Guinea pigs make all kinds of noises. They can squeak, grunt, whistle … They also sometimes show strange behavior, such as ‘popcorn’, wobbling and biting. What do guinea pigs mean by the sounds they make and why do they sometimes act so crazy?
Sounds and their meaning
Guinea pigs can make a lot of noise, especially when they hear you have something to eat. They also make a lot of small noises against each other, so they communicate with each other just like we talk. Here the sounds are described and when they can produce those sounds.
Whooping / squeaking loudly
They do this especially when they are hungry or when, for example, they hear a plastic bag that they associate with getting food. So they do it to get your attention, young guinea pigs do this so that the mother can find them again. It sounds like wiep wiep wiep, which is why it is also called wiep wiep.
Whistling
When the guinea pig whistles, it lets the other guinea pigs know that there is danger. So he is afraid of something and feels threatened. You won’t experience this as often as it is good.
Soft grunt and squeaks
When the guinea pig does this, it feels very happy and satisfied. He often makes this noise to other guinea pigs to make social contact, he can also do this to you.
Chattering teeth
If their teeth are chattering at each other, they argue, watch out because sometimes this is the start of a fight. They do this to impress. If their teeth chatter at you, it could be for a variety of reasons. They chatter their teeth because they feel threatened if you put your hand in their house, for example, then you enter their territory and some guinea pigs don’t like that.
Grunting / “prrten”
Sometimes guinea pigs make a short sound that sounds a bit like prrrrrt, a kind of grunt. This is often in response to a sound or movement that scares them or makes them unpleasant. It can serve as a kind of warning, but often nothing is wrong when you hear this sound.
Long-term prrrr
When they do, they are often in heat, which means that the guinea pig finds it time to mate. Very often they do a kind of dance with this, they wiggle around a bit and then prrrren. In this way he tries to decorate the other guinea pig, as it were.
Behaviour
Sometimes guinea pigs act a bit strangely. For example, they often jump in the air like a kind of buck. They do this when they are very happy. This is what this category is all about. It is nice if you know whether your guinea pig is a happy guinea pig or not.
Jumping / popcorn
The guinea pigs often jump around wildly and sometimes make squeaking noises. When they do this they feel very happy. It looks like a dance of joy, it is very nice to watch, they feel at ease and trust the environment.
Walk behind each other
This looks like a kind of guinea pig train. They do this because they are naturally used to it. This makes them less vulnerable as prey. The front guinea pig is often the dominant guinea pig, which then determines where to walk.
Take shelter
Guinea pigs love to hide under something. This is also because they naturally have this in them for protection. Their vision is also very different from ours. Guinea pigs see everything from above and nothing below them, which is why they feel safer when they are under something.
Much gnawing
They gnaw a lot, of course, because they are rodents. If they gnaw a lot, this can be a sign that the guinea pig is bored. If you have a guinea pig on your own, consider getting a friend so that your guinea pig is happy. This can also mean that the guinea pig is suffering from stress.
To bite
If your guinea pig bites you, he will probably want to try to see if your finger is not a carrot. If he does this often, you can unlearn this by hitting a high-pitched scream like ieeehh. This helps because high-pitched sounds indicate that you or another guinea pig is in pain and will eventually stop doing this. This can also be due to stress if, for example, it is always busy around the guinea pig cage.
Eating poops
Guinea pigs eat their own faeces, this is normal and even necessary. It contains good substances for the guinea pigs and is therefore normal behavior.
Wiggle / Dance
They do this to mate, see “prolonged prrrr” under sounds.