Guinea Pig Behavior
Guinea pigs communicate and interact with each other, through behaviour and sound. They can also show their feelings towards us humans. Often movement accompanies the sound they are making. As well as looking gorgeous and extremely cute, a guinea pigs behavior matches their cute looks... most of the time. Every animal/human naturally have different moods and the guinea pig is no exception.
Aggression
An angry guinea pig will start teeth chattering, its a sound heard when they are are clacking their teeth together. Although its rare, if its directed at you, they are telling you to keep away, so please be respectful if your guinea pig is annoyed or upset. Guinea pigs seldom teeth chatter at humans and rarely ever bite, but just be aware that if they are extremely upset or afraid, they may nip. When a guinea pig is teeth chattering at another guinea pig, a fight may break out. This often happens when two boars meet for the first time and they are trying to sort out their position in the hierarchy. It can also happen with sows when they first meet. Usually the fur around their necks will be raised to make them seem larger. They will sway from side to side and look very agitated, they may also show their teeth. If you see your guinea pigs doing this to each another, its best to separate them before they fly at each other, just remember to watch your hands. Place a towel over them to confuse them, then you can separate them.
Barbering
Barbering is another word for chewing hair. Some guinea pigs chew their cage mate hair.
Begging for Food
Guinea pigs love to beg for a tasty treat. As their confidence grows, not only will they start wheeking when they think their veggies are on way, but they often stand up on their hind legs, just like a dog. They become very excited and will be looking in your direction with eager eyes that are hoping you've seen them.
Biting
Seldom do guinea pigs bite their owners. Often they just nibble or bite as a way of communication, especially young guinea pigs who are still learning and testing their limits. There are many reasons why a guinea pig will nip or bite. Maybe the guinea pig isn't being held correctly and is worried, frightened or uncomfortable. If you've been holding your guinea pig for a while, they may nibble your clothes as a way of communicating to you that they need the toilet. Try not to hold your guinea pig longer than 10 to 15 minutes at a time, they can't cross their legs and hold on any longer.
Some guinea pigs bite by accident, when you are feeding them. In anticipation of getting a tasty treat, they may misjudge and accidentally nip your finger instead of the treat. In addition, if you've been handling food, they may make the mistake of thinking your finger is food, so always wash your hands before holding your guinea pig. Guinea pigs may bite because of a skin problem like mites. Holding, stroking/touching a guinea pig with mites can cause them great discomfort and they'll try anything to stop the pain. They will try to nip the area to get some relief, but if your hand is in the way, they may nip you by mistake. Because your touching the area that's effected, usually on their backs, you may have triggered the discomfort. If you notice this behaviour and your guinea pig is excessively scratching and biting their skin, please see your vet for a diagnoses of mites as soon as possible. Mange mites are a painful condition for a guinea pig.
Biting the Cage Bars
Some guinea pigs are prone to biting the bars of their cage. A few guinea pigs may bite the bars because they are bored and they are wanting some attention. If they persist on doing it, you could try placing a new toy in their cage. If your guinea pig is living on their own they will naturally become bored and lonely, even if you spend a lot of time with them. They really do need a cage mate, so please always consider keeping two guinea pigs. If your guinea pig is living in a small cage and isn't getting any much needed free range time, they will become stressed and bite the bars out of sheer frustration. Please try and provide a larger cage or certainly increase their free range time. You wouldn't like to be locked up in a small cage without any freedom would you! so please think of your guinea pigs happiness.
Coprophagy: Eating Poop
If you see a guinea pig duck their head underneath and then notice that they are munching on something, well they are actually eating their own poop. It may sound unsavoury to us humans, but its very normal behaviour for guinea pigs. Rabbits also eat their own poops. They aren't the normal poops that you see in the cage, these poops are smaller and softer. Guinea pigs need to re-ingests these soft poops because the guinea pigs digestive system doesn't extract all the vitamins from the food straight away.
Depressed
If you see your guinea pig hunched up in a corner, looking very sad and depressed, they may be poorly. Try offering your guinea pig their favourite food. If they show no interest, please take your guinea pig to the vets straight away. I'm always concerned if one of my guinea pigs won't be tempted by a favourite treat. Guinea pigs can go down hill very quickly, sometimes they may have been poorly for a while without showing any symptoms. Guinea pigs can hide their illness because its part of their natural instinct. In the wild, its a survival defence against predators picking out an easy target. Prompt veterinary treatment is vital, so this is why you need keep a close eye on your guinea pigs.
Freezing
Guinea pigs will often stand very still for a short time if they are afraid or they hear a sudden sound that they are unfamiliar with. Its their way of making themselves seem invisible and letting others know in the group, that there's something to worry about. Often a freeze position is accompanied by a very short vibrating sound, which also indicates they are afraid. You may hear and see this behaviour when the telephone rings or someone knocks on the door.
Licking
Yes, some guinea pigs like to lick you, while you are holding them. I like to think of it as guinea pig kisses. Even though I like to think they are being extra affectionate, some people think its because your skin tastes of salt which they like. I'm not completely convinced, so I'm sticking to the idea of very affectionate behaviour.
Mating Dance
Both males and females will do the mating dance. A guinea pig will swing their hips back and forth and make a vibrating sound The vibrating sound is known as motorboating or as I like to call it, rumbling. A female guinea pig will also do the mating dance with another female or a male, if she's feeling hormonal.
Mounting
Although this is seen as sexual behaviour when mating, it can also be a sign of dominance towards another guinea pig. A dominate male will do this to a submissive male, usually seen when they meet up, they are just sorting out who is going to be boss. A female can also mount another female if she is in season or even a neutered male if he's not paying much attention to her. Its all very normal, so don't worry if you see guinea pigs of the same sex mounting each other, but if males are doing it to each other, just look out for signs of aggression.
The actually act of mounting, only takes a few quick seconds, but after a little rest, the mounting will commence again. Before mounting commences, there can be quite a bit of chasing involved. The guinea pig that is being pursued, may sometimes complain and become annoyed. As long as you don't see any aggressive behaviour, the commotion sounds much worse than it actually is. Having said that, being constantly chased can be exhausting and stressful, so if you have a spare cage, it might be a good idea to separate your guinea pigs, so they can have some peace for a little while.
Nose, Air, Chin and Bottom Sniffing
When two guinea pigs meet each other for the first time, they will often touch noses or sniff just under the chin to identify each other. They may also sniff each others bottoms. A male will also sniff a female to see if she is in season,. He might just get a jet of urine squirted in his face, if he doesn't move out of the way quickly. Despite a female actually being in season, she may still squirt urine, even at another female. Babies can make a piggy train by following their mother, while she is out and about. Adult guinea pigs can also do this, even when they know each other. Often they are doing it for reassurance, especially if they are in unknown territory or they just want to play 'following the leader'.
Nose Nudging
Often you will see this behaviour when guinea pigs are sharing a meal. A more dominant guinea pig will nudge another piggy out of the way, so they can have the piggies share. Sometimes a submissive guinea pig will also do it if they are feeling bold and really want that last piece of parsley or carrot. If you see one of your guinea pigs hogging the food bowl too much, place two bowls in the cage, a more dominant guinea pig can't be in two places at once, so this will allow the more submissive guinea pig to eat.
Nose nudging can also be directed at us humans. When a guinea pig wants you to stop stroking them on their head, they will suddenly lift their head up, in the hope that they can remove your hand. Please be respectful when they do this and don't carry on petting them on their head. Try stroking them further away, a gentle neck rub is often appreciated or under the chin.
Popcorning
Popcorning is a wonderful sight to see. Its usually baby guinea pigs that do it, but adult guinea pigs can also popcorn, they just don't jump as high because they are heavier. A popcorning guinea pig will run-around and jump into the air, land on all fours, quickly turning in another direction and repeat the jump. This lovely action means your guinea pigs is extremely happy.
Running and Hiding Away
If your new to guinea pigs, please don't take this as a rejection. Guinea pigs are timid by nature, in the wild they are prey animals and their only defence is to runaway and hide. Until your guinea pig gets to know you and your voice, its very normal for them to runaway.
Even when a guinea pig has been in your life for a while, their natural instinct to flee, remains with them. Much depends on the guinea pigs personality. As long as your patient and talk gently, most guinea pigs will put their trust in you and will become more outgoing and less afraid.