If you are looking for a small pet with a big personality and cute behaviors, look no further than the guinea pig!
Guinea pigs, also known as Cavies, have huge personalities no matter the type and you might find yourself just standing there, watching the guinea pigs race around the cage playing with each other. While some guinea pigs are lazy and easygoing, others are energetic and curious.
Here are the five main personality types:
- Lazy and Easygoing
- Energetic and Curious
- Social and Outgoing
- Shy, but Affectionate
- Skittish and Shy
Let’s dive a little deeper into guinea pig personalities.
Lazy and Easygoing
As I just mentioned, some guinea pigs are more lazy and easygoing than others. This type of guinea pig often prefers to curl up on a soft hammock or fleece bed, which is super adorable. Also as your guinea pig becomes more and more comfortable with you, he (or she) may even fall asleep on your lap.
If you get a guinea pig with this type of personality, he (or she) will appreciate it if you get it something soft to play with, such as a fleece bed or tent. However, don’t just assume that this type of guinea pig always sleeps! I’m just saying that it’s more lazy and easygoing than other types of guinea pigs. Overall, a guinea pig with an easygoing and lazy personality is adorable and fun.
Energetic and Curious
I mentioned earlier that some guinea pigs are more energetic and curious than others. This type of guinea pig often enjoys exploring inside and outside its cage and is quite active.
If you get a guinea pig with a curious and energetic personality, they will love having extra out-of-cage time so they can explore and play! Also, when you clean their cage, they will love it if you rearrange the set-up a bit so they can explore.
They may not be the cuddliest cavies (guinea pigs), but they’ll still love you. Overall, a guinea pig with this type of personality is fun to play with.
Social and Outgoing
A guinea pig with a social and outgoing personality is a nice pet too, especially for kids.
They like to be held more than other guinea pigs and are very expressive. It’s super cute to watch them “talking” to other guinea pigs.
If you get a guinea pig with this personality type, it’s a good idea to develop a bond with it by holding and playing with it every day (of course, you should do this for all types of guinea pigs as well).
Don’t assume that it will always be really sweet and tame from the time you get it, as, sadly this is not always true, but as they get older they will become much sweeter. Overall, a guinea pig that is outgoing and social makes a great companion and playmate.
Shy, but Affectionate
Some guinea pigs are shy when you get them and are harder to tame then others. I wouldn’t recommend a guinea pig with this personality type for kids. Although they are shy, as you tame and handle them, they will grow more and more affectionate towards you.
With a guinea pig that has a shy but affectionate personality, it’s a good idea to handle and play with him (or her) daily to get it used to you.
However, don’t assume that they’re not good pets; they just take longer to grow affectionate towards you than others. In fact, they often become very affectionate once they start to trust you. This type of guinea pig is shy, but it is awesome to watch it grow more and more loving towards you.
Skittish and Shy
A guinea pig, who is skittish and shy, may take several months to a year to tame (it is not guaranteed that it will take this long, but it can).
I wouldn’t recommend this type of guinea pig for kids. You will need to have to a lot of patience to own this personality type.
However, don’t just assume that they’re bad pets, they’re just challenging. If you get a guinea pig with a skittish personality, it’s a great idea to give it lots of hideouts in its cage and during floor time. Just make sure that there aren’t so many that there isn’t enough room for the guinea pig to play.
Also, try to hand feed it vegetables to get it used to you instead of just putting them on the floor of the cage. Overall, this personality type is challenging, but it can be awesome to watch them progress in their taming little by little!
Piggy Personalities Based on Breed
Different breeds of guinea pig tend to have similar personalities. Let’s dive a little deeper into the personalities of different guinea pig breeds.
The American Guinea Pig Personality
American guinea pigs tend to have a social and outgoing personality, which often makes them good pets for kids.
Also, like I said before, it’s a great idea to develop a bond with them. American guinea pigs can become tame easily and are fun to watch. They also get along well with other piggies and are quite talkative. They’re a fun breed.
The Abyssinian Guinea Pig Personality
Abyssinian guinea pigs tend to have a social and outgoing personality mixed with an energetic and curious one.
They’ll love it if you give them some extra play time outside of their cage! They are great pets for kids.
Abyssinian guinea pigs are explorers but they also enjoy being held by their owners. They are often easily tamed and are fun to watch. They’re nice pets.
The Peruvian Guinea Pig Personality
Peruvian guinea pigs tend to have a social and outgoing personality as well as an energetic and curious one!
It’s a great idea to play with them daily. Once they are more comfortable with you, they may be quite noisy during playtime.
Peruvian guinea pigs often love and show affection to their owners and are alert and aware of what’s happening around them.
They also love to explore and are easily tamed. They are fun playmates!
The Skinny Pig Personality
Skinny pigs, a type of hairless guinea pig, also tend to have a social and outgoing personality.
It’s a good idea to hold and play with them daily, since they love to spend time with their owners and are very affectionate.
However, the kids should not be the primary care givers because of the special care hairless guinea pigs need.
Skinny pigs should always live inside because they do not do well in extreme temperatures.
The Teddy Guinea Pig Personality
Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7326810@N08/1235597670
The Teddy guinea pig, like the Abyssinian, is a mix between a social and outgoing personality and an energetic and curious one.
They enjoy being held, which makes them a better type for kids. Let him (or her) play with you and have floor time daily.
Taming them is pretty straight-forward and easy, and they make awesome pets!
The Sheltie Guinea Pig Personality
Sheltie guinea pigs are often shy, but affectionate. Because of this, they’re not the best for kids until they are tamed. Talk softly to it and get it used to being handled.
Once they get warmed up to you, they often become very gentle and laid-back. Patience is often needed if you choose to get this breed. However, as they get older, they become sweeter.
The Texel Guinea Pig Personality
Texel guinea pigs are often lazy and easygoing. Because of this, it’s a good idea to get them something fun to snuggle with.
Texel guinea pigs often become tamed quickly, partly due to the fact that they have to be groomed so much.
Also, they are quieter compared to other breeds, so if you don’t like tons of noise than the Texel might be right for you.
The Crested Guinea Pig Personality
Like the Sheltie, the Crested guinea pig is often shy, but affectionate. But once they get used to you, they will often become very sweet and calm.
They can become quite affectionate if treated well, but they are not best for kids until they are tamed.
The Rex Guinea Pig Personality
The Rex guinea pig, like the Texel, is lazy and easygoing. Since they enjoy being handled they are pretty good for kids.
They will love it if you get them something soft to snuggle with. They absolutely love when they get attention from their owner—or anybody really—and they usually get really excited when they hear their owner’s voice.
The Himalayan Guinea Pig Personality
The Himalayan guinea pig is often shy, like the Sheltie and Crested guinea pigs, but affectionate. When they become tamer, they will become more sweet and friendly.
They often do well with kids, but keep in mind that they are easily frightened. Hand feeding them vegetables is a good way to get them used to you.
Although you can’t totally control which personality your guinea pig will have, by choosing a specific breed and talking with the seller about the personalities of the guinea pigs that they are selling, you’re more likely to get the personality you want your furry friend to have.
Also keep in mind that the amount of time you take each day to tame your guinea pig and how it was tamed before you got it can have an effect on the personality of your guinea pig as well.
Guinea Pig Behaviors
Before you get a guinea pig, it’s a great idea to know how they behave. Guinea pigs behave in many different ways. Let’s dive into 12 common guinea pig behaviors.
Popcorning
One common guinea pig behavior is popcorning, which gets its name because when a guinea pig does this, it looks a lot like popcorn popping.
When guinea pigs popcorn, they race around, then jump in the air, turn the other direction, and then repeat it again and again. Popcorning is a guinea pig ‘dance’ that is fun to watch.
Wheeking
Guinea pigs love food; in fact, they have their own special sound, called wheeking, which means ‘Give me food already!’
Your guinea pigs might start wheeking if they hear a sound that they connect to food, such as bag wrinkling (or something that sounds like it) or if it’s the time of day that you usually feed them.
Wheeking can be quite loud and annoying.
Purring
Purring is a sound that usually means your guinea pig doesn’t like something that is happening, such as hearing a loud noise.
It sounds similar to a cat purring. Often when a guinea pig purrs, they stand completely still for a few seconds.
Rumble-strutting
Rumble-strutting sounds like a long purr. It can mean many different things.
It is used to show dominance; male guinea pigs use it to show off for a female and female guinea pigs use it when they are ready to mate. It can be used to calm down fights. However, rumble-strutting can also be the start of a fight.
Chutting
Chutting is a noise that sounds like a guinea pig is talking to itself. It’s a relaxed and content sound. It seems quiet but you can hear it from far away. Guinea pigs will chut if they are comfortably exploring. Our guinea pigs will often chut when we hold them, because they are comfortable with us.
Teeth Chattering
Teeth chattering is a sound which means that your guinea pig is annoyed at something. It can be directed at you, another guinea pig, or anything else that could be bothering it. You will probably hear this sound often.
Complaining
When a guinea pig makes this sound, it really does sound like it’s complaining. Guinea pigs complain when another guinea pig is getting too close to them or they don’t want to share their food.
Guinea pigs also make this sound when they’re being chased by another guinea pig. This sound is hard to describe, but it sounds like an irritated squeak.
Squeak!
One sharp squeak means that your guinea pig is in pain. With some effort, you can tell it apart from wheeking. If your guinea pig makes this sound, give it a quick check to find out why it could be in pain. You may want to take it to a vet if you’re unsure why your guinea pig has made this sound.
Mounting
Mounting is when a guinea pig stands on its back legs and is usually used to show dominance. If you are about to feed them they may mount to beg for food.
If two males or females are both mounting and not begging for food, it could be the start of a fight. However, if a male and a female are both mounting it could mean that they are mating.
Chasing
Guinea pigs (especially young ones) love to chase each other around the cage or play area. However, this is not a sign of dominance, but a fun game, for the chaser at least. It’s also fun to watch them racing around. Often, the guinea pig that is being chased will complain loudly.
Stealing Food
Guinea pigs stealing food from each other is not uncommon to see, as they do it often. They usually will do this if another guinea pig has their favorite snack or if there aren’t enough separate pieces of food for each guinea pig to have a piece. Food stealing often goes hand in hand with complaining.
Pushing Around
Guinea pigs, especially the most dominant ones, push others out of the way. The guinea pig, who is being pushed, often will complain about it. It can be quite noisy, but fun to watch.
In Summary
As you hopefully can tell by now, guinea pigs can be quite noisy, but they are very cute, they’re fun to watch, they each have a huge personality no matter the type, and many are good for kids (although kids should be supervised when playing with them)!
My sister and I each have a guinea pig. They are each an American/ Abyssinian mix; they are brothers. My guinea pig has an energetic and curious personality and is a bit shy, while my sister’s guinea pig is lazy and easygoing.
They’re both amazing pets and we’re glad we have them, but if guinea pigs aren’t the right pet for you, that’s okay. But personally, I think they are the best pets ever.
Our guinea pigs are very noisy but that is part of what makes them funny and cute. They are smart and know when it’s feeding time. They really love it when I feed them vegetables or any other foods they like.
If you are getting a guinea pig for someone who has never owned a guinea pig before, I would recommend a guinea pig with a lazy and easygoing or a social and outgoing personality because they are easily tamed.
Breeds that tend to have either one of these two personalities include the American, Abyssinian, Peruvian, Teddy, Texel and Rex. Skinny pigs tend to have a social and outgoing personality but aren’t the best for first time owners because of the special care they need.
Sheltie, Crested and Himalayan breeds usually aren’t the best for young kids or first-time owners because they can take a while to tame.
I hope you have a better understanding of guinea pigs and their personalities and behaviors. Maybe guinea pigs are the right pet for you!
