Guinea Pig Chirping: Why Do Guinea Pigs Chirp? What Does it Mean?

Guinea pigs are curious little creatures, but they are highly sociable. They love to interact not only with their cage mates but also with their loving owners. In order to communicate their thoughts with their cage mates and their owners, guinea pigs make a variety of sounds. While these guinea pig sounds may sound like random noise to new cavy owners, these sounds carry meaning. But what exactly is your guinea pig trying to tell you? What is the guinea pig chirping all about? Why do guinea pigs chirp? And what does it mean when a guinea pig chirps?

If you have been overwhelmed by these questions, continue reading. We are going to discuss all about guinea pig chirping.

So, without further ado, let’s get to guinea pigs chirping. Why do guinea pigs sound like birds?

Guinea Pig Chirping

Guinea pigs are fascinating little rodents. They are mostly quiet, and if you have never owned a guinea pig before, there is a huge chance you did not know that guinea pigs chirp. Well, not only chirp, If you are a guinea pig lover and have been living with a cavy, you will know that guinea pigs make a lot of sounds, and one of those sounds is chirping.

While there is no consensus on why guinea pigs chirp and what a chirping guinea pig means, join us as we explore popular theories about guinea pig chirps

What Does a Chirping Guinea Pig Sound Like?

Chirp is one of the strangest guinea pig sounds. A Guinea pig chirp is quite a loud and repetitive sound made by guinea pigs, just like a bird’s chirp. If you have never heard a guinea pig chirping before, you are probably going to think that it’s not your guinea pig but some hungry and restless bird sitting outside your window.

We love our guineas, but guinea pig chirps might sound pleasant to listen to at first but as your piglet continues chirping, it starts to get a little annoying. Do you concur?!

We know we cannot really explain what a guinea pig chirp sound like, listen to the video of a chirping guinea pig below.

Why Do Guinea Pigs Chirp?

We don’t exactly know why do guinea pigs chirp but depending on the experience of guinea pig owners, we can say that it could mean their guinea pig is nervous, he is sensing danger and chirping to either alert their owners or warn the potential threat. Some guinea pig owners also observe their guinea pigs chirping on separation from their cage mates. Some even say that it could be a sign of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Let’s discuss these potential reasons for guinea pigs chirping one by one.

Guinea Pig Is Nervous

Many guinea pig owners think that their piggies make a chirping sound when they are a bit nervous and restless. Your guinea pig might be chirping out of nervousness when there was a cat roaming around his cage. Though he is perfectly safe in his cage, he might think that the cat may attack him, Such a nervous guinea pig may chirp to get your attention—for you to come and ensure their safety. Your guinea pig may stop chirping when you move into their room and start chirping as you move outside. Therefore, it is crucial that you remove whatever is making your piglet nervous from the environment.

Guinea Pig Is Sensing Danger

Many guinea pig owners say that their guinea pigs make a chirping sound when there is a danger looming around. For instance, when there is a cat or dog nearby, our piglets get scared and start chirping. Chirping is their way of giving out the alert and warning signal to their owners. So if you have taken your piglet out on the lawn and he starts crying, you should get close to him and make sure the neighbor’s cat is not lurking on the wall, staring at your little rodent friend.

In the above video, guinea pigs were recorded making chirping sounds after they were hit by a strong earthquake. So if you hear your guinea pig chirping, identify and remove if there is any potential threat.

Separation From Cage Mate

Guinea pigs are social and loving creatures. They establish strong bonds with their owners and their cage mates. And when they are separated from their owners or cage mate, they develop separation anxiety and mourn for days. During this mourning time, guinea pigs are often heard making a chirping sound, as if they were calling their mates to return.

So, if you have brought home a new piglet it might chirp a lot in the first few weeks as he is new to the environment and is probably missing his previous cage mate or owners. Similarly, if you had two guinea pigs and one of them dies, you may find another chirping—mourning for the loss of his loving buddy. In this case, you should bring your guinea pig a cage mate and interesting toys to keep him busy.

It’s a Sign of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Guinea pigs may also make a chirping sound when experiencing a set of dangerous and stressful situations like being chased by a cat or some other predator and narrowly escaping. This indicates that our piglets chirp to deal with the stress.

What Does It Mean When a Guinea Pig Chirps?

Guinea pig chirping can be considered an alert signal—it is their way of getting the attention of their owners. Guinea pig chirping means that the guinea is really scared, stressed, nervous, or he is sensing danger and really wants their owners to be around and make sure that no harm comes their way. So if you hear your guinea pig chirping, you should immediately rush to their abode and make sure that they are settled and there is no looming threat of a natural calamity or a predator. You may also want to check if the two piglets are getting along.