When it comes to guinea pigs they are usually very clean most of the time, but they can also dirty up a cage quickly as well.
This can lead to having to clean up after them constantly, so why are guinea pigs so messy?
Guinea pigs can sometimes be very messy and the reason why is that they pee and poop a lot all throughout the day and they sometimes throw the hay that they don’t eat everywhere which can also contribute to a messy cage too.
It can seem like a lot of work when you have to always clean up after them, but luckily there are a few things that you can do to make it easier on yourself.
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Are Guinea Pigs Messy?
So guinea pigs can be a little messy sometimes and there are three main things that they do that can make them that way.
One of the things that can make them be so messy is the fact that guinea pigs poop a lot. Guinea pigs poop so much that it can be surprising to see if it’s not something that you’re used to.
So it’s not unusual to look into their cage one moment and not see very much poop and then a while later see it piled up in different places.
But when guinea pigs poop a lot it can be a good sign because it can mean that everything is moving through their body the way it’s supposed to.
Another reason why they can be so messy is that guinea pigs do pee a lot most of the time. On average they usually pee about four times every hour throughout the day, so as the day goes on it can really start to add up.
So this is definitely something normal for them to do and sometimes if you keep female guinea pigs you may see them spray their pee as well.
The males can do it every now and then too which just contributes to how messy they can be sometimes.
One more thing that can make them seem like they’re messy is the fact that they will waste some of their hay.
What that means is that they will eat some of their hay and the hay that they don’t eat they will sometimes leave on the floor of their cage while spreading it throughout their enclosure.
So although guinea pigs can be this way that shouldn’t deter you from getting some if you were thinking about adopting them.
They’re really great to have as pets and it’s not like they’re dirty or filthy, they can just be a little messy sometimes.
Why Are Guinea Pigs So Messy?
So because they can be that way, that can lead a potential owner and even an experienced owner to wonder why are guinea pigs so messy.
The reason why guinea pigs are so messy or at least why they can seem like they are is that they’re naturally messy animals that are known to pee and poop more than other small pets that you can keep.
So they definitely can seem like they’re just really messy especially when they’re compared to other pet rodents like gerbils or hamsters, but really that’s just how they naturally are.
They pee and poop so much that it can be a lot to handle if you’re not prepared for it, but that’s completely normal for them.
What can add to that is the fact that they don’t really control when and sometimes where they go to the bathroom most of the time, because when the urge hits them then they will just go.
So if you do have some guinea pigs that are messy, then it’s not unusual because most guinea pigs will naturally be this way.
It doesn’t mean that your guinea pig is mad and it doesn’t mean that something is wrong with them, it’s just how they are.
So they definitely require a little more care than some other rodents that you can keep as pets and that’s perfectly fine.
How Normal Is It For Guinea Pigs To Be So Messy?
Although guinea pigs are generally clean animals when it comes to keeping themselves clean, they still can be really unorganized and messy and that’s normal.
So besides the fact that they can be messy by peeing and pooping a lot, they can also keep the things in their cage in an unorganized way.
For example, one of the things that you’ll see a guinea pig do is flip their house over every now and then.
They’ll knock it over or leave it turned upside down and sometimes even flip it back over after you’ve put it upright.
You’ll even see your guinea pigs knock their food bowl over as well. When this happens their food can spill out of the bowl and can get scattered through most parts of the cage.
But even though both of these can contribute to how messy they make their cage, it’s still all normal behavior for guinea pigs.
Make Cleaning Up Your Guinea Pigs Messes Easier
So it’s true that guinea pigs can be a little messy sometimes and because of that, it can be difficult to clean up after them every now and then.
Most of a guinea pig’s messes come from the fact that they pee and poop a lot, but luckily there are some simple things that you can use that can make cleaning up their messes a whole lot easier.
So because guinea pigs poop a lot and you’ll have to clean it out often, one of the things that can make cleaning their poop up easier is having a handheld vacuum available.
Most of the time you’ll have to clean the poop out of their cage a couple of times or more a day which can be time-consuming if you’re doing it by hand.
But with a handheld vacuum, you can actually cut down the time that it’ll take you to clean it all up.
The next thing that you can use that can help make cleaning up guinea pig messes a lot easier are pee pads.
Guinea pigs can pee almost every 15 minutes and if it’s not dealt with properly then it can start to smell and that can really make cleaning up after them harder.
But when you use pee pads they can soak up a lot more of their pee while also controlling some of the odor of it.
You can either use the disposable pee pads that you can easily take out and replace or the reusable ones that you can wash.
So even though both pads can handle the pee in different ways, they also both make cleaning up after messy guinea pigs easier.
Can You Stop Your Guinea Pigs From Being Messy?
It’s normal to want to stop your guinea pigs from being messy if you have some that are because it can be a lot to deal with sometimes.
But most of the time you won’t be able to fully stop them from being messy because that’s just how they naturally are.
That being said, there are still some things that you can try to slow down how unorganized or messy they make things within their cage.
One example of this is if you use Velcro to hold some of their things in place that they like to mess up.
So if you have some fleece in their cage and they’re constantly flipping it up, then you can try to velcro some of the sides down so that they can’t anymore.
This type of Velcro is the one that has an adhesive side so that you can easily stick it onto something like their fleece to keep it in place.
The reason why it works so well is that guinea pigs won’t be strong enough to actually pull it apart and create a mess.
This can even work for their food bowls if they like to flip them over too.
By placing some Velcro on the bottom of their food bowl and sticking it to a certain part of their cage you can really help prevent them from knocking it over and making their cage messy.
So this is one of the really good ways to slow down how messy they can make their cage but unfortunately, you won’t always be able to fully stop them from doing it.
Being messy all the time is how they naturally are most of the time and that’s perfectly fine for them to be that way.
As guinea pig owners we have to care for them and clean up after their messes when they’re being messy and even when they’re not being that way too.