One Thing You Never Expected About Guinea Pigs?

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sport_billy

sport_billy

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When you first had pigs, what was the one thing that surprised you the most about them?

I think mine was the speed! How can something with tiny legs runs so fast? Our first piggies were very timid and nervous, Putt the Aby in my avatar was so skittish she would run around to avoid us so much - have never seen a pig move so fast

What surprised you?
 
Jumping! When I was researching guinea pigs, everywhere seemed to say they don't really jump, but my God can mine jump...especially my biggest, Nelson, he can make spectacular leaps out of the washing up bucket when he gets sick of his bath! The first time they jumped up onto the loft part of the cage instead of going up the ramp I nearly had a heart attack!
 
They were smarter and more social than I expected. After 12 years of keeping hedgehogs, I wasn't accustomed to how quickly the pigs would figure out the routine and how much they would interact with me and with each other.
 
I must admit that when I first had a guinea pig, they wasn't an animal I particularly paid attention too and the main reason why I had Connie was because she was in desperate need of a home so I offered to take her.

However, that was nearly 8 years ago and now I can't imagine not having guinea pigs in my life. I have had 7 more piggies since then and losing them never gets any easier.

Eliza joined Connie just two days after I rescued her and I have never looked back. I love guinea pigs so much and it is them that makes me get up in the mornings and who I share all my secrets and worries with.

But I never imagined them to eat and poop so much :D
 
Oh I love this thread! Agree with the pooping and running and jumping but I have to admit the one thing that surprised me was their intelligence/love of routine.

They generally go back to their cage from their playpen about 5pm, you can guarantee that if I'm running a bit late Biscuit will be doing her best to climb out or under/chew out or the latest is for her to jump on their box and sit looking at the door chortling grumpily! Fudge starts wheeking at half past 7 once Emmerdale is finished - she definitely knows that 'tea time' - banned words until it is actually their tea time or she doesn't shut up.

The other thing is their personalities, for something so small and cute, they really are wilful when they want to be!
 
They seem to understand when something is wrong. :vom: If their veggies are late in the morning because I am feeling unwell, and am still in bed, they seem to know and stay quiet. On normal days, if their veggies are late, they will let me know! :tu: Clever piggies!
 
The bond between them surprised me too. My pigs have all had different relationships to one another. The level of obvious grieving that they go through when they lose a friend also surprised me (in a sad way.)
 
Seasonal sow humping - sent me right into a panic, as it happened some time before there were forums, suitable literature and definitely no pictures of in-betweenie piggies. My local vet couldn't sex my in-betweenie pig, either, nor could my local rescue.
One of the sows turned out to be pregnant, but not by the in-betweenie pig (who I eventually sexed as female, but not before the other one had two unplanned babies). Oh yeah - I have been there, too! :mal:
 
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