I'm confused!

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PennyV

PennyV

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My two wee rescue piggies seem to be quite fond of me, which I suppose might very well be based on the fact that I rarely appear without a tasty treat for them! However, when I talk to them and scratch their heads, they chatter a bit, which I thought was a sign of displeasure. They also do this sometimes when they're rushing up to the grids when I come into the room. And when I scratch Jujube under the chin, I thought the sound he makes was a form of happy purring, but when I saw something similar on YouTube, some people said it was a sound of pleasure, while others said it was growling. So I'm confused! Do they not like my snuggles? I listened to the sounds on a link that someone posted and DH and I agreed that we couldn't tell the difference between the happy sounds and the 'Go away!' sounds! I hope I'm not annoying them!
 
Is it a brrrrrrr sound? Brrrrrrr tends to mean displeasure, ours do it at the phone, at keys jangling or if I stoke Cookie's sides... I think purring may sound similar and this is a happy sound but I've never knowingly heard it!

I'm sure your piggies love your snuggles :)) don't worry
 
If it's sort of shivery purrrr then it's defo pleasure. Mine do it when they go back into their cage (lol) ! They also talk to you softly when you are being nice to them (aka a good slave).

You can't mistake a piggie who's worried as their tone of voice goes up and they look stressed. They raise their heads and look alarmed. One of mine does this when another member of the herd gets too close to her (she likes her personal space, does Bubbles). Apart from the wheeek which causes their sides and sometimes ears to move, the only other sound that sounds vaguely like a brrrrr (or purrr) is very rare and is more like a bird chirping. It's quite loud and no one that I have been in contact with knows why they do it and why it's rare.
 
It does take a little reading of the body language to interpret the noises, that's the best way to tell.

Firstly there is the the shuddery brr- which is short and sharp and the body language is bold and fearful, often accompanied by a bolt into hiding. This noise is heard when they hear something high pitched and unplesant, keys etc.

Then there's the sensual brrrrrrr- its a long slow noise often accomptanied by a wagging bum and slow footsteps. This is a I'm sexually arroused/ I'm the boss. Often reffered to as the rumble strut (nothing to be concerned about)

Then we have the affection brrr/purr its distinctly lower in tone and a piGgy will be relaxed when making this noise. Some make it some don't. Theo does it when getting his ear scratched and aliza when its chin rubs. Body posture is low the ground, stretching out sort of stance, very relaxed.

A chatter is distinct nothing like the brrrrrrs/purrs and you can tell its the teeth. It means I'm warning you, I'm scared go away and the piggy will be agitated and often stand still and bold and very high. I get it after nail clipping and baths.

I think the noise your describing is the pleasurable one as they run over to you and don't run away. I wouldn't be concerned a piggy that dislikes something will just run away x
 
A lot depends on the context and the body language - growling when coming up to the mesh merely means for instance "Finally - can't you move faster?" :))

Your piggies are now at the stage where they trust you enough to make their likes and dislikes known. Don't feel discouraged - you are making good process!
 
They seem to be happy, so I suppose their body language is telling me it's OK. I'm used to cats and dogs; you really know where you are with them!

Johnny's going to film them interacting with me. Jujube likes to nose-to-nose with me through the grid round the hayloft (my face height! :) ) Yes, I think they like me... :)
 
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