Do Guinea Pigs Like To Watch TV?
Guinea pigs are active animals that love action and they can get easily bored. Keeping one guinea pig can also lead it to loneliness which can in turn drive it to depression.
This is because the pets are social animals that love other guinea pigs and enjoy human attention. Leaving a guinea pig on its own a lot can impact it negatively.
A neglected guinea pig will always be sluggish, low, and not as active as it should be. There are various ways to entertain a guinea pig and tv is one such way.
Do guinea pigs watch tv?
Guinea pigs watch tv. Not only do they watch TV, but many guinea pig owners agree that they also enjoy it. They love seeing images moving and the sounds produced. A tv is a good source of both making it great entertainment.
You may be seated with your guinea pig on your lap and it will stay quiet with eyes transfixed to the television. If your pet is already used to you and it’s surroundings, it will calmly relax on your lap and enjoy that tv show with you.
Can they understand what is going on?
Guinea pigs may have reactions arising from watching television just like humans. They’ll watch the television keenly and you may notice them react. Do they really get it?
Guinea pigs are smart animals that have a great memory, and sharp brains that are easy to train a variety of tricks and games. This could make one think that because they are that smart and they react to television, they can understand what’s going on.
That is quite far from the truth. In actuality, guinea pigs have no ability to understand what is going on.
Guinea pigs do not understand human conversations so they can’t understand the conversations or even get the emotions of the characters. All they do is see different lights moving and hear different sounds coming from your tv.
Guinea pigs have great hearing capabilities. Their hearing is so good that they can actually hear much better than humans.
This enables one to hear different voices and sounds coming from the television and even react to it according to how the noises make it feel.
Reactions of guinea pigs to television
Guinea pigs have different personalities so they’ll have different reactions to television.
Happiness
A guinea pig can be so thrilled by television that it will sit glued to it not wanting to move. The fast-moving visuals and the sound can even become familiar with time and your guinea pig can be able to recognize them.
A happy guinea pig may even wheek and popcorn to music on television if they really love it.
Guinea pigs enjoy visuals with a lot of color and movement. Programs with cartoons, music, and dance are great for their entertainment.
Fear
Just as others are fascinated by television some will be on the other end of the spectrum peeing their pants off in fear. Your guinea pig may fall in this spectrum.
This may make them run away and hide for safety when you switch on the tv. It may happen because they are not used to it yet or because they heard something in the telly that scared them away.
Loud sounds, shouts, banging and even horror sounds may scare your guinea pig from watching television.
What to do when watching tv
Watching TV with your guinea pig is a great way of spending time with it. If your pet’s cage is near the television it may be able to watch the television from there.
But it’s great to make it a moment for both of you. So take it out of the cage for a better time together.
You can begin by giving it food before taking it out of the cage for some playtime. Thereafter settle down and let it climb on your lap, then the two of you can enjoy television.
Pet your guinea pig gently as it relaxes comfortably on your lap. You can even groom it during this time.
Keeping this kind of routine is perfect because it will begin waiting eagerly for tv time to bond with you and spend time with you.
Sometimes your guinea pig may start nibbling, nudging, or biting you. Don’t be too worried.
That’s a way of getting your attention if it notices that you are concentrating too much on the television and forgetting about its royal presence on your lap. Give it little pets to show it that it still owns your heart.
What to avoid when watching TV with your guinea pig
However much it enjoys tv time, there are things that could make it uncomfortable.
Loud voices are always a no-no for guinea pigs. Always keep the voices on the TV at a minimum.
Remember, guinea pigs hear better than you, so voices that could sound like a loud whisper to you may sound like a deafening roar to it. Okay, that’s a little exaggerated but you get the point.
Keep all sounds low no matter how much you enjoy the show or song playing. As long as your piggie is around, keep sounds to a minimum.
Shows with sudden banging or shouts could also hurt your little pet’s ears and scare it off. Try to watch those types of shows when you don’t have them around.
If you have to, do put headphones on to make it one great win-win situation for the two of you.
TV vs Playtime
Humans have been known to prefer the tv to playtime a lot of the time, a habit that has proved harmful to their overall health. Do not make the same mistake with your pet.
Guinea pigs are active animals and they love playing and moving about which is always good for them. They could seem to enjoy tv so much that you would think that maybe playing is not as fun to them anymore.
That’s not true. Guinea pigs need their frequent exercises. Always ensure that they get as much exercise as possible before or after tv time.
Never substitute playtime with tv time at all. Unless, of course, you want an obese, unhealthy, and inactive pet.
Conclusion
Guinea pigs enjoy tv. Even if they do not know what’s actually going on, they will enjoy the sounds they hear and the light reflections they see.
Watch TV with them for some good bonding time but ensure they still get their exercises.
