Hissing is a short vibrating noise produced when guinea pigs feel threatened or scared, or when they desire food. Sometimes this sound may also come out in the form of high-pitched wheeking calls to their mother for food.
If a guinea pig begins shrieking, it’s essential that their immediate environment be checked for signs of pain or fear. Prey animals like guinea pigs will often conceal any injuries or illnesses they experience by remaining silent about what they experience.
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Causes
Your guinea pig could be screaming for any number of reasons: hunger, anxiety or pain could all be contributing factors; unfamiliar people, noise or surroundings might also be stressors; they might also be trying to get your attention so you can provide them with food or water. Other sounds your pet may make include wheeking, teeth chattering and rumbling while wheeking is similar to chuttering but lower in pitch; this indicates their discomfort or complaints and typically occurs around feeding times or when hand feeding them.
Teeth chattering and aggressive body language are surefire indicators that your guinea pig has been stressed or threatened, and should be separated immediately. Groaning can indicate distress caused by sudden changes in their environment. Growling is another telltale sign; should yours growl at you when threatened or scared it’s important that they are safely isolated until their distress dissipates.
Symptoms
Your guinea pig’s excessive wheeking could be a telltale sign he or she is experiencing physical discomfort or being scared, especially if his high-pitched squeals differ significantly from its usual low-pitched “wheeks”. Additionally, this vocalization could include hissing or showing of teeth as well as bottom waggling in an awkward body posture.
This behavior can cause stress, illness and even death if not monitored carefully. Guinea pigs are prey animals and may become distressed when exposed to sudden loud noises or living outdoors with coyotes, foxes or birds as predators.
Signs that a guinea pig is experiencing distress include chewing on their cage bars, tail wagging and staring at their cage door with an anxious expression. Guinea pigs may growl or hiss as an indication of anger or upset; their teeth might also show and they could fluff up in preparation for battle – all indicators that they’re gearing up to engage.
Treatment
Guinea pigs make various noises to communicate with their owners, such as teeth grinding, purring and groaning. If your guinea pig makes these noises it means they are unhappy or stressed out and should be addressed immediately. They may also use this means of communication among cagemates; if this sounds are heard it could mean they need assistance in an urgent matter.
Guinea pigs make other sounds such as bubbling and wheeking when they feel happy or contented, often accompanying this with pancaking (lying down flat on their back with eyes closed).
Wheeking from guinea pigs usually signifies their desire for food or attention and should stop once it receives either of these needs. If the wheeking persists for extended periods with their mouth closed it could indicate discomfort; they may also hunch over or move more slowly than normal.
Prevention
If you hear low, prolonged, or repeated sounds that are accompanied by hostile body language and teeth chattering noises, this may be a telltale sign that your guinea pig is aggressively hissing at another guinea pig of either same or opposite sex – an aggressive dominance behavior which often escalates to physical conflict. If this occurs and two or more hiss together at once, immediately separate them and keep a towel nearby so you can quickly take either party if the fight escalates into physical combat if necessary if the fight escalates further.
If your guinea pig still makes these noises despite visiting the veterinarian, seek referral to an exotics vet with experience treating guinea pigs. An exotics vet can assess and prescribe treatment accordingly while in the meantime try keeping your pet calm by limiting loud noises such as thunder as well as playing music near their cage.
