WorldsBestBoars
Junior Guinea Pig
I was asked to explain a little about how I got my piggy 'Elvis' to start using talk buttons, so here's my experience...
I'd seen piggies on the web using talk buttons, but some of them didn't really seem to know what they were pressing- just that if they pressed a button they might get a treat, so I thought of it as an experiment and gave it a go anyway.
I always say simple phrases to my guinea pigs so they know what's happening - I know they understand me and would speak very good English if they could! Likewise I've observed their behaviour and know what they want most of the time by their body language etc. Still I wanted to know more, and plan for emergencies.
I got the buttons so that if I had to go out/away and leave them with someone else, my piggies could communicate with others what they needed. Guinea pigs are so poorly understood by non-piggy owners, and I've struggled to find anyone to look after them. After being left with a newb to care for them when I went away for a funeral, I thought this might make things easier!
Training:
Elvis was 1 year old when he began using buttons.
I started with one button. For the first 4 months he seemed afraid/avoided it, I realised he wouldn't press it for fun and I made a more conscious effort to teach him.
The first button was 'nuggets'.
I got him to press it by holding a nugget over the button and making him stand on it to get the nugget from my hand. He needed to use both hands to do this (as the buttons are designed for cats), so had to fully lean on it.
Once he got the hang of it, he began pressing it himself. I always made sure the word sounded, before acting on the request (and only ever gave one/a few nuggets or he would have ballooned in weight!).
Within a week of him starting, I introduced other words he definitely knew- 'Yes', 'No', 'Cuddles'. Yes and no were important to help him understand that he couldn't always have nuggets, even if he pressed the button. Within a short time he would ask for nuggets, I would say no and he would argue yes!
Him pressing the 'cuddles' button still melts my heart a year later.
I then added other specific foods and requests including 'Shall we go out?' as one button.
I stagger the buttons in a line but with some in front and some behind- diagnol to each other- so there's space for him to press them. The built-in holders that they sell are in my opinion too large for piggies, so the buttons just sit on the ground (easy as they live on sheets/duvets, not hay/wood chip).
It is important to say the thing you mean when it comes up, so they always know the word, eg when I take my piggies out for grass, I always say 'Shall we go out?' so they know what it means. Elvis asks 'Shall we go out?' at lots of random times. Sometimes I say no, and he'll request 'grass' immediately after. He knows what he's asking for!
For a long time Elvis didn't use 'no'. I thought he didn't want/understand the button. Then one night I had to separate him from my then elderly piggy, who needed to rest and recover from illness without stimulation. As soon as they were separated and I told them it was bed time, he rushed to the 'no' button!
Which Buttons:
I bought the branded buttons but despite being very clear and easy to record on, can't totally recommend them, as after some months dirt has got inside them which can cause them to stop working, and it seems the manufacturer are fully aware of the issue and have no care advice (they say other people take them apart and clean with alcohol but won't recommend you do this). That seems a design flaw to me. There are alternative cheaper buttons, but I noticed many of the others were much larger and designed for dogs (my ones are for cats).
I'm currently trying to teach Elvis 'night time' as a reason we can't go out, and still haven't figured out how to get him to make a decision when given a choice eg do you want 'hay' or 'oats'?
He's up to 11 buttons now (one went missing) and I'm adding more soon. I'm ultimately hoping I can figure out a way for him to communicate pain/illness, but figuring out how to do that when he's well is definitely a challenge...we shall see!
I'd seen piggies on the web using talk buttons, but some of them didn't really seem to know what they were pressing- just that if they pressed a button they might get a treat, so I thought of it as an experiment and gave it a go anyway.
I always say simple phrases to my guinea pigs so they know what's happening - I know they understand me and would speak very good English if they could! Likewise I've observed their behaviour and know what they want most of the time by their body language etc. Still I wanted to know more, and plan for emergencies.
I got the buttons so that if I had to go out/away and leave them with someone else, my piggies could communicate with others what they needed. Guinea pigs are so poorly understood by non-piggy owners, and I've struggled to find anyone to look after them. After being left with a newb to care for them when I went away for a funeral, I thought this might make things easier!
Training:
Elvis was 1 year old when he began using buttons.
I started with one button. For the first 4 months he seemed afraid/avoided it, I realised he wouldn't press it for fun and I made a more conscious effort to teach him.
The first button was 'nuggets'.
I got him to press it by holding a nugget over the button and making him stand on it to get the nugget from my hand. He needed to use both hands to do this (as the buttons are designed for cats), so had to fully lean on it.
Once he got the hang of it, he began pressing it himself. I always made sure the word sounded, before acting on the request (and only ever gave one/a few nuggets or he would have ballooned in weight!).
Within a week of him starting, I introduced other words he definitely knew- 'Yes', 'No', 'Cuddles'. Yes and no were important to help him understand that he couldn't always have nuggets, even if he pressed the button. Within a short time he would ask for nuggets, I would say no and he would argue yes!
Him pressing the 'cuddles' button still melts my heart a year later.
I then added other specific foods and requests including 'Shall we go out?' as one button.
I stagger the buttons in a line but with some in front and some behind- diagnol to each other- so there's space for him to press them. The built-in holders that they sell are in my opinion too large for piggies, so the buttons just sit on the ground (easy as they live on sheets/duvets, not hay/wood chip).
It is important to say the thing you mean when it comes up, so they always know the word, eg when I take my piggies out for grass, I always say 'Shall we go out?' so they know what it means. Elvis asks 'Shall we go out?' at lots of random times. Sometimes I say no, and he'll request 'grass' immediately after. He knows what he's asking for!
For a long time Elvis didn't use 'no'. I thought he didn't want/understand the button. Then one night I had to separate him from my then elderly piggy, who needed to rest and recover from illness without stimulation. As soon as they were separated and I told them it was bed time, he rushed to the 'no' button!
Which Buttons:
I bought the branded buttons but despite being very clear and easy to record on, can't totally recommend them, as after some months dirt has got inside them which can cause them to stop working, and it seems the manufacturer are fully aware of the issue and have no care advice (they say other people take them apart and clean with alcohol but won't recommend you do this). That seems a design flaw to me. There are alternative cheaper buttons, but I noticed many of the others were much larger and designed for dogs (my ones are for cats).
I'm currently trying to teach Elvis 'night time' as a reason we can't go out, and still haven't figured out how to get him to make a decision when given a choice eg do you want 'hay' or 'oats'?
He's up to 11 buttons now (one went missing) and I'm adding more soon. I'm ultimately hoping I can figure out a way for him to communicate pain/illness, but figuring out how to do that when he's well is definitely a challenge...we shall see!
!
