Guinea Pig Behaviour and Feelings

Observing our pet guinea pigs' behaviour can tell us about their physical and mental health. We can see if they are moving around with ease and how they interact with each other and their environment. A concept which is receiving more attention in positive animal welfare is the promotion of agency. Agency can be thought of as the motivation an animal has to engage with their environment (environment meaning both living and non-living entities). How an animal chooses to interact their environment, i.e., their behaviour, indicates their willingness to engage with what is around them, and therefore how relevant, interesting or safe that environment is. We should aim to promote guinea pig agency by providing relevant, stimulating and safe environments for them - in return you will see see the full personalities of your pets. Guinea pigs display fascinating vocal communication, this is related to their complex social life as well as other ecological factors. They also express many characteristic postural behaviours, we are only beginning to understand these. For example, I have observed what I call the 'head toss/wobble', which seems to mean 'no' or that something is not particularly to their liking; to my knowledge, I've not seen this reported in the literature.

Vocalisations

Belle and Roxy can be heard in the above clip, chatting away to each other whilst engaged in play. Guinea pig vocalisations are helpful in determining emotional states. You will hear them chatting to each other or seemingly to themselves. They have contact calls to maintain group cohesion and coordination, a sound refered to as a 'chut' by Berryman (1976) - the word used to describe this sound varies depending on the reference source. They have a variety of squeaks, bubbling-type sounds and chirrups when talking or playing together. The 'wheek' noise is familiar to those who live with piggies, I often hear this when my piggies haven't seen me for a while, or when they hear food packets or fridge doors opening! - i.e., they fancy a bite to eat! They produce an alarm sound, 'drrr', associated with a perceived threat, this may be followed by 'freezing' or running away. 'Purring' is a courtship sound, accompanying what's known as a 'rumba display', involving swaying movements of the body; exhibiting both a courtship call and a courtship display is rare in mammals, this is usually found in birds and frogs.

Guinea pigs produce a rare sound, known as the 'chirp' or 'song', the function of which seems related to a physical or environmental change. In collaboration with Professor Patricia Monticelli, I am developing a citizen science research project to investigate the meaning of this vocalisation so please get in contact if your guinea pigs chirp! A link to take part in the study will be found here once ready. Click the clip below to hear Rosie engaged in chirping - very much like a small bird or bat!

I find that vocalisations made when piggies are in a lot of pain/scared are distinct and easily recognised, being squeal-like sounds. When very frightened, piggies may emit high-pitched squeals/screams, for example when not used to being handled or when at the vet. Some sounds seem to mean different things depending on context e.g. teeth chattering can mean they are in pain or not happy with another piggy being near them, but I have also heard this when a piggy seems to be anticipating being fed. This is not an exhaustive list, scientific sources which detail communication in both wild, Cavia aperea, and domestic guinea pigs, Cavia porcellus, include Monticelli and Ades (2013) and Verzola-Olivio and Monticelli (2017). A future project is to provide a sound library link here.

Positive low arousal behaviour, guinea pigs at ease with each other, exposing feet.

Positive behaviours

You can use guinea pig behaviour to help you understand how they are feeling. When piggies are happy or comfortable and feeling safe, they may express positive high arousal behaviour. 'Popcorning', which involves jumping straight up and down, often turning/twisting the body very quickly, is thought to be associated with good feelings. Certainly, when I have seen this movement it has been in what appears to be a positive context. However, as a caveat here, I will mention that there could be times when a guinea pig is trying to escape by using this manoeuvre - research is still needed to fully understand guinea pig behaviour, so we need caution when making interpretations. They also exhibit what look like 'spasms' of different body areas in succession, such as very quick jerking movements of the head or legs with or without a 'popcorn'. These may be followed by sprinting around alone or together in play. I have provided clips below of these behaviours. They also express positive low arousal behaviour when feeling safe such as lying down outstretched with feet exposed, in bodily contact with other piggies lying down, or you may observe them with eyes shut too. Generally alert, active piggies, who want to interact with you, who chatter away while they potter about, busy within their environment, represents healthy, happy piggies.

Popcorning in action

'Popcorns' in action are tricky to catch on camera without just a blur! However, I managed to film Rosie nicely demonstrating some nice popcorning action in the two clips below.

The short clip below shows Rosie and Belle in a temporary outdoor 'run' (please note the type of wire seen here is not suitable for unsupervised, permanent outdoor areas, due to being too weak). Rosie had been doing 'popcorns' followed by the behaviour I mentioned above - the very quick jerking movements of the head. I managed to capture these movements, which seem to be associated with contentment, indeed, they followed the 'popcorns' in quick succession.

Negative behaviours

If piggies are hiding away all the time and not moving for long periods, this may indicate they are in pain or scared. Be aware that they may also teeth chatter when they are in pain (although this can indicate other states too). Signs of fear include:

'freezing'
wide eyes
shaking/trembling
rapid breathing
urgent digging or running to try to escape
vocalisation
other unsual behaviour

Gnawing bars is not a good sign if it happens a lot; your piggies may be frustrated due to boredom or lack of space; gnawing metal may potentially harm their front teeth too. This needs addressing so identify what could be causing this. Example causes: Is it a dietary issue: Is there enough hay? Is there enough enrichment to gnaw on? Are they frustrated: Do your piggies have enough space to run and play with each other?