Guinea pig body language guide

Guinea Pigs are all individually unique and have their own traits and characteristics. However there are a range of actions that most guinea pigs do. It is always good to observe your guinea pig and familiarise yourself with what they may be trying to communicate. We take a look at some guinea pig movements and what they mean.

Freezing

Guinea pigs may freeze and stand motionless on the spot when they sense danger or are startled. Once they sense that the danger is not present they will unfreeze.

Popcorning

Is unique to guinea pigs and occurs when they are happy, excited or feeling playful. The action involves that your pet jumps in the air, sometimes repeatedly just like when popcorn is popping. This movement can be done by both younger and older guinea pigs, though older ones may not jump as high.

Sniffing

Like with most animals, a guinea pig will sniff to find out what is going on and get to know other guinea pigs. This means that they can familiarise themselves with different surroundings and others. When sniffing other guinea pigs they like to sniff areas such as the nose, chin, ears and back end.

Strutting

can wither mean two things. If your guinea pig is moving from side to side and chattering its teeth, it usually means a sign of aggression. On the other hand if they are rumbling while swaying their back end slowly around another guinea pigs, it usually represents a mating dance.