Have you ever looked into your guinea pig’s cage and noticed that one of them is being greedy or both of them are?
Maybe they’re squeaking at you so that you’ll give them some more food or behaving erratically until they get what they want like a treat.
This can sometimes be really surprising to see, so why do guinea pigs act so greedy?
The reasons why guinea pigs can be so greedy is that they are very picky, they’re actually expecting you to give them some food or treats, and sometimes they don’t know when more food is coming.
So because of that, when they start acting this way sometimes it can make it hard to tell if they’re just being greedy or if they’re actually hungry.
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Why Do Guinea Pigs Act So Greedy?
One of the main reasons why a guinea pig can act so greedy sometimes is because they are very picky.
So once they eat all of the good pieces of the food that you give them they’ll start to want more of it.
This can happen when they start to take a liking to certain pieces of food that come out of their food bag, and this is especially the case when they’re fed from a bag of mixed food.
So that usually means that they’re always trying to find something better to eat and it’s one of the reasons why a guinea pig will waste some of their hay too.
Another reason why a guinea pig can become so greedy is if you give them way too many treats too often.
So when you give them too many treats every day rather than a few times a week then they’ll most likely start expecting you to give it to them.
When they don’t get the treats that they’re used to getting then they may start throwing a fit until they do get it, which can really make them seem greedy.
Sometimes guinea pigs can be greedy due to the fact that that’s how they naturally are and also how they’re being fed as a domesticated animal.
So what that means is that we as their owners control when they get more food which can mean that sometimes they don’t know when the next batch of food will arrive.
That basically makes us their source of food because it’s not like they can get it anywhere else while we keep them as pets.
What that can do is make them act a little greedy because to them it can sometimes feel like they don’t know when they’ll get more fresh food.
So when the food actually does come they’ll try to take as much of it as they can for themselves, and that can really seem greedy to us.
Are My Guinea Pigs Hungry Or Just Being Greedy?
Sometimes it can be hard to tell if your guinea pigs are actually hungry or if they’re just being greedy.
But if they’re actually hungry because they feel like they have run out of food, then you’ll hear them make a wheeking sound most of the time.
This can sound similar to their normal squeaking, but if they’re wheeking because they’re hungry then it’ll sound a lot louder.
However, this doesn’t always happen when they make this sound. Because sometimes it doesn’t mean that they don’t have any food left, but that they ran out of the food that they like.
Remember guinea pigs can be very picky so sometimes once they’ve eaten all of their favorite pieces of food they’ll start acting greedy even when they’re not really that hungry.
If your guinea pigs aren’t hungry but something that they heard makes them start squeaking and running around a lot, then they might just be acting a little bit greedy.
An example of this is if they hear you open their bag of food while you’re near them and then they start squeaking.
All this means is that they’re just really excited to finally get some more food.
But even though it can sometimes be cute to watch, that can make them become greedy little animals.
Is It Normal For A Guinea Pig To Be So Greedy?
It’s normal for guinea pigs to be greedy especially when they basically learn to become that way.
Guinea pigs are actually very smart animals so it’s really easy for them to learn certain patterns or behaviors that can get them what they want.
So for example, if every time they start acting greedy in any way and you give in and give them what they want then that’s something that they’ll learn to do.
That can be something like more food or even some of their favorite treats that they really want you to give to them. So sometimes it can be a learned behavior for them over time.
That can mean that when they know that acting in a certain way can get them something that they want then they’ll do it, which usually leads them to become greedy.
Can You Stop A Guinea Pig From Being Greedy?
Depending on the reasons why your guinea pig is acting so greedy there is something simple that you can do to make them stop being that way as time goes on.
So if they learn to act greedy to get what they want like more treats rather than acting that way just because they’re hungry, then you may have to slow down on what you’re giving them.
Once you stop giving in to them and slow down on giving them whatever it is that’s making them act that way, then over time, they will slowly start to not be so greedy anymore.
The reason why that can make them stop being so greedy is that acting that way isn’t getting them as much of what they want as it used to anymore.
So that basically means that if your guinea pigs learned to be that way then they can also unlearn it too.
But if your guinea pigs did not learn to act like that and they’re just naturally greedy then that’s just how they are. All guinea pigs have their own personalities that can make them unique.
So while some guinea pigs might not be greedy some of them will be, and that’s perfectly fine.
As long as you’re feeding them enough and making sure that they always have something that they can eat that they really like then it’s okay if your guinea pig is a little greedy sometimes.