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What Is Considered Typical Guinea Pig Behavior?

By Alex Terris
Updated: Jun 04, 2024
Views: 8,428
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Many pet owners may be surprised by the behavior of their new guinea pigs, but it usually doesn’t take long for the animals to relax in new surroundings. Typical guinea pig behavior, especially when young, often involves running away at the slightest movement. Guinea pigs also jump around when happy and take short naps throughout a day. Aggressive behavior to exert dominance is common among newly introduced guinea pigs.

Guinea pigs — also known as cavies, because of their scientific name, Cavia porcellus — are prey animals in the wild, which means they are naturally cautious and easily scared. Typical guinea pig behavior, especially when young or entering new surroundings, is to spend a lot of time hiding. Until the cavy becomes more confident, it is likely to run and hide at the slightest noise. This can worry new owners, who sometimes believe their guinea pig will never want to be picked up, but this behavior is actually a sign of a healthy and alert pet.

When a guinea pig is happy, it may “popcorn”. A “popcorning” guinea pig jumps high into the air, a move sometimes accompanied by sprinting around its cage. It may even look like it's having a minor seizure. This also can be disconcerting to a new owner but is normal guinea pig behavior that shows the animal is happy or excited.

Guinea pigs don’t sleep for extended periods of time. Instead, the animals tend to be awake for an hour and then rest for an hour before repeating the cycle. Most guinea pigs don’t look like they are actually sleeping, because their eyes often don’t close completely. This is because a cavy in the wild has to be constantly alert, even when resting.

One of the most interesting facets of guinea pig behavior is how the animals communicate. Guinea pigs use a variety of noises to give warnings, show happiness and beg for food. When the animals are kept together, they’ll try to establish a hierarchy, often through guinea pig behavior known as rumble strutting. A rumble strutting guinea pig makes a deep rumbling noise while slowly swaying its hips back and forth. This is an attempt to exert dominance over other guinea pigs.

Most guinea pigs rarely bite or show aggression toward humans. If a cavy begins to chatter its teeth, however, then this is a warning to another guinea pig or human to keep away. Failure to do so will often result in a small warning bite. Guinea pigs also may chatter their teeth when attempting to work out which pet is the dominate cavy.

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Discussion Comments
By Ruggercat68 — On Mar 06, 2014

If a guinea pig ever feels comfortable enough to fall asleep in your arms, you know you've earned his or her trust. Eating food out of a pocket or a hand is also a good sign the guinea pig does not see you as a threat.

By Phaedrus — On Mar 05, 2014

Our guinea pigs learned to recognize the sound of a refrigerator door opening. They knew it meant carrots or parsley leaves or other treats would arrive in their cage soon. When guinea pigs get excited about food, they will let out a very loud "WEEEEEK" sound, followed by a series of squeals and chirps. Guinea pigs will often take a few quick bites of food, then run away for a few minutes. Guinea pigs prefer to have a roof over their heads.

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