Hey! We are new to the guinea pig world! We are so excited. We have a huge cage, proper diet, and have tried to set up a great routine. We got them from petco a week ago. I am just worried because they make almost no noise at all. No wheeking or anything. Only a little rumbling sound from one when I think he is setting domince with the other. They were not in the same cage at the pet store when we got them. Not sure if I should be worried that they are not making any sound. Any advice would be helpful!
Hi and welcome
It is sadly a common misconception that piggies are animated cuddly toy pets, driven by the human choice on social media as what is considered cut, funny or gross by humans - so what you get is by no means a reflection of reality.
Your piggies are likely still very much daunted by new supproundings. Try to cover the top of the cage (or at least a good part of it, including the hay area) with a sheet to give them an added feeling of safety. Being exposed to wide open space can help to trigger prey animal instincts as they are very exposed to danger from the iar and to larger ground predators. Guinea pigs are wired to live and den in thick undergrowth.
Please give your piggies more time to settle in a very different pet home environment, learn how you can avoid triggering prey animal instinct and give your piggies a social identity and reassurance in their own language to help them feel that they 'belong' and are 'safe'.
You should find these links here helpful to understand where your piggies come from, how you can work around it and bond with them on their side of the species divider instead of having to wait until they have fingured out humans as smelly large food giving probably not-predators. It is not a quick and instant process but these tips can help to speed it up. Trust is a tender plant that needs to make deep roots first before it can grow.
Arrival in a home from the perspective of pet shop guinea pigs
How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pigs Safely
Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs (including ideas how you can interact and connect with your piggies during enriched feeding and exploring their environment).
Your boys are still sub-teenage; unless one of them is very dominant, you may not see a lot of hubbub.
Here is the access link to our full and much more comprehensive practical step-by-step how-to information collection on all the areas that new owners come up against and that will give even more experienced owners food for thought and support. You may want to bookmark it - unlike a book, the guides format allow us to constantly add and update:
Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
All the best!
