Guinea pigs are fascinating creatures
that make a wide range of noises. You’d be surprised about how high and
low their pitch can be. I mean, I only knew that they would make wheeking sounds.
But didn;t realize that these little potato shaped furrballs’ wheeking can be louder than my
alarm and make sounds like a cat and bird. Welcome or welcome back to the I C Cinnamon
channel, where you’ll find videos of everything guinea pig related, and as usual, more info,
links and article version is in the Description. In this video, we’re going to explore
7 different guinea pig sounds, what they mean and also examples
of when they would make that sound. The guinea pig language is both simple and
complicated. Because when you hear the same sound, it can have different meanings. It’s like when
someone says, “What”, it can be a surprised “what?”, an annoyed “What?”, a confused “what?”
and so on. Well, how can you as a human know the difference? Besides listening carefully to
the tone and pitch, here are three important factors you need to take into consideration
when your guinea pig is saying something. Body language: You can’t dissect what your
Guinea pig sounds mean if you so carefully look at their body language. Yes, it’s that
important. This is especially helpful for sounds that sound very similar but have
very different meanings, like purring. Context: Another factor that’s just as crucial
is the context. What’s happening that made your Guinea pig vocalize its feelings? This will
help you determine what your piggy is saying. For example, if your Guinea pig is wheeking.
Does it want food, and attention, or on alert? Looking at your surroundings and
context will make it much more clear And lastly, Timing: How long did your Guinea pig
make this sound? Does it come in short bursts or does it voice the sound for 20 seconds straight?
These are just some of the things to hear. Alright, NOW let’s jump in. Number one, wheeking.
Wheeking in guinea pigs generally indicates that they are happy, excited, and seeking attention.
They are essentially saying, "I'm happy!", "I'm hungry and want food!", or "I want attention!"
My guinea pigs typically wheek when they hear my footsteps approaching their rooms or when they
hear the fridge door open. This is the sound that people commonly associate with guinea pigs.
Wheeking can be quite loud, resembling an alarm, and it is more commonly observed in younger guinea
pigs compared to older ones. This is because, like humans, younger guinea pigs
tend to get more easily excited. - Number 2, teeth chattering Teeth chattering in guinea pigs is one of the
more common ways they vocalize their feelings of annoyance and warn others to stay away. It sounds
like rapid clicking, a human’s chattering teeth. But no, teeth chattering doesn’t mean they’re
cold. Guinea Pigs chatter their teeth to warn others to leave them alone and not to interfere
with their territory or personal space. Usually, they will also tense their body and face the thing
they consider a threat when making this sound. You usually hear it when bonding your guinea
pigs, or when you are doing something to them that they don’t like, such as clipping
their nails. Some mother piggies may chatter their teeth if they feel that you
are getting too close with her pups too. Another cause of your guinea pigs to chatter their
teeth is when they want something. For example, when they see you getting pea flakes, they
may run up to you and chatter their teeth. In this context, they’re saying,
“I want the pea flakes, human!”. Number 3, chutting Imagine stepping into a new park when you were
young, or just looking around a big place, curious and excited. That’s how your guinea
pig feels when they make chutting sounds. Some people name this sound as clucking instead or chutting because it sounds like how
a mother hen would make. Either way, it’s one of my favourite sounds. I find
it so adorable when they’re chutting, especially because they tend to make this
noise in conjunction with each step they take. Guinea pigs make chutting sounds when they are
interacting with their piggy buddies positively, exploring a new environment curiously
(say, a new cage setup, being in a playpen, or exploring a maze), and just enjoying
their lives in general. It’s like they’re talking to themselves saying, “Oh, this new
cardboard box looks like the perfect thing to chew on” ad “I’m enjoying my life!”. Moving on to a sound you don’t
want to hear from your guinea pig, Number 4, Screaming or shrieking. Sometimes humans scream in excitement, but
when a guinea pig screams, it’s not a good thing. Because shrieking means they are
in pain, terrified, screaming for help, or all of the above. A guinea pig’s scream sounds
like a loud squeal. If they’re making this sound, run over to them as soon as possible and pay close
attention to what’s wrong. They may be injured, in a fight with another animal, maybe their foot
is caught on something, Whatever it is, they’re screaming for their lives and you have to take
action to calm them down and solve the problem. A guinea pig is saying, “Help!”, I’m in pain!”
or “I’m very scared” when they’re shrieking. But in rare cases, they may also just be dramatic.
The only time I heard any guinea pig scream was when my vet was clipping Mochi’s nails. Because
she was holding him standing, high from the ground, Mochi was screaming the entire time. But
the vet was holding him so I wasn’t that worried. Number 5, purring
A Guinea pig purrs are low, continuous vibrating murmurs that sound
very similar to a cat’s purr. Some people describe it as “bubbling”. I know, it’s quite
interesting that a tiny potato-shaped fur ball that emits high-pitched wheeks
can reach such a low tone as well. There are different kinds of Guinea pig
purring. It depends on the situation and your Guinea pig’s body language,
purring can have two meanings. The first one is feeling content and happy. If
your guinea pig is making a deep purring sound, that sounds like bubbling and its body language is
relaxed and calm, this means it feels comfortable, relaxed and happy. A happy guinea pig purring
usually occurs when you’re cuddling or petting your piggy, or when they are being fed.
Other times, your guinea pigs might let out a happy purr when they are exploring
a new area or snuggling with their buddy. The second meaning is feeling
annoyed or threatened. A high-pitched, short purr, especially
near the end of the purr, may mean that your guinea pig is annoyed, stressed, or
threatened. Their body language will be paired with a tense posture, most of the
time while being motionless and still. This sound is a warning to other guinea pigs,
humans, or another sound like a phone ringing. Number 6, and this is a weird one, chirping. Chirping is a rare sound that many guinea
pig owners may never hear even once in a piggie’s life. I know, it’s weird how
guinea pigs can make the sounds of a bird. Right? And chirping is exactly
how you imagine it to be – chirping. Chirping in guinea pigs is
not studied extensively, so researchers are still not very sure what
it means. But it’s believed that chirping is a sign of low-level stress or discomfort.
In other words, they’re feeling uneasy. But unlike shrieking or teeth chattering,
they are not in a full-blown panic mode. If your guinea pig is making chirping
sounds, it’s important to find out the cause of their stress and remove them from
your piggy’s environment as soon as possible. Last but not least, number 7, rumbling. Rumbling is a repeated low-pitched sound
that almost sounds like growling and purring combined.Your guinea pig may also sway their
chubby hips left and right while rumbling, holding their head high and walking slowly.
Their fur may be a little puffed up to make themselves look bigger and mightier as
well. This is called “rumble strutting“, sometimes nicknamed the “war dance”. There are two meanings when your
guinea pig makes rumbling sounds. The first is to show their hostility and
assert dominance. This is especially common in boars and when bonding guinea pigs.
My guinea pigs constantly made rumble strutting noises when they were first
introduced because they were fighting to be the boss and neither guinea pig wanted
to back down. Sometimes it indicates that the piggies are about to fight, like saying,
“I’m the boss!”. so keep an eye on them when they are making this sound. I had
to separate my piggies for a while after. The second meaning of rumble strutting is mating.
Your guinea pig may make rumble sounds to woo its crush/another guinea pig to mate. A male
guinea pig may start wiggling his hips and walk around the female piggie in a pattern
to get her attention and say, “Let’s mate!”. On the other hand, if a female guinea pig
wants to signal to male guinea pigs that she’s in season and ready to mate, she
will make rumble strutting sounds too. And there you have it, 7 common sounds that
guinea pigs make and what they mean. I hope you found some value in this video, Please
let me know in the comments what sound you hear your piggies make the most, and consider
liking this video and subscribing to this channel for more videos like this one. My Pinterest and
Patreon accounts are linked to the description if you want to check it out. Thanks for
watching and I’ll see you next time, bye.
