Chirping

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Shelley

Shelley

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I'm just wondering what it means when a guinea pig chirps? I saw a video on youtube and their was mixed comments: some people were quite outraged believing the chirping to be a sign of stress and others just believed the wee guy was just doing it for the sake of it.

Anyone any ideas? I personally thought the guinea pig looked terrified.
 
hmmm i'm not sure why they do it. one of mine did it the other night for the first time ever and it confused me abit, i thought there was a bird in the hutch. hadn't heard it before. but the piggy seem fine, just seemed in some kind of trance. and all my other one just stood and listened. we've had him a year and their in a routine so there was nothing out of the ordirnary for him to be scared of. :{
 
Chirping is one noise I've never experienced, and I've had many different pigs over the years.

I'd love to hear a guinea pig chirp, it'd be amazing. Very rare though, apparently!
 
i can't remember which site it was now, but on one guinea pig fan site they said that it's what they do like a mating call? i've never heard my piggies do it to be honest but that's what i read x
 
This is my Patrick chirping..

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc4F31NYUUU[/ame]

And Milo..

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wML9NA6g5II[/ame]

At first when Patrick did it I did think happiness, but after seeing Milo chirping I'm not convinced. I think it's unhappiness, or distress. Certainly at the time Milo was chirping, Bette was spasming and I was crying not a happy time.
 
aww dear :( noone knows for sure why they do it, i've never heard mine doing it, but if it's a sad noise then i'm glad! your cage is fab :) x
 
Hadn't thought about it being a sad noise, but have only heard it once - and that was from Misty just after we lost her sister so maybe that fits? Although she was out of the cage and enjoying being fussed before and after?
 
One of my guineas made this noise, quite loudly and for several minutes, for the first time(that I was aware of) about 3 months ago. They were in the conservatory because of the cold weather and I thought there was a bird in there. She'd also been unwell a couple of weeks previously and took to acting rather strangely for a while. I would say that she didn't look happy, rather transfixed and only stopped when I picked her up. It almost felt like she was calling for someone, but I don't know who as her long-time companion was with her. I found it rather unsettling and am glad she hasn't done it again. I did some looking around in the internet but didn't get any more idea of what it meant.
 
I'm not sure if Tinkerbell has done it since we got her, but today, I was petting her, and ran my finger backward against her fur, and she started freaking out. did I do something wrong or is it just this particular piggie? To be honest, I think that she was abused and sent back to the pet store that we got her from because it has been a 10 days since we got her, and she is still very skittish. Its gotten to where I am afraid to pick her up. Also she will not eat veggies. Does anyone have any suggestions other than patience. I mean if that is the only option ok, but I would like another option.
 
From my experience, which I admit is only with my 2 who are now 5, but they are very sensitive about their coats and although they don't mind being brushed, if I mess around with them, or try easing out loose hair when they're moulting, they don't like it, and squeak indignantly, particularly if it's against normal fur growth. So I suggest being patient with this.
About the veggies, is there nothing that she will eat? My guineas love dandelions best of all, and also fresh grass, apart from that. some guineas love some things while other won't touch the same things. Is she eating normally otherwise, such as hay?
 
Thanks also to guinea pig slave. I also saw this link, but am no nearer to finding out what it means! It almost felt like she was calling out to some higher being, but then I decided I was just being plain daft and perhaps the cold weather was addling my brain|!
Anyway, still pleased to get ideas about what might have been going on
 
One of my pigs, Willow does this quite often. With her, I don't think it is a stressed call at all as she is usually in her hutch with the others and with nothing out of the ordinary happening. She usually does it late at night/early hours but I have heard her do it in the daytime too.

I have no idea what it means though I really wish I did! It doesn't seem to be a stressed noise OR a happy noise as the others kinds freeze and watch her whilst she zones out :{ It's a bit, well, odd!

I have four other pigs and of the times I have definatley identified the singer, it was always Willow rolleyes I've never heared any of the others do it.

popcornapple said:
Thanks also to guinea pig slave. I also saw this link, but am no nearer to finding out what it means! It almost felt like she was calling out to some higher being, but then I decided I was just being plain daft and perhaps the cold weather was addling my brain|!
Anyway, still pleased to get ideas about what might have been going on
Click to expand...

Lol, you may actually be onto something there!
 
popcornapple said:
From my experience, which I admit is only with my 2 who are now 5, but they are very sensitive about their coats and although they don't mind being brushed, if I mess around with them, or try easing out loose hair when they're moulting, they don't like it, and squeak indignantly, particularly if it's against normal fur growth. So I suggest being patient with this.
About the veggies, is there nothing that she will eat? My guineas love dandelions best of all, and also fresh grass, apart from that. some guineas love some things while other won't touch the same things. Is she eating normally otherwise, such as hay?
Click to expand...

Yeah, she eats hay and her regular food normally, its just veggies she won't eat. Maybe it depends on the piggie
 
One of my girls does it sometimes always in the night
for some reason! I have no idea what it means. Although ive watched her when she does it and she doesn't seem scared or stressed. I did notice david always weeks back at her but i think he's just being a sex pest!
 
My Felix chirps about once a month or so.

I have tried to find a pattern to it but there is none. I'm not very fond of him doing it and usually try to distract him or give him a cuddle. It just seems odd. I was however pleased to have heard it, I researched it loads when he first did it and was quite pleased he seemed to be special. I find it odd how rare it seems to be.

The interesting thing is, about two months ago my other pig Mr. Wendall began chirping aswell. I just assumed it was Felix at first. I was so shoscked to when I realized it was Mr. Wendall. I'm not sure if he would have always been a chirper or if he has learned it from Felix. Two chirpers.
 
Has anyone noticed if bird song is effecting this?

One of my piggies Thrace does this often, for a week it was nightly, at around 4am just as the birds were starting, it was like she was singing to them mallethead
The first time I checked if they were alright, as when I'd previously heard it with a past pig (who was deaf, blind, head tilt resulting in only turning left, but such a sweetie best pig I ever had) she was just staring at the wall. inbreeding

Cool to hear but very annoying when your trying to sleep, and when it's every night grrrr
 
The only pig of ours that has done this was Sam and was not long after we first got him. It was around midnight and we were watching TV and heard the chirping. We looked over and he was sat there with his head held high chirping away. This went on for about 5 minutes or so then he lay down and went to sleep. I put it down to being happy, as he now had 4 sows at his beck and call and a huge cage :))
 
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