Why did my guinea pig growl?
This morning, when I reached into my guinea pig’s cage to give him food, he growled at me. I also heard him growl again while I was adding hay. I’ve heard that this behavior might indicate he wants to mate. However, I can’t have a female guinea pig because my parents don’t approve; my mom even calls him a rat and dislikes him. Is there anything I should be concerned about or any advice you can provide? Thank you!
7 Answers
Spoiling your piggie is wonderful! I’m glad to hear that you give your piggie extra love. Mine are very spoiled too 🙂 Your piggie didn’t growl at you… guinea pigs aren’t really capable of growling. What you probably heard was a noise that sounds like a growl, but it really means that he’s excited or happy. It happened while you were putting food in his cage, right? He was probably looking forward to a tasty meal! The other reason he may have made that noise was because he was scared. Guinea pigs are prey animals in the wild, and they retain that instinct in captivity. No matter how friendly and tame your piggie is, he may still be afraid when a hand comes toward him or a shadow passes over him, even if he knows and loves you! It’s just in a guinea pigs’ nature.
Researchers found that guinea pigs make about 9 different sounds, but it takes a trained ear to distinguish them. Average owners hear 3 or 4…
-The “wheek!” which means “i want food! or i’m excited!”
-The “purr” which sounds like rumbling or a growl, and may mean “i’m happy! or i’m afraid/cautious!” they also make this noise when you pet or scratch them at places they really like.
-The “rumble” which is made when they want to mate. It kind of sounds like a motorboat, and vibrates while the piggie makes the noise. This is part of an act called “rumble-strutting” in which the guinea pig sways from side to side, making this noise to show he wants to breed (and females do it to show dominance over another pig).
-The “mutter” is made when your guinea pig is happy or content. they may make this noise when walking around in their cage or while you are holding them, and shows general happiness!
I hope this helps you! Enjoy your guinea pig and I’m sure he’ll enjoy you! If you’d like to hear many different guinea pig noises, and also read about what they mean, check out my friend Jackie’s guinea pig webpage.
http://www.jackiesguineapiggies.com/guineapigsound…
Guinea pigs are VERY territorial.. I’ve noticed with many small animals, two or more females placed together get along way better than a pair of males. Males have aggression and dominance especially in a small cage where they feel the need to protect their areas. You could always give them a few days to get along, separate and reintroduce in a bigger area or just separate them permanently… It’s a risk keeping them together in case one decides to attack. You CAN give guinea pigs banana but I wouldn’t recommend doing so in large quantities.
Sounds like he rumbled at you not growled piggy’s some times do this if they feel a little unsure of what’s happening. They also do it and saw their bums when introducing themselves to little ladies. Dont worry he will be fine and he isnt cross with you!
That wasn’t a growl. If it was a low, vibrating type sound, it means it was either scared or happy. Look at this site:
http://www.jackiesguineapiggies.com/guineapigsound…
you have to hold them on a regular basis and they have to be in a area of the house where they see people alot. Make sure it always has food and water so that it is in a good mood.
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