Do Guinea Pigs Attract Mice? (5 Clear Facts)

If you are considering adopting guinea pigs as pets, you may find yourself being concerned on whether the guinea pigs would be attracting mice. There are also those who may want to know if guinea pigs attract mice out of pure curiosity. This article explores that subject.

Do guinea pigs attract mice? The presence of guinea pigs doesn’t directly attract mice. However, the scent of guinea pig food remnants, as well as guinea pig droppings and soiled guinea pig bedding can attract mice.

The relationship between guinea pigs and mice is a complex one, both being rodents.

There are people who think that guinea pigs attract mice. That is the basis for questions like, does having guinea pigs attract mice or, more generally, do guinea pig attract mice?

On the other side of the aisle, there are people who think that guinea pigs actually keep mice away. That is the basis for questions like, do guinea pigs deter rats, do guinea pigs hunt mice and, more generally, do guinea pigs keep mice away?

So you find that there are those who think in terms of guinea pig attracting mice. Those are the people you find asking questions like, do guinea pigs and rabbits attract mice? Or do guinea pigs bring mice?

Then there are those who think in terms of guinea pigs deterring mice.

The true position, however (and as we have seen) is that guinea pigs neither attract nor deter mice directly.

However, the scent of guinea pigs food, as well as that of guinea pigs droppings and bedding can attract mice.

But we need to start by digging deeper, to see whether, in general terms, guinea pigs attract mice. Then after that, we can zero in on the mice specifically.

Do Guinea Pigs Attract Pests?

If I were to come home one day only to find mice in my guinea pig cage, I would be inclined to think that it is the guinea pigs that have attracted the mice.

That would in turn lead to a question on whether guinea pigs actually attract pests, like the mice in question.

The true position, however, is that guinea pigs don’t attract pests like mice directly.

What attracts pests is the presence of food remnants, guinea pig droppings and soiled guinea pig bedding.

Pests like mice are always in search of food. One of the ways in which they search for food is by constantly sniffing around.

If there happens to be food remnants, droppings or soiled beddings in the guinea pig cages, their alert noses won’t miss them.

That is what in turn leads to the pests trying to find their way into the guinea pig cages.

So it is not the guinea pigs themselves that attract the pests. That is unless one is making reference to pests like snakes, which are capable of eating the guinea pigs themselves.

But for pests like mice, it is not the guinea pigs that attract them in a direct manner. Rather, it is the scent of the guinea pigs’ food remnants, droppings and soiled bedding.

Do Guinea Pigs Attract Mice?

Guinea pigs are not capable of attracting mice directly. The guinea pigs don’t give a scent or any other signal that would directly attract mice.

However, in cages within which guinea pigs are kept, there are things that are capable of attracting mice. Those include the guinea pig food remnants, alongside the guinea pig droppings and soiled guinea pig bedding.

Those can indeed attract mice. But it is not the guinea pigs themselves directly attracting mice.

To put it differently, suppose you keep some guinea pigs, and ensure that there are no food remnants, droppings or soiled bedding lying around their cages. In that case, you are unlikely to ever have mice coming around…

While at it, someone may ask, do guinea pigs like mice being around them? And the answer is ‘no’ – since there is really no mutually beneficial relationship between them.

If anything, mice have a tendency to sometimes bite and pester the usually peace-loving guinea pigs. Therefore guinea pigs don’t at all like having mice around them.

How Can Guinea Pigs Attract Mice?

We have said and reiterated that guinea pigs are not capable of attracting mice directly. There is nothing in guinea pigs that can draw mice directly. We said as much, while answering the do guinea pigs attract mice question.

If you take a guinea pig to a field with mice, you won’t find the mice swarming around the guinea pig. They have no reason to. The guinea pig is not attractive to them in any way.

However, if one keeps guinea pigs, the guinea pig’s food remnants as well as its droppings and its soiled bedding can attract mice. Let’s look at how exactly each of those things can have an effect of attracting mice.

Guinea Pig Food Remnants As An Attraction For Mice

One of the things that draw mice to guinea pig cages are food remnants.

Why does guinea pig food attract mice? It is mainly due to the fact that it is food that the mice themselves can eat.

Mice are always sniffing around, in search of any sort of suitable food they can eat.

If there are guinea pig food remnants lying around, the mice are bound to sniff them from far away. Then they follow the scent, which leads them to the guinea pig cage.

If the mice actually find their way into the guinea pig cage, they waste no time in starting to feed. So they feed on the guinea pig food remnants, which often turn out to be suitable food for mice.

Guinea Pig Droppings As An Attraction For Mice

If you happen to have guinea pig droppings lying around the cage, these are likely to attract mice eventually.

Why does guinea pig poop attract mice? This may be because the guinea pig poop is mainly composed of guinea pig food bits. And as we said earlier, guinea pig food is attractive to mice.

Thus when the mice sniff the guinea pig poop, they mistake it for guinea pig food. And that attracts them to the cage in which you are keeping the guinea pig.

Guinea Pig Bedding As An Attraction For Mice

The scent from soiled guinea pig bedding often makes mice come running.

Perhaps the mice perceive the soiled guinea pig bedding as potential food. Or they just like the scent of it… Whichever the case, soiled guinea pig bedding does attract mice.

Indeed, you may have a guinea pig cage in which there are no food remnants or droppings lying around. But if there is soiled bedding, that is often enough to attract mice.

How Do I Keep Mice Out Of My Guinea Pig Cage?

When it comes to the question of how to keep mice out of guinea pig cage, several strategies work well.

Working out how to get rid of mice when you have guinea pigs can be challenging though. You have to remember that both guinea pigs and mice are rodents.

Therefore some of the things that can deter mice may end up being harmful to the guinea pigs as well.

Nonetheless, one useful strategy for keeping mice out of a guinea pig cage is that of raising the cage. So you build the cage far above the ground level. This can go a long way in keeping the mice away.

Another useful strategy for keeping mice out of a guinea pig cage is that of maintaining hygiene. If there are no food remnants, droppings and soiled bedding lying around, the mice are unlikely to come along.

Yet another useful strategy for keeping mice out of a guinea pig cage is that of installing thin wire mesh. Have the wire mesh all around the cage, especially in open areas such as the guinea pig cage’s vents.

The wire mesh will act as a physical barrier to the entry of the mice.

Final Verdict – Do Guinea Pigs Attract Mice

Guinea pigs are not capable of attracting mice directly.

However, things like guinea pig food remnants, guinea pig droppings and soiled guinea pig bedding can attract mice.

Thus if you find mice around or inside your guinea pig cage, it is likely to be on account of those things. That is as opposed to the guinea pig having directly attracted the mice.

To keep mice away from your guinea pig cage, you need to maintain very high standards of hygiene. Ensure that there are no guinea pig food remnants, guinea pig droppings or soiled guinea pig bedding lying around.

Raising the guinea pig cage far above the ground level can also be helpful, in keeping mice out.

You may also keep mice out of the guinea pig cage by installing thin wire mesh all around, to serve as a physical barrier.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet guinea pig a good and comfortable life!

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️