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26 Jul 2015

Understanding Guinea Pig Sounds

Posted By : Guest

Filed Under : Guinea Pigs | Pet Care

Any guinea pig owner knows that their pets can make a variety of noises. But how well do you know your wheeks from your rumbles?

Learning to understand the different noises your pets means that you can know what they need, as they need it. It’s a useful skill to have to result in even happier piggies. Prepare to become the piggy whisperer!

Wheek

Probably the most commonly known guinea pig noise, a wheek is a high pitched squeak that sounds exactly as it is spelt. This noise is often associated with excitement – and usually one that anticipates food is coming! If you have a regular time you feed your pigs, they are most likely to wheek the loudest at this time of day. If your pets see you walking over to them with food, or rustling with a bag that may contain their next tasty snack, a few wheeks will come in your direction! This sound is not exclusively related to food, and your guinea pigs may start wheeking when they are excited to see you.

Whining

The whining noise of a guinea pig has the same meaning of a whining human – showing annoyance! If one of your pigs has a nap interrupted or is being petted when they want to roam around, you may hear a whine from them. The sound is similar to a high pitched moan, and can be useful to understand so you know how to keep your guinea pigs happy.

Purr

A guinea pig purr is a unique sound that can only be made by guinea pigs. It is a very low and consistent noise. If you hear your piggies purr, be happy to know that they are expressing their happiness! The sound is associated with being content with either being petted, groomed, held by their owner or after being given food.

Rumble

If your guinea pigs are of the same sex, you will most likely never hear them rumble. This sound can be made by either male or female pigs but is related to mating. A male would rumble when they are trying to woo the female guinea pigs (and you may even see them do a ‘rumble strut’ as a part of their mating call), and a female would rumble to signal that she is in season, and ready to mate.

Chutting

The meaning of this sound is similar to a purr; being associated with a guinea pig being relaxed or happy. However, chutting can be rare to occur as some guinea pigs prefer to only purr. Chutting sounds exactly as it is spelt, so watch out for a sounds resembling ‘chut chut’ when spending time with your piggies for an unusual experience.

Shrieking

This can be a distressing sound, both for you to hear and your guinea pig to omit. It is a very high pitched shriek and occurs when your guinea pig is sensing immediate danger or is in pain. You may hear this if your guinea pig is bitten by another pig, or if your pet has injections at the vet for the first time. If you ever do hear this sound, go to the situation immediately and figure out what caused the sound so you can resolve this problem.

Teeth Chattering

Chattering consists of rapid squeaks, and one meaning for this sound is that your pig is expressing they are angry or unhappy at a particular situation. In this case, they may simply be warning others not to interfere in their personal space. Chattering can also be a practice for pigs of the same sex when they are determining cage dominance; i.e. who is the alpha pig. This is perfectly normal to happen, however if you do hear your guinea pigs chattering pay close attention to them to ensure that they do not start fighting.