Guinea Pig Sounds and What They Mean

Guinea pigs make a variety of sounds and vocalizations, most of which are a form of communication that let their human companions and other animals know how they are feeling. By knowing what your guinea pig noises mean, you'll better understand if your little pet is upset, hungry, happy, or just eager to see you as well as their food. In this video, we will explore the most common sounds that guinea pigs make and explain what they mean. Weaking This noise sounds like a long, high-pitched whistle or squeal and indicates excitement or anticipation, particularly about being fed. You'll often hear your guinea pigs making this sound when they are hungry, so don't be surprised if they weak around the time you usually feed them or when you're preparing their food. Once one of your piggies starts weaking, the others will also follow or start running back and forth in the cage. Interestingly enough, weaking is a sound that's exclusively directed towards humans. Scientists have concluded that guinea pigs in the wild don't actually weak at each other, probably because they never had humans feeding them treats and pellets. Chutting Chutting is a sound of contentment. Guinea pigs make this noise when they are enjoying the moment or when they are happy and comfortably running around, exploring, or relaxing. Guinea pigs that Keep in mind, your piggy will only chut in an environment where they feel safe. Providing a clean, safe place for them may be the best way to elicit this sound. Teeth chattering You have probably heard your guinea pigs chatter their teeth together. It may sound like a hissing noise or a rapid streak of squeaks. You may think your little pet is cold, but that's not the case. The sound of their teeth chattering is meant to serve as a warning to others around them. It usually indicates that your guinea pig is unhappy, angry, or agitated at a certain situation. If you're doing something to your little pet and you hear this sound, you should probably stop. Teeth chattering in guinea pigs may also be a sign of pain or a dental issue and may be combined with showing the teeth in a yawn. Chattering also happens when you introduce your guinea pig to another, especially in a cage. They are simply warning one another not to interfere with each other's personal space or territory. If chattering occurs, separate the two piggies before they start fighting and slowly reintroduce them when they've calmed down. Keep in mind that chattering will, without a doubt, happen if you plan to raise two males, as they want to figure out some sort of cage dominance. Purring Purring is a low, constant vocalization that sounds like a mix between a grumble of a dog and a low purr of a cat. There are two opposite translations for a guinea pig's purr. Piggies may purr when they are happy or when they are angry, so you'll need to look at the context or situation to figure out what kind of purring is happening. If you are petting your guinea pig gently or feeding them their favorite treat and you hear a purr, it most likely means your little pet is happy and enjoying its time with you. However, sometimes when they feel threatened or hear a startling noise, they will vocalize this same purring sound to indicate fear. Likewise, if you pet your piggy's butt and they start purring, it's their way of telling you to back off as petting their back is associated with dominance, and they often don't like it. Rumbling Many people have a difficult time differentiating a rumble sound from a purr, but the rumble sound is produced in a lower tone and is often accompanied by guinea pigs swaying their butt or moving around slowly. More often than not, guinea pigs rumble when they want to dominance or when a male guinea pig is courting a female. If you hear your male piggy pursuing a female while making a low purring noise, that is most likely a rumble. Since the rumble is used during courtship or when a piggy wants to establish dominance, the sound can also be used at the beginning of a fight between piggies. All in all, this sound is commonly heard when a male guinea pig wants to woo a female and a female wants to let nearby males know she's in season. Chirping This is a very rare noise. It sounds like a bird chirping and could easily be confused with a bird in your house. It's so unlike all the other guinea pig sounds that you'll probably be surprised it's coming from your pig. This mysterious noise is not fully understood, and not everyone agrees on the meaning of it, but current thinking is that it's a sign of stress or fear. It's considered to be an alert signal, something that causes a guinea pig to be deeply concerned. It appears to be more common in young pigs, suggesting it is a learned trait from the nest or its siblings. Complaining This is a squeaky grunt noise, and it happens when guinea pigs want more space. Something may be too close to them, or your little pet doesn't want to share their food with a fellow piggy. It could be that their cage is too small. Now that we've gone over different guinea pig sounds, let's talk about guinea pig's body language. Pop corning Pop corning is when a guinea pig hops straight up in the air, sometimes repeatedly. Because of the suddenness of the jumping, it's been called pop corning. It usually happens when guinea pigs are very happy and excited. They're having a good time and literally jumping for joy. Keep in mind that not all piggies entertain their owners with pop corning, but most of them do. Running away from Guinea pigs are prey animals, so their instinct is to run away if they feel threatened. If you're trying to pick them up and they back away from you, it's not a rejection intrinsically, but rather a natural defense. Just give your little pet a bit of time and patience, and they'll enjoy spending time with you outside of the cage from time to time. Fidgeting while being held This is often a sign that your guinea pig is just tired of being held, or needs to go to the bathroom. It's important to remember that guinea pigs often urinate every 15 minutes because they have a small bladder. If your little pet starts fidgeting, try returning them to their cage. Licking More often than not, guinea pigs lick you to show you affection and love. They may even want to groom you to show you that they care about your well-being. Licking is the same method that guineas use to show affection to one another, and they are simply passing it on to you. A guinea may also be giving you a lick simply because you taste good. You may have the residue of some yummy treat on your skin, and your little pet just wants to lap it up. Sprawling Sprawling is when a guinea pig lies down on its side or belly. This position indicates that your little pet is comfortable and feels safe with its surroundings. Sprawling is a vulnerable position for a guinea pig because it can take much longer to rise up in case of danger or predator's attack. So, if your guinea pigs sleep this way when they are next to you, then it means that they fully trust you and feel comfortable with you. Now that you know more about guinea pigs and how they communicate, you can better understand how to take care of their needs. Let us know which guinea pig sound is your favorite in the comment section.