So i can't say i can read the mind of guinea pigs but with a bit of understanding, love, care, experience and time i have gained some knowledge that i will try and share with you. I have answered a few questions and explained some guinea pig body language but it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to tell you some things. After a while you will understand the feeling, the one when you understand an animal so deeply that what it does you can sort of KNOW what they are thinking. I wear this feeling like a badge but i dont go around yacking on about it i am proud of accomplishing this with my guinea pigs because, well those of you who have felt it will know, because it makes me feel happy and well special. Go on, laugh, but it's not a normal "special feeling" its almost undescribe-able but once you have felt it you will know what i mean....i am beginning to think this feeling is love. A differnet kind of love because i loved my guinea pigs long before i had that feeling. It is a strange type of love as love often is, but it is there and it my deepest wish that every guinea pig owner, every owner of a pet, will feel this feeling.
What is your piggy thinking?
Why do they sometimes freeze up and go completely still?
This is the perfect place to answer those questions commonly asked!!
Are guinea pigs intelligent? Look at it this way, some guinea pigs are more intelligent than others but there are many ways of judging this. This has not been confirmed but i have the suspision intelligence is run down from generation to generation. I have a handsome male who is The Boss out of the three guys, everything he does th eothers follow. Unfortunately before i had my c and c cage (go to www.cavycages.com) i have them in an old rabbit hutch (embarassing yes, but i learnt) so anyway this handsome male found a way to open the cage and escape and then open the girls cage. DISASTER! We ended up Ruby pregnant! Luckily my handsome male's pals had stayed inside! RUby had six babies which was waaay to much considering she only had two nipples! We tried our best to look after the two that were getting neglected, buty our efforts weren't good enough, the babies became sickly and died shortly after. We did keep one of the four remaining and named her Chloe, she was a very comincal creature, she got scared from EVERYTHING! In fact if you held her she'd lie back and go completely floppy, you can imagine my fear when i forst held her and thought she'd dropped dead in my hands!! Can we call that intelligence? Ok maybe just plain fear but Chloe's older now and is getting very good at this playing dead business! The funny thing is she's quite friendly and always sniffs my hand and does the whole 'cute guinea pig act'!! SO yes, some guinea pigs are more intelligent than others, they all have different personalities which is what makes pets (in my opinion) fun to look after,
How many guinea pigs can i own? If you're just starting i reccomend one or two or the same gender. If you get really into guinea pigs and have sufficient space then you can get more, i don't want to restrict people but i also want to answer your question because pets need proper care, and although everyone might want to give their ten pets proper care (actually not everyone does but assuming so) it just won't work without two main things, experience and time. How much time do you have to look after your pets? HOw much time are you willing to spend? What about holidays? When you're sick? Are your guinea pigs benefitting? DO you have enough experience? DO you have enough space? Before you go out and purchase even ONE MORE guinea pig ask yourself these questions. I reccomend two guinea pigs, and please, never ever keep a guinea pig with a rabbit!!
Why do piggies freeze up sometimes? Lets face it, you won't see your guinea pig kung-fu fighting your cat any time soon so what do guinea pigs use? Instead of self defence they just freeze up to blend in with the surroundings, this is an instinct inherited from the wild. Thing about it, it's pretty logical.
When they are happy, though this is particularly common in young ones, they jump and then twist around in the air, this is called popcorning and is extremely cute! Also, they might run along and then do a horse-jump over something like a metal pole lying in the ground horizontally! You may never have seen your piggy popcorn before though this does not mean they are unhappy, simply that they just aren't that type of piggy, if they are happy you'll notice a sheen and healthy look to their coat and eyes, these types of frolicking play is common in youngsters when introduced to a larger cage!
There's a LOT more to guinea pigs than meets the eye. They are NOT just 'little pets for Annie to learn to be responsible' yes, Annie may learn to be responsible but as long as piggy is getting all the nessecary care it would be horrible for Annie to learn the hard way. Guinea pigs are pets like your cat, dog budgie whatever, understand the concept and mastering guinea pig affection is easy!!!!
Chubby, round on short little legs guinea pigs are wonderful, you will learn lots and lots as you look after them, nothing you read about will ever compare to experience, though, and i've said before this site is based on my experience with these great animals but there is always more to learn, more to do, it's impossible to ever get bored with these creatures. 