Cavybeat :: Cavy Instincts

Guinea pigs have many instincts. In the wild, they were prey animals, so they have strong survival instincts and are often timid with unfamiliar people and situations.

Wanting to be near the edge of any open-topped enclosure is a very common one that all guinea pigs seem to possess at some level. This is probably because they feel less exposed around the edges, particularly if they are in the shadow of a wall or fence. Sometimes guinea These guinea pigs show three instincts: their instinct to stay together is clearly visible, along with shyness and hiding in the corner of the large, unfamiliar enclosure. They are also slightly wary of people, in this case the person holding the camera.

These guinea pigs show three instincts: their instinct to stay together is clearly visible, along with shyness and hiding in the corner of the large, unfamiliar enclosure. They are also slightly wary of people, in this case the person holding the camera.

pigs will run across the middle of an enclosure as a shortcut to the opposite side, but they rarely dawdle there, even if there is food.

Many young or less tame guinea pigs hide in the bedroom or pigloos in their hutch. This is probably similar to being near the edge of an enclosure - they may feel more secure in a confined space. Usually they will become more tame as time goes by and eventually come out and wheek for food when they hear a person approaching. It's important that food and water are easily available near the bedrooms or pigloos of new guinea pigs as otherwise they may feel to shy to eat and drink.

Staying in groups is an instinct common to many animals. This is probably basic safety-in-numbers theory. Often in an unfamiliar enclosure, the more adventurous guinea pig will lead while the others follow in a line or group. For this reason, guinea pigs will feel far more safe and happy if they have a guinea pig cagemate of the same gender.

Many guinea pigs fear people. In the wild, guinea pigs were pursued by larger animals so even tame guinea pigs will often be frightened if a human approaches loudly or startles them. Often younger or less-handled guinea pigs are the most frightened, although some guinea pigs never completely overcome this fear. The best way to overcome this is to simply handle the guinea pig gently and make his experiences with people positive ones. This can be hard with guinea pigs that need vet treatment or regular medication as they may fear it. In this case, gentle handling will still help but the guinea pig may be wary if he believes that an unpleasant medication or treatment is coming.

Guinea pigs will often drag food back into the bedroom or hidey hole. This particularly applies to vegetables. This is probably because they want to gather their food to a place where they feel safe lingering. In a familiar area, this instinct may be less apparent or absent as the guinea pigs feel secure in any part of the enclosure.

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