do Guinea-pigs smell?

Question

i was thinking about getting a guinea-pig but my friend told me they stink!

Answer 1

Well, if you keep their cage cleaned out at least once a week, as well as use a bedding like a aspen or newspaper bedding then it will cut back on the smell. They will go to the bathroom in one area and really, there is no reason you can't get a scoop and just clean the one area during the week. :o)

Answer 2

They don't stink at all. I would know if they did as I have 10! Your friend probably kept hers in a cage waaay too small and didn't clean it out often enough.

Oh and the first answer is VERY wrong. Guinea pigs do not eat their babies - unlike other rodents. The babies are born fully haired and with their eyes open. Sometimes the mother 'over cleans' them though and nibbles part of their ear or leg off.

Answer 3

Hello,
If you keep the cage clean piggies do not smell, A simple rule of thumb is if you can smell them you have waited to long, not changing the cage leads to ammonia build up and if left like that your piggies can get upper respiratory infections and pneumonia. Some people think that using a litter that also controls odor is no better. Pine Shavings with Chlorophyll and those Cedar shaving can be just a dangerous to your piggy as leaving them in a dirty cage. If you are going to keep a good cage try Yesterdays news, Care fresh or woody pet.

Answer 4

I was fine and wasn't going to commet since there's so many good answers, until I read the one that said 'cedar bedding'. DO NOT USE CEDAR BEDDING! It burns the pads of their feet and can be fatal if you don't catch it in time and infection sets in.
I had two pigs, Harry and Jazz and I kept them in cedar for years. I cleaned the cages about every four days just to keep them clean, but Harry developed an infection from a burn from the cedar bedding and I didn't catch it quickly enough. After a round of antibotics, and force feeding him yogurt, (pigs have a natural bacteria in their bellies that help them digest food and the antibotics kill this good bacteria along with the bad and the yogurt restores that good bacteria), I still lost him in a matter of about six days.
Use pine or aspen, I use pine and clean often, and there's a recycled paper pellet that's made for bedding and it's good too. Just don't use cedar bedding.
And for the most part, pigs won't stink if their cage is kept cleaned. This includes washing it in warm water with a mild soap, just like you'd wash dishes. Rinse it good, dry it out and it's ready to go. I never gave them a bath, but I suppose you could, and they never stank unless the cage was getting dirty.

Answer 5

No they don't stink. Ferrets stink. A guinea pig is just like any other animal that is kept in a cage. for the most part it is not the animal that stinks. It is thier bedding (cedar chips for guinea pigs....and cedar chips smell great by the way!)
As long as the cages are cleaned regularly there won't be an odor. The feces and urine that is allowed to sit will sour and start to stink after a while, regular bedding changes will avoid this.
I raised guinea pigs for a few yrs. So I know. They are cute little things, that require little maintanance except for the cage.
Get one! You won't regret it, they are the best! But a forewarning, don't put a male and a female in together, unless you want a buncha the little boogers! And if you do want them, you need to try to be present at the birth as the mother sometimes rolls over on the newborns and kills them while she is giving birth to the others. You will also need to remove the father during the immediate period after the birth, or he will eat them. It doesn't happen all the time, but it is not uncommon.
Goddluck!!!

Answer 6

Guinea pigs are wonderful pets but their cages need frquent cleaning. How often you need to clean depends on the cage and the type of bedding used... some deoderize better than others!!
If you get one make sure you learn about their needs as they require vitamin C on a daily basis either through their feed or in their water or through fresh produce such as parsley or oranges.

Answer 7

Any pet you get will smell if you dont clean them out and look after them well, i myself personally dont think that they smell if they do you can get a special pet deodoriser, i love guinea pigs and they let you do almost anything with them they are very tolerant animals.

Answer 8

Well.. but its not the guinea pig thats smelling, its the chemicals they are kept in to keep them 'fresh'.

So technically no they dont smell, but it stinks when your around them.

Answer 9

They don't smell, but their cages do. Cages must be cleaned out everyday, to keep the odor down. And bedding is expensive! They are great little pets, if you can afford bedding and are committed to daily cleaning. The only bad part about them is that they poop everywhere - not just in one corner, like some small animals. They poop in their bed, in their food - they just don't care! So it makes cleaning a pain.

Answer 10

They won't stink if you take very good care of it. Here are some sites worth looking at if you are planning to get a piggy: cavycages.com jackiesguineapiggies.com exoticpets.about.com and guineapigsecrets.com. Also try petfinder.com if you want to adopt a pet. You could save a life!!:)