Guinea Pig Tricks List

On this page is a brainstormed list of potential tricks you can teach your guinea pig. Tricks are separated into categories based on difficulty level, and some include short descriptions to illustrate the trick more clearly. Some of these tricks (particularly those under the beginner/easy trick list) can be found as tutorials on our website on the Starting Tricks or More Tricks pages.

Since this page serves mostly as inspiration for trick ideas, the vast majority of these tricks do not have step-by-step tutorials for them. However, teaching the tricks on our website will give you a great starting foundation to use many of these ideas.

Some of these tricks may also require special props or little obstacles; there are a few tutorials for DIY props on our DIY Projects page. However, for most of these, you’ll have to use your own creativity and come up with some unique props that will work for those tricks. If you’re not a creative type, there are plenty of tricks on the list that don’t require any kind of obstacles or props.

Easy Tricks

These are the best beginner-friendly tricks on this list. These are great to teach to your guinea pig first to help build confidence and set them up for success with future tricks.

Come when called
Paws up on your hand
Paws up on an object
Stand up

Circle (one or both directions)
Jump/climb on a person’s lap
​Touch/follow a target stick
Pick up a ball
Go through a hoop
Get on a platform
Push/roll a ball around with nose
Bar jump
​Hoop jump
Go through a tunnel
Eat my homework
 (chew on a piece of paper)
Go into a carrier
​Jump into a low box
​Run around a small cone or cup
​Get on a low weigh scale
Push down a row of dominos

More Miscellaneous Beginner Skills to Learn

Follow a food lure in your hand
Find veggie treats spread out on the floor
Find veggie treats hidden behind objects and in tunnels
Learn to use a treat ball
Learn to use other types of simple puzzle toys

Intermediate/Moderate Difficulty

On this list, you will find tricks for advanced beginner to intermediate levels. These tricks are great to expand your guinea pig’s skills once they’ve learned several tricks from the beginner list.

Some of these tricks take a bit more time to teach or require some kind of pre-requisites to teach (for example, a guinea pig has to be comfortable going through a regular short tunnel before they can learn to go through a closed tunnel.)

Follow you around
​Go into your cage/pen on cue
​Weave walk forwards & back again
 (weave through your legs as you walk)
Figure 8 leg weaves (weave a figure 8 between your legs standing still)
Foot jumps (jump over your foot)
Leg circles (run around you standing up)
Run around one leg (kneeling on one knee)
Run around you (sitting down) – can teach both directions
Run around your arm
Jump over your arm
Circle on foot cue
 (guinea pig follows your foot in a circular motion)
Arm hoop (jump through your looped arms)
Leg hoop (standing up, rest one foot against your other ankle to make a low “hoop” for the guinea pig to jump through)
Paw target
Give a paw
 (one or both paws)
High five/high ten
Untie a small bow
 (pull on loose end to untie)
Kisses (touch your cheek with their nose)
Kiss the camera (touch the camera with their nose)
Kiss stuffed animal (touch a stuffed animal with their nose)
Cone target (touch a small cone with nose)
Leg tunnel (Sitting on floor with legs in a tent shape, guinea pig goes through)
Wall stand (put front paws up on the wall)
Jump onto leg/knee (not too far off the ground)
Come when called (around a fence or other obstacle)
Put front paws up on fence/cage and stay there for a couple seconds (for nail clipping)
Run around a baton/vertical stick
Follow baton around in a circle
​Jump over a handheld bar/baton
Covered hoop jump
 (hoop jump covered with a piece of paper of fabric that the guinea pig has to go through)
Closed tunnel (tunnel with fabric covering the end that the guinea pig has to push through)
Extra long or curved tunnel
Paws up on a high or narrow object
​Hop into a pigloo
 (turned upside down)
Put a ball in your hand (from both sides)
Pick a card (from a fan of 4-5 cards in your hand)
Ball scoot/bead scoot (balls/beads on a wire, move them with nose from one side to the other)
Pick up a variety of different objects (ie. a ball, small plastic ring, pom pom, pencil, plastic gift card, etc.)
Unroll a mat (unroll a yoga mat or rolled up towel with nose)
Figure 8 around 2 cups (run a figure 8 pattern around 2 cups or other small objects)
Pull a sign/message down (pull on a string to drop down a sign hanging on the wall)
Soccer (push a ball between 2 cones/cups)
Soccer /w pass (person lightly kicks a ball towards the guinea pig – gp pushes the ball between 2 cones to score)
Bowling (push a small ball to knock down pins)
Baseball (push a ball around the bases)
Play tic tac toe (pick up rubber game pieces & toss onto the game board)
Roll a dice (pick up a die – real or toy one and toss it)
Pull out a tray of gum from the box
Take a card out of a gift card holder/box
Open & close mini plastic drawers

Push open a full size door (door left just slightly ajar)
Climb/jump up the stairs
Push balls down the stairs
 (standing at the top of the stairs, guinea pig pushes balls down with nose)
Close a laptop (laptop half closed – guinea pig steps on it with front paws)
Peekaboo (put paws up on small open laptop/tablet and peek over the top)
Type on computer
Close a flip phone
Pull out antennae on an old phone
Step on tape measure to pull out the tape 
(traditional tape measure)
Pull out tape measure with mouth (round type craft tape measure)
Chew on syringe tip/take water from syringe
Pull on a zipper

Muffin tin game (mini muffin tin with balls in half of the holes & treats under each ball – guinea pig moves the balls to find the treats)
Take lid off a small container (lid sitting loosely on container)
Take plastic ring off finger
Which hand holds the treats?
 (hold both hands in fists in front of the guinea pig, one with treats and one without, leave hands open slightly so they can sniff out the treats)
Whoopee cushion (jump onto/sit on whoopee cushion)
Weight lifting (pick up a mini dumbbell)
Take bookmark out of book
Put bookmark in book

Broad/wide jump
High jump
 (only as high as your guinea pig can jump comfortably)
Covered jump (jump with streamers/fabric over that the guinea pig has to jump through)
Window jump (jump through a board with a hole cut through it)
Tire jump (jump through a suspended mini tire)
2 Jumps side by side (guinea pig jumps over one and then jumps back over the other jump)
Jump wraps (jump a figure 8 over one jump)
Platform jump (jump from one platform to another)
Mini A-frame
Mini dog walk/piggy bridge/wide balance beam to walk across

Open tictac container
Look through a miniature faceboard
Jump into a miniature bed or basket

Step on a tap light to turn it on
Ring a miniature hanging bell (grab the string with their teeth to shake the bells)
Ring a desk bell with paw (desensitize them to the noise before teaching this trick)
Go to a mark/target
Spin a little pinwheel
​Pull/tug on a thin rope or string
Jump onto a pillow
Tricks (ie. circle, stand up) on a pillow
 (improves balance)
​Go into a canvas bag
Go under a blanket
Leave it
 (leave a treat in your hand for a few seconds when cued to leave it)
Wear a bandana/bowtie (put nose through willingly)
Walk across a small piece of tarp (and/or cardboard/bristol board/other new surfaces)
Put front paws willingly in a low bowl of water
Arm hoop between your legs (bend down and create a hoop with your arms between your legs – guinea pig jumps through)
Open a gift box (mini cardboard box with a bow on top – guinea pig picks up bow to lift lid off)
Shake jingle string (guinea pig picks up and tosses around a festive style string with several mini bells on it)
“Drink” from cup (guinea pig picks up plastic cup)
Speak (squeal on cue)
Quiet (stop squealing on cue)
Play the piano (miniature piano – guinea pig steps on the keys)
Shake a tambourine (guinea pig picks up a mini tambourine)
Play the guitar (guinea pig puts paws up on guitar strings)
Basic agility courses and sequences with 2-3 obstacles
Pawprint painting (step in paint and then step on paper/canvas

Advanced Tricks

These tricks are more advanced than those on the beginner and intermediate lists but not quite as challenging as the expert trick list below. Most of these tricks require the guinea pig to learn some pre-requisite tricks from the lists above.

Some of the tricks on this list and the next are marked with an asterisk*. This means these tricks are more physically demanding than other tricks, so keep training sessions very short with these particular tricks. They should also be taught to guinea pigs that are fully grown and in their prime years (i.e., not senior piggies.)

Fetch a ball and put it in your hand
Put small plastic coins in my hand or a jar
Send to a platform 10 feet away

Stay (on platform) 10 seconds
​Stay (in upside down pigloo) 10 seconds
​Untie shoelaces
​Close a flip lid
​Close a lid on a mini toilet seat
 (you would have to get creative with a prop!)
Basketball (put a ball in a bowl, both sides)
*Walk on hind legs with support (front paws up on your hand, walk slowly on back feet along with your moving hand)
*Balance all 4 paws on a block/sturdy bowl
*Jump onto a carrier or other object 5+ inches high
Retrieve a ball from inside a tunnel

Peekaboo/Middle/Center (guinea pig stays in between your legs as you walk)
Circle as I circle
​Heel 
(walk right beside me)
U-Turn
 (walking at heel, both guinea pig and person turn 180 degrees in opposite directions, and guinea pig ends up back on the left side)
Run around a baton/vertical stick while a person also walks around it at the same time
Over/under leg jumps (sitting on the floor with legs outstretched, bring one leg up like a tent – guinea pig jumps through, then put that leg down and raise the opposite one up into a tent position – guinea pig jumps back through
Wave a paw (from the ground/platform or wave while the guinea pig is standing up)
Scent work (pick 1 specific scent out of 4-5 different smells or empty containers)
Color discrimination (choose the colored paper out of 4-5 white squares)
Double hoop circle (hold 2 hoops – one on each side of you, guinea pig runs around you and goes through hoops)
Raise a flag (pull on a string to raise a miniature flag)
Close a door (stand up/paw at a door to close it – you can do this trick with a lightweight full-size door or make a miniature piggy-sized door to close)
Pull bracelet/wrist coil off arm
​Fetch a small bottle with a message inside

Open a miniature door with string
Step up onto hand to be picked up (front paws on one hand, back feet on other hand)
Jump into arm cradle to be picked up
Climb onto your hand
 (all 4 paws on 1 hand)
Stand up while balancing on your hand (see trick above – keep your hand on the floor or very close to the floor for this trick!)
Flip a card over (card sitting on the floor)
Flick a light switch with paw (a light switch off the wall so the guinea pig can reach)
Put a magnet on the fridge (choose a magnet that is easy for the guinea pig to pick up and toss)
Football (push ball over a low post)
Hockey (guinea pig picks up a stick placed behind a black ball to push the ball into a net)
2 on 2 off (on a mini A-frame, the guinea pig stops at the bottom with two feet on the frame and two front feet on the floor)
Jump row (jump over a line of 3-4 jumps)
Jump arc (go over 3-4 jumps set up in a curve/semi-circle)
Jump circle (jump over 4 jumps set up in a circle)
Tilting tunnel/seesaw tunnel
Teeter totter

Flip up a cardboard triangle hoop with paws and go through
Arm weave walk (person on hands and knees – guinea pig runs around one arm, then the other)
Mini version of treibball (guinea pig goes around to the opposite side of the ball and pushes it back towards you)
Agility courses with 4-5 obstacles

Want to up your game? You can make any of the tricks on this list more challenging and impressive by adding one or more of the 3 Ds – Distance, Duration, and Distraction! Can your guinea pig go through a hoop? Can they go through it 3 or 4 times? How about sending them to a hoop 8 feet away? Can they perform their tricks outside or in a new room in the house? There are so many ways to liven up all your tricks and make them even more cool and impressive.

Another thing you can do is combine tricks to create a new and more advanced behavior chain. You could have your guinea pig weave through your legs as you walk and then go ahead and jump through a hoop jump at the end. Or put several obstacles into an agility course. You could even do a mini freestyle routine where the guinea pig follows you, weaves through your legs, and then jumps over your feet a couple of times. There are plenty of ways to put your own twist on things and teach your guinea pig something new and creative.

Most Challenging Tricks

The tricks on this list are the most challenging behaviors to teach a guinea pig. It’s best to teach several beginner and intermediate/advanced level tricks before attempting any of these.

Cop cop (walk with their front paws on your feet)
*Skateboard (push mini skateboard with front paws, walk with back feet)
*Push a shopping cart (paws up on mini shopping cart, walk with back feet)
*Roll a barrel or foam yoga roller with front paws
Basketball (put a ball in a piggy-sized basketball net)
Tidy up toys into a bowl or small box (can also include opening or closing the lid of the toy box)
Fetch a variety of different items
Fetch a tissue (can also include taking it out of the box)
Put garbage in bin (mini “garbage” articles into a miniature garbage or recycling bin)
Weave poles
Jump weaves (jumps placed in spaces between poles/cones – guinea pig jumps as they go through the weave pattern)
Painting with a paintbrush
Formal retrieve over a jump (send guinea pig over a jump to get a ball, guinea pig jumps back over and puts the ball in your hand)
Fetch a mini dumbbell to your hand
*Fetch over 4 jumps (piggy version of flyball – jump over 4 jumps, pick up ball & bring it back over the 4 jumps)
Fetch through a tunnel (guinea pig runs through tunnel, picks up ball & brings it back through the tunnel – can increase the challenge by using a longer tunnel or place the tunnel off to the side)
Go through a hoop lying on the ground
Advanced scent work (find 1 scent out of several different smells, search a bigger space, hide the scent behind an object, under a blanket or article of clothing)
Choose the scented object (such as a scented card in a fan of unscented cards)
Correct hoop (go through only the scented hoop)
Back up a few steps (with or without rear foot target)
Back up onto hand (with your hand flat on the floor behind the guinea pig, gp backs up so both back feet are on your hand)
Open a miniature mailbox and fetch mail + close the mailbox

Open a miniature fridge and retrieve a mini soda can
Flip pages of a notebook
Deliver a message (take a small bag with a note inside to someone else – can also include untying the bow to open the bag for the recipient)

Heelwork/follow me closely (walk beside me, stop when I stop, go around me, etc.)
Spin a circle while holding a ball
Stand up while holding a ball
​Weave walk while holding a ball
​Go find your ball (hide the ball behind a tunnel or other object)

“Read” index cards (respond to written instructions)
Naughty/go to corner (guinea pig goes to corner with their head facing the wall for a few seconds)
Ring toss (guinea pig places a small plastic ring on a low dowel/stick)
Put a plastic ring on your finger
Buy a treat
 (put 3-4 plastic coins in your hand for one treat)
Soccer practice (weave 3 cones and then push a mini soccer ball into a net)
*Leg hoop weave walk (jump through leg hoop multiple times as you walk)
4 Paw target (4 mini pods or little objects – guinea pig places one foot on each object)
Chorus line kicks (lift one paw, then the other at the same time as you lift one hand/finger, then the other – easiest to teach with the guinea pig on a platform)
*Pivot (front paws on a bowl, hind legs moving around the bowl)
*Balance all 4 paws on a small ball (holding the ball steady with your hand)
Pull slippers off your feet (loosely fitted)
Barrel racing (weave in a barrel race pattern around 3 cones set up in a triangle formation)
Lie down (you will most likely have to capture this trick)
Mini freestyle routines (combine freestyle type tricks – weave walk, foot jumps, etc. into a 30-second to 1-minute trick routine to music)
Tricks at a distance
More complex agility courses
 (longer courses, more challenging obstacles such as teeter-totters and weave poles)

Double Guinea Pig Tricks

What’s cuter than 1 guinea pig doing tricks? 2 guinea pigs doing tricks together, of course! The tricks on this list have varying levels of difficulty; however, doing tricks with 2 piggies at the same time can be challenging by itself. Both guinea pigs should know the trick very well before attempting it together.

Practicing tricks together adds an extra distraction, as guinea pigs often distract themselves by focusing on what their buddy is doing and usually trying to poach food off of each other. However, the extra training and practice are well worth it. You can’t get much cuter than some of these adorable collaborative guinea pig tricks.

Double weave walk (2 guinea pigs weaving through your legs as you walk at the same time)
Heart circle (2 guinea pigs circling in opposite directions on 1 cue)
Basketball 1 v 1 (2 guinea pigs playing basketball against each other)
Agility course train (1 guinea pig following another through an agility course)