guinea pigs deserve more credit!

Status
Not open for further replies.
lily 74

lily 74

Adult Guinea Pig
Joined
Jul 27, 2010
Messages
1,855
Reaction score
8
Points
440
Location
sussex
I think guinea pigs deserve more recognition in the world of pets, dogs, cats, birds and other pets are always thought to be clever and often put higher in the society of pets, sometimes I'm sure people think.. "It's only a guinea pig they are thick"

well I have noticed so many things about these gorgeous creatures since having them.

They recognise their name straight away once they know it and respond the same as cats and dogs etc.

They know when food is about!

they have the same needs as any animal and rely totally on us.

It annoys me that they are used as snake food sometimes fed live, if you fed a cat to a snake then that wouldn't be acceptable so why for a guinea pig.

sorry for the rant lol just a thought!
 
I totally agree with you. My family are always talking about my sisters cat but do not care about my girls. It really hurts me. I actually get laughed at by people for loving them so much. It is so ignorant.
 
I get laughed at too :( GP's are not "cool" apparantly :(
If I say I have a parrot I get a lot of attention but GP's are boring. But they're wrong! GP's are not boring! They are cute, funny, intelligent and sweet natured animals and deserve to be treated the same as cats/dogs/rabbits!
 
This is so true. They make the most amazing pets. Last week I was having my nails done and the women were really laughing about me always making sure I am home by four to feed my girls and that I would never allow anybody else to look after them. It really offended me. :(
 
Yup, all my work colleagues think I'm a nutter for loving guinea pigs - one guy actually asked me if I wasn't too old to still have them as pets! When Little Pig had dental problems followed by a bladder infection, I stopped counting the number of people who asked me why I hadn't had him pts yet as they thought I was wasting my money on "just a guinea pig". It made me so angry.

However, as much as I love guinea pigs, I have to admit that I don't think they are very smart!
 
I totally agree. People always think I'm stupid for liking guinea pigs. Why is it OK to be obsessed with horses, or dogs, but not guinea pigs?
My mother infuriates me the most, though. She won't refer to the pigs by name, only "it". She ridicules me for naming them. Honestly, I'm surprised she didn't just call me "Baby".
 
Wheeky said:
I totally agree. People always think I'm stupid for liking guinea pigs. Why is it OK to be obsessed with horses, or dogs, but not guinea pigs?
My mother infuriates me the most, though. She won't refer to the pigs by name, only "it". She ridicules me for naming them. Honestly, I'm surprised she didn't just call me "Baby".
Click to expand...

Oh that is so annoying of your mother!mallethead
 
I think people see them as giant rats or something. (I love rats btw, I've had 2 before).
My boys love the piggies, my other half has fallen for them now after seeing how lovely they actually are and my mum thinks they're gorgeous. She's always sneeking a cuddle when she comes round! My dad however, thinks I'm mental and so do most of my friends. They think I'm more mental when I say they're in the house! All I get is " don't they stink?" well no actually because it's called CLEANING THEM OUT!mallethead
Anyway, I think dogs and cats can stink so whats the difference?
 
I totally agree, i dont understand why people under value them :(
When Peanut died in February, he was at the vets and I got the call at work and was completely distraught. Because I was crying so much everyone around me thought someone in my family had died, then when I said it was my piggy they were like 'oh' as if to say its just a pet. These people are the kind who probably dont have any pets so don't understand but that doesn't deny me the right to treat them like my children, like my family, that doesn't mean i shouldnt love or care for them the same as a person, surely that means I'm compassionate, a good owner? :{
They look at you a bit weird but surely my reaction was better than a crappy owner who just shrugged their shoulders and went back to a pet store?
THEIR reaction offends ME. They can DEAL with it grrrr
 
Little Pig said:
Yup, all my work colleagues think I'm a nutter for loving guinea pigs - one guy actually asked me if I wasn't too old to still have them as pets! When Little Pig had dental problems followed by a bladder infection, I stopped counting the number of people who asked me why I hadn't had him pts yet as they thought I was wasting my money on "just a guinea pig". It made me so angry.

However, as much as I love guinea pigs, I have to admit that I don't think they are very smart![/QUOTE


Alot of people think guinea pigs are not smart but they are very clever, to be able to recognise their name is clever in itself , also I have a boar that escapes out of the run everytime even if I block the holes! don't know where e is getting out I find him up the top of the garden sniffing the sows cage! lol
Click to expand...
 
My mother in law refers to Misty as 'the gerbil' and when we lost Rogue and Storm was horrified we had treated them at the vets - she was fine with the pts not with the previous treatment which prolonged their lives! pow-pow:x

We are looking at moving house at some point soon due to jobs and stuff and she mentioned to OH that we should rehome our pets to make it easier to get a house! :x:x Never had problems before and don't forsee any this time.

Sorry for rant, she really angers and upsets me with this! :)>>>
 
Posiesparkles said:
My mother in law refers to Misty as 'the gerbil' and when we lost Rogue and Storm was horrified we had treated them at the vets - she was fine with the pts not with the previous treatment which prolonged their lives! pow-pow:x

We are looking at moving house at some point soon due to jobs and stuff and she mentioned to OH that we should rehome our pets to make it easier to get a house! :x:x Never had problems before and don't forsee any this time.

Sorry for rant, she really angers and upsets me with this! :)>>>
Click to expand...

That's so sad, guinea pigs are nothing like gerbils!:(

I can't understand why people act this way, guinea pigs sleep, eat, hurt like any animal.
 
I've found my piggies to be quite intelligent and as with dogs you get out what you put in: the more you interact with them and take the time to talk to them etc the more they pick up and learn, all creatures with brains thrive when they have stimulation.
As for what other people think about my love for piggies: I don't give a stuff what they think! Hitting 40 can be quite liberating! :))
 
Posiesparkles said:
My mother in law refers to Misty as 'the gerbil' and when we lost Rogue and Storm was horrified we had treated them at the vets - she was fine with the pts not with the previous treatment which prolonged their lives! pow-pow:x

We are looking at moving house at some point soon due to jobs and stuff and she mentioned to OH that we should rehome our pets to make it easier to get a house! :x:x Never had problems before and don't forsee any this time.

Sorry for rant, she really angers and upsets me with this! :)>>>
Click to expand...

No wonder you are upset. What a horrible attitude. How can anybody think small animals are not important just because they are small. Nobody would think this about short humans.
 
Little Pig said:
Yup, all my work colleagues think I'm a nutter for loving guinea pigs - one guy actually asked me if I wasn't too old to still have them as pets! When Little Pig had dental problems followed by a bladder infection, I stopped counting the number of people who asked me why I hadn't had him pts yet as they thought I was wasting my money on "just a guinea pig". It made me so angry.

However, as much as I love guinea pigs, I have to admit that I don't think they are very smart!
Click to expand...

Some of my work colleges are similar, though not all. They think I'm mad or having pigs and treating them so well.

I think piggies need to come into the bracket with rabbits as sadly 'Britain's number one negected pet'. Its such a shame these guys dont get the recognition they deserve. They are such gorgeous, funny, inteligent and tame little creatures as pets. And (sorry if i offend anyone by saying so) i think they are far better childrens pets than rabbits are. Much more calm and less aggressive than some personalities of rabbits can be.

x.
 
I have numerous examples of intelligent pigs... You need sound. (please excuse the mess on some video's but I do clean up honest, the pig's make the mess however :))).

First up Milo.. returning to his cage

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk-HIkTd5dg[/ame]

Fred and Wilma return to there cage on cue of my whistle (again sound is needed).

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHqZ9He4KWM[/ame]

2nd Patrick coming out his cage...

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHpqexWdNlU[/ame]

Pebbles following me round the room.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_hsNBAFjPs[/ame]

Patrick jumping on my lap - on command.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mciZ_cW5dqc[/ame]

:))
 
lily 74 said:
I think guinea pigs deserve more recognition in the world of pets, dogs, cats, birds and other pets are always thought to be clever and often put higher in the society of pets, sometimes I'm sure people think.. "It's only a guinea pig they are thick"

well I have noticed so many things about these gorgeous creatures since having them.

They recognise their name straight away once they know it and respond the same as cats and dogs etc.

They know when food is about!

they have the same needs as any animal and rely totally on us.

It annoys me that they are used as snake food sometimes fed live, if you fed a cat to a snake then that wouldn't be acceptable so why for a guinea pig.

sorry for the rant lol just a thought!
Click to expand...

All animals are 'intelligent' to their own species. Some people may think a spider is dumb, but we can't spin a beautiful web like a spider can. Some may also think a wild bird like a sparrow is dumb, but we can't build intricate nests like a bird can. Others may think all animals are dumb, but some can mimic other animals and plants by look and smell, and even play dead.

Ok, it's not exactly intelligence, it's instincts and genes passed onto them through evolution.

Guinea-pigs being fed to snakes shouldn't be anything of a shock. Rats are highly intelligent rodents, much more than guinea-pigs in many ways, but it's much more acceptable to have them, as adults, as feed for snakes. Guinea-pigs are no different I'm afraid.
 
emmalala said:
All I get is " don't they stink?" well no actually because it's called CLEANING THEM OUT! Anyway, I think dogs and cats can stink so whats the difference?
Click to expand...
You are so right. I have 3 dogs and 5 cats (I had 6 but one of them got to go back to his original person). My dogs can get quite the doggy smell, especially if they have escaped and rolled in the cow patties in the pasture next door. A guinea pig would never do that! And there is NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING in the world stinkier than digested cat food coming out the back of a cat. (There are young ones on this forum so I tried to put that nicely.) Guinea pig leavings actually smell like horses to me, and I find that quite pleasant.
 
Pat Shields said:
You are so right. I have 3 dogs and 5 cats (I had 6 but one of them got to go back to his original person). My dogs can get quite the doggy smell, especially if they have escaped and rolled in the cow patties in the pasture next door. A guinea pig would never do that! And there is NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING in the world stinkier than digested cat food coming out the back of a cat. (There are young ones on this forum so I tried to put that nicely.) Guinea pig leavings actually smell like horses to me, and I find that quite pleasant.
Click to expand...

The whole reason humans don't smell is because we go in one place and flush it away, otherwise we'd start smelling too... I really wish people wouldn't say animals smell like that, it's complete ignorance.

Then again, guinea-pig cage smell is nothing compared to rabbits, mice, rats, ferrets, or cats as you said, anyway.
 
ferrets "leavings" smell real bad! But all animals dropping smell, not the actual animal. My other half loves the smell of Luigi, I've caught him having a sniff!
 
emmalala said:
ferrets "leavings" smell real bad! But all animals dropping smell, not the actual animal. My other half loves the smell of Luigi, I've caught him having a sniff!
Click to expand...

I love the body smell of piggies, ratlets, giblets, ferretinas, bunnies, the lot! :) Shame I start sneezing soon after a snuggle :( lol
 
Some people are so rude ... why are so many animals seen as disposable? Guinea pigs/ Hamsters / gerbils / rats etc are seen in the same way ... in fact most commercially available rodent species are seen as less important! It makes me so mad :)>>> ... they are all sensitive scentient beings, capable of thinking and feeling ... guinea pigs have such gentle natures it makes me so so sad that people treat them with such disregard 8...

I think some of my freinds think I'm a bit mad, but I'm kind of known as an animal lady! My mother in law is always trying to tell me how to look after them even though she has never had them ... pow-pow mallethead ... she generally treats me like I'm 5 :{

I have the opposite problem with my dad ... he keeps sneaking my girls green beans .... I even catch him having a chat with them sometimes :))
 
I have to say, my mom loves them. My dads never been fussed on animals but they let me get on with it. I only tell my closest friends my intimate piggy craziness! Hehe. One in particular has fallen in love with them.. much as he tries to deny it! tusch.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top