How Do I Know If My Guinea Pig Likes Me? {6 Pointers)

How To Make Your Guinea Pig Like You

It is the wish of every pet owner for their pet to like them, so how do I know if my guinea pig likes me? The truth is, due to their shy nature, it may take guinea pigs some time to gain enough confidence to come to you for petting.

Although guinea pigs cannot express affection as other pets do, they still have their way of saying “I love you to their owners,” and this article is going to tell you each one of them.

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How Do I Know If My Guinea Pig Likes Me?

Below are a few pointers you can always look at to know if your guinea pig likes you or not:

1. They Don’t Bite You

Guinea pigs use biting as a self-defense mechanism, so if a guinea pig doesn’t bite you, it means it trusts you.

Depending on the guinea pig, this may take some time to achieve, but with a constant display of attention and care, your pet will get to the point where they won’t need to defend themselves against you.

However, you have to keep in mind that female guinea pigs can start biting due to hormonal changes that occur during their estrous cycle, especially when they are not being mated.

So before ruling out that your pet doesn’t like you, make sure it isn’t going through some hormonal changes.

2. Allows You Feed It

how to know if my guinea pig likes me

Because it takes time for a guinea pig to become familiar with their owners, you may need to just leave the food in the guinea pig’s cage at first.

But as you build a relationship with your guinea pig, you can try feeding them food from your hands. They may not approach you at first, but after a while, they definitely will. Once your guinea pig starts eating from your hand, you can tell it likes you.

3. It Allows You Hold It

Guinea pigs are prey animals that get scared easily; they run into hiding at the sound of the slightest noise and are usually only social within their species. So if your guinea pig is very sociable with you, allowing you to hold it. That’s a definite sign it likes you.

But you still want to be careful when handling your pet. You will need to approach them with two hands.

Use one hand to stop the guinea pig from moving forwards and the other to prevent them from going backward.

Next, place your hand underneath its chest and abdomen, using the other hand to support its weight. When lifting the guinea pig up, you need to be as gentle as possible to avoid startling your pet.

Hold the guinea pig up against your chest so they can feel comfortable and secure.

Read Also: Can Guinea Pigs Eat Cantaloupe?

4. Shows Interest In You

If your guinea pig tries to push their nose through the bars on the cage when you come to feed it, this may mean that they show interest in you.

But you need to make sure it is for the right reasons; you need to be able to detect happiness in the interest; if not, it may mean your guinea pig is lonely or dehydrated.

5. Playful Around You

The amount of time it will take a guinea pig to become comfortable with you totally depends on the personality of the guinea pig. You have to make sure that you allow it has as much time as it wants to get comfortable.

You can tell your pet is comfortable with you when they’re always following you around the house,  and they like staying by your side when you rest, and they allow you to cuddle or pet them constantly is a clear indication that they like you.

In fact, guinea pigs are known to do what is called popcorning, where your guinea pig hops up in the air, runs around, quickly makes a turn, and repeats the jump in order to get your attention. So If you see your guinea pig doing this frequently, that means they like you.

6. They Communicate With You

Even though they can’t talk like humans, they can still communicate using various sounds. The type of sound your guinea pig makes when he sees you will determine if he likes you or not. Their sounds can also be used to indicate excitement, especially when they are expecting a treat.

If you find out that your guinea pig hisses or chatters its teeth whenever you come close to it, then you may need other ways to gain your pet’s trust.

How To Make Your Guinea Pig Like You

How Do I Know If My Guinea Pig Likes Me

There are several ways to make your guinea pig like you, and we’re going to talk about them;

Feed Them Generously

The diet of a guinea pig consists mainly of hay and pellets, but you can also feed your pet some fresh veggies and fruits.

Make sure there’s an unlimited supply of hay for your guinea pig to munch on at will and offer treats and fruits occasionally in small portions. Overfeeding your guinea pig with treats and fruits will lead to obesity, and you definitely don’t want that for your pet.

Never hit your guinea pig or yell at them even if they bite you. Doing this will get the guinea pig scared and find it hard to trust or like you.

Provide a lot of toys for your guinea pig to play with. There are different DIY toys you can make for your guinea pigs using items you already have at home. Giving your pet toys will help to elevate loneliness and keep them engaged.

After adopting a guinea pig, you need to give it enough time to warm up to you. Do not try to carry or pet a guinea pig by surprise. You want to follow your pet’s lead and allow him to get comfortable at his own pace.

Read Also: Do Guinea Pigs Know Their Name?

Conclusion

If you are a new guinea pig owner, you are definitely and will like to know how do I know if my guinea pig likes me as soon as possible.

But whatever you do, you never want to rush your guinea pigs into any form of interaction when it’s not ready; this only makes it more afraid of you.

Photo of author

Frank Kane

Ever since I was a child, I’ve been head-over-paws for all creatures, great and small. I’m on a mission to help other pet lovers better understand, care for, and enjoy life with their furry, scaly, or feathery friends.

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