them pee outside their cage. If they have to go during floortime they will jump back in and do their business, eat some hay and jump back out again.
It's a totally different story with the pooping though... :)
 
Lady Kelly said:
I find peoples responses to these questions fascinating. Mine were tending to wee in the same spots (where they sleep or eat) but they just randomly dropped poop as they were walking/running along cos obviously my pigs are too busy to stop and poop! :)) :)) :))
Click to expand...
Yes I find the responses fascinating too :xd:

Parents of small (human) babies spend hours discussing their child's weeing and pooing habits, in my experience. To the Piggie slaves on this forum, the piggies are our babies and what do we do? Spend hours discussing their wees and poops!
 
I had a bolt of inspiration with my piggie litter training. I had given them hay in a rack plus their water bottle access from the litter tray. But they still weed and pooed everywhere else but there. However yesterday I lined the litter tray with new hay over the top of the aubiose. Low and behold they are now using it. Seems my two ladies are rather particular about where they park their butts! They still do a bit of poo and walk and also seeing and pooing in their bedding, but it is much less now.
 
i find the bigger the tray, the more they use it. mine have a large garden potting tray and do quite alot of their toileting in there :)

eta: the tray has fitch in it, and loads of hay :)
 
My two babies are doing quite well. They are 10 weeks old and, when in their cage, only poo in their litter/ hay tray. They seem to mostly wee there and in their bed but the poo is 99% confined to the tray. If they are out of the cage, then the poos happen when they are in a covered area- box, hidey, tunnel, etc. They do misjudge the weeing sometimes. One of them was eating hay in the tray the other day, did a little shuffle backwards but stuck his bottom out over the edge and managed to wee on the fleece!
 
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