Guinea pigs are clean animals that do not need to be walked and can live in a cage. This gives the impression that guinea pigs can be left alone for hours. But is it true? Do guinea pigs need attention, or can they be left alone for a while?
Guinea pigs are social animals, and they do enjoy the company. If a guinea pig is left alone, they will become lonely and feel depressed. It means that you will need to fulfill their needs for attention and stimulation.
Also, everything which is pre-organized makes your activity smooth in functioning, so the same goes for guinea pigs. Once a pre-organized plan is undertaken concerning various activities that nurture them, then they will always and every day will be waiting for that particular time when they will get attention.
Do guinea pigs seek attention?
Few guinea pigs are born attention seekers, as long as other guinea pigs are very secretive. It is based on the breed and personality of that guinea pig. But guinea pigs hate being left alone and unvalued.
Guinea pigs are one of the most commonly domesticated small pets. A guinea pig makes you work for affection, and it must be in their conditions.
You might rarely see a lonely guinea pig. The reason for this is that these guinea pigs reside in relatively large communities and continuously search for companions. In fact, Keeping a single guinea pig is illegal in Switzerland.
If your guinea pigs are left lonely for a long time, they will face boredom and loneliness and become sad.
That can head to a state of distress and uneasiness, which results in ill health of guinea pigs. If your pet does not have a partner, you will require them to give care and attention.
That will improve your relationship with your guinea pigs continually. Your guinea pigs will believe in you if you offer attention to them.
That will make guinea pigs more obedient to training, and they will be environment friendly. They will also be more loving and cuddly.
Do guinea pigs need a lot of attention?
Guinea pigs dislike being alone and become less interested in friendliness.
That means if you keep a solo guinea pig, then this pet will demand more attention.
If you have a particularly commanding guinea pig, then this pet will be more confident in this need.
If there is a possibility, then always keep two bonded guinea pigs together. It is more costly, and it takes a lot of time and patience to bond a pair.
However, both guinea pigs will feel happy. You will save a lot of time in creating entertainment for guinea pigs.
It does not matter how many guinea pigs you have, keep two things in mind. Any attention is excellent attention.
Never fail to notice the importance of schedule for guinea pigs.
Your pets will get relaxed if they know that they will get comfort, guided, played, or entertained.
Try to set up a schedule. Like this, your guinea pigs will realize that they will get their needs fulfilled.
Understanding when they demand the most attention
Imagine a typical day in the life of a guinea pig. That will provide you an idea of how much time your pet will need from you.
Sunrise: Nearly all guinea pigs wake up at sunrise. Then your guinea pigs will entertain themselves for an hour or more. Make sure that your guinea pigs must have fresh food and toys in their cage. That will make them cheerful until you wake up.
Early in the morning: When you wake up, you should go around to your guinea pigs and wish them a good morning. They will hope for this, and it’s an excellent manner to uplift your bond. Offer some cuddle and grooming.
Morning time: Shortly, your guinea pigs will come to the highest point of their energy. Guinea pigs become active around mid-mornings. It would be best if you let them exercise at this duration. They will likely want you to do the same and play with them.
Late morning/afternoon: Your guinea pigs will feel tired in a few hours after doing crazy activities. They might sit and fall asleep on the spot. You can let them alone for a few hours so they can rest and maybe take a nap.
Late afternoon to early evenings: When your pets get awake from their light sleep, they will restore their energy. Guinea pigs will wish to spend the evening with you and your family. Be ready to keep them entertained all the time.
Nighttime: Guinea pigs would like to remain awake late after you, and they might squeak for food. You can serve them some veggies so that they have a small meal before bed. This will likely keep them calm and less noisy while you sleep.
Do guinea pigs squeak for attention?
Guinea pigs cry for some reasons, asking for attention is one of the reasons that clears it.
Some guinea pigs scream to alert their friends about the danger. As their sharp sound can give signs of their bad moods or anger, your guinea pigs are showing dislikes for something you did.
Guinea pigs might cry for attention; this will happen only when you are not capable of fulfilling their needs. In other words, your guinea pigs are trying to tell you something.
If they hear some noise, they want you to inquire.
It would be best if you did not ignore continuous squeaking. If your guinea pigs keep making noise trying to grab your attention, then there is a reason behind it.
It indicates that they are scared and are sure that danger is around if they do not stop.
How else do guinea pigs ask for attention?
Guinea pigs a lot of methods for seeking attention. These are as follows:
- Biting at the cage: Your guinea pigs are bored and want to jump out of their cage. So, do not let your guinea pigs eat the wire of the cage.
- Circling: If your guinea pigs seem to run around your feet, they want to play. You will get to see this mostly in the mornings. Some guinea pigs will keep rolling around you while you walk downstairs.
- Begging: Guinea pigs are not stupid. They know clearly how cute they are, and they use this as their benefit. A begging guinea pig always gets loved on demand.
- Nudging: Your guinea pigs will poke you with their nose to tell you that they need your attention.
- Nipping: If you do not respond to nudging, your guinea pig may start biting with her teeth. They will think that you missed the hint of poking.
- Destructive behavior: If your guinea pigs feel unvalued and ignored. They will start up with their mind games like chewing something inappropriate or punch on glass with the intention that you will react.
Keeping guinea pigs happy and satisfied can be a delicate balance of different actions. If you show attentiveness to their demand, they will remain satisfied, but the moment you ignore them, they might seem sad.
My guinea pigs demands a lot of attention
Do you keep your work aside and offer them attention when they demand it? They consider your attention as a reward. The more you value them, the less they will desire to change their attitudes and behavior.
That will be unfair if you show back to your guinea pigs and completely ignore them.
First, they will get confused and unhappy. An unhappy guinea pig has difficulty in living, so be careful.
If your guinea pig is angry with you they might show these signs:
- Running away from you.
- Hiding in their hideout and not coming out.
- Staring at you with pointed ears.
- If they are showing you their back with ears down and eyes closed, it explains that you might see your guinea pigs upset and sad for an extended period.
If you observe this kind of behavior, you should quickly start calming them. Guinea pigs are good at being angry. So get down your ego and be friends with them again. A little treat and cuddling could clear this issue.
But, that does not solve the issue of seeking attention. That includes teaching your guinea pigs about familiarity and settlement.
Get your guinea pigs familiar with the ‘wait’ command. If they are patient, they deserve rewards. Do not extend it for too long, enough to teach your pets about patience.
Your guinea pigs will learn about getting attention when you are free to offer. It will take some time, but you will come to an understanding. The bond between you and your pets will get smoother.
How to give a guinea pig attention
If you get an idea of how to fulfill your guinea pig’s attention needs, life gets much more comfortable.
Your pet will trust you if they know that you will react when required. That will create calmness in them, and the life of your guinea pigs will get easier.
Know your pet’s physical and verbal signs and what they mean. It may happen that for the motive of attention, your guinea pigs are demanding attention. In different situations, they might be telling you something compulsory.
Your guinea pig will trust you if your response is correct. That can never be incorrect. It asks for an effort to gain the trust of your guinea pigs, as we are more considerable.
Your pets are scared out of you naturally until and unless you prove yourself harmless and honest.
Giving them attention
When it is the matter of offering attention to your guinea pigs, these are some of the best ways:
Grooming: It is the easiest way to bond with your guinea pigs quickly; you may see that your pet relies upon grooming by nudging your hand. It also gets your pets satisfied.
Petting: Gentle dab on cheeks, forehead, nose, and back will keep them calm and silent. Do not get shocked when your guinea pigs demand it more.
Playtime: Find out how your guinea pigs want to play and put it into the schedule. Devote a single time playing with your pet. Your guinea pigs will love you for this.
Teaching tricks: Some guinea pigs love to learn new skills. If you put your guinea pigs in learning new commands, they will enjoy the fun. They will use them to show off and seek more attention
Treats: Guinea pigs are naughty beggars, and if they eat more than their hunger, offer them some raisins in this situation, they will get distracted from overeating for a while.
Guinea pigs demand attention. Naturally, this is not a reason for misbehaving, and they are not purposely doing it. The idea is guinea pigs crave for your consideration.
We cannot tell enough how suitable it is to keep a pair of guinea pigs in a cage. You will get so much free time because of this. If not, then you must take care of them on your own.
5 Fun Games To Play With Your Guinea pigs
Check out the five entertaining games to play with your guinea pigs to have fun.
Hide and seek:
Guinea pigs are naturally impatient creatures; they spend time inquiring about the toys and treats in their lives.
It is their curiosity that will turn the hide and seek game into fun. More importantly, it is to make your bond great with your guinea piggies.
Play ball:
Make a paper ball and bat it in front of your guinea pigs. This small game can be fun as they will push the ball, roll around the ball, and again want you to bat the ball.
Tug-of-war:
Your guinea pigs might take time in understanding the game, but once they get the game, you both will entertain one another.
Use an old clean sock and fill it with some dry grass, tie a tight knot, so the stuffing doesn’t fall.
They will get attracted to the smell of the dry grass, and they will be nibbling at the area of stuffed grass.
Encourage them to pick the ball when once you give a tug. They will keep dragging the socks around them.
Racing pig:
If your guinea pigs come in one call, you will both enjoy this game. Line up rows of low and some items that won’t hurt your pets.
Put your pets at one end, and you stand at another end, and call them. As you are holding them, show them you’re putting a treat in the place, they will get excited.
Food challenge:
It is a famous game to energize pets physically and mentally.
For this game, you will require some healthy treats and a container that is safe for your pet.
We suggest you a paper towel tube fold one of the tubes, then put some treat in it, so the food gets stuck by one closed side, then keep the tube flat and let you guinea pig struggle how to eat the yummy food.
Source: Guinea pig as a pet, Which pet is right for me?, Guinea pig behavior.