Guinea Pig: A Way Of Life

Guinea pigs have been our pets in Europe and North America since the 16th century. The small rodents come from South America, from where they were imported by seafarers, and still live in the wild today. We would like to present the special features of the small “Quicker” to you here.

Way Of Life

Guinea pigs originally come from South America. Their habitat is mainly at altitudes of 1600 to 4000 m above sea level. There they live in packs of 10 to 15 animals, which are led by a buck, in caves or other hiding places. They prefer to move through long grass on well-trodden paths. Their diet consists mainly of grasses and herbs, but they do not despise roots and fruits either. Guinea pigs are most active in the early morning hours and at dusk, which can also be observed in our pet guinea pigs.

Guinea Pig Language

The little chubby rodents are also real “chatterboxes”. There are many different sounds. If children have contact with the guinea pigs, they should also get to know the differences between the various vocalizations so that they do not misunderstand the language of the pigs. Audio samples for the individual sounds can be found on the Internet.

• “Bromsel”

This is a humming sound that male bucks usually use to woo the females. The males move towards and around the females, rocking their hind quarters and lowering their heads. In an all-male flat share, squeezing clarifies the hierarchy among the individual animals.

• “Chirp”

This is the loudest vocalization of guinea pigs. It is very similar to the chirping of a bird and many an owner has searched the room at night for a lost friend with feathers. The chirping costs the pig a lot of strength and energy. The reasons for this vocalization, which can last up to 20 minutes, can only be guessed at. The animals usually chirp in situations in which they are socially overwhelmed (e.g. when there is a lack of clarity in the hierarchy when a partner is ill/dead or it is used to cope with stress). The roommates usually fall into a state of rigidity during this type of vocalization. If the owner goes to the cage, the chirping usually stops, if he turns away again, the chirping continues. Most guinea pigs utter these sounds in the dark – a mild light source (e.g. night light for children or similar) can help. The basic rule is: If a piggy chirps, the owner should pay attention and ask the following questions: Are there ranking problems? Is the animal sick or unwell?

• “Whistles/flutes/squeaks”

On the one hand, this is a sound of abandonment – for example, when an animal is separated from the group. It then whistles “Where are you?” and the others whistle back “Here we are – come here!”.

Second, the squeak is a warning sound that is uttered once or twice. It then means something like: “Warning, enemy – run away!”

Many pigs also squeak when there is something to eat or to greet the owner. Opening the refrigerator door or a drawer with food in it often triggers violent squeaking.

A higher-pitched variant of the whistle is heard when the animal is panicking, frightened, or in pain. Please take this seriously when handling your animals, but do not be alarmed if you hear the noise from your piggy for the first time at the vet. Here the whistle is a mixture of all the situations mentioned.

When transporting, please think of a sufficiently large and well-ventilated box (a cat transport box is best) into which the animal can withdraw immediately after treatment and avoid – if possible – the hot midday time in summer for a visit to the vet or other transports.

• “purring”

Purring is a soothing sound that guinea pigs make when they hear an unpleasant noise (e.g. the rattling of a bunch of keys or the sound of a vacuum cleaner) or when they are displeased with something. In contrast to the purring of a cat, it definitely expresses dissatisfaction.

• “Teeth chattering”

On the one hand, this is a warning sound, on the other hand, it represents an act of showing off. During arguments, people often chatter their teeth. If the owner is “rattled”, the animal wants to be left alone. They often rattle out of impatience, for example, if it takes longer than they would like to get the food.