How to Tell If Your Guinea Pig Likes You: Language of Love

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Want to know how to tell if your guinea pig likes you?

You need to read the signs of affection and understand the language of love.

Once mastered, you can quickly tell whether your cavy really enjoys your company or not.

Don’t worry, we’ll help you out! Just keep reading for our tips!

You may also like: 6 AMAZING WAYS TO MAKE YOUR GUINEA PIG HAPPY

Top 6 Sign of Happiness Shown by Guinea Pigs

Creating a mutual trust and loving bond with your piggy is key to understanding their “love signals.”

Below, we’re looking at some of the things that guinea pigs do to show that you’ve reached that level of trust.

These signs also give you a pretty good idea of whether your guinea pig likes you or not.

how to tell if guinea pig likes you and they are happy

#1 You can effortlessly hold your Guinea Pig by hand

Guinea pigs are social animals, yes, but they typically feel more comfortable around fellow cavies.

As prey animals (meaning other creatures feed on them in the wild), they’re very cautious and shy around other animals- including humans!

It’s not uncommon for them to run to the nearest possible hiding space to stay out of the limelight.

If you are a new guinea pig parent, you might have come across such situations whenever you are around them to feed or clean their habitat.

There is nothing like that first time your cavy shows that she trusts you enough to hold her without squirming.

You’ll know that you’ve really bonded when she lets you hold her in your hands effortlessly.

Don’t break her trust by handling her too roughly. Check out the video below for some tips on the right way to do it.

READ MORE: Interesting Facts About Guinea Pigs

#2 Your Guinea Pig Takes Food From your Hand

One of the surest ways to tell if your guinea pig likes you is to try to feed her by hand.

If she takes the food, she’s at least learned to trust you. If not, you know you still have some work to do.

Whether you give him a bit of a treat or a trail of treats, he won’t eat it if he doesn’t trust you.

He would either prefer eating from his food bowl or just nibble the treats lying on the floor of his cage.

After your pet gets familiar with you being around, she will let you feed him with your hands.

Of course, if you’re caring for a sick cavy or one that you’ve rescued from a neglectful home, you may not have time to develop that bond.

If you need to get food into her before she’s ready to trust you, the video below is a great resource.

READ MORE: Are Guinea Pigs Good Pets?

#3 Interactive floor time and lap time

Another indication on our list is the time that these intelligent animals spend with you.

If you like a group of people, you prefer to spend more time with them and keep them around.

You feel comfortable when they are there and they, in turn, become your lifesaver when you are stuck somewhere you didn’t want to be.

Similarly, your Guinea will also start spending his playtime with you as much as possible once he gets comfortable around you.

When he is comfortable with you around, he won’t hesitate to sit on your lap for a good snuggle.

Just make sure you respect his boundaries and let him go when he’s ready to get back to exploring.

Never force him to sit with you. That’s a surefire way to break the trust you’ve been building and make your guinea pig scared of you.

#4 Your Cavy Won’t Bite You

Guinea pigs aren’t major biters in general, but that doesn’t mean they’ve never taken a chomp out of their human caregivers.

While these shy creatures opt for “flight” instead of “fight” as often as possible, they have been known to bite when hurt or scared.

And yes, in case you’re wondering, those little teeth hurt! In fact, I’ve had friends complain of experiencing excruciating pain caused by guinea pig bites.

Remember, biting is a last resort, a “fight like heck” response. Just like you’d put your full force behind biting a perceived attacker, so do they.

Luckily those frequent bites will disappear once you and your pet become good companions.

If your guinea pig likes you, he won’t bite out of fear. In fact, once you reach that point, if he does bite, it’s cause for concern because it typically signifies pain.

Instead, he may give you soft nibbles that won’t hurt and signify his love for you that he has developed over time.

READ MORE: Why Do Guinea Pigs Bite Their Owners?

#5 You’ll Learn Their Language

Even though they cannot talk to you in words, the gestures and sounds of a guinea pig say it all. They can’t even bark, meow, or make such sounds, but they can be vocal.

You can hear the cluttering of their tiny teeth or make an unusual sound that indicates something. They make different sounds to convey different feelings.

If you are an observant pet parent, you will understand by their sounds what they mean and reply that way. The communication takes place only when they like you.

Like you don’t talk to random people, even they don’t. Have you seen your newly adopted cavy make such sounds?

Once they become familiar with your presence and get to know you well, they start developing their everlasting bond. 

As soon as the bond is established, you will feel those vibes of love and understand what your pet is trying to speak. 

Love has no language, and it is well proved by these little beings who love their parents so intensely that it can’t be described in words.

#6 He will be Visibly excited to see you.

It is an undeniable indication that your guinea pet loves you from the bottom of his heart. When you get near his habitat, he will run away if he isn’t comfortable with you.

If he gets excited when you approach- especially if you’re not bringing him food- it’s a good sign that he adores you.

Oooh, and if he does a little popcorning (hopping excitedly, like popcorn kernels popping), he REALLY likes you!

Once you reach that point, you can actually use this to your advantage to keep track of his health.

If he usually popcorns all over the place when you approach, but seems unmoved by your presence today, it’s a sign something is wrong.

While even cavies have their “down days,” if his lack of excitement continues beyond a day or he looks positively listless even on day one, call a vet.

FAQs

Do guinea pigs like to be petted?

At first, no, they don’t. Remember, these sweet critters are considered prey in the wild, so they’re incredibly cautious around anything that could potentially eat them.

However, as you build your bond, your cavy may come to enjoy gentle strokes. Just let him dictate the terms. If he struggles to get away from your hand, stop.

How do you show your guinea pig you love them?

The best way to show your guinea pig love is to give her the very best life she deserves.

That means providing a habitat rather than just a cage, keeping her home clean and comfortable, and feeding her a high-quality diet.

Respecting her boundaries also goes a long way towards showing her love. Don’t forcefully hold or pet her. Let her come to you!

What does it mean when your guinea pig lays on you?

As we discussed above, laying on you is a sign of trust. It means that you’ve established a strong enough bond that your cavy finds your presence both soothing and comfortable.

Final Words

Wondering how to tell if your guinea pig likes you? Read on to understand the indications of your pet's happiness and love for you!

Do you have other ideas on how to tell if your guinea pig likes you? SHARE BELOW!

D T
D T

Deanna is a passionate animal lover. She is the mom of several guinea pigs and sugar gliders.
When she’s not writing, Deanna loves listening to country music, or watching Dancing With The Stars.
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