Why Do Female Guinea Pigs Spray Urine? (The Honest Truth)

Female guinea pigs can be difficult to take care of because they sometimes spray urine. This can be frustrating and embarrassing…and a little gross. I mean, ewww! But, why do female guinea pigs spray urine?

There’s a few reasons why female guinea pigs might spray urine. Female guinea pigs sometimes spray urine to communicate their feelings and intentions to other animals.

This behavior is usually seen as a way for females to establish dominance over one another. It can also be a response to stress or anger, and is sometimes directed at male guinea pigs.

Guinea pigs sometimes do strange things when they are mad at each other.

In this blog post, you’ll learn more about one of those strange things: spraying urine.

I know you’re curious, so let’s get started!

Why Do Female Guinea Pigs Spray Urine?

Female guinea pigs will spray urine when they’re stressed or mad at other piggies. They also do it to show dominance when they’re with other females and even male guinea pigs.

Female guinea pigs (or sows) can sometimes get into fights with each other. This happens especially as they get older (and crankier). Even little fights over food can make a sow spray her urine on the others.

Sows spray their urine when something bothers them. They also do it when a male they’re not interested in tries to mate with them.

Funny, right?

I can imagine some piggies playing hard to get.

Our fur babies get stressed out easily, so they might start spraying if they’re feeling overwhelmed. Yep, even the ladies.

Let’s dive bit further into why female cavies spray urine.

Dominance Behavior

In most cases, female pigs assert dominance over each other by peeing on each other. The dominant sow will spray her urine on the other ones – her subordinates.

This will make them know she’s the boss. She can also use this technique to show that this is her territory. It’s like she is saying “stay away”. You get what I mean, don’t you?

It could be dominance over territory or food. It can even be over a male piggie. It just depends on the situation.

Annoyance

Truth be told, female piggies can get angry for many reasons. There’s a long list of stuff that gets them mad. Trust me though, their hormones play a huge role there too.

When they are in heat, they can start spraying urine and strutting around to attract the male. This will let the male know that she is willing to mate. If he does not respond, she can get really mad.

Other times, they can get irritated by their cage mates. It could be territorial issues or other random stuff. There’s no limit to what can get a sow angry.

Stress

This is a common problem with guinea pigs. Female guinea pigs can get stressed out easily. When they get too stressed, they might start spraying urine everywhere.

Some things that can stress your female cavy out include:

• Her male cage mate
• Other females
• Loud noises
• Her babies
• Other house pets
• Sickness

Also, they can be stressed out when they’re experiencing hormonal spikes. It’s also possible that your female cavy is just having a bad day. Trust me, it happens!

Why Do Female Guinea Pigs Spray Each Other?

Female guinea pigs can spray urine on each other to show dominance or when they are upset. They can spray each other on any part of their bodies.

One could spray the other right in the face or on the side. It’s a warning sign. Sometimes spraying urine can lead to fights.

Many times, when they are annoyed, our furry friends will spray urine on each other.

Do Female Guinea Pigs Spray On Male Guinea Pigs?

Yes, female guinea pigs spray urine on male guinea pigs to stop them from bothering them. If you have male and female cavies living together, you may have seen this behavior.

For example, the female can spray urine if the male is sniffing her butt. He may be trying to mate with her and she’ll let him know she doesn’t want to.

The male may just be bothering her and then get a blast of urine in the face. It can also happen when the male is trying to mount the female against her will.

Can You Stop Your Female Guinea Pig From Spraying?

Unfortunately, there’s no sure-fire way to stop a female guinea pig from spraying on other guinea pigs. However, there are some things you can do to reduce the chances of this happening.

• Make sure that she has plenty of space to run and play. A cramped cage can cause stress, which may lead to spraying.
• Give her with plenty of hiding places like cuddle cups and huts. Guinea pigs like to have somewhere to retreat to when they feel threatened or intimidated. This will help her feel safe and secure, and may reduce the likelihood of her spraying.
• Try to create a calm and relaxed environment for her. Too much noise or commotion can also cause stress, leading to unwanted spraying behavior.

By following these simple tips, you can help reduce the chances of your female guinea pig spraying on other guinea pigs.

But, keep in mind that this behavior is normal and there’s no guarantee that you can completely stop it from happening. So, don’t get too frustrated if your female cavy still sprays from time to time.

Just do your best to create a happy and healthy environment for her, and she’ll be more likely to stay calm and content.

What To Do If Your Guinea Pig Starts Spraying?

If you’re the unlucky owner of a guinea pig that likes to spray urine on other guinea pigs, there are a few things you can do to protect your walls and cage bedding.

1. Try to identify the root cause of the spraying behavior. Is your guinea pig feeling stressed? Are there any new animals in the home that could be triggering territorial behavior?
2. Once you’ve pinpointed the cause, take steps to reduce stress or eliminate the trigger. If that doesn’t work, you may need to position the cage in a different location so that your guinea pig doesn’t have direct line of sight to any potential targets.
3. Make sure to clean any areas that have been sprayed immediately (mainly if it happens outside of the enclosure and away from the bedding), because piggie urine can cause staining and odors. With a little patience and effort, you can help your guinea pig learn to live peacefully with its cage mates.

Do Female Guinea Pigs Spray? (Pet Parents Weigh In)

Yes, female guinea pigs spray. In fact, they do it for so many reasons. I’ve got some pretty juicy stories from other piggie owners that I’m gonna share with you.

To give you the best info, I conducted manual research on 47 guinea pig owners. This research helped me to find out why their female piggies spray urine.

Are you ready? Let’s dive in!

Here are the highlights of my research:

• The first thing piggie owners agreed on is that females spray to deter male advances. There are many similar stories of the females spraying the males because they don’t want to mate.
• One piggie owner said her younger female cavy sprays urine often. She said she does it to warn off the bigger girls when they chase her.
• Another piggie owner said she thinks spraying urine literally means piss off. I laughed at that one.
• Someone else said her girls do it when the boar is bothering them. Then they spray the urine directly on his face and mouth. The look on the boar’s face is always priceless.
• One owner said she thinks her piggies grew out of it. She mentioned that they sprayed a lot when they were in their teenage years though. Now they only spray once in a while when they’re very upset.
• Another one has a pair of six years old piggies who still spray pee on each other.
• A piggie owner mentioned that her female piggie sprays pee during floor time. They didn’t really know why.

So, et’s do some quick math.

40% (19 piggie owners) said their cavies spray urine when they get annoyed. Their cage mates seriously tick them off.

35% (16 piggie owners) said their female cavies spray urine to show dominance.

25% (12 piggie owners) said their female cavies spray when they don’t want to mate.

Is There A Way To Prevent Female Guinea Pigs From Spraying In The First Place?

No, you can’t prevent your female guinea pigs from spraying. It’s a natural occurrence that happens to all of them. You can only try to keep the mess contained.

You can’t stop a human baby from peeing himself/herself. Same goes for spraying. Cavies use spraying pee as a way to communicate.

So no, you can’t stop them from spraying in the first place.

Should You Get A Female Or A Male Guinea Pig If You Don’t Want Them To Spray Urine?

You shouldn’t choose your cavy based on that because both males and females spray urine. There’s only a little difference in how they do it.

Female cavies spray pee out from their back, and the boys spray down and a bit forwards. 

Do Female Guinea Pigs Mark Their Territory?

Yes, female guinea pigs mark their territory. Many times, they pee on each other to mark their territory.

Peeing on objects is a way that piggies mark their territory, just like dogs do.

When there’s a lot of female piggies living together, there is usually one dominant one.

The boss piggie will pee on her subordinates to warn them. She’ll also pee on the objects she wants to keep as her own.

Do Female Guinea Pigs Smell?

Typically, female guinea pigs hey don’t have an unpleasant odor. However, there are a few exceptions to this rule.

If a guinea pig is too weak to groom itself, it may start to develop an unpleasant smell.

Likewise, if she’s living in a dirty cage, she might start to smell bad. In these cases, you just want to make sure that the enclosure is clean, dry, and fresh.

Bathing your fur baby with anti-fungal shampoo every 3 to 4 months can help with the problem.

Some guinea pig owners also choose to bathe their pets on a regular basis as a preventative measure against ringworm and other problems.

No matter what the reason, if you do decide to give your guinea pig a bath, be sure not to overdo it. Overbathing your piggies can dry out their skin.

Do Female Guinea Pigs Calm Down As They Get Older?

Many female guinea pigs calm down as they grow older. They outgrow most of their teenage years’ attitude too. Some old female piggies still spray though.

However, some older sows end up be pretty cranky. But, it’s usually because there’s underlying health issues like ovarian cysts (pretty common).

Ovarian cysts are usually benign, but they can cause problems for your furry friend if they grow too large.

Ovarian cysts can occur when the ovaries produce an excess of hormones. They can also be caused by certain types of infections. These cysts can cause pain and swelling in the abdomen. 

Painful health conditions like that make female piggies awfully grumpy and they can take it out on anyone, even their long-time cage mates.

How Do I Stop My Guinea Pig From Peeing Everywhere?

You can’t stop them from spraying but you can control the damage it does.

I know you’re so pissed right now, calm down. Yeah, your walls are ruined, and their bedding gets messy every time.

But chill out a little and let’s look at 3 possible solutions.

Try To Litter Train Them

It is not easy to litter train your cavies. Do not expect too much from your furry friends though, they are not like dogs.

Litter training your cavies needs patience. And there’s no guarantee that you’ll succeed either but it’s still worth a shot.

Keep Them In A Contained Location

You could try adjusting your cavies’ hutch to keep them away from the walls. This will limit how far they can spray their urine.

Don’t keep your piggies in a tiny cage, that’s not what I mean. Keep them where they wouldn’t cause any damage. This depends on what your home is like.

Use Blankets and Pee Pads

This is a favorite of many piggie owners. Pee pads help contain the urine. It’ll help their bedding last longer too.

Instead of having to change out the entire cage, you can just wash the pee pads and keep everything smelling fresh.

Why Did My Guinea Pig Spray Me?

Your guinea pig may have sprayed you accidentally or because it’s unhappy with you. Also, your cavy might have been uncomfortable or nervous.

But, it’s most likely that you just held your guinea pig too long. When you do that, your fur baby doesn’t have a choice. They can only hold their pee so long. And nature calls.

There’s many reasons why your piggie might pee on you, but most of the time it’s normal.

Things To Remember About Separating Male and Female Guinea Pigs

Cavies need to be separated at some point in their lives. This could be when they are sexually mature or when they start to fight.

Also, know that your pigs will always spray urine. Just accept it and deal with it. If you need to, cover your walls with plastic sheeting.

Fur babies are a lot of work, but…

they’re worth it.

Do you have a female piggie who sprays? Let me know in the comments below.