Wheeking

Ramia

Ramia

Adult Guinea Pig
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Is it true wheeking is only directed to humans? Stripe does it but I'm not sure if it's to me or to Chesney.
 
Babies have a specific 'lost baby in need of rescue' wheek, which is different to the food/attention seeking wheek they use on humans but they are very vocal anyway.
The food wheek is also distinctly different to any submission wheeking or an ouch/surprise wheek in youngsters.
 
Adult Guineas don’t necessarily ‘wheek’ to each other, they vocalise more with body language and low rumbles.
Random ‘wheeks’ that you may hear can sometimes be a sign of pain or discomfort. Such as an ouchy wee, or getting poked in the eye by a piece of hay.
They have certainly learnt that loud wheeking is the best way to get humans attention.
 
Guinea pigs have a kind of wheek that they use with each other (i.e. if one pig is showing submission to a higher-ranking pig), but it's not exactly the same as the food wheek. While not all pigs wheek for food/attention, some of the ones that do have a REALLY demanding tone to it! One of our past pigs (Hadley, in my avatar pic) used to wheek for food and then wheek louder if the food was taking too long showing up, and she was really insistent about it!
 
Yes, wheeking is mostly directed at humans! Guinea pigs have learned that wheeking gets their humans' attention, especially when they want food. In the wild, guinea pigs don’t usually wheek at each other—it's something they’ve adapted to do for their owners.


However, some guinea pigs might wheek when they hear or see another guinea pig, especially if they’re excited or expecting food. If Stripe is wheeking, it’s most likely for you, but it’s possible he’s also reacting to Chesney’s movements or sounds (like if Chesney is near the food area).


Do you notice Stripe wheeking more when you walk by or talk to him, or does he do it when he sees Chesney? That might help figure it out! 😊
 
Chesney wheeks for food but sometimes Stripe will do a zoom then wheek, so I'm wondering if he's just happy.
 
That’s so cute! 😄 If Stripe is zooming and then wheeking, he’s probably just excited and happy! Guinea pigs can wheek for different reasons, and while it’s mostly a “feed me!” sound, some piggies also wheek when they’re energetic or playful.


Since Chesney wheeks for food but Stripe does zoomies before wheeking, it sounds like Stripe might be expressing happiness rather than just begging. Some guinea pigs even “talk” to themselves while playing! If he’s not looking at you or heading toward the food area when he does it, it’s likely just a happy noise.
 
I just heard my two wheeking this morning, and when I went in they weren't out immediately (but then they came out when they realised that I had come in).

One sometimes starts wheeking really loudly in order to alert the other that it's time for the hoomans to bring dinner.
 
Moses and Miriam happily chatter to each other sometimes.
It’s a mix of rumbling ( Moses ), purring and a ‘ not demanding food’ sort of wheek / chattering sound.
They have only just started wheeking at me when they hear me coming upstairs with food.

I love the different vocalisations from guinea pigs but it’s all about understanding the context as well as the sounds
 
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