{"id":1698,"date":"2018-04-20T20:52:27","date_gmt":"2018-04-21T01:52:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/?p=1698"},"modified":"2019-02-07T13:41:48","modified_gmt":"2019-02-07T19:41:48","slug":"do-you-know-about-guinea-pig-sounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/do-you-know-about-guinea-pig-sounds\/","title":{"rendered":"Do You Know About Guinea Pig Sounds?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We are guinea pigs; hear us wheek! lino9999\/Pixabay<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some people might consider guinea pig speak just random sounds or noises, but people who share their lives with guinea pigs know better. Guinea pig vocalizations are part of their communication tools. A well-placed wheek, squeal, or other sound give clues about a guinea pig\u2019s needs and feelings.<\/p>\n

Yes, Guinea Pigs Speak<\/h2>\n

Dogs bark and cats meow. Most people know this. But some people might not know that small mammal pets like guinea pigs also make sounds. The good thing is that the noises guinea pigs make usually never disturb neighbors. They\u2019re only loud enough to let their roommates (you), know that they have an \u201copinion\u201d they want to share. Important opinions, like \u201cTime to get me some food,\u201d \u201cShouldn\u2019t you be giving me pets right now?\u201d or \u201cA strange object has arrived in the room. Keep it away!\u201d<\/p>\n

Listing Guinea Pig Sounds<\/h2>\n

The range of noises guinea pigs make varies. It depends on who is listening and how sounds are differentiated, and it can also depend on the guinea pigs. After all, no two guinea pigs are alike, so while most guinea pigs make several of the same sounds, nuances can change the total repertoire.<\/p>\n

One scientific study<\/a> places the number of guinea pigs sounds at 11. A guinea pig rescue<\/a> includes 9 guinea pigs sounds on its website. A YouTube video<\/a> catalogs 13 sounds. The book \u201cExotic Pet Behavior: Birds, Reptiles, And Small Mammals\u201d by Bays, Lightfoot, and Mayer lists 9 categories of guinea pig vocalizations. These are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Grunting<\/li>\n
  2. Chutting<\/li>\n
  3. Purring or gurgling<\/li>\n
  4. Weeping, wheeking, or whistling<\/li>\n
  5. Squealing<\/li>\n
  6. Drr<\/li>\n
  7. Cooing<\/li>\n
  8. Whining<\/li>\n
  9. Teeth clatter, clacking, or hissing<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The Meaning Behind Guinea Pig Sounds<\/h2>\n

    Observation is key to determining the meaning of guinea pig sounds<\/a>. Guinea pigs are social animals, and they can be talking to you, other guinea pigs, or both when making noises. Watch for body language and actions to clue you in to the meanings.<\/p>\n

    As a general guide, start with the following guinea pig basic sound symbolism. Hunger might be behind wheeking, squealing, or even grunting. Fear, pain, or a warning can be signaled by squealing, drr, or whining. Contentment, happiness, and curiosity are associated with purring, chutting, or wheeking. Teeth clattering, clicking, or hissing signal aggression. Give that guinea pig some space!<\/p>\n

    Noticing A New Sound<\/h2>\n

    If a guinea pig suddenly develops a new sound, it might be cause to consult your veterinarian. Labored breathing, wheezing, clicking, coughing, and hooting are some of the sounds you don\u2019t want to hear. The Guinea Lynx forum<\/a> had a discussion about hooting guinea pigs, which could indicate a heart problem. Be sure to contact your guinea pig-savvy veterinarian<\/a> for advice. Guinea pig savvy means that the veterinarian regularly treats guinea pigs.<\/p>\n

    Quiet Guinea Pigs<\/h2>\n

    If you happen to have a guinea pig who isn\u2019t very vocal, don\u2019t stress about it. Some guinea pigs just \u201ctalk\u201d more than others. The only time to be concerned is if your guinea pig suddenly changes his or her routine. A guinea pig who is usually vocal but suddenly becomes quiet, or vice versa, might be signaling that there\u2019s a problem. Perhaps he or she isn\u2019t feeling well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Guinea pig vocalizations are part of their communication tools. A well-placed wheek, squeal, or other sound give clues about a guinea pig\u2019s needs and feelings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1873,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-guinea-pig-behavior"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1698"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1698\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lafeber.com\/mammals\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}