If you recently got a guinea pig, you might be noticing that there are some other furry friends that have come along with it. Yes, we are talking about mice, and even rats in some cases. So how do you keep mice out of your guinea pig’s cage?
Rodent infestations are hard enough to deal with on their own, but it can be even worse when you feel like your guinea pig is what is attracting them to your home.
How To Keep Mice Out Of Guinea pig Cage
To ensure you keep mice out of a guinea pig cage, here is the list of things you must do:
- Maintain a clean cage all the time
- Leftover foods must not be kept in the cage for more than 24 hours
- Keep food for guinea pig in closely tight containers
- Use Peppermint oil and a humane mouse trap
- Get a cat
Do Guinea Pigs Attract Mice?
Even though guinea pigs themselves don’t attract mice into your home, there are things that your guinea pig needs that mice really want. This includes the bedding, water, and the foods that you feed your guinea pig.
These things are meant to keep your pet happy, warm, and healthy, and other rodents like mice will think the same.
Mice might be attracted to your guinea pig’s cage because they can smell the food inside.
Once a mouse gets into the cage, it will also be comforted by the bedding inside. It is warm and cozy, how could they pass that up?
This is also true if you don’t store the bedding and food properly. They can sniff it out like a hound.
Are Mice Dangerous Around Guinea Pigs?
Yes, mice are absolutely dangerous to guinea pigs. You need to be extremely vigilant when keeping mice away from your guinea pig. Mice and rats are both territorial, aggressive, and not afraid to take on a guinea pig in a fight for their food and space.
Mice will always do what they can to squeeze their way into your guinea pig enclosure, which could ultimately result in an injured guinea pig, or worse. At the very least, your pet will experience some major stress.
Mice and rats can also carry some infectious diseases that can transmit incredibly easily to your guinea pig. Some of these diseases include salmonella, lymphatic choriomeningitis, tularemia, and leptospirosis. Mice don’t even have to come in contact with your guinea pig to spread the infection of these deadly diseases.
Mice can pass on infections to guinea pigs through urine or droppings without even coming in close contact with your pet at all. It is extremely crucial that you are always on top of a mouse or rat issue if you notice them hanging around your house or your guinea pig cage in particular.
How To Keep Mice Out of A Guinea Pig Cage
There are actions you can take to keep mice out of your guinea pig’s cage. Mice are a danger to your guinea pigs. So you must take the necessary measures to get rid of them.
Here are what you can do to prevent mice from invading your guinea pig’s cage
Maintain A Clean Cage
The most important thing you can do to keep mice from being attracted to your guinea pig cage is to keep it clean, well-maintained, and secure at all times. Mice and rats love spaces that are smelly, dirty, and away from people. When the cage is not properly cared for, or you have a hutch outside, your guinea pig cage will attract rodents.
Remove Leftover Food From Your Guinea Pig Cage
As long as you are making sure that your pet’s cage is clean, the waste is properly removed, and there is no leftover food lying around, you will have less to worry about.
You should also consider keeping your guinea pig food in an airtight container. This makes it harder for mice and rats to sniff out their food.
Use Peppermint Oil
You could also use peppermint oil to keep rodents away. Peppermint has a powerful scent, and it is one that mice do not like. The menthol compounds irritate the nostrils and nasal cavities, so one sniff of peppermint will keep mice away.
Use A Humane Mouse Trap
You might also want to consider humane mouse and rat traps. They will capture the rodents while keeping them alive. You can humanely transport the rodents away from your home and take some precautions to make sure they don’t come back.
Get A Cat
If you are a cat lover, you can bring a cat into your home. Mice cannot stand the sight of a cat. The scent of a cat picked up by mice alone will banish it from your home forever. That said you must ensure you store your guinea food properly.
Final Thoughts
So, how do you keep mice out of your Guinea pig’s cage? It can be really frustrating to bring home a new pet just to discover that the pet is bringing along some unwanted guests. Don’t worry, it is not your guinea pig’s fault that rodents are trying to find their way into your home.
There are precautions you can take to prevent them from coming in. The first thing you can do is make sure your pet’s cage is always clean.
Some other things you can do to keep mice away from your guinea pig is to keep their food in an airtight container so the mice can’t sniff it out. You can also try peppermint oil, mice and rats hate the smell.
As a last resort, you can even try placing humane traps to capture the rodents and release them away from home.