You will notice your guinea pigs behaving in lots of different ways and making lots of different noises - this is because guinea pigs are highly social and use 'body' language and 'vocal' language to communicate with each other. It is lovely to have a group of guinea pigs and just watch how they interact with each other as they go about their every day lives ! If you can't work out what your piggy is saying just by the noise you should be able to work it out by watching their behaviour as well.

I shall list below some of the main types of communication that I have observed in my guinea pigs throughout the years, I'm sure there is more and I shall probably add to this list as my guinea pigs do things ! I'll list the 'body' language followed by the typical accompanying 'sounds' made. Please be aware that this is simply my interpretation !

In the wild guinea pigs, who are prey animals, live in grasslands and make extensive tunnels through the grass so that they can move from place to place in safety without being seen by predators. This is why they love having tunnels to play and hide in and why they love hiding under coffee tables and suchlike whilst out on floor time.

Guinea pigs are pack/herd animals, which means that in the wild they live in large very social, hierarchical groups (led by a dominant male) with a very well developed means of communicating with each other. They often huddle together for warmth and safety, look out for each other and interact with each other all the time. At floor time you sometimes see them all running around together in a long line, affectionately called a 'piggy-train'. This is why it is a good reason to have more than one cavy so they can interact and do more of the natural things that piggies do ! Listed here are some of the main ways your pigs will communicate/interact with each other:

Sniffing the air: You might see your pig do this if there is another pig around or if they wondering if anyone is around !. They will sniff the air to see who it is and see if they know them. Sometimes they do this just after you have let them out for 'floor' time, just so they know 'what's what' before launching off to let off steam !

• Sounds: Sometimes you will hear reasonably quiet short wheeks exchanged between your pigs, sort of 'who's that ? has it got food, how are you doing ?' not quite a full WHEEEEEK but more of a gentle 'wheek, eek, squeak' repeated, until they either get back to what they were doing or progress on to the full WHEEEEK once they have sensed they might get something to eat !

Sniffing Noses / Ears / Bottoms / Under Chins etc. Again, pigs do this to see if they know each other etc. - they will do a lot of this when you introduce a new pig into your herd (demonstrated below..) ! Sometimes the 'new' pig being sniffed will just stand still with her 2 front paws straight whilst she is given the 'once over'. They have scent glands in these places which is why they sniff there !

Getting to know you .............. Getting to know all about you !

Scent marking territory: Common signs of your pig scent marking are: ·

• Rubbing their cheeks / under chins against something. ·
• Dragging their bottoms along the floor ·
• Rubbing their grease gland (this is found at the rear of the pig) onto something.

You often see them rubbing their bottoms on the floor of a pen that has just been cleaned out so they are establishing their territory again as the other scents have been removed. Sometimes when they are out on 'floor time' you will see them rubbing their cheeks on things like chair or table legs !

Standing Still / freezing If your pig hears something or smells something it doesn't know they may be scared and freeze so they can't be seen !

Not liking another pig / Aggression! If your pig comes across another pig it doesn't like you will soon know about it ! Common signs are: ·

• Fluffing out their hair (so it almost stands on end - this is to make them look bigger and more frightening) ·
• They might yawn / open their mouths wide (this is to show off their teeth) ·
• They will often raise their heads in their air at the other pig so they are both facing each other with their heads up. ·
• They may raise themselves up on their back legs so they are ready to fight ! ·
• They may pace their back legs from side to side (their legs will look stiff)

You will probably mostly see this when introducing new pigs or with a pair of male pigs - they give each other lots of warnings to try and avoid having a 'real' fight. Mostly they will settle down after lots of this behaviour but if they have got to the heads raised / teeth chattering stage keep a very very close eye on them as they are likely to fly at each other and can do a lot of damage - keep a towel and a water spray handy !

• Sounds: This behaviour will be accompanied by a loud unmistakable teeth clacking / chattering

Happy Pig: Running and jumping, flipping around ! - affectionately known as 'popcorning' - sometimes mistaken for a pig having 'a fit' by people who have never seen this before.

• Sounds: When they are out on floor time and enjoying themselves they make little 'bouncy chortling' noises as they happily explore the room.

  Trixie froze...	Poppy alert & happy !	Splat ... content !

Content with life ! Stretched out in the bedding in their pen happy, secure and content with the world or just generally wandering around their pen, stopping for a sniff or a nibble of something tasty, sitting down happily munching on hay :o)

• Sounds: Sometimes you will just hear general soft wheeks and chortles coming from your pigs as they happily go about their business in the pen.

Stiff legged strutting / pacing This could be one of 2 things: ·

• Showing or establishing dominance - Done 'at' another pig - mostly males to males (see also Not liking another pig …above).
  • Sounds: Often accompanied by teeth chattering or a loud vibrating 'GRRRRRR'. ·
• Doing the 'mating' dance if they are doing this and kind of 'squirming' around another pig ! Sometimes called the 'rumblestrutt' or 'motorboating' Female pigs also do this to each other when they come into season and also try and mount each other to establish dominance. Sometimes if you stroke along the back of a female pig who is in season and doing this she will flatten / arch down on the floor of the pen, this indicates that she is 'ready' for a little romance…… However if a pig is doing this to another pig who is just not interested he may find himself getting a swift squirt in the face from the harassed one ! (my little Splat did this beautifully to a very hormonal Mop a short while ago - even though they are both girls!)
  • Sounds: May be accompanied by a low vibrating 'grrrr/prrrr' (hence the motorboating term)

Mounting: This could be one of 2 things: ·

• Establishing dominance in a herd - can be done between females. Females who are in season also sometimes do this [see above].
• Mating - done by a male to a female.

Head down between Legs: If you see your pig up on her back legs with her head down between them she will be eating her poops, this is normal and called 'coprophagy'

Sad and withdrawn. Sometimes you will see a pig looking fluffed-up, sad and dejected and more often than not huddled in a corner of the pen with her bottom facing outwards. This is a typical sign that something is very wrong. Examine your pet and take to the vet sooner rather than later ! Billy and Splat [below] were sad after they lost Trixie.

Billy 'rumbling' Poppy	Billy & Splat were sad	Splat looking poorly

Stroppy Squeak Sometimes when one pig is eating something the other wants or is sleeping where another wants to, you get to see a bit of pushing and shoving going on, often accompanied by a rather stroppy sounding high squeak as the comfy pig is ousted !

High pitched squeak Different from the 'wheeeeeek' for food. Sometimes if a pig hurts itself (or is hurt by another pig) or is afraid it will give a high pitched squeak, you can sense the distress in it when you hear it. Sometimes made by young pigs missing their mum.

• When my youngest pig 'Splat' was new to me she wouldn't come out of the pen at floor time, the other 3 would all charge out and Splat would run up and down in the pen (but be too scared to venture out of it) and then emit this particular high pitched squeak. Wherever Mouse was in the room she would charge back to the pen, give Splat a reassuring sniff and nudge, just to make sure she was alright, and then charge out again !

Chirping: Sounds just like a bird chirping - no-one is 100% sure what this means as far as I am aware ! Not very often heard - but a definite 'cheep cheep' ! A couple of my pigs have chirped that I can remember - Splat - when she was quite new to me, she was out on floor time (quite a new experience) and I heard her chirp - I looked for her and she was sitting bolt upright under a chair and chirping away - perhaps she couldn't find her way back home and was afraid ? And Billy, I wanted him to get extra exercise [being a portly boy] so after floor-time I shut the girls in and left him out on his own - when he realised he couldn't get back in with them he seemed to panic and go into a trance and began chirping - it was awful and I felt I'd traumatised him - I put him straight back and he was completely normal again !

Listed here are some of the main ways your pigs will communicate with you, and by golly they will soon have you trained !

Excited about food coming / FEED ME: Your pigs will assemble at the front of the pen all running between each other looking very excited, jostling for a good place at the front ! Typically happens when breakfast is due ! Woe betides your conscience if you haven't got anything tasty in ! If they are out for 'floor time' mine follow me around frantically hoping I will feed them !

• Sounds: High pitched WHEEEEEEEK !!! Unmistakable - the trademark pig noise ! After a short while they will do this when the fridge is opened, when you rustle plastic carrier bags, if you rattle their treat box !!
  • I am greeted by this sound when I first get up in the morning, as they hear me get out of bed, when I walk in my front door, or if I have been sitting quietly in the room and they have forgotten I am there - suddenly I move or say something and they realise I am there and think 'WHEEEEEEEK ! someone's here, some food might be on the cards !!!'
  • Mouse's WHEEEEEEEK has now turned into a rather more hoarse trailing off WHEEEeeeeeee…. eeeeee ! poor thing, she's getting old ;o)

Unhappy lap time ! You might feel your pig stiffen in your lap and her hair might also 'tense up' when you stroke her, this could be because she doesn't like what you are doing or that she is quite new to you and not quite feeling secure and confident with you yet and might wonder what on earth you are doing so will be scared and unsure.

• Sounds Your pig will make a fairly loud 'brrrrrr' noise - if you are holding your pig at the time you will feel her vibrate (not to be confused with the softer happy purr of a happy pig).
  • You will often hear this if they have heard something they don't like (in my house this happens when someone rings my very fierce doorbell).

Fidgeting & Nipping at Lap time ! If your pig has been happily settled in your lap then suddenly starts fidgeting and/or tugging at your clothing or even give you a gentle nip it generally means they want to have a wee so put them back in their pen. However, sometimes they will nip because they are afraid, or you are not holding them comfortably - re-adjust their position or put them back for a while then gently take them out and try again !

• Sometimes your pig will still be fairly relaxed but you will notice her lift her back end up slightly - you will normally find she has left you a little poop, bless.

Happy Lap time ! Melting into your lap at lap time to enjoy a multitude of cuddles and strokes ! Sometimes they crawl up and nestle under your chin, they all find their own little comfy place.

• Sounds: My pigs do different noises when they are happy at lap time: ·
  • Trixie makes a lovely soft 'cooo cooo' sound - over and over, it is lovely. ·
  • Mop makes a happy-toned chortley noise - greatly increased by rubbing her sides in a circular motion with both hands ! ·
  • Mouse makes a sound like lots of little very soft and gentle cat purrs. ·
  • Splat hasn't really made her mind up yet !

Kissy Poppy !	Just woken up Splat ?	Mouse Wheeking	Kissy Splattie !

Throwing her head in the air: Sometimes if you stroke your pigs head she will firmly toss her head up in the air, this usually means they don't like it and you'd be well advised to stop doing it !

Nudging you with her nose: Sometimes if you have been busily stroking your piggy and then you stop they will not be amused and will 'nudge' you with their nose to 'please carry on !' Stopping their purring to nudge you and then resuming their purring once you are tending to them again !

Piggy Licking You: Sometimes when you have your pig out for a cuddle she will lick you ! It is very very sweet, Mouse is my chief licker ! I'm not sure if anyone is certain why they do this - the 2 main theories are ·

• She is licking you to get salt ! When Mouse starting licking me I thought it was to do with salt so I have her a salt wheel, she never touched it. ·
• She loves you and is kissing you ! I like to think it is because she loves me ! Sometimes she will be fast asleep on my lap, and wake up every now and again, stretch her little back legs out, give a little purr and then give my hand a gentle lick then settle back down to sleep :o)

Running Away / Resistant to being picked up:

• As guinea pigs are prey animals it is natural for them to run away from you or wriggle like crazy when you attempt to pick them up - they probably think we are big beasties out to harm them ! Over time, with gentle but confident handling / talking and reassurance our pigs learn we are not to be feared and will generally become easy to catch, pick up and handle.
• I have noticed before that if a pig that normally is a good 'picker-upper' runs away from me when I want to get her out it is usually because she wants to have a wee, if I leave her and watch for a minute, she will generally go and have a wee and will then let me pick her up as normal. But if I persist in picking her up anyway, she won't settle on my lap until I put her back and let her relieve herself !

Next>

Prevention is Better !

Regular Health Checks

Weigh Day

Syringe Feeding

Breeding your Cavy

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Page Last Updated: 16/03/06