Trying To Suss Them Out

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AnnaHeath

AnnaHeath

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hi all,
We got our first family pets on Saturday, 2 gorgeous Guinea pigs called Chewbacca and General Grievous, I feel like I did when I had my first baby! Trying to ensure they have everything they need and are happy. Surprisingly they came out of their hidey in their cage within a couple of hours of getting them home, and although seem shy, see, quite confident to say they've not been here much.

Anyway they are two boys, so I'm concerned about fighting.... So when the veggies go in their cage, they come running out of their "cave" and spring in to the air like a little jump, they're also seem to do a high pitched squeak to each other. Last night after getting all excited about their veggies, they seemed to start running around like mad, and even bumped in to each other head first... They keep stealing food out of each other's mouth also. One has rumbles and wiggled his bum at the other a couple of times, I guess I just wanted a bit of a chat about what to expect when they're happy and what they do to be aggressive with each other. Last night when they were hyped up on kale, I swear one made a noise like a bird signing.....
 
AnnaHeath said:
hi all,
We got our first family pets on Saturday, 2 gorgeous Guinea pigs called Chewbacca and General Grievous, I feel like I did when I had my first baby! Trying to ensure they have everything they need and are happy. Surprisingly they came out of their hidey in their cage within a couple of hours of getting them home, and although seem shy, see, quite confident to say they've not been here much.

Anyway they are two boys, so I'm concerned about fighting.... So when the veggies go in their cage, they come running out of their "cave" and spring in to the air like a little jump, they're also seem to do a high pitched squeak to each other. Last night after getting all excited about their veggies, they seemed to start running around like mad, and even bumped in to each other head first... They keep stealing food out of each other's mouth also. One has rumbles and wiggled his bum at the other a couple of times, I guess I just wanted a bit of a chat about what to expect when they're happy and what they do to be aggressive with each other. Last night when they were hyped up on kale, I swear one made a noise like a bird signing.....
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome

You may find our new owners guide collection helpful; it may answer many of your questions. New Owners' " How To" Starter Kit

What you are describing is normal mild dominance behaviour as they establish/re-establish a hierarchy in new territory. In the picture, they are doing a spot of chinning up, which is another mild dominance behaviour. Your boys are too young yet for the teenage hormones anyway! We have an illustrated bonding/dominance behaviour and a boar guide included in our guide bundle, which contain further links. The boar guide will also help you to remove/avoid the most common flash points for fights. ;)

'Chirping' is a striking, but not all that common behaviour which we do not yet understand. Some people say that it signals some kind of upset or worry, but this doesn't cover all situations and cases by any means. The cause is most likely much more complicated.
We call the jumping 'popcorning' and it is an expressing of exuberance and happiness. 'Zooming', dashing at full speed, is another sign of happiness (as well as a good way of getting rid of excess energy).
We do not have a detailed behaviour guide, as guinea pigs have a much more differentiated way of communicating than you might expect; as humans we cannot hear the full range of sounds so quite different expressions sound very similar to us. We also have to take into account the body language (stiff or relaxed) and scent communication (guinea pigs have much better noses) as well as situational context. The good news is that guinea pigs are great communicators, so you'll catch on very quickly anyway! As long as yours are boisterous and joyful, you need not worry. You can also not miss when tensions are getting serious.
If you want a little beginner's guide to sounds, here is a link where the interpretation doesn't contain some gross errors as do most online audio guides: Guinea Pig Sounds

You can find much more information at the top of our various Care sections, which you may find helpful, but you are always welcome to ask any questions you have along in there.
 
Hello and a very warm welcome to you and the boys. Excellent reply by @Wiebke above. Can't add to it. Look forward to seeing more of your boys on the forum. They are very cute looking.
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. Exciting times in your house.
I can relate to what you say about having your first baby. I was only thinking about this yesterday. 2 years ago I returned to piggys after a 6 year gap, everything seemed to have changed in piggy ownership and I was worried and anxious about doing something that would make them ill or frightened. A few months ago I got a second pair and everything with them is so much more relaxed, just like taking a second baby home!
 
Wiebke said:
Hi and welcome

You may find our new owners guide collection helpful; it may answer many of your questions. New Owners' " How To" Starter Kit

What you are describing is normal mild dominance behaviour as they establish/re-establish a hierarchy in new territory. In the picture, they are doing a spot of chinning up, which is another mild dominance behaviour. Your boys are too young yet for the teenage hormones anyway! We have an illustrated bonding/dominance behaviour and a boar guide included in our guide bundle, which contain further links. The boar guide will also help you to remove/avoid the most common flash points for fights. ;)

'Chirping' is a striking, but not all that common behaviour which we do not yet understand. Some people say that it signals some kind of upset or worry, but this doesn't cover all situations and cases by any means. The cause is most likely much more complicated.
We call the jumping 'popcorning' and it is an expressing of exuberance and happiness. 'Zooming', dashing at full speed, is another sign of happiness (as well as a good way of getting rid of excess energy).
We do not have a detailed behaviour guide, as guinea pigs have a much more differentiated way of communicating than you might expect; as humans we cannot hear the full range of sounds so quite different expressions sound very similar to us. We also have to take into account the body language (stiff or relaxed) and scent communication (guinea pigs have much better noses) as well as situational context. The good news is that guinea pigs are great communicators, so you'll catch on very quickly anyway! As long as yours are boisterous and joyful, you need not worry. You can also not miss when tensions are getting serious.
If you want a little beginner's guide to sounds, here is a link where the interpretation doesn't contain some gross errors as do most online audio guides: Guinea Pig Sounds

You can find much more information at the top of our various Care sections, which you may find helpful, but you are always welcome to ask any questions you have along in there.
Click to expand...
Hi, and thanks for your reply, I will check out the link you have sent, and try and relax a bit! They are so entertaining, and always talking....such characters.....I've hardly watched tv since getting them and my boys (human ones age 4&5) love them. Where's best on the forum to generally chat and share pictures? I can see myself becoming a crazy Guinea pig lady! Haha. Also I love the haypigs funky toys, are there any other sites which are good for getting them funky looking things to play,with ?
 
AnnaHeath said:
Hi, and thanks for your reply, I will check out the link you have sent, and try and relax a bit! They are so entertaining, and always talking....such characters.....I've hardly watched tv since getting them and my boys (human ones age 4&5) love them. Where's best on the forum to generally chat and share pictures? I can see myself becoming a crazy Guinea pig lady! Haha. Also I love the haypigs funky toys, are there any other sites which are good for getting them funky looking things to play,with ?
Click to expand...

When you go to the home page of the forum, you can find first a Care section for all questions piggy.
Below that, we have got a Chat section with guinea pig and general chat as well as a photo slot.
Rescue is below that. Just click on the section you want to post in.
The Guinea Pig Forum
 
Welcome! I remember saying that having human babies was less stressful! And my eldest was a particularly stressy baby!

Enjoy them, and the crazy GP journey
 
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