P - U !!! my guinea pigs stink!!!?

Question

I have 2 Guinea pigs, Chi Chi my girl.. and Cupid my boy ( I love my babies.. lol ). Anyways, these little boogers STINK!!.. i mean their bedding just gets so rank and soiled that it makes the whole room smell bad. Its really embarassing because i like to have company, but i dont want them coming in my room and smelling the guinea pigs cages all the time. A lot of the times i try to open the windows up to let the room air out..it might work for a little bit but when i close it the room lights up again. My dad bought me an air purifier but that doesnt even work. I use Carefresh Pine and cedar oil free bedding (the Grey fluffy kind ). I have to change their cages very frequently and im a college student with full time classes trying to work. I love my babies and giving them away is not an option. i REALLY need some tips and suggestions. Would putting Cat litter underneath help? anything? lol someone PLEASE help!!

Answer 1

My son has three very cute & fat guiena pigs - they don't stink. Try using some type of hay over the bedding, & then also give them hay to eat (timothy, etc.). also give them lots of fruit & carrots too! That might help. Have fun.

Answer 2

Guinea Pigs Stink

Answer 3

There are several things you can do. Use PINE bedding only. Cedar bedding can kill your piggies. Scrub the cages real good,. Put a layer of baking soda on the bottom of the cage then the bedding.
Make sure they are getting plenty of fresh fruit and veggies, PLUS the piggie pellets, and plenty of timothy hay.
I cleaned my cages once a week, or sooner if they started smelling.
I also suggest removing any leftover fruit or veggies they do not eat. The food goes bad and could add to the smell.
You can also get a special piggie cage litter box. Yes they do make them. They are for in the corner and you use cat litter in it.
If you can get them to use it. It would stop them from going potty other places which is where most of the smell is coming from.
That way you could empty the litter box to rid of the smell . You will still have to clean the cages depending on how dirty it gets.
You can give piggies a bath but make sure you dry them good.
YOu can also do what i do with my dog. Use the baby wipes to clean them on a daily basis to help them from smelling.
It does good on my dog, He is a Sheltie and has lots of white fur and it helps keep him clean and the white , white.
Ive had as many as 90 piggies in my lifetime. I am piggieless right now, due to my last two passing from old age, 8 years old.
I am in the process of trying to locate more here in SW Minnesota.
Good luck with your piggies and I am so happy to see getting rid of them is not an option. Piggies are fun to have and DO have there own personalities.
Vicki

Answer 4

There isn't really anything you can do about the stench. Guinea pigs just stink. Just like alot of other animals; ferrets, most birds, mice, pigs, cows, puppies, kittens....the list goes on and on.

If you want to try something that absorbs the smell, a little, you can try using cedar ships, and get a top with a filter on it. Like the kind that litter boxes with tops have.Not saying you don't clean it, but try cleaning the cage more often then you do. You can try a little bit of baby powder when you change their bedding. Just enough for you to smell it, to much can cause breathing problems, and it can cover the scent of the other guinea, and cause territory problems.

Other then that, there isn't really much you can do. The cat litter wouldn't really help, because it wouldn't be covered by the litter, it would just drop down and sit. Put them in a room where people don't usually go, or a room that has low human traffic, but one that doesn't have a cool breeze.

Answer 5

I dont know who told you to use cedar bedding but stop using it. It is dusty and the guinea pigs faces are down in it all the time. When mine kept getting respiratory illnesses my vet couldnt figure out why and I found that online. Use pine bedding, critter litter, or recycled newpaper (no new news, the dye hurts them).
As for them smelling, they may need baths, which is not difficult. Also clean their whole cage including the floors and bars and then use baking soda. The baking soda wont hurt them. They may also smell becase of their diet. Make sure they are eating guinea pig food and look to see if any of their treats could be bad or hard to digest.
Another tip may be potty training them to one area of their cage and changing that area of bedding every day.
Good luck and Im so happy to see getting rid of them is not an option for you. They are the sweetest little animals.

Answer 6

Next time you clean them out, do it really thoroughly - scrub everything down with an animal-safe disinfectant (try your local pet shop).

My two have their cage lined with pine woodshavings (the dried kind that's ok for them), then a load of newspaper underneath, then a thin layer of rabbit litter at the bottom. It doesn't really smell much.

All I can suggest is clean them out more often, and make sure they aren't squirrelling away bits of veg in the corners - a big lump of carrot in a warm room can soon reek a bit!

Answer 7

We just got a guinea pig at Christmas and I noticed that after about three days the cage is ready to be completely changed. I use the same kind of bedding pretty much, feed it lettuce, carrots and cucumbers along with "pig crunchies" I know what you mean about the smell.....glade scented oil works good but you still have to clean that cage for sanitary purposes. I also use a warm damp wash cloth with Johnson's and Johnson's (very sparingly) and give that pig a quick wipe down and sometimes a bath depending...Best of luck.

Answer 8

Use a product called "Bi-Odor". You add it to the water. The lady that works at my local pet store recommended the ferret kind (they also sell it for guinea pigs and other small animals) and said it really works and helps. It's worth a shot. I know what you mean about cleaning the cage often and being a college student. I have a rabbit and she won't use her litterbox and her cage has to be cleaned WAY too often. Hope this helps!! Good luck!!

Answer 9

Guinea pigs do not "just stink" as someone suggested. I have six in my home, and they do not have a smell, except for their hay.

Generally, guinea pigs "stink" because they are kept in cages that are much too small for them.

http://www.guineapigcages.com

If you lived in a room the size of a bathroom that got cleaned once a week, you'd stink as well.

Answer 10

Well, either you aren't changing their cage often enough, or the cage is too small and it is building up. I keep two piggies together and change their bedding completely every 4 days.
Never use cedar bedding as it is poisonous!