How to Train Your Guinea Pigs to do Tricks!

I always tell everyone that guinea pigs are smart and curious animals, but some people don’t believe me. So, I wanted to show you some clips showing how smart Tofu and Dumpling are and how to also train your guinea pigs do some tricks!

Before you start the process, make sure you prepare some small slices and pieces of your guinea pigs’ favorite veggies. The reason we want to keep this small is that you will need to repeat this many times, but you don’t want to overfeed your piggies with treats. If your guinea pigs are still scared of you, you should probably first refer to our extremely comprehensive bonding tutorial that can help you go from level 1 to 6 in no time.

When you start to notice that your that your piggies trust you more, “stand up” should be the first trick to teach your guinea pigs. All you need to say is “stand up” while holding veggies close to their nose, then moving it up slowly. This will naturally make guinea pigs stand up (some guinea pigs will learn faster than others).

When they do stand up, don’t forget to give the treats right away! Make sure to praise them as soon as they get it right. After repeating this many times, they will even do this without any treats in your hand.

Another trick that you can teach your guinea pig is “turn around” or “spin”. The method is very similar. You need to start with veggies close to their nose, then move your hand slowly to give them time to turn around.

Again, some piggies will learn faster than others. After you repeat them many times, they will be able to follow instructions.

“Come here” on command is also very fun to see. You must make sure guinea pigs can approach at their own will. Free roaming would help a lot. If they are always in an enclosed environment, this will be more difficult to teach.

Whenever you come home after work or school, and you say, “come here” then provide treats or veggies, they will want to come to you whenever you say, “come here”. You can also do this by calling out their names – eventually they will learn their names.

Another tip I suggest, and I'm sure many pet owners already know this but I always talk, praise, or call out to them in a lighter tone than my regular voice. I feel as though this encourages them to approach me. Always be sure to talk to them often in a light tone so they can recognize your voice.

Guinea pigs are smart creatures and can get smarter when piggie parents continue to interact with them in various ways. Giving them a bit of challenge, such as training to do tricks is one way to do this.

Does your guinea pig do any other tricks? How did you teach them? Share with us!