What does it mean when they purr/jump about/wheek loudly?
Guinea pigs “talk” with a series of sounds. You’ll learn when your guinea pig is happy and when it’s angry; a very long wheeeeeeek! will signal “gimme food!” just as it can signal “ow!” As a piggy parent, you’ll be able to notice the urgency or pain in the wheek. Guinea pigs have quite an extensive array of sounds and actions to display their emotions. They show that they are happy by popcorning, which is basically a jump and wiggle in the air. Rumblestrutting is a deep vibrato purr accompanied by a wiggling rear end, also referred to as motorboating. This is used for dominance and in some cases, aggression. Males will often rumblestrut to show that they are in charge; however, females will often do the same. Two guinea pigs can seriously injure each other in a fight, so be aware of aggressive behavior, especially when introducing a new guinea pig to an established one. Rumblestrutting is also a courtship maneuver; males will rumblestrut and secrete a scent to mark their territory, and
