Help!"Why Are Mushrooms Growing In My Guineapig Cage?"

Why Plants are growing in the guinea pig cage?

Poor Hygiene is the fundamental reason why mushrooms and other plant growths occur in your guinea pig living space. It can often happen if their urine and poop are not cleaned regularly.

The stool and urine buildup can develop a condition that will attract many kinds of microbial growths in the guinea pig cage. Fungal infestations will lead to the growth of mushrooms.

Mushrooms can only grow under humid conditions and the body discharges of the guineapigs and their daily buildups will provide the mushrooms with the right ground for sustainable growth. They feed on decaying organic materials and do not need any sunlight for their survival and expansion.

If the conditions are really bad, plant growth can happen from the remains of the leftover vegetables and fruits the guinea pigs consumed. But normal plant growths take a lot of time to happen in comparison with mushrooms and need a steady supply of light and water. So generally mushrooms are seen to arise under such unhygienic conditions in comparison with other types of vegetation.

Should you remove mushrooms growing in the guinea-pig cage?

You should absolutely and immediately remove the mushrooms growing in the guineapig cage as those mushrooms are of unknown origin and you very likely have no idea about their type. So it is highly likely that those are poisonous and feeding on those can make the guinea pig fall seriously ill.

Mushroom growth in the living space of guineapigs is often a sign of the serious condition of poor hygiene.
Urine infection, respiratory infection, food poisoning, diarrhea, ear and eyes infection, and bumblefoot are just some of the diseases or illnesses that can occur when the guineapigs remain in unhygienic living conditions for a long time.
They are very much prone to bacteria and viral infections, especially if they have nutritional deficiencies or are suffering from other serious diseases.

The worse thing is if you are seeing the mushroom heads there must be plenty of invisible spores present within the dirt. Those by themselves even if the guineapig doesn’t feed onto the mushroom can harm the guineapigs severely.

Feeding on those mushrooms can end up making the guinea pigs fatally ill and if quickly they are not taken to the vet, they can even die. So you should not only remove the mushrooms but do an overhaul good job of making the guineapig cage hygienic again.

If you notice your piggie demonstrating weird symptoms or acting a bit lethargic and strange, contact the vet immediately as poisoning or infection from the mushrooms can be highly damaging if quick steps are not taken.

Best practices to ensure mushrooms don’t again grow in guinea pig cages

If you have to travel to someplace for a few days it is best to keep your piggies under the care of your friend or relative for the time being.
If you don’t know such people who will do an excellent job of taking good care of the piggies then you should contact local animal care centers or even vets as they often have such programs available. You should search online based on your location and look for such services.
Make sure the guinea pigs are not kept in rooms that are accessibly humid. If the rooms are too humid then consider using a dehumidifier.

Clean the cage properly at least twice a week. Get rid of the bedding, scrub and disinfect the cage and let it dry. It’s better if you can do it more frequently than that. Use animal-safe disinfectants and make sure those have anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties in them.
Clean the water bottle and all other components present within the cage and make sure there are no remains of fungal growth in those items.