I just love the unripen minds of young guinea pigs! Take Worf for example: I have the chance to teach him a lot of nice amazing stuff that make our humans smile and give us treats. And the most successful trick I thought him was begging for pellets.
Begging in two is more rewarding than begging alone. I realized this only when new piggies joined the gang and, being a clever piggy, I’ve decided to take advantage of the humans’ weaknesses and teach Worf how to join me. Two manipulative minds have a stronger effect over humans and the success is guaranteed…
So, first step was to induce Worf the idea pellets are awesome. This was not difficult at all… He is gourmand and loves pellets. He is not very fond of cereals, but dry vegies and fibres are his favourites. Then I had to teach him to climb the fence and put a begging face. Also not a difficult task. His head markers are very helpful: some brown around the eyes and some white & brown in his chin fur, so he always looks astonished and/or tormented. That kind of a face that makes humans to think he is in need. As you can see, with Worf was pretty easy. Even regarding the best moment for begging, he got it fast and followed my lead.
The difficult part was actually to train the humans. Here the human male proved to be more manipulable. I’ve started by climbing the fence with a very special mimic every time he approached the cages from the opposite side. First he just thought I was cute and rubbed my chin. Then he felt the need of giving me a treat… In few days he got the move and gave us pellets every time we asked for. 😀
Just look at this photo! How can a human resist our cuteness? (Sorry, not very good quality, bat we need to play our part and it’s difficult to be photogenic on the same time.)
The Tales of the Guinea Pigs Gang 