Guinea pigs are social creatures. They love to interact with their cage mates and their loving owners. While guinea pigs can live alone as well, it is strongly advised that you keep them in pairs. To communicate with their owners and with fellow guinea pigs, they make a lot of sounds. But what exactly do different guinea pig sounds mean? What our guinea pigs are trying to tell us?
If you have been overwhelmed by different guinea pig noises, continue reading; in this article, we are going to learn about different guinea pig sounds. What are happy guinea pig sounds and what are unhappy guinea pig sounds? What are some healthy guinea pig sounds and what are some sick guinea pig sounds?
Guinea Pig Sounds
Guinea pigs make a variety of sounds. These guinea pig noises give their owners a fair idea if their guinea pigs are happy or unhappy, healthy or unhealthy. While to novice owners guinea pip sounds may be random noises, they actually have meaning. By making those cute noises, your guinea pigs are trying to communicate with you.
So, without further ado, let’s explore various guinea pig noises, to learn what your guinea pig is trying to say.
Happy Guinea Pig Sounds
1. Guinea Pig Wheeking
Guinea pig wheek is a loud and dramatic, long squeal combined with a whistle. It is a happy guinea sound. Guinea pigs make this adorable noise when they anticipate that something interesting is about to happen, either they are getting their meal, a treat, or it’s playtime.
Guinea pigs often make this sound when they are hungry, or they hear sounds that they can relate to food. For instance, guinea pigs might start wheeking even if you just fed the m20 minutes ago, when they hear their owner walking towards the kitchen, opening the food cabinet, or opening the refrigerator. The piggies probably assume that their owners are going to get them their meal or offer delicious guinea pig treats.
Similarly, guinea pigs often make the dramatic Wheeking sound when they assume that their loving owners are about to let them out of their cage or give them their favorite toy.
Guinea pigs love veggies and fruits, so if you are eating a strawberry or an apple and not sharing it with your cavy, you will probably hear your guinea pig wheek—ask for a bite.
2. Guinea Pig Chutting
The Guinea pig chutting sound means that the guinea pig is overall happy and content. It is often described as a relaxing background sound made by guinea pigs when they are really enjoying themselves and feel completely safe and content in their environment.
So, your guinea pig may chut when he is getting a balanced diet, a considerable amount of its daily treats, fruits and veggies, vitamin C supplements, mental and physical stimulation, and a calm environment and a safe spacious space filled with interesting toys and hides to explore. Guinea pigs chut to assure their owners that they are being well taken care of and they are content with their life.
3. Guinea Pig Purring
Guinea pigs are not cats, so we cannot assume that their purrs mean they are happy, it could be quite the opposite—a purring guinea pig could also be an annoyed guinea pig.
If your guinea pig is purring in a low tone and has a relaxed posture, it means that your guinea pig is happy, relaxed, and content. On the other hand, if your guinea pig is purring in a high-pitched tone and has a stiff posture, know that your guinea pig is either annoyed or stressed and wants you to leave him alone.
If your guinea pig is purring loudly, you should put him back into his cage. If you don’t take your cue and put down the guinea pig, there is a huge chance that the guinea pig might bite you
| Guinea Pig Purring | |
| Happy Guinea Pig Purr | Stressed and Annoyed Guinea Pig Pur |
| Purr is gentle and low in tone | Purr is higher in pitch |
| The Guinea pig has a relaxed posture | The Guinea pig has a stiff posture |
Unhappy Guinea Pig Noises
When guinea pigs are unhappy, they try to communicate their annoyance and anger by making various sounds.
4. Guinea Pig Whining
Guinea pigs make whining sounds to communicate their annoyance. Guinea pigs whine to tell their owners that they are not liking something in their environment. A guinea pig may whine if you are petting them against its will. Similarly, a guinea pig may whine if its cage mate is playing with his favorite toys. A guinea pig may also whine when you are about to put him into his cage after a play session. Here guinea pig whine would mean that he doesn’t want to go back into the cage and wants to play and explore a little more.
If your guinea pig is whining, you should get extra observant of your guinea pig and look for signs of sickness. Sometimes, guinea pigs whine when they are in pain to tell their owners that they need medical attention.
5. Guinea pig Chirping
Guinea pigs often make chirping sounds, making their owners wonder why so guinea pigs sound like birds. We don’t really know why guinea pigs make these mysterious bird-like noises. However, some guinea pig owners think that it looks like their piggies are in a trance while making chirping sounds. Some owners even think that their cavies make the chirping sound when they are sensing dangers and are feeling scared. In the above video, guinea pigs were recorded making chirping sound after they were hit by a strong earthquake. So if you hear your guinea pig making this cute sound, identify and remove if there is any stressor. That said, there is no substantial evidence to really know why do guinea pigs make sounds like birds.
6. Guinea Pig Squeaking
Guinea pigs squeaking means that your piglet needs your immediate attention. Guinea pigs usually squeak when they are either in pain or in need of attention. So if your guinea pig is squeaking, it could mean he is either in pain or some other guinea pig is stealing its favorite treats. If your guinea pig seems to be in pain, you should consult a veterinarian. And if one guinea pig is getting bullied by other, you should try to separate them and develop a habit of feeding them in separate bowls. Off and on, you should observe your guinea pigs for a while after you serve the food.
7. Guinea Pig Screaming
Guinea pig scream is the high-pitched and piercing squeak made by guinea pigs when they are either in pain or scared. It is also known as a guinea pig shriek.
Guinea pigs screaming is a sound that will immediately get them the attention of their owners. Guinea pigs make the shrieking noise when they feel utterly scared or they get injured. If you are taking good care of your guinea pig, there is a huge chance that you might not have heard this certain guinea pig noise.
If you hear this guinea pig noise coming from your guinea’s cage, you should immediately rush to check if everything is alright and none of the guinea pigs is hurt. You may also want to observe if there is any potential threat that scared your piglets. You may also want to check if one of the guinea pigs is bullying the other one.
8. Guinea Pig Teeth Chattering
Teeth chattering is an aggressive guinea pig sound. Guinea pig teeth chattering means that they are fed up and extremely agitated. Piggies may chatter their teeth at their loving owners if they are being too clingy and have been holding them for a long time or if they are petting them where it hurts. Guinea chatter means that you should back off and give your guinea pig some space.
With chattering, guinea pigs also show their teeth in aggression. Our guess is they are trying to communicate that if you don’t stop annoying them, they will have to bite you.
9. Guinea Pig Hissing
Just like the hissing sound made by cats, guinea pig hissing is a sign of an unhappy guinea pig—probably an upset and angry guinea pig. Just like teeth chattering, by hissing, your guinea pig is trying to communicate that he is annoyed and irritated and would really appreciate some alone time.
If the situation that is making your guinea pig is not resolved quickly, guinea pig aggression may escalate, which could lead to the guinea pig biting and attacking the irritant.
10. Guinea Pig Rumbling
Often called motorboating or rumble strutting, the rumbling is a guinea pig noise that usually male guinea pigs make during the mating season to woo potential partners. It is a bit deeper than the guinea pig purring and has a little vibrating effect. Male guinea pigs make this sound to get the attention of potential female companions. Sometimes, female guinea pigs may also make rumbling sounds when they are in heat. While guinea pigs don’t have periods, they do go into heat. Sometimes the rumbling noise is accompanied by the interesting guinea ping mating dance.
A male guinea pig may also wiggle their hips and chase around the female guinea pig in an arbitrary fashion.
Besides wooing potential companions, male guinea pigs make the rumbling sound to establish their dominance among cage mates. Therefore, there is a huge chance that rumbling may lead to a fight between two guinea pigs.
11. Guinea Pig Growling
Sounding like “drrr, drrr,” guinea pig growl is a distress call. Our piggies growl when they are startled and are feeling threatened and insecure. They may also growl when something sudden and unexpected happens in their environment like a loud noise in their environment. If your guinea pig is growling, you should start gently petting him and soon the terrifying growl will change into a sweet purr.
However, if it was your petting that made the guinea pig growl, you should stop petting and give your guinea pig some space. If you started petting your guinea pig from behind without his knowledge, he may get startled and growl and may even snap at you.
12. Guinea Pig Complaining or Moaning
Have you ever heard your guinea pig making interesting sounds when they are eating, sleeping, or playing with a guinea pig toy? That certain noise is your guinea pig complaining. Guinea pigs make the complaining sound when their cage mate is not letting them eat in peace or is sitting too close to them (invading their personal space) or is not letting them play with their favorite toy. Guinea pigs are like those typical siblings who are always annoying each other and complaining.
