Why Do Guinea Pigs Vibrate?

When your guinea pig vibrates it can be a little difficult to decipher what it means initially as there are several different meanings. They’re quite different in the range of emotions they can cover. Your guinea pig might be frightened or annoyed, they could be happy and giddy or they might even be flirting and trying to find a suitable mate. To understand why your guinea pig is vibrating, you need to look at the picture as a whole and consider the environmental factors to help you get a better picture.

To understand what your guinea pig is trying to tell you, you only have to understand the situation to assess how they’re really feeling. You can do this by looking at the moment like a snapshot but you have to take in everything that is happening in the moment to work it out. If there’s no sound but they’re vibrating, they could just be shivering so make sure they aren’t just feeling the cold first.

Guinea pigs will vibrate when they are feeling good and are generally in a nice, safe and relaxing environment. It’s more common in younger guinea pigs as they tend to grow out of showing they’re happy through doing this. Guinea pigs will almost purr with happiness when they are content. If you’re having a little cuddle with your piggy and they start to vibrate, don’t be too worried, it likely just means that they’re having a nice time and want to communicate that with you.

When guinea pigs are trying to express that they are happy with you, they’ll generally make little squeaks along with their vibrations to tell you they’re having a nice time as well. You may notice them doing this when they’re being pet, having a nice groom or in any other situation where they might be enjoying themselves. Consider it to be similar to a cat’s purr when you scratch behind their ears, it’s similar in that it’s often to express enjoyment and encourage you to continue giving them affection. You might even hear this kind of vibration when you greet them in the morning or bring them their food. A fast way to get to a guinea pig’s heart is through their tummy, after all.

While you might think all vibrations are the same but there are subtle differences that will help you understand how your guinea pig is feeling. When they’re annoyed or threatened they will vibrate, but it tends to be a lower sound than when they’re happy. Guinea pigs may make this sound when they have a fallout with one of their piggy friends or if something startles them. If they feel threatened by a noise or something they don’t yet understand they can express their unease through doing a low little purr.

You may even be on the receiving end of this kind of vibration when you’re getting to know your new friend. If they haven’t been heavily socialised with people then you may find that your new addition is a little worried and defensive to begin with. If you take the time to sit with them and listen to their warnings by giving them space when they ask for it, they will learn to trust you. It helps them to realise that you bring good things like treats and cuddles and you will always listen to their cues. When a guinea pig is telling you they’re uncomfortable it’s usually partnered with very tense body language while a happy pig will be sprawled out and relaxed.

If you have male and female guinea pigs, you might see this behaviour. When trying to court a female, the male will make a low vibrating noise to try and attract her. This is his way of showing his status and that he’s a strong and dominant male that the female would want to mate with. If she’s receptive she will often do a similar noise back. Males can do this to other males as well and it’s them telling them they’re the more dominant guinea pig. It’s very natural behaviour but keep an eye out to make sure it doesn’t escalate into fights. It’s more common when you’re introducing new guinea pigs. Guinea pigs are generally peaceful animals and try to avoid conflict but they do occasionally have the odd scrap that you may need to help avoid.

Although they may sound a little similar to each other, your guinea pig’s body language and other vocalisations will often make it very clear how they’re feeling. Similar to a dog wagging its tail, it might be the same movement but it will often look very different and getting to know your pets will help you decipher how they’re feeling. Bonding and understanding your individual guinea pigs will help in understanding them. For more guinea pig advice, visit us in store or have a scroll online today!