Hi! I have two cute guinea girls!

[ClicknCavy]

Hi, I have two guinea pigs. Their names are Fiona and Toora Loora. Fi is our spunky, adventurous guinea pig while Toora is our calmer guinea pig. We've had Fiona for two months and we've had Toora Loora for one month. Fi is so much happier with Toora and they are best friends. Well, except now they are arguing a little because Too-Loo is, I think, being in heat

Also, my hobby is animal training and I am teaching my guinea pigs to do many tricks! They are actually really smart and have learned many behaviors already. They love when it's training time! They love floor time, too! Toora is coming out of her shell since we started to really train her. She now stopped hiding all the time and is sitting on top of her house. They are a joy to own and I love how silly they are. They always make me laugh.

 

[ColinJellybean]

They are adorable, very cute piggies! What are you training them to do? I have two boars and haven't trained them at all but would like to give it a shot

 

[ClicknCavy]

I use clicker training to train my piggies! Fi knows to jump through hoops, jump onto platforms, spin, come when called, roll a ball with her nose, give kisses, to load up into her carrier (right now it's an upside down hidey-hut)! Toora knows to jump onto platforms, touch a target stick, give kisses, load up into the carrier!

I've also trained them to not be super scared about having their nails cut and to be more comfortable when people pass their cage. I'm really big into making sure my pets have comfortable lives with as little fear as possible c:

 

[ColinJellybean]

Oh my goodness, that is amazing! I had no idea you could train them to do so much! I'm going to do some investigation into using a clicker, especially to get them to go into their wee tent that I use to scoop them out of their cage, I hate chasing them around because I think is scares them.

 

[ClicknCavy]

I was surprised, too, because everyone told me that guinea pigs weren't that smart! I'll try to get some videos up to show some of Fi's behaviors.

 

[ColinJellybean]

That would be awesome, would love to see them

 

[ClicknCavy]

Here are some videos!

[video]https://youtu.be/Sfvr78B_ggE[/video]

[video]https://youtu.be/ChwqFEc09RQ[/video]

[video]https://youtu.be/4Ne73zI9WRc[/video]

They are all of Fi because I can't figure out how to get the videos on the camera onto the computer for Toora's sessions. I'll have to ask my boyfriend, haha.

But here's some more pictures c:

 

[ColinJellybean]

Wow! That is amazing! Fi is such a smart (and fast) wee pig! I'm going to get a clicker and give try with mine, the ball trick is so cute

 

[ClicknCavy]

Lol! Yeah, Toora runs as fast as she can during floor time, too. But she's not as fast as Fiona, haha. The first step is to teach them that click = treat. When conditioning the clicker, a tip I give for small animals and other not-dogs, is to only click when your piggie is moving. This makes it easier to shape behaviors later as it gets the animal used to the idea that doing stuff earns them clicks. Most of my training experience comes from training dogs using positive reinforcement techniques, especially clicker training.

It's so fun to watch their different learning styles. Fi is more active, so tries a lot of things quickly. However, she gets frustrated easily if she doesn't get it right instantly, so I have to keep the rate of reinforcement (click & treat per minute) super high to keep her interest while she's learning new things.

Toora Loora responds in a more considerate and thought-out way. She will do fewer repetitions, but also will do more correct responses than Fiona. She gets bored with doing many repetitions, unlike Fi, who doesn't mind them as long as she's right. Toora is, however, sensitive about being wrong since she thought a lot about what she believes is the right answer. I have to make sure that, when raising criteria, it is both challenging and fair for her.

 

[PeanutnCookie]

That is really cool! I've seen a few other people clicker train their pigs. I tried to do it with mine, but they are scared of the clicker noise, and I'm also still working on the taming part, so they are also scared of my hand. I'm probably going to try to find a quieter clicker and see what we can do. Welcome, by the way!

 

[ClicknCavy]

Thanks for the welcome!

I was actually thinking about making a tutorial/tip video for taming guinea pigs! Both of mine are pretty tame, though neither particularly like getting pet. It's okay though because I'll let them decide in their own time whether they want to get pet or not. Only Toora occasionally enjoys getting pet. But so far, both of them jump in my lap when I let them loose on the floor and are actually quite social with guests, offering kisses and everything <3

If you have a box clicker, you can muffle it by putting some tape on the metal part or simply putting the fleshy part of your thumb on the little circle part. I recommend i-Clicks by Karen Pryor. They have softer clicks and are really nice for using with small animals and cats.

If your guinea pig really hates the clicker, you don't need a clicker to clicker train. You can simply use anything else which is distinct and novel in its place. Clickers are simply the most commonly recommended because they are cheap, accessible, and most animals can acclimate to them quickly.

 

[Guineas Galore]

Toora Loora? Thats legit the cutest name ever!!!! <3

 

[Tarams]

Omg, that's quite impressive!!! Also, I have never seen a piggy run than fast, it honestly looks like she's on fast forward. Too cute for words

 

[ColinJellybean]

Thank you the tips, I would definitely watch a tutorial if you put one up. It is interesting how the two have different learning styles, it just shows how each pig has a different personality.

 

[Rywen]

Hi and welcome to the forum, your girl piggies are adorable! Your training of them is very impressive. I don't use clicker training but my 2 know their names and a lot of words and phrases (like "eat your hay" and "stop" and "come here"). Probably because I live alone and talk to them all the time. They also know a kissy sound means they will get a treat if they do what I'm asking them to, and if I snap my fingers they will stop what they are doing and come to my hand.

 

[ClicknCavy]

Thanks for the welcome everyone and the compliments on my training.

I must admit that I did come from clicker training dogs. I went to college and got a Bachelor's in Psychology, focusing mostly on the science of learning and motivation, because I wanted to be a dog trainer. I had a fun internship at a dog training facility where I got to help with creating a brand new clicker training class and I even changed up the curriculum a little to make it more successful for newbies in clicker training! It was so popular that I got to help make level II of the class!

I find that clicker training is my favorite method, but I understand that it definitely isn't everyone's cup of tea. I enjoy any training method that is fair, humane, kind, non-abusive, and respects the animal's wants and needs. There are many paths to the same goals, after all.

And my boyfriend and I love our guineas so much. We believe we'll always have at least two piggies in our lives from now on!

 

[pepperbelle]

Love the videos! Thx for sharing!

 

[barbaramudge]

Alright that does it, I'm totally kicking one of my kids out of the house so I can use their bedroom as a guinea pig running room!!! Too cute!!

 

[ClicknCavy]

Haha, I will always take videos of my piggies, so I'll be sure to post some up later once I get more and figure out how to get them from camera to computer. I know how to get them from computer to YouTube, though

And thanks! I'll be sure to tell Fi that you thought her guinea pig dash was the cutest thing ever

 

[LoveMyHerd]

@ClicknCavy, you're amazing, not to mention Fiona and Toora-Loora! The only thing that my girls obey are the rustle of the hay bag...