Up You Go!

All my past guinea pigs had had no problem climbing the stairs. They always followed our feet wherever we went, hoping their cutesy efforts would be rewarded with a treat.

But our two girls are different; they aren't dependent on us as our past pigs were. So I attempted to teach Mochi and Bean how to climb a stair.

In Debbi Noble's novel Guinea Pig Pets: Train Your Pig The Easy Way! Noble suggests that the easiest way to teach your cavy how to do this is by practicing on carpet stairs, and your pig should be close to fully grown, if it isn't already (21). This makes sense because carpet stairs aren't so slippery so your pig can have a good grip when making their jump. That's why I took Mochi, our full-grown pig, to our widest step (so she can have room to move around) on our carpeted staircase. Since she has an attachment to Bean, I put Bean on the stair above her so that Mochi has more motivation to go up.

To get your pig to climb a step, make sure it is facing the next stair and give it a little push on its rump (21). But if your pig has a harder time learning (as Mochi was), it'll need more encouragement. Noble says, "If your pig is in [this] category, simply place its front feet on the next step, so that it is standing up on its hind legs, and then give it a little push. It will go up. Congratulate it, and try again" (21). Since Mochi's hind legs are weaker than they should be and she's also very heavy for her size, I decided I needed to take this advice with her. I held her slightly off the ground (since the stair was a little high for her) and she took off right when she saw Bean and the pile of carrots that awaited her!








I think this is actually the most difficult trick to teach. For those of you with pets, What was the most difficult thing you had to teach your pet(s) while training them?


Noble, Debbie. Guinea Pig Pets: Train Your Guinea Pig The Easy Way! N.p.: Shaharm Publications, 2014-2015. E-book.