Having smelly pets around your environment can be upsetting. And It can also be embarrassing, especially when visitors come around.
So if you plan to buy cavies soon, it is wise to know whether they release an unpleasant odor or not. In other words, do guinea pigs smell?
The answer is no, guinea pigs do not normally smell. However, factors such as an unclean cage, sickness, or wrong diets can cause them to stink.
Once the source of the unpleasant odor is removed, everything will be back to normal.
Now that you know guinea pigs do not smell, I’m sure you’ll feel relaxed. There’s even a chance you’re already making plans to bring the small pets to their new home soon.
But before you make this decision, you need to know certain things. For example, why do guinea pigs stink?
Read further to find out the answer to this question and others in this article!
Table of Contents
Why Do Guinea Pigs Stink?
Usually, Guinea pigs stink for different reasons. While some of the factors relate to their living conditions, others are physical.
Unfortunately, it would be hard to get rid of a bad odor if you don’t know the causes.
With that said, here are 6 possible reasons your guinea pigs stink:
1. Irregular Grooming
Normally, you should set apart a day for grooming your guinea pigs, maybe every 3 to 4 months. Long-haired cavies, for example, quickly get dirty because food remains, urine, and feces can stick to their furs.
Even guinea pigs with little furs can also soil themselves with their waste products in the cage.
Without constantly washing off, trimming, or brushing your cavies’ furs, they’ll smell. Consider hiring a pet groomer if you’re always busy.
2. Illness
Dental problems, urinary tract infections, and abscesses can make your guinea pigs release an awful odor.
Usually, you’ll also notice symptoms like tiredness, loss of appetite, and sudden withdrawal in the affected cavy.
Do not hesitate to visit your vet as soon as possible once you notice these symptoms coupled with a bad odor. Delay can be dangerous as regards your small pets.
3. Low Water Intake
Little water in your guinea pigs’ diet will no doubt cause their urine to smell. Just like all living beings, access to clean water is important for your cavies.
Not only does it allow easy digestion, but it also helps them to get rid of waste easily.
Make sure your guinea pigs have at least one bottle of water in their cage. In addition, always change the water to a clean one regularly.
4. Wrong Diet
Overfeeding your little furry friends or giving them the wrong diet can result in diarrhea. It is important to note that guinea pigs are mainly plant-eaters that eat hay mostly.
If you feed them meat, for example, they’ll have stomach-related problems. As a result of this, your guinea pigs’ poop and urine will smell bad because the meat did not digest.
Diarrhea in your small pets is bad and should be prevented by all means.
5. Small Cage
Tiny enclosures are not recommended for guinea pigs, especially if they are many. Using their furs and feet, they’ll likely spread their waste all over the cage creating a messy and smelly atmosphere.
Keeping your cavies in a bigger cage is better than smaller ones. Although it may smell, it won’t be as bad as allowing your guinea pigs to stay in a small space.
6. Dirty Living Environment
Without taking care of your guinea pigs’ cage regularly, it will always smell bad. Always change their beddings, deep clean the whole enclosure, and wash all dirty plates and toys.
Try to create time for maintaining good hygiene in your guinea pigs’ cage or hire a cleaner.
Why Do Male Guinea Pigs Smell More Than Female Guinea Pigs?
One primary reason male guinea pigs smell more than females is because of their grease glands. It can be found at the exact place where other small animals’ tails are located.
Usually, the male guinea pigs mark their territory by releasing a sticky substance from this gland. Once the other males smell this foul odor, they’ll back off.
Also, the male cavies attract the females by producing greasy substances when they want to mate.
Constantly cleaning the male guinea pigs’ grease glands will reduce the smell they give off.
Do Guinea Pigs Smell In The House?
No, as mentioned earlier, guinea pigs normally do not smell in the house. They are intelligent animals that clean themselves all the time.
But when their environment is not properly cleaned or they’re fed the wrong diets, your cavies could smell.
Preferably, get a large cage for your guinea pigs if you notice their cage stinks. In addition, allow fresh air into your house to prevent heat which can make the odor worse.
Furthermore, create a daily schedule for cleaning the small pets’ cages. Regular cleaning ensures your house is free from bad odor and conducive to living.
How To Get Rid Of The Guinea Pig Smell In My Room
Reducing or permanently removing the source of guinea pig smell in your room requires hard work and time.
If you’re ready to pay the price, then your room will begin to smell nice, even while living with guinea pigs.
Here are 6 simple ways to get rid of the guinea pig smell in your room:
1. Create a Weekly Cleaning Schedule
Choose 1 or 2 days/week to clean your guinea pigs’ cage. Understandably, you may have a busy schedule but you need to create time for your small pets’ sake.
Always ensure the cleaning days are your free days like weekends. Not doing a thorough job while taking care of the cage will be a waste of time and energy.
For a start, you need to take everything in the cage out before scrubbing, rinsing, and wiping it dry. Also, do not forget to wash all fabric materials in the cage.
Allow the cage to get dry before placing back everything you took out of it back, including your guinea pigs.
2. Groom Your Pets
Even though guinea pigs are naturally clean animals (they groom themselves), you need to groom them. They need help with cutting their nails, trimming their furs, and even bathing.
Naturally, these small pets have sensitive skin, and bathing them regularly will result in itching.
It is advisable to consult your vet about the number of times to bathe them yearly.
Unlike short-haired guinea pigs, long-haired ones require more attention. Most times, urine and feces can stick to their furs thereby causing them to smell bad.
Brush and trim their furs regularly to remove all traces of dirt. Clean both male and female grease glands once in a while. Always cut your guinea pigs’ nails short.
3. Get a Large Cage
Often, a large cage is the best living environment for your guinea pigs. Running around, playing together and sleeping will be comfortable for them.
Besides, the pets will hardly soil their furs and feet with waste if there’s enough space to walk around.
So it is better to build or buy a large cage for your pets to prevent or reduce bad odor in your room.
4. Litter-Train Your Guinea Pigs Early
Fortunately, guinea pigs learn fast if you litter-box train them early. In the long run, you’ll be glad you took this step because your room will not smell bad.
Look out for the space your cavy defecates, then put a small litter box there. Keep the box near where you place their hay; they’ll use it.
Try to clean the litter box every 1 to 2 days just to maintain good hygiene in your room.
5. Visit the Vet
Sometimes, a bad smell in cavies can be a result of an underlying sickness or disease. Therefore, seek professional help especially if you always clean the pets and they still stink.
Let the animal doctor check for anything unusual so that they can begin treatments quickly if there’s a health issue.
6. Feed Your Guinea Pigs Only Healthy Diets
Hay is the most important diet for guinea pigs therefore always feed them with it every day.
In addition, you can always include small amounts of healthy fruits, vegetables, and pellets in their diet.
Also, ensure clean water is always available to your guinea pigs; this is very important. Remember that wrong diets can cause watery stool in cavies, which usually have a foul smell.
FAQ:
Do Guinea Pigs Smell Worse Than Hamsters?
No, hamsters smell worse than guinea pigs. Keep in mind that their cages stink so badly, especially if you don’t clean them regularly.
Besides, hamsters defecate and urinate everywhere and their urine has an offensive odor; But guinea pigs clean themselves because they are smart, small creatures.
Proper hygiene in the pets’ cages will lessen its odor to the barest minimum.
Do Guinea Pigs Smell Worse Than Rabbits?
Yes, guinea pigs smell worse than bunnies. Although both animals groom themselves, rabbits are better than guinea pigs in the area of hygiene.
While rabbits’ urine has a strong smell, they can easily be litter-trained compared to guinea pigs. Also, the bunnies’ poop does not smell except they have an underlying illness.
So we can conclude that rabbits do not smell as bad as guinea pigs.
Do Guinea Pigs Smell Worse Than Rats?
No, rats smell worse than guinea pigs. Despite being small animals, rats’ urine has a strong smell especially when there are many in a cage.
Same as guinea pigs, rats mark their territory with urine and usually pee at intervals.
But the good news is that they can be litter-trained like guinea pigs. Once you do this early, the smell in their cage will reduce.
Does A Guinea Pig Urine Smell?
Yes, a guinea pig’s urine smells but not very bad except something is not right.
Urinary tract infection, less water intake, and unhealthy diets can cause the small pet’s urine to have an unpleasant or fishy odor.
Once you suddenly begin to perceive an unusual smell in your guinea pigs’ cage, consult your vet doctor as soon as possible.
Final Thoughts
We have now come to the end of this article. Keep some important points in mind before you go.
Guinea pigs do not smell but an unclean cage, unhealthy diets, sickness, a small cage, and irregular grooming can make them stink.
Male cavies smell more than females because they produce a sticky substance from their grease glands.
To get rid of guinea pigs’ smell in your room, groom them regularly, check for illnesses and feed them healthy diets.
Always visit your veterinarian once you notice symptoms of illness in your guinea pigs.
Finally, the best way to have an odor-free environment is to maintain good hygiene in your small pets.
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