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Is your cavy smart?

frescchurch

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OK, so my husband and I always have a playful argument on the intelligence of guinea pigs, and I am hoping to recruit some help. He says they are cute animals but just not very intelligent. I say they are brilliant (and cute of course). He wants me to prove it, so I said let's go!! So here we go--a chance to brag about your piggies: please tell me why your guinea pig is smart! For example my first piggie could stand on his hind legs and give "night night kisses."
Or since this is just for fun if you have any stories of not-so-smart things they have done go ahead and share that too...but all in good taste of course :)
 

5guinea5pig5

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When I let my pig walk on my keyboard he spelled safety. I foregot who it was buy either starshine or animalhouse saw it when we were in the chat room. Also, the same pig broke up a fight by running into 2 pigs who were about to attack each other. No pig was hurt in the making of this post.
 

Guinea Goddess

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I believe that all guinea pigs are smart. I recently put up a guinea pig maze and most of the pigs made it to the finish within a minute. It wasn't the smallest maze either. My one pig, Nugget, knows how to go on her hind legs, jump through a hoop, and do a circle. I have also tatught her a routine of all the "tricks" she knows.

Any guinea pig that can relate the fridge door opening or the crinkling of bags (or anything that sounds like that) is smart. Of course this is all my opinion.

My guinea pigs have had too many dumb moments to count.:D
 

AnimalHouse36

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Hmmm, I guess the other day my guinea pig was paticularly chilly so she wrapped the extra piece of fleece in her cage around her pigloo and under it to create a cozy pigloo.

Riley has learned how to hide from me by hiding in the hay rack, and whenever I say guinea's they run around wheeking there little heads of.

Riley has managed to try to do a popcorn off the couch. She landed safely on a pillow. Dumb or smart?
 

hueyeats

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When I let my pig walk on my keyboard he spelled safety. I foregot who it was buy either starshine or animalhouse saw it when we were in the chat room. Also, the same pig broke up a fight by running into 2 pigs who were about to attack each other. No pig was hurt in the making of this post.

Lol! Thats funny! Very smart pig indeed.

Mine can say "Yes!" in French.
They always go "Ouik, ouik, ouik" when I ask them if they wanted some food.
hehe...
 

5guinea5pig5

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My pigs must ask a lot of yes or no questions then if ouik if the work for hi in french.
 

starshine123102

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I was there for that one 5guinea. lol

Very smart piggie indeed.
 

5guinea5pig5

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I prefer Triple 5 (it's the nickname Ly gave me) now :D
 

starshine123102

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5guinea5pig5

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So do I :D Hehe it's my 555 post YAY WHOOOOUGH!
 

Paula

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My pigs have ALL learned to give "kisses." Some learned in under a week, but they all learned in less than a month.

Plus, they all know the word "carrot," or more importantly the phrase "Do you want a carrot?" :)
 

5guinea5pig5

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If I say veggies I hear 32 screaming pigs. When I said hay...
 

NicholsS10

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Every time I (me, no one else) enters the room where my pigs are at (in a high traffic area) and it's dark outside, all 5 of my pigs start wheeking for their vegetables. They associate night time with dinner, and me as the one who provides food.

Soon after that, I started saying, "who wants din din?," while in the other room, and now they all start wheeking to that!

Guinea Pigs are smart!
 

piggers_sienna

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I've heard there were piggie shows where they train pigs to do obsticle course and stuff. I think they are very intelligent in some areas...and very trainable...
 

hydrohoki

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When I blocked off the side so Duncan couldn't get behind the couch, he backed up, thought about it. Then, he went to the front of the couch and starting trying to dig.

He has lots of ideas, not always good ideas but I give him credit for thinking. He learned how to push the extra grids to one side to get behind the couch too (see a theme?). He's also learned how to push his cagemate off of the loft in the cage and know the words "Back that butt right on up." It's hilarious.

Starbuck (my other pig) has learned how to frame Duncan and look completely innocent. I'm still undecided which pig is smarter.
 

PiggieMamaKelly

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Most of the time they just embarass themselves with their lack of intelligence- like losing your carrot when it is right under your nose.

They do some impressive things sometimes though- mostly when it relates to demanding and acquiring food. One of the last things I do at night before I go to bed is give lettuce. They have learned to recognize the sounds that signify bedtime. They start wheeking (like mad) if I turn off the TV, flush the toilet, or my favorite- when they hear the click of my floor lamp. Many people would say it's just like Pavlov's dog but it's more complex than that because they pay attention to timing and circumstance. They don't show any reaction to those things if it is before 11 PM. They also don't react if they know they've already had their lettuce, even if some time has passed.

But all in all, it is hard to argue that any animal who poops in his/her bed is smart. Luckily they make up for it with their good looks.
 

Silly Moo

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My 2 girls Ronnie + Roxy are both 5mths old. I let them have loads of free floor play in my hall but block off the living room with a box (they cry if I close the door and they cant see me).
Any way the other day Ronnie decided to try and jump the box! she can only just reach the top when fully stretched and you guessed it she was straight over!!! I couldnt believe it, she was so proud of herself and ran straight to me. After the first time she just wouldnt stop so I used an old cage lid from a shop cage and stood that at the door instead. Ronnie couldnt even reach the top but within about 10mins we heard the familiar plop followed by excited 'I'm free' wheeks! We couldnt belive it and so after watching it for ourselves, vidioed it for evidence. God knows what we can use now!!
 

MapleOwl18

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When I was in junior high I set up a science experiment with my guinea pig. Me and Dad built a little maze for him about 4 inches high and 3 feet wide 4 feet long. We put a carrot at one end of the maze and the piggy at the other, and timed him. First time it took him a couple of tries. Second time, it was faster. 3rd time much faster, I think the 4th or 5th time he decided he had enough of the maze, and just started climbing over the walls, to get to the carrot. (I think we did this on different days, I can't really remember anymore but I'm pretty sure we didn't feed him 5 carrots in one day.)

I remember reading a story about how a male guinea pig, broke out of his pen, tunneled over the the next hutch, and got all the like 30 female guinea pigs pregnant, and a gentlemans club, like Playboy in Britain, gave him an honorary membership. He was found asleep in the corner, all tuckered out.

As for are guinea pigs intelgent. Well before I made a grid wall to keep the piggies from getting under the couch during floor time, I just tried putting stuff in front of it. It was like watching little hackers at work! I would set up the system and then they would test the defenses and find some way to get in.

Oh I also got Jedi mindtricked by a guinea pig yesterday. I put cilantro on my taco, because we were out of lettuce. I eat it and then go over my computer, and Butterscotch is looking right at me. I move to the couch he keeps looking at me. I talk to my husband, who laughs and points out that he's still looking at me. Butterscotch, knew I had gotten the cilantro out, and that I hadn't given him any! So what do you think the spoiled piggy got. Yup cilantro. Darn he's got his humans well trained.
 

starshine123102

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I remember reading a story about how a male guinea pig, broke out of his pen, tunneled over the the next hutch, and got all the like 30 female guinea pigs pregnant, and a gentlemans club, like Playboy in Britain, gave him an honorary membership. He was found asleep in the corner, all tuckered out.

If that's true that is pretty funny!:D
 

BubuCandyBlue

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Guinea pigs hear very well, and smell of course.

At 7a.m is breakfast time, but sometimes I am running late with that. Of course they start wheeking, but chill afterward. When we wake up they know right away who wakes up 1st. If my husband is the one, they don't move, they analyze and wait just the right sound - me to weak up, and they start the mad wheeking. They can tell, no matter if it is an afternoon nap or not, if it is my step or not on the bedroom floor upstairs. And I can tell you for sure it is not the slippers, because I change them every week or so, and my morning habbits are not the same every day. They just know :)
They also wheek when I chop something, but when my husband does it, it is not the same. So they are not interested in food so much in the end, but more in the person who gives the food. As for a cat or dog, unless they are trained, they will take food anytime, form anyone! I didn't train my pigs for that.
 
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