Cavy personalities

I own two beautiful female guinea pigs or cavies. Piggie is the older fatter one, and Hazel is the slim blond haired baby. The two love each other. All the time I watch Piggie delicately licking Hazel all over (Mostly ears) until Hazel has a pair of very red ears. The two sometimes sleep together, share food and water, and usually get along well. When it comes to personal space though, Piggie and Hazel need some time alone once and awhile. One thing that I have recently observed is that when one cavy is trying to walk around the cage alone, or say she wants to eat in peace, if the other pig butts in, the first one rather rudely sprays the "Pest" away. It sure works well as you see quickly that the second guinea pig retreats at once. In the wild cavies are very vulnerable and they only have a few options of survival. One day I was messing with Piggie. I gave her and Hazel their usual lettuce, and Piggie ran back to eat in a corner of the cage. Her fur was sticking out of the cage bars, so to tease her I pinched her tush and she squeaked and jumped up in alarm. I thought that was a good laugh so i decided to pinch her again through the cage bars. let me tell you not a very smart idea. At once she got into a battle position and started spraying me with her yellow pee, through the cage bars and onto my computer. I guess I better watch how I tease my guinea pigs next time.

In the wild guinea pigs have pack leaders in the guild. Sometimes you may buy a dominant guinea pig that will want to take over the other guinea pigs in your cage, or maybe even you. Guinea pigs that snap out at you and bite, spend more time with each day. In time your guinea pig may become sweeter, or maybe it was just born to be aggressive. Always remember that guinea pigs need their personal space though.

When you went to the store maybe you picked out a cavy that seemed to-good-to-be-true, and when you spent a little time with it you found that cavy to be very shy. Good News! Every cavy is very different. They all have personalities, likes and dislikes, and each cavy in the world looks different. If you happen to buy a shy cavy don't take her or him back just because it wasn't your dream pet. That is mean and immature. Instead of just finding a place to get rid of your new pet, follow these 3 EASY STEPS and in 3 days or less you could have a affectionate and outgoing cavy.

#1. Guinea pigs LOVE greens so try to stick your hand in it's cage and have it eat out of it.

#2. When your hand is inside the cage try to gently stroke your furry friend (this really gains trust)

#3. Try to hold your guinea pig as much as you have time for each day (maybe an hour max)

If you are doing all this you are on the right path. Once you G-pig realizes that only good things come from your hand it will began bonding with you.

For the new owners once they purchase their cavy it starts to make a lot of noise all the time. In this case your guinea pig is trying to communicate with you to tell you how it's feeling. For the more experienced owners they can tell by the pitch of the cavy's voice what it needs. Sometimes it squeaks in an annoyed voice, sometimes it just wants to be cuddled. Every day observe your g-pig's attitude and in time you will be able to understand what it's trying to tell you. For any questions feel free to go to my special chapter on this site about how to understand your pig. Good luck!