Why Do Guinea Pigs Squeak? What Are They Trying To Tell You?

Guinea pigs are tiny beaver-like animals that belong to the family of rodents.

Rodents are tiny furry creatures that are known for their sharp teeth. While most rodents cannot be domesticated, guineas pigs can be kept as pets.

As pets, they are mostly kept in a tiny cage and do not take up much space. A guinea pig can be caged up with up with another guinea pig. Most animals display their emotions with some sort of vocal expression when they are happy, sad, hungry, or excited. Using different types of vocalizations, they communicate their mood and behavior. Guinea pigs are quite vocal animals even though they might not be loud enough. They can communicate their mood through a string of emotions. They usually produce high pitched squeals and other sounds are variants of the 'wheek' and a couple more different sounds. Some guinea pigs 'wheek' a lot while others are quiet. A good judgement of these sounds also requires a good understanding of their body language in order to distinguish these sounds, otherwise they are pretty confusing. Nonetheless all guinea pig sounds fill the atmosphere with life and make pet owners happy with their squeaks.

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What other noises do guinea pigs make?

The vocalizations made by guinea pigs are an important indication of what is happening to them. Guinea pig sounds are different and vocal expressions have different meanings. Some vocalizations can be translated by you right away, others might take some time. Some common guinea pig noises include hissing, teeth chattering, and strutting. Sounds like rumbling or a deep, relaxed squeal in normal circumstances means your piggy is content and the squeaking might be accompanied by licking. A a higher pitched squeak is more likely a sound of annoyance.

A noise that sounds like the chattering of monkeys and sounds like-hissing or strutting, accompanied teeth chattering, indicate that your guinea pig is angry and is an apparent sign of aggression. A 'grumble' is a sound of warning used to tell other guinea pigs or humans to back off. A whole bunch of 'wheeking', 'chirping', 'whining', or a 'rumbling purr' is a great indicator of their happiness, while a sound of rumble and 'purr' noises are something you hear while they are mating. A deep 'purring' paired with 'whining' is a sound they produce while being petted as well.

Pet guinea pigs also express themselves using non-verbal communication. Their body language will speak for them in many cases such as whether they are happy or sad.

Should you always give guinea pig something when it squeaks?

With an array of emotions to express and situations to cope with, guinea pigs display a lot of different emotions, more than you might expect these tiny rodents to have. Guinea pigs squeal for different reasons and some of their calls need to be attended to while others are just regular healthy habits that do not need any special attention. Most of those 'chirping', 'wheeking', and 'whining' noises you hear them make all demand a response.

If they are distressed, the shrieking calls are for your immediate attention to help them out of trouble. A high pitched sound is a distress call. If they are growling, they are perhaps feeling a threatened by something and you can give them a little cuddle to calm them down and speak to them calmly. Squeaking unmistakably indicates fear so you must make sure that the surroundings of your guinea pig are comfortable for it to survive in. Some good practices to bear in mind are handling them with care and not introducing anything new to their surrounding that might trigger anxiety or mental pain in your pet.

In the end, they are just tiny creatures that can thrive well if they are nourished under your affection. Show them the right love and care and they'll always keep you happy in their company.

What does it mean if a guinea pig squeaks loudly?

All guinea pigs make some kind of noise in almost any situation where they can or need to interact. While most of them make a lot of noise, these noises may get loud especially if they are made by a group. If you ever come across a guinea pig, or happen to be a pet owner yourself, you must have heard a lot of noises. However it is very tricky to distinguish them all.

This is absolutely normal because there is not much of a correlation between how a rodent and human would non-verbally communicate. Many owners will record noises others have never heard. However in most common cases, if a guinea pig squeals loudly, it means they are stressed about something. They might squeak loudly if confronted with dangerous situations like an attack or sudden changes happening in their environment. For example, shifting to a new room might be perceived as threatening. They could also be stressed because they are hungry so you might want to check if your guinea pig needs food.

Another possibility if you hear your guinea pig squeak loudly is that it is suffering from an illness. Perhaps, your guinea pig might be feeling uncomfortable which is making it squeal loudly and the reason for this discomfort could be some underlying health condition.

What does it mean if a guinea pig squeaks softly?

Just as they communicate with loud noises, they will also communicate through a softer 'wheek'. Just as in the case of loud squeals, certain behaviors may indicate something other than what is typical for your piggy. Socializing and playtime are important parts of a guinea pig's life, and if neglected, it could lead to stress or depression and they make these sounds in order to communicate with their human. As your pet, guinea pigs can soon make you understand their language. Guinea pigs will instantly express their delight if they spot something they like. It could be something as simple as food! Their favorite food includes plants and veggies and your pet might wheek out of joy if they see their food coming to them.

At times you might notice them squealing timidly. Having cats around might not be a good idea as they have a tendency to attack any moving object that is smaller than them and the presence of your guinea pig might get the cat excited. Guinea pigs also look a lot like mice so it might be a bit risky to keep them under the same roof.

On the not so nice side, they'll rumble out of rage if they are unable to settle well with their cage mate. They express their their discomfort through softer vocalizations at times. If you own a cat, you must keep your cat and guinea pig apart.

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