FAQ
Q. Do the guinea pigs like to paint?
A. The guinea pigs all love to paint and always get excited when I bring out the painting gear. Before I am even set up, I usually have four or five guinea pigs standing up at the side of their cage waiting for me. Teaching tricks like painting provides a great source of enrichment for guinea pigs and they certainly love it!
Q. Is the paint non-toxic?
A. We use completely safe non-toxic water-based paint. It is harmless to the guinea pigs even if they get some on their fur, skin, or feet, or accidentally ingest small amounts. Of course, we always strive to avoid this, but the paint is not going to cause any stinging or health concerns if it does come into contact with them.
Q. Do you limit the guinea pigs’ food to make them paint?
A. Not at all! All my piggies have free access to grass hay 24/7, as well as a scoop of pellets daily. They also receive veggies every evening consisting of a slice of bell pepper and a rotation of other veggies like radicchio, collard greens, dandelion, tomatoes, cucumber, celery, and occasional blueberries (their favorite fruit!) My older piggies also get Vitamin C treats daily to provide an extra boost of Vitamin C in addition to their pellets and veggies.
Q. Do the guinea pigs choose their own colors for the paintings?
A. Sometimes the guinea pigs pick their own colors, and sometimes we do pre-chosen color palettes. I made little containers with dried paint colors, so the piggies can choose by picking up the containers with the colors of their choice. It can be pretty fun to see their choices come together on a finished canvas!
Q. How long does it take to create a painting?
A. From start to finish, it usually takes about a week to create a custom painting. Smaller paintings and magnets generally take less time, but it can vary depending on how many colors are used.
We only paint with one color at a time and allow it to dry before adding another color. This keeps the colors rich and bright and prevents them from bleeding together and creating a brown mixture. As such, it usually takes several painting sessions to complete each piece of art.
Each painting session is generally about 5 minutes in length. The guinea pigs get a treat in between almost every brush stroke, so most of the painting session is spent eating! While they are munching, I wipe any excess paint off the brush and dip it in fresh paint so everything is set for the artist’s next brush stroke. Each piggy generally paints 1 or 2 times per day for a total of 5-10 minutes of painting time daily.
Q. How long do custom orders take?
A. If we do not currently have any projects on the go, we can finish most custom paintings within a week. However, lead times for custom orders can be longer during the holiday season or if we have other paintings in queue.
If you would like to order for a birthday or special occasion, please reach out first to make sure we can accommodate, or leave a message in the order notes when the painting is needed by, and I will reach out if we cannot have it finished by that time.
Q. Do you ship internationally?
A. Yes, we ship internationally to most countries. We are local to Ontario, Canada, but can ship to the USA, UK, Australia, and many other international destinations.
Paintings are generally shipped via Canada Post or Intelcom to Canada, Tracked Packet (USPS) to the USA, and Small Packet International Air or Post NL to other countries, which costs about $10.
Some international couriers do not include tracking by default, but there is an option to upgrade shipping if you would like tracking and live outside Canada and the USA.
Packages are usually delivered in less than a week to Canada and the USA. International is usually about 1-2 weeks, depending on the destination.
Delays due to Customs holds can occasionally happen at the border and can cause delivery delays. However, this is more likely to occur on larger orders and is quite rare on orders of 1 or 2 items.
Q. Are there any additional duties or charges applied to orders?
A. There are no duties or additional charges on delivery for orders to Canada.
Packages to the USA are currently tariff free under the USMCA agreement, so no charges are applied upfront or on delivery.
Australia is usually tax/duty free under a $100 threshold.
For international destinations, please note that we do not collect VAT/tax at checkout. For many countries outside Canada and the USA (especially European countries) VAT charges are often applied at delivery.
UK orders are also often charged VAT on delivery/pickup based on a percentage of the order value.
Q. Can you include custom gift messages?
A. Of course! Guinea pig paintings make amazing gifts for a guinea pig lover and we are always happy to accommodate and include personalized messages or other custom touches. Please reach out or leave any requests in the order notes if you would like any gift touches added to your order.
Q. Do the paintings include videos of the creation process?
A. All of our custom paintings include a video and photo of the guinea pig artist posing beside their artwork.
Pre-made/Ready to ship paintings sometimes include a video and sometimes do not. It will state in the description of the painting whether there is a video, and that will be available to download at checkout if it is included. Magnets do not usually include a video.
Q. How do you teach the guinea pigs to paint?
A. The guinea pigs learn to paint through a process of shaping and positive reinforcement. This means that the guinea pigs are rewarded with bits of their favorite veggies for gradual progress toward the goal.
I first start by rewarding any interactions with the paintbrush no matter how small. We first work towards nibbling on and then picking up the paintbrush consistently, then add in a canvas and reward with lots of food and praise whenever they come close to touching the canvas with the tip of the brush. From there, we practice this skill until it’s consistent before adding in the paint and honing their artistic skills.
Q. What treats do you use for training?
A. I use my guinea pigs’ favorite veggies for training time, generally green leaf or romaine lettuce, or shredded carrots.
Q. I want to try painting with my guinea pigs. Which paint is safe?
A. Paint that is water based, non toxic, and safe for pets or kids is typically a good choice for piggies. Usually finger paint or paint that is safe for very young infants/toddlers is also safe for animals.
Q. What does the money from the paintings go toward?
A. 20% of proceeds from the paintings go to support various guinea pig rescues locally and around the world. Have a deserving rescue you would like to nominate? Please reach out and I can add it to the list!
The remaining money from paintings goes toward the piggies to contribute to any vet bills, food, extra toys and treats, and other goodies for our artists. I also take in rescues and fosters from time to time and use some of the funds for their care as well.
Have any more questions that are not covered here? Reach out via the contact page and I may add your question to this page!