How Do We Know Pigs Love Us?

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Roky

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Maybe this is just our own interpretation of pigs' behaviour. Maybe they're just cute looking and we want to believe they love us, in fact they may only have interest into coming to us, which is food. Dogs, cats - I bet they would love you even if you didn't start your relations with feeding. But guinea pigs? I think our relations with them are built on nothing, but feeding.
 
I think you underestimate guinea pigs!

Try to understand them and how their society works, talk to them in ways that they instinctively understand, and you'll get quite a different view! If you expect them to learn to understand humans, the bridge is a lot harder to cross.

'Piggy whispering' is possible and is actually suprisingly effective. And if you have ever lived with one of those larger than life personalities, you know that the boundaries can go MUCH further than just cupboard love.
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics

I don't ask of my own piggies to be their primary focus; that would not be fair on them. It should always be their piggy group. But I am an accepted part of their piggy group (a kind of honorary super-pig) and as such I do get friendship and love behaviours back. Some piggies are more open to interacting than others. That is fine with me; I want mine to have a happy piggy life, first and foremost. But that doesn't preclude that interspecies affection can't and doesn't happen; piggy kisses that are freely given are special indeed! And so is freely given implicit trust. Especially if it comes from a severely traumatised ex-toddlers pet with a real thing about hands and handling.

However, as with all pets, it is very much a matter of how much effort you want to put into a relationship not just in the short term but over a period of 5-7 years, and how much time you want to invest. If you take them seriously as personalities in their own right, respect their needs and their input, they will repay you with their trust and affection.
 
My piggies love me. Velvet is always giving out piggy kisses. On a good day Betsy will give the odd lick quickly followed by an affectionate little nip. I have got such a strong bond with all 5 of them that they trust me implicitly and I can even give them eye drops with them sat calmly on my lap! I have worked very hard over the last 2 years to get them to this stage. When Betsy is in season or near it she tends to be a bit on the nippy side but she always has been. Dennis, Christian and Meg are just lovely. I have always treated them with respect They are prey animals and I need to remember that if they don't want to be picked up (Velvet hates it) I need to try and get her to go in a hidey which she is now getting much better at. I would never force a piggy to do something against their will.
 
I think the hormonal response we call 'love' is fairly achievable in the majority of social mammals. If you rely on your herd for survival, it helps to have an emotional connection to them. If they can be attached enough emotionally to another guinea pig that they grieve significantly when they pass away, I think it's fair to assume they can form a similar bond to their human caretakers.
 
I believe all animals feel affection. I don't know if it's what we call 'love', but I do believe they feel something.
Because they're prey, small animals like guinea pigs are always going to be more reserved than pets like cats and dogs when it comes to displays affection.

The best indication of affection I can see is when they show you their trust.

With aloof animals like cats, you know they trust you when they expose they're vulnerable belly to you for pets.
With guinea pigs, I believe they express their trust by calming lying on your lap/in your arms during snuggle time, or falling asleep on you: that's a biggie!

Generally, if an animal trusts you, they have affection for you. Feeding is great for establishing that trust because they know that you care for them by meeting their basic needs when they cannot :)

We just have to remember every species of animal displays their general 'emotions' differently, and each individual animal displays those same emotions slightly differently as well.... just like people do!
 
You just have to see my 'I hate everyone' pig with my husband to understand that piggies do show love. Indeed any of my pigs with Daddy. Its a running joke that the first one to get strokes of a new pig is him. My old boy allowing me to syringe feed him, my old girl lovign lap time, my teenager poking her head out to speak to me when she hears that I am home, nudging my hand of the others to get ear rubs.
 
Have you ever met a cat? :)) Cats only stick with humans for food. In the wild they're solitary creatures so don't bond like social animals. My cat is lovely and we have cuddles etc but I'm almost certain if I died she'd eat my face for food.

Most of your posts have been about how your piggies disappoint you which is quite worrying I won't lie. They're not mindless creatures and they do feel affection as they're social species. You gain their trust with food but you do that with all animals, even people for the most part.

I think imposing the idea of "love" on animals is incorrect, it's a term made up by humans and it's not recognised in the animal world. It's important not to force that idea on animals and expect them to reciprocate because it's an unrealistic expectation.

We should enjoy them for who they are and not what we expect them to be :)
 
Very interesting thread to delve deeper into. I'm a passioned by writing articles and essays on different topics (especially about animals).
I have one cutie guinea pig called Santa :wub: And I had never thought about it before.:blink:
What is going on inside their small heads? Do they really love us or our relationship is only about feeding?
I'm not as experienced guinea pig-owner as all of you, but I truly want to look at things from a different angle.
I'm at my second year studying a veterinary medicine at the university. But not long ago I realized that I like more to explore animal life and write about them, so I started a blog. My next article, no doubt, will be called "How do we know our pigs, cats, and dogs love us?", I going to compare out pets behavior in it. Some information I'll take from this conversation if you don't mind. Sooner you'll be able to read it here, I'm sure, It will be interesting for you.
 
Love, care and affection.
They want it all...not forgetting food.

Some are reserved, some are outward.

Captain Jack shows me his love.

He went 'walk about' yesterday from his run, when I discovered after a head count, I spoke out loud - well swore and then I heard a little sneak, Jack was telling me he was somewhere else, i turned round and he's made his way over to the hutch. Little guy wanted his bed. I duly succumbed and he toddled off and went cozy cozy on his own.

Bless my boy.
 
Our piggies love coriander, and exciting breakfast, and lately their new playpen. And they already associate us with all those things. So already they are realising that when we pick them up and talk to them then good things are going to happen and no bad things. Animal and human brains and learning and memory generally are all about good/bad associations (I am a lecturer in zoology/neurobiology so I am a bit qualified to comment, if not specifically on guinea pigs). Good associations are learned more slowly than bad associations as evolution quickly favours animals who freak out and avoid the one fatal bad thing. If your animals associate you with good things? Well thats dopamine and serotonin and oxytocin being released in the right brain areas. Which is what biochemically defines love and happiness in any species :)
 
Betsy has just been diagnosed with Cataracts and was starting to bite me cos she was frightened and couldn't see what was happening. Now whenever I pick her up I give her a treat of a piece of mint or a dandlion leaf or a particularly juicy looking piece of grass and she is beginning to trust me again. I believe she loves me cos I have never done anything to harm her nor will I ever. I love her and she is my favourite. She is just beautiful and lovely except when she is season when she is PYSCHO PIGGY!:yikes: but that's not her fault!

Here is Betsy in all her glory

BBetsy 2.webp
 
Merab says if Betsy needs any hints on how to play on blindness just ask.
She has it down to a fine art.
 
While I am not sure animals love anyone, I do believe they express affection (usually in the form of grooming one another) not only to human owners but to fellows of their own species.

Guinea pigs are prey animals and humans are HUGE in their world so obviously it takes time to trust the giant looming beasts we are and of course we start that trust relationship with food. How confident they become around you depends not only on the time invested but the personality of that guinea pig. Some are more confident or more skittish than others.

I am fairly sure I have a standing in my rats hierarchies. No matter what mischief I am interacting with any appearance of me will result in all rats racing towards me and a mass licking of my skin by all members as soon as they can reach me. They only lick me so it has nothing to do with salty human skin. They also chatter (teeth gnashing) when I interact with them to signal happiness to have my attention and I do it back to them to communicate that I am also pleased to have their attention, which results in eye boggling as soon as I gnash back (eye boggling it’s a sign of being extremely excited and happy).

All animals have their own behavior and language, which we will never know what they are actually thinking we can learn to read their signals the better we get to know them. Is it love? I do not know but at the very least it is a mutual understanding and level of trust.
 
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I think they show affection and love in a very different way to people but they love in their own way. I Remember one particular little sow who we adopted. She was old and after a year we knew she was nearing her time to leave. Sadly this day happened and we were in the living room together. She was suffering heart failure but was desperately trying to climb the cage bars for affection she was so weak it was heart breaking. We held her and gave her cuddles between us which she loved, pushing into us as if it was her last time. Sure enough we put her back for what we thought was a ‘pee’ break and she gently slipped away a few minutes later. My husband who is as hard as rock, still cries to this day as we were convinced she was saying goodbye. They are incredible little animals with emotions which I think go far deeper than we will ever appreciate. I think humans can learn a lot from our animal friends.
 
I’ve been enjoying this thread and thinking about the way my girls act.
When out playing if I have their veggie bowl in my hand Keziah will dance around my feet until I sit down on the floor and let her climb up to grab food.
She will also permit me to stroke her if I feed her.
Jemimah starts squeaking very loudly as soon as I walk in the house. In fact I can usually hear her start up as soon as the key goes in the lock.
She likes to be stroked in the cage and will go into puddle mode which I take as a sign of contentment.
Merab is easier to pick up as she is older and blind.
We have more cuddles at the moment as she has an abscess.
She enjoys being gently stroked just under her eye and occasionally a chin rub before going back into the cage.
They all respond to my voice and come to investigate if I’m in or near their room.
It’s not affection as a dog gives, or a person, but for a prey animal to demonstrate trust and show they feel secure with you- that is guinea pig affection
 
Guinea Slave said:
I think they show affection and love in a very different way to people but they love in their own way. I Remember one particular little sow who we adopted. She was old and after a year we knew she was nearing her time to leave. Sadly this day happened and we were in the living room together. She was suffering heart failure but was desperately trying to climb the cage bars for affection she was so weak it was heart breaking. We held her and gave her cuddles between us which she loved, pushing into us as if it was her last time. Sure enough we put her back for what we thought was a ‘pee’ break and she gently slipped away a few minutes later. My husband who is as hard as rock, still cries to this day as we were convinced she was saying goodbye. They are incredible little animals with emotions which I think go far deeper than we will ever appreciate. I think humans can learn a lot from our animal friends.
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I agree. When I took Betsy to the vet earlier this week the vet put her on the examination table and gave her a thorough check over and as soon as she had finished Betsy came over to me for comfort as if to say "Mum I need some reassurance that everything is OK and this funny vet lady is a safe person". Betsy has never done this before.
 
I had one girl who I think wanted to be human! She was so affectionate but not fussed about food. She used to fall asleep on my shoulder and my husband would often come in to find her and me sound asleep with each other. She just loved the companionship of humans. She had a horrific bladder stone op..three hours op! My vet sent her home expecting her not to survive but she spent four nights sleeping on my belly on our sofa every night (she was in so much pain bless her) My vet was convinced it was our bond which pulled her through ad she said she should never have pulled through. After the fourth night I put her in with her husboar in our living room and she cried for nearly an hour, just like a puppy! Husband insisted I actually spent the night with him and not her so I had to give her some tough love. She lived many years after but my goodness it was tough when we lost her. She definitely exhibited a bond stronger than I have ever experienced.
 
Cavy Kung-Fu said:
My cat is lovely and we have cuddles etc but I'm almost certain if I died she'd eat my face for food.
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That made me giggle but truth is in all likelihood you are correct, she would eat you, in fact there have been many many cases of a pet nibbling on a deceased owner because there is no other food source. It’s VERY common with cats but even dogs have done it in some cases.

Humans are not exempt from this either in desperate situations, I think we all remember the movie “Alive” which is based on a true story.
 
I don’t think my pigs love me as such, but I do think they prefer me to other humans. Probably because I am their main caregiver and bringer of their foods :lol!:
 
Piggle and Puggle love their daddy best as I sat for 3 hours today watching 2 sleeping piggies in a woven grass tube in their playpen with no fun piggy action at all, until daddy came home from his choir concert and started singing when suddenly there was excited wheeking and chuckling and hay eating and rushing around! Think its his welsh accent, he charms all the animals, children and old ladies he meets :) me doing karaoke to oasis on the radio just doesnt cut it with music lover Puggle apparently... her ears go up and down in time to the music and she eats hay faster and faster in time to an up tempo song!
 
I read every single response in this thread and how much everyone is loved by their guinea pig. Love is not anything to delve into so not even thinking to that as it's a feeling and personal, even to animals. I have a farm of animals. Chihuahuas, cats and my guinea pigs. We've had birds and rabbits in the past but not in many decades. My chihuahua is my love and is always faithful. In my time of migraines, she has literally loved and saved my life. She is a chihuahua and that's how she shows her affection and love. My son's cat is a unique creature that is beautiful, sweet in the moments she wants and wants nothing to do with us about 20 hours from a 24 hour day. When she does, it's for us to open a door for her and serve her. But she shows affection and when she felt fear from a storm we were in, she showed it and turned to us. She's a cat, it's how she showed it to us.

Our first guinea pig was literally a bribe to my daughter for a friend in a new place. My 17 year old daughter. I was ignorant and knew nothing about guinea pigs other then I had heard they were 'easy pets'. Pfft. Ok. We all truly fell in love ourselves with our first guinea pig. She is very different from the rest of our babies. She was a rescue and known to have not come from a great place. Was 8 months old and the most stubborn creature I've ever met. I truly love this little baby. I get visits from her and call her my grandbaby :-). But more, I watched her become beloved to my daughter and is extremely close with her. She is a little monster. She absolutely cannot bond with another sow as she is so aggressive. My husband says she is spoiled, in a very affectionate way :-). She has the run of my daughter's room and a cage she can go in an out of for her kitchen. She will purr, sing ALOT, scream for attention and follow you around until she gets it, loves being picked up and held and is able to outsmart us all when she puts her mind to it. She is really best friends with our 2 lb chihuahua Bella and you can't tell the difference-we even call her our little puppy at times. It's how each of these little ones show their feelings and affection is part of it. But with all these little ones that make my life so full of joy and my days so happy, I give them all my love. I think that's why I have them and the most important part. All our guinea pigs give me just as much joy and affection in the happiness they show simply for being part of our life here and our family. There is for certain a difference in this from before we brought them home from my recollections and from the ones we got a few of them from.

I think if you give them a chance, yours can answer that question with quite a lot of certainty. They are really gifts.
 
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