Sunday, October 16, 2011

Interacting with the Humans: A How To Guide for Guinea Pigs

Buffy and I decided to do a post on our relationship with our non-furry friends, the humans. Although much of this blog is dedicated to guinea pig toys and foods, we can't ignore the fact that sometimes the humans are more than just food providers. Here are our thoughts on human-guinea pig interactions:

Lola:
While I hate being picked up, I usually don't mind if the humans reach into the cage to pet my head. Sometimes, they'll want to pick me up and hold me in their lap for a while and pet me. I don't mind it when they do this, because I can just flatten out in total relaxation and go to sleep. I mean, I don't have to worry about predators if I'm in the hands of a fearsome giant, right?

I also sometimes get needy for human attention. It's so boring being stuck in the cage with Buffy; whenever I try to play with her or initiate a game of tag, she hops on top of a pigloo and glares down at me. But the humans are always up for fun. Sometimes I'll create games to play with the humans. I know they hate it when I touch their shoelaces, so I'll try to sneak up on them and see how long it takes them to shoo me away.

Another game I enjoy is "Capture the Receipt". The humans keep a plastic container of important receipts on the floor. Sometimes, during floor time, I'll jump into the container and fish out a receipt. If they catch me doing it, then I'll run away with the receipt in my mouth until they manage to stop me and retrieve the receipt. What fun!

Buffy:
I just want to be left alone bu humans and guinea pigs alike. I hate it when anyone bothers me. I hate it when Lola kicks me out of my pigloo, I hate it when a human hand approaches the cage, and I especially hate being held. Being held feels like being captured to me. I burr and I burr to let the humans know I hate it, but sometimes they don't care and will insist on petting me. I'm not a cat, humans! Just because I sound like I'm purring doesn't mean I'm happy.

Well, there you have it. How much a guinea pig enjoys interacting with their humans varies from pig to pig.

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