I wonder...

[Shellza]

I often wonder what these little creatures think of us humans. Obviously they see us as food bearers (ahem...slaves:x), but then why do they run and hide? What goes through their little minds? Does anyone else wonder this sometimes?

I know some people would argue that animals don't think, that they aren't capable of thoughts. But...there must be something that goes through their heads. Of course, they probably don't have the same thought patterns as us and a lot of their actions are instinct...but surely they must have some sort of thoughts ?/. What do you guys think?

x

 

[piggyme234]

My guineas all have different tastes in music. They like different food. Kizzy likes the taste of shampoo on her sister and Charlotte is so keen to get out of the bath that she will leap up the side and I have to catch her so she doesn't fall back in and hurt herself.
How can it be instinct for a guinea pig to chuckle angrily at Elvis but chill out completely to Whitney Huston or for another to popcorn to Steps. When food is available surely instinct will tell you to eat it if your friends are, but what if it's green pepper-Annabelle or science select pellets-Lexi, you turn up your nose and wheek at your slave for something different.
Charlotte knows that my OHs mum feeds her, they will all ask her for food and they will get some. I don't feed them every time I go in their palace, I trim nails and give medicine but still Charlotte will leap off Denise and onto me because she knows I'm mummy.

 

[Shellza]

How can it be instinct for a guinea pig to chuckle angrily at Elvis but chill out completely to Whitney Huston or for another to popcorn to Steps.

Hehehe. That made me chuckle!

My psychology lecturer a few years back told us all in a lecture that animals aren't capable of thinking, that everything they do is down to instinct or trial and error...but in order to try something they must first have a thought about trying it surely? I know a lot is down to an animals instinct but I just can't believe that they don't have thoughts of some kind.

 

[piggyme234]

If animals aren't capable of thinking then how can gorillas have conversations with sign language? Dogs have the intelligence of a toddler and my sisters dog once pushed a chair across the kitchen, climbed on the counter, nosed open the bread bin and stole a bar of chocolate that had been hidden there where we thought she couldn't get it. If Willow can do that then surely there is something more than instinct when a guinea pig loses a friend or picks one food over another.

People like to think we are the only intelligent life which makes us feel good and able to kill or neglect other animals but this is the same thinking that was behind racism. Scientists were trying to prove as recently the 1950s and 60s that black people were less intelligent and mixed race children carried the worst of both parents. All a load of poo obviously.

There are things that humans do that are instinctive and there are things that animals do that are instinctive. We are not guinea pigs, although it might be nice, we don't know what they are thinking because we can't wheek back to them. Perhaps they think we are unintelligent food bearers that are ignorant and unable to wheek properly.

 

[Fresen]

I think they definitely see us as food bearers. However mine wheek when they hear me talk, but not when other people do, even if it is another female, I like to think it is because they are thinking ' mum's here', but really I think they have managed to make the connection between my presence and the arrival of food!

 

[squeakysmallpaws]

There was a similar thread to this a while ago about whether guinea pigs can 'love' - it was an interesting debate. I think mostly as pet owners it's nice to think they have some sort of thoughts - and really what's the harm in thinking they do anyway? It's a lovely thing to think your piggies are wheeking because they are happy to see you, even if that is for food - but again that just means they have some sort of thought process because in order for them to see you as a food bearer they've made that connection |)

 

[Lady Kelly]

As far as I'm concerned, trial and error or conditioning behaviour IS the animal thinking. Like Pavlov's dogs my pigs wheek at the fridge opening or a bag rustling, they also do now when I click at them. They have associated this with being fed which is a complex brain process if you ask me. I believe this is a thought process, the sound triggers a thought that goes "oh that must mean food time!". The same way we humans are born with limited reflexes and learn behaviour through trial and error i.e. babies using shape sorters or a child smiling when hearing a parents voice.

 

[twiams]

I think about things like this all the time haha, I'm one of those people who really like reading and learning about what people and animals think !
I always find it amazing how they can match noises to actions like bag rustles etc. they never fail to fascinate me and in a way i like it like that, the mystery is just exciting ! haha

 

[Shellza]

It's interesting to hear different opinions on it. It's a confusing topic that no-one will ever really know the answer to. I would love to know what goes through their little minds though. How they can link certain sounds to actions. I did learn a bit on this sort of thing in horses while I was at uni, but didn't pay much attention at the time. It really intrigues me now though.