Guinea pigs are prey animals. It’s not a big secret that they are generally scared of many things. I guess, you as a guinea pig parent would like to know what exactly frightens them and what do they hate, so you can avoid putting them in unpleasant situations that can cause them stress and fear.
Guinea pigs hate to be alone, they love the company. Loud noises terrify them as they have very sensitive hearing. Even though they poop and pee everywhere, they hate to live in a dirty environment.
Curious to learn more about guinea pig’s fears and things they hate, keep reading our article.
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Guinea Pigs Hate To Be Alone
Guinea pigs are social creatures. They live in herds and they developed a very complex way of communication. They are vocal creatures so they use both vocal and body language to chat with other members of the herd but with you as well.
Not only other guinea pig matters, but you are also super important. Guinea pigs need human interaction on daily basis. If they are left without it, they will be very depressed and unhappy pets.
Even though you might think that they are scared of you at first, slowly as they are getting used to you, your Cavies will start feeling safe around you and will love to spend time with you.
Your pets will learn to recognize your scent and your voice. They’ll get emotionally attached to you with time.
So if you are buying /adopting a guinea pig, get at least the pair of them. A good combination is either same-sex or male and female but only if the male is neutered. Two females are a slightly better combination comparing to two males as girls are fighting less often.
1.Guinea Pigs Hate Loud Noises
Due to the fact that they are prey animals, every loud noise is a kind of threat to them. So guinea pigs are scared of loud noises and hate them.
This doesn’t mean that you need to whisper in your own house and never listen a music or TV-out loud. Not all guinea pigs are the same. For some of them, the sound of a vacuum cleaner will scare them to death while others love it.
The point is that guinea pigs hate loud noises but especially those surprising or sudden ones.
For example, if you clap your hands out of the blue or your cut yourself and scream or some heavy book fell off the shelf or the wind slams the door suddenly. Guinea pigs are scared of both claps of thunder and lightning. I am sure you get my point.
2.Guinea Pigs Hate Dirty Environment
Guinea pigs are self-grooming animals and they are pretty clean. In some grooming activities they need your help but most of it they do on their own. No matter they poop and pee everywhere ( although you can try to litter train your pets), they still love to live in a clean cage.
Cleaning the cage is not a big deal, requires 15-20 minutes once a week for thorough weekly cleaning.
Depends on the bedding you use ( wood shavings or fleece ) you should do the spot cleaning on a daily basis which requires even less time. So a little extra effort and some time and you will provide a tidy and clean environment for your furry friends.
You can use either commercial cage cleaner or a mixture of white vinegar and water ( 1:1 ratio) to remove all dirt and smell from the cage. At the end rinse thoroughly with plain water and dry off.
Don’t forget to clean all toys and other things your Cavy has in its cage ( hideouts, bowls, bottles ) and to change the complete bedding.
I assume you check your guinea pigs more often than once a week. Especially if you have a long-haired Cavy ( he needs a daily brushing )so you would notice if your guinea pig needs a butt bath or complete bath.
If you would like to know more about guinea pig grooming, read our article ”Guinea Pig Grooming Tips”
Some people go further wishing to have a spotless cage for their pets and use guinea pig’s diapers. Ok, maybe they think more of themselves ( they don’t clean the cage often) rather than their pets but those diapers are not good for your Cavies.
Diapers are not natural for guinea pigs, they limit their moving, they are uncomfortable. Wearing diapers may also cause a variety of illnesses such as urinary infections among others.
Further on, guinea pigs are very clean animals and they would feel distressed if you force them to wear diapers so they have their pee and poop attached to them.
You would also harm them, as they produce two types of poop, one of them they eat in order to absorb special nutrients. But if you clog their butts with a diaper you prevent them to take these nutrients which is very harmful to them.
Bottom line- wearing diapers is definitely not recommended for your guinea pigs.
3.Guinea Pigs Hate Temperature Changes
Guinea pigs are not fans of cold weather. You will know that they are cold if you are cold. They can tolerate the temperature of 60F ( 16 C) but anything below that is chilly for your guinea pigs and they need your help to stay warm.
You can help them stay warm by putting some house or a hideout in the cage where they can snuggle. Another good idea is to place a fleece tunnel or fleece soft, cuddle sack where they can crawl into.
A pet-safe heating pad is another good idea to keep your guinea pig warm and cozy.
On the other hand, guinea pigs are not fans of heat either. Anywhere above 75 F ( 24 C) poses a threat of overheating and heatstroke for your guinea pig.
Guinea pig’s body temperature is slightly higher than humans ( 99-103F or 37-39 C) so when you are starting to get hot, your guinea pigs are already hot, keep this in mind.
It is advisable to keep them in a ventilated and airconditioned room. If they are outside, it’s important to keep them away from direct sunlight and you can place a bottle of frozen water packed in a sack in the cage to keep them cool. The same thing you can use while traveling by car.
Guinea pigs are prone to heatstroke and it happens suddenly. At one moment your guinea pig can play with you in your back yard on a nice summer day and in the next moment, he will lie down and start panting, drooling. In no time the heatstroke will hit your pet. Heatstroke can be a pretty dangerous and life-threatening condition.
4.Guinea Pigs Hate To Be Picked Up
Another thing that is related to the fact that they are prey animals. Guinea pigs don’t like to be picked, they are very scared of that. In nature, only predators are picking them up and they know that after that not much is left.
Just try to imagine what Cavies see when you try to pick them up. They see you, a giant with huge hands coming towards them and trying to grab them. Scary thought, isn’t it?
Another scary aspect is that they are ground floor animals, they are not good climbers, they like to be on the ground. So when you are picking them up they lose that solid ground below their legs which makes them really frightened.
But when you eventually pick them up and put them in your hands they realize that they are safe, fear is gone. Especially if you give them some treats, they will be very happy in your hands.
One of the recommended ways to pick your guinea pig up is to offer him a treat ( it can be a leaf of some yummy vegetable ) and while he starts to nibble the treat you just pick him up. Maybe he would be surprised in one short moment but wouldn’t mind at all, especially if he would be busy with a treat.
5.Guinea Pigs Hate Their Butt To Be Touched
While you are holding your guinea pig note that you should touch his rear end as he really don’t like that.
Guinea pigs like to cuddle, they will enjoy your care and attention. They like to be scratched on the nose, under the chin or behind the ears. They have nothing against to pat them on the back but keep your hand away from their butt.
This is especially important if you have male guinea pigs and even more important if you are in the middle of the bonding period. If you try to bond two boys, touching the butt of one of them is an act of dominance. You show your dominance this way and they don’t like that.
6.Guinea Pigs Hate To Be Held For a Long Time
Although guinea pigs like to be held, everything has its limits. Maybe you have a bad day and you need some extra affection. Or you think that cuddling should last long as you have heard that guinea pigs like that. Well, they do but not longer than 5-10 min.
If you pick your guinea pig up with a help of a treat, you must know that after that time your Cavy will start to pee or to poop. It’s better not to do this in your hands.
He will start fidgeting and that is a clear sign that says ” put me down”. Even if he is not in rush for toilet purpose, he might get bored in your hands especially if you have stopped giving him treats. No food – no fun!
Don’t mix this cuddling time in your hand with playtime on the floor. The second one can last even up to 30 min as your guinea pigs are free to leave if they want.
7.Guinea Pigs Are Afraid of Being Chased or Grabbed
This one is related to the ”picking up ” issue. So you should never chase and grab your guinea pig as this is something terrifying for them.
It’s not a good idea to play a game in which you chase your guinea pig. Even though he used to your very well and he is emotionally attached to you, this kind of activity brings him a huge stress. There is no need for that.
In nature, when a guinea pig feels threat he runs away. He doesn’t have any possibility to fight with the predator so his only chance to survive is to run away.
Now imagine, if you chase him, he must run away and hide as soon as possible, that is simply an instinct. So instead of a gentle and funny game, you are playing a harsh predator-prey game. I am sure that wasn’t your intention in the first place.
8. Guinea Pigs Hate Open Space
As being prey animals, open space makes guinea pigs very vulnerable and nervous. They need to have some kind of burrow, shelter, or whole to crawl in.
That is why the plain cage, no matter how big it is, won’t make your guinea pig happy. Even though your guinea pigs are used to you, you think they feel secure in their environment, they still need some hiding place as you never know what they can be afraid of.
Hideouts are essential items in the guinea pigs’ cage. They are not just places where your guinea pig will snuggle if he feels fear. Maybe he wants to be alone, maybe he is in some pain and wants to lie down in some peaceful place.
If you have more guinea pigs, bear in mind that you should have a hideout for each Cavy.
So if you are asking yourself is it ok to take your guinea pig out the answers is – it could be ok. What does it mean?
It means that if you are taking your guinea pig to your back yard, place a playpen to the grass ( remember that grass should not be treated with any pesticides as your Cavy will certainly grab a bite) put some hideout or a small house.
You should never leave your guinea pig unattended when outside as different predators are around and you might not be even aware of them.
Eventually, you will realize that guinea pigs feel most comfortable in their cage or the environment they know. They don’t like challenges nor to explore new horizons which brings us to the next thing guinea pigs don’t like.
9. Guinea Pigs Hate To Travel
As you have noticed so far, guinea pigs don’t like changes. They love their daily routine and schedule and they are not willing to make changes too often.
Travel is one big bad change for them, especially it doesn’t have the same purpose as for you. They don’t see anything appealing in changing the environment for 3-4 days or a week.
They were just fine in the cage so they don’t understand why they are going to someplace they are not familiar with.
A car ride can frighten them pretty much. All those noises and strange movements are something scary for most guinea pigs.
You shouldn’t be taking out your guinea pigs without a good reason. For example, if you go out to a drink with your friends and you want to take your guinea pig in some doggy purse.
It’s not recommended. Or you are going to the mall or your kid wants to show your guinea pig to his friends in school. Not a good idea.
Guinea pigs shouldn’t be dragged around unless you have a good reason such as a visit to the vet or moving to another house or going to some safe park for out-of-the-cage playtime.
So if you have to take your guinea pigs out of your home and their cage or you have to travel with them, do read our article ”What To Do With My Guinea Pigs When I Go On A Vacation?”
10.Guinea Pigs Are Scared Of Other Pets
Guinea pigs are scared of other animals, especially larger than themselves. They are also afraid of predator pets such as cats or dogs, which is quite normal.
It’s not advisable to keep your guinea pigs with other pets. Some people do keep their guinea pigs with rabbits, but even this combination is not the best one.
Rabbits and guinea pigs are similar in size and both are prey animals but rabbits can be aggressive creatures. They have very strong back legs which they can kick the guinea pig with. This kind of fight would end badly for the guinea pig.
The best cage mate for a guinea pig is another guinea pig and there is no doubt about this. But here you should also pay close attention. The atmosphere in the cage should be harmonious.
This means that guinea pigs shouldn’t be fighting too often, it shouldn’t be a guinea pig that is bulling the other(s). If you have a Cavy that is in constant fear of his cage mates, that’s not good.
If you have guinea pigs that tend to bite and hurt each other, they simply don’t match, nobody should live like that.
If you notice that your guinea pigs are purring or teeth chattering or shaking their butts you know that something bad is going to happen. Not every fight is a sign that your guinea pigs cannot live together.
Some guinea pigs can fight and then sort things out. It’s important to react if one of them is overly aggressive towards the other one. But if they are equal, some fight every now and then is kind of minor disagreement which won’t ruin their friendship.
Guinea pigs also are scared of other pets, especially dogs and cats but also other guinea pigs that are aggressive may turn your Cavy’s life into a terror.
