Do Guinea Pigs Attract Mice and Rats?
Fear of rats and mice remains one of the most common phobias in the world. The condition popularly known as murophobia is an awkward fright for these little rodents usually attracted by filth. With their unpleasant behavior of contaminating surfaces, they also stand out as destructive pests and a health hazard.
In an actual sense, very few people stand the sight of mice and rats running around the house. Given that rodents thrive in grime and muck, poor hygienic settings easily entice them.
It is common for piggy parents to speculate whether their fuzzy friends attract the unwanted mammals. In this article, we will clarify if indeed guinea pigs play any role in rodent’s infestation.
How Guinea pigs Attract Rats and Mice?
To novice pet owners, it comes as a surprise that guinea pigs do not directly attract rats and mice. In reality, guinea pigs are relatively hygienic animals and do not produce a foul smell. However, a poop buildup, food leftovers and an unclean environment can attract rodents.
Rats, born as outstanding scavengers, have an instinct of foraging through trash. If your pet’s enclosure has piles of uneaten food and droppings, it significantly becomes an attractant. What’s more, if the beddings become excessively soiled, it attracts them a distance away.
In their tiny size, mice and rats would appear fragile and incapable of causing immense damage in the house. However, the sneaky creatures can cause annoying damages in walls, electrical and plumbing systems through nesting and chewing.
With their rapid breeding capability, handful nuisance rodents can progress to a huge infestation within a short time. The situation worsens during summer when rodents come in homes to seek water and a cooler environment.
Are Mice and Rats Dangerous to Guinea Pigs?
It goes without saying that rats and mice spreads contaminants around the environment. In the process, they introduce infections like Tularemia, Salmonella, Hantavirus, Lymphocytic choriomeningitis and Leptospirosis.
These ailments spread through rodent’s urine, bites, droppings and physical contact. Sometimes, the viruses pose as a risk to the pet owners as well. For instance, rat bite fever is a popular bacterial sickness that affects both guinea pigs and human beings. Individuals become infected through rodent bites and scratches.
In rare cases, some guinea pigs and other little animals contact the infection but fail to display warning signals. Unfortunately, the infected animals act as carriers and continue to infect human beings and other pets around.
There are few cases where rats physically attack or kill pups and elderly guinea pigs. Compared to pigs, rats are extremely territorial and aggressive. They easily gain access through chewing wooden floors and small gaps in the cages. Occasionally, they are not afraid to pursue pigs two or three sizes bigger.
Are Mice Scared of Guinea Pigs?
Guinea pigs are slightly bigger than the mice. However, that does not deter a hungry mouse from coming close to the cage. Naturally, the smell of leftovers or guinea pigs dropping lures mice in the backyard or home.
Even if mice are primarily herbivores, they eat any kind of food scraps. Therefore, they can forage in the pig’s pen for some fruits and still rummage in the kitchen dustbin.
Currently, limited information dictates mice activity around guinea pigs. Despite all, there is a common misconception that pigs keep mice away. Often, false information misguides pet lovers on how to keep guinea pigs as a mouse’s eradication strategy.
It is not always easy to manage a mouse’s infestation because of their sly nature. In their undertaking to get some spoilt food or hay, they can go into great strides to achieve it.
Although they come from the same genus, it is still not very clear whether pigs certainly frighten mice. Altogether, pigs are non-aggressive and passive animals. Even when a tiny mouse finds its way inside the cage, rarely would a guinea pig retaliate.
Can Guinea Pig Kill and Eat a Mouse?
Guinea pigs are obligate omnivores. Physically, they are not in a position to kill and eat another animal for food. Since they do not have a gastrointestinal tract, it is not possible for them to digest meat. Therefore, consumption of even the most negligible piece of meat can make them seriously sick.
Even if a devious little mouse comes into contact with a guinea pig, mostly probably, it would not lead to a struggle or death. Still, there is a higher chance that a frightened little mouse would not put up a confrontation. Rather, they would jump back to their hiding spots and wait for an excellent timing to reappear.
How to Keep Rodents Away?
Eradicating rodents from your house requires patience and the right approach. Keep in mind that mice find their way in the house through urine trails. As a result, they pee constantly, especially around the food areas.
Start the eradication process by keeping your pig enclosures and environment dry, clean and well maintained. Soiled cages and hutches either with or without pigs attract vermin.
It would help if pet owners regularly change beddings, sanitize the cage, and remove leftover food. Likewise, you can get a cat or frequently use peppermint oil to chase the rodents.
Unknown to most pet owners, peppermint smell drives the rodents crazy and would not attempt to come near the household. Still, apply it on surfaces away from the pig’s cages as it makes them sick.
Always close your food containers to avoid as the smell invites rodents in the house. Also, you may use traps for massive infestation. Obviously, keep the traps away from your pigs to avoid harming them. At the moment, there are humane traps that do not kill the rodents but only capture them.
Bottom Line
It is every pet owner’s dream to keep their guinea pigs healthy and contented. A rat and mice infestation always makes it impossible to accomplish the vision.
To handle it successfully, you first have to understand the main attractants of rodents in your home. This helps in effectively finding a long-lasting solution to the menace.
