Chester 's Begging

Now that Chester has become more accustomed to being around my family and me, he has gained some confidence when it comes to food.Having constant access to food is vital for the well being of any guinea pig. Just like pigs, they spend a lot of their time eating and sleeping. Chester is no different. For about a month after we got him, he would not complain about having no food and would only make squealing noises when the food was close to being put in his cage. This little quirk has now changed.

Taken by me, 11/16

Now, whenever Chester hears the garage door open or the fridge door open, he will begin to run around his cage and announce his need for food. He squeaks in a high pitch and his running causes a bunch of bedding to get all over the floor. This change in behavior made me wonder if all guinea pigs squeaked and went haywire when the sound or smell of food hit them. After some research, I learned that once guinea pigs find the confidence they need, they become much more vocal ("Guinea Pig Behavior"). Although that seems obvious to me, it was still reassuring to know that it really was normal. Knowing that it took confidence and trust for them to be able to open up like that made me happy. It's good to know that Chester trusts my family and me enough to express his feelings and let us know what he needs.

Even though it's great to know that we have gained Chester's trust, I still wish that he wouldn't look at me with big eyes, begging for food even when his last meal wasn't even ten minutes ago. Obesity is still a problem, even for guinea pigs.

Chester the Doctor

Over the weekend I began to feel sick and I

Taken by me, 11/1

would get really tired for no reason. On Saturday, my sister took Chester out of his cage and let him roam around a bit. He went up to me and started squeaking, not his hungry squeak but a different kind of squeak. He sounded upset to me, kind of like he wanted attention and wasn't getting it. He went in a circle around me but then ended up cuddling next to my leg and taking a nap. This reminded me of something I learned last year in my Spanish class.

I learned that guinea pigs or cuys, are used in indigenous practices in South America near the Andes. They are mainly used to help find and cure illnesses. After some research on the uses of guinea pigs in South America, I found that according to Edmundo Morales,

          ...Andean immigrants barbecue guinea pig meat in
          public parks the way Americans would hamburgers or
          hot dogs. While the guinea pig in its native
          environment has traditionally been raised for
          consumption, it also has had important ceremonial
          in folk medicine and in native religious practices.
          (Morales xvii)

It's really interesting to know all the things guinea pigs are important in. It is also interesting that guinea pigs can play the role of a doctor and help diagnose someone. For this though, they have to be cut open and examined after being rubbed all over the sick person's body ("The History of Guinea Pigs"). Though this does not exactly benefit guinea pigs, they still hold great importance in medicine in South America.

This made me think that maybe Chester whined when he went near me because he sensed that I was sick and wanted to warn me about it. It's good to know that my pet cares for me and is willing to help me in his own way.