Salvatore is so cute

[Pat Shields]

Hi everybody, I was able to get away with logging in today. No pix, tho. Salvatore does seem a little lonely without Redemption, but he also likes having all the space to himself, I think. The other day was so cute when I was cleaning the cage. I take him out and put him in a tomato shipping box when I clean. He can see what's going on in there but he can't jump out quickly. I have mentioned before that he follows me around the room by turning in whatever direction I happen to be going. Two days ago he was talking to me, and I had to laugh so much. The cage was ready for him to go back in. I said "Hello, guinea pig, are you ready to go back in?" and he chirped and wheeked and turned himself toward the cage. I know he knows some of the things I say; he still holds still when I say, "Let me pet you". If I say, "I'm going to get you" he runs into his little hidey house. He is just so cute.

 

[Dusty_bugs]

Leeland has been on meds so long now that when I say "One more!" she will often be more compliant at taking it as she knows after that she is free. If I say "come on!" with hand behind her and one palm infront of her she puts her paws on my hand and jumps - because she knows my back hand will catch her bum and scoop her up onto my shoulder. This is always followed by dinner back in the cage But she will always wait for the words before jumping!

When she is hungry she will reach up as high as she can until you bend down and touch nose to nose. If you offer her your hand to sniff she pats it down with a paw and reaches up higher. She wants face to face! haha.. I used to teach her to kiss before taking salad leaves, so now she uses kisses instead of wheeks to say she wants food from the kitchen table. She uses wheeks when I have my back turned. Proof enough to me that guineapigs are psychologically aware of the concious mind in species other than their own. As long as it benefits them, they will use what they have learned from dealing with you to get you to repeat a behaviour. Never has manipulation been so cute!

 

[piggyfan]

Aww that is adorable. It is amazing he can understand the things you say. None of mine can!

 

[Pound Shilling & Pig]

I think guinea pigs are a lot more intelligent than a lot of people give them credit for. I am lucky enough to have a lot a piggies and they have their own special shed. When I first go out in the morning they are quiet. It makes no difference if it is six o'clock or eight o'clock. I can talk to them quietly and whether I stay 10 minutes for a quick check or 2 hours for cleaning out they remain quiet. However, once I leave the shed, regardless of the time of day or length of time ,the moment I go back in they all start up WHEEEKING as they expect me to have returned with a nice veggy breakfast.....if I am cleaning out I have to remember to take in every thing I need in one go!

 

[Phoebe-PP]

Guinea pigs are definitley smarter than they let on! Pickles (occasionally ) understands when I tell her to come back when she tries to run out the room; and I'm convinced Pumpkin can read the time, every day at quarter to seven she'll start incessantly wheeking until she gets her veggies. Dinner's at seven, but she understands I need fifteen minutes to chop veggies, prepare nuggets, meds and water bottles

 

[Wiebke]

Guinea pigs are quite clever!

Nerys comes to the grids for her daily meds (which she thankfully loves) when I call "Nerys, doctor!".

One of my previous cataract piggies had actually learned to follow my voice and my constant vocal update of "good girl, come on!" and "Uh, oh, oh!" whenever she went wrong. She could walk herself into the moved run as long as I stood next to the flap and guided her across the lawn with my voice over a distance of several yards despite her having full developed cataracts. She and her mate knew quite a range of expressions.

 

[Lilly]

Wonderful to hear about all these smart piggies. I believe I have a pair of smarties myself. They know all the food words like parsley, carrots, lettuce, grass. They know their names. They know certain phrases like "who wants to go walkies" and " who wants to go home". They know the difference between the cuddle cups they are to sleep in and the cuddle cups to be used for their transportation at floor time and lap time. Peanut Butter knows that when I say "Peanut Butter geroff Hazelnut" he should stop mounting him. They know the time of day they should get their veggies regardless of where they are. Even when they were at my son's house for a month while I was in New Zealand, if he didn't have their morning vegies out by 7am they'd wheek the house down.

But the biggest proof of their cleverness is how they can train everyone else into being their slaves. In just a few short weeks my boys were able to train my new doggy to respond to their wheeks. She will run to their cage when she hears them and if I am not right behind her she will come and get me and persist until I do go to their cage. Of course, if this results in their getting carrots, she wants some too!

 

[Hanwombat]

Aww I love Salvatore, he's so cool.

 

[Mizzpigz]

[*][/*]This post really made me smile especially when he runs into his hidey. I loved reading a
Everyone else's stories too. Keep them coming x

 

[sport_billy]

Thanks for the update Pat, nice to see you again. Give Sal a cuddle from me, clever boy.

 

[Pat Shields]

Never has manipulation been so cute!

You are absolutely correct!

once I leave the shed, regardless of the time of day or length of time ,the moment I go back in they all start up WHEEEKING as they expect me to have returned with a nice veggy breakfast

I'm convinced Pumpkin can read the time

Nerys comes to the grids for her daily meds (which she thankfully loves) when I call "Nerys, doctor!".

at my son's house for a month while I was in New Zealand, if he didn't have their morning vegies out by 7am they'd wheek the house down.

ALL of the examples are so cute! Piggyfan, I'll bet that yours understand more than you think and talk about what you've said when you've left. Lilly, the involvement of the dog is priceless! Reminds me of Thomas the Cat, with whom I was blessed for 20 years. I like to teach all the dogs that come through my life to do tricks, and one of them is to "woof" on command. I was attempting to teach one doggie who took a little more time than Thomas liked; Thomas started saying "Meow" to show the doggie how it was done when I told the doggie to say "woof". Turns out that yes, the cat had learned to "speak" on command from hearing it with the dogs. Visitors were amazed when we demonstrated this skill. I'll be sure to give Sal that cuddle, sport_billy.

 

[Lilly]

That is hilarious about Thomas the Cat! I love that.