Fun Tricks You Can Teach Your Guinea Pig

Did you know that Guinea pigs can learn to do many cute tricks? These little furballs may mostly be known for just being cute, but Guinea pigs, or ‘cavies’, can learn some very delightful tricks. In this article, your local veterinarian Rapid City goes over some options for charming tricks you can teach your little pet.

If Socks is new to your home, you want to give the little guy plenty of time to get used to his surroundings before starting ‘school’. You won’t have much luck training a furball that is frightened or uncomfortable. Guinea pigs that have been traumatized, neglected, or badly scared in the past may not be good candidates for learning tricks. If your little buddy is timid, just him plenty of love and affection, and make him feel safe and secure. You can revisit training your furry pal down the road, when he’s feeling more relaxed.

This is the fun part! Let’s say you’ve adopted a Guinea pig, and called him ‘Socks’. You can teach little Socks to shake paws, turn in circles, or stand on his back legs and beg. He can also learn to come when called, push a ball or little car, or even play dead. Another cute trick cavies can learn is giving kisses. One of the most useful and popular tricks is learning to use a litter box. Needless to say, that is one trick that will come in very handy!

Repetition, patience, and reward are all crucial parts of successfully training any animal. Before starting to train your pet, figure out what his favorite treat is. Using that special snack as an incentive will definitely help! The exact steps for training your pig depend on which trick you want him to learn. It may take a lot of time before Socks performs the desired behavior. As soon as he does, reward him. In time, he should figure it out. When you are training your little furball, don’t exhaust him with long sessions. 10 or 20 minutes of ‘class’ a day should be sufficient.

Do you have any questions about your Guinea pig’s care or behavior? Please feel free to contact us any time we can help. To read more pet care articles from your local vet clinic Rapid City, visit our site here .