Author:
John Stephens
Date Of Creation:
24 January 2021
Update Date:
29 June 2024
Content
A guinea pig is a very intelligent little rodent that can be trained to follow simple commands and perform a number of tricks. To ensure proper and smooth training, take good care of your guinea pig and meet all of its daily needs. Understand that each hamster's thoughts are unique and it will take a long time for them to understand what you want during the training sessions. Be patient and actively use reinforcement lessons with them; Over time your hamster will follow basic commands and improve.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Teaching your Mouse Simple Commands
Teach them to run until they are called. Like most pets, guinea pigs can run until you call them through exercise with motivation in the form of food. Use the name you call it when you talk, when you feed it, and when you reward it.
- You can also teach your guinea pig to approach when called by by removing it from the cage and placing it a few meters away from you. Then, hold on to its favorite food and start calling out the guinea pig's name.
- It takes motivation for your hamster to run to your side. When the mouse gets it right, give it its favorite food as a reward. Practice this at least once a day, and over time, your guinea pig will run until he hears your name from outside or in the cage.
Teach your hamster to stand up. This is another basic command you can teach your pet to use with food.- Hold the food above your head to lure the hamster up with its hind legs to get the food. Use the command "Stand up" and then let it get its food when it is on its hind legs.
- Repeat the signal once a day at the appropriate time. Gradually your hamster will stand on both feet as you give a command, even if you don't keep the food in your hand.
Run in a circle. You can also practice running a hamster in a circle when it is inside or outside the cage.- Hold the food in your hand and let the hamster approach you. When it is in front of you, move your hand in a circle and say the command "Circle".
- Your hamster will follow the movement of your hand for the food and make a circle. Once the circle is over, reward him with food. Repeat this every day until it can circle on your command without food.
Part 2 of 2: Teaching your Mouse Advanced Commands
Teach your hamster to push a ball. A ball that is small and not as heavy as a tennis ball is suitable, so the guinea pigs can move it with ease. You will also need foods that are long and flat, perhaps a slice of carrot.- Place the carrot on the ground and then place the ball on top of it.
- Say "Push the ball" and encourage the hamster to try to push the ball away to get the food.
- Repeat these steps and gradually you can take out the food so they learn to push the ball themselves without the food.
Teach your hamster to jump through hoops. Use a 6-10 cm diameter ring, or you can also take advantage of a clean water pipe to create a ring of the same diameter. Non-net ice cream jar or tennis racket lid may also apply. Make sure that whatever you use as a ring doesn't have sharp edges or risk getting your hamster stuck.
- Stand the ring upright so it touches the ground or the bottom of the cage. Keep the food on the other side of the ring, or have someone else hold the food while you hold the ring.
- Hold the food so that the hamster can see it on the other side of the ring, then call its name with the command: "Jump over the ring". You may need to give your hamster a nudge or a gentle push to make him jump through the hoop. Over time your guinea pig will be motivated enough to get past the hoop and get food.
- Praise and enjoy the food as it goes through the ring. Repeat as many times as possible until the hamster can begin to walk through the ring on its own without the need for motivating food.
Practice the hamster to go to the bathroom in the box. Many guinea pig owners teach them to go to the bathroom and go to the toilet in a small box. However, this takes a lot of practice and patience. If you have only recently trained your hamster to use the toilet in the right place, be prepared for some accident and don't scold or punish him if it does. Your guinea pig will be more responsive to positive comments and welcome and acknowledgment.
- To teach your guinea pig in the right place to defecate, place the box in the cage where it usually defecates. Put in the box some straw and some samples of its manure.
- When instructing your hamster to go to the bathroom in the box, give them some food as a reward. Gradually your hamster will learn that it is a good idea to use the box to get food and your pet will begin to do it as a normal habit.
