Guinea pigs are great pets that many people have fallen in love with. Taking care of them can be a lot of fun, and the companionship that they give people is undeniable.
As much as you enjoy playing with your guinea pig and having it around, it’s important to understand that your guinea pig is relying on you. It needs you to take care of it and give it what it needs so that it can thrive.
In some situations, you might hear your guinea pig scream out in distress or something like that. It can be an alarming sound that is designed to get your attention so that you can provide help.
Likewise, you might notice your guinea pig crying as a way to get your attention. When a guinea pig cries, it’s trying to communicate something to you, but it’s up to you to figure out what that something is.
Keep reading to learn more about guinea pigs and why they might cry sometimes. This should make it easier for you to figure out what’s wrong so that your guinea pig can be a happy pet once more.
Guinea Pigs Don’t Cry Like Humans Do
The first thing to understand is that a guinea pig crying is different from a human crying. When a human cries, you might hear sobbing noises, but you’ll also see tears running down their cheeks.
A guinea pig isn’t going to cry exactly like this because they don’t make tears like humans do. This doesn’t mean that a guinea pig’s eyes can’t get wet or look somewhat weepy, though.
If you’re noticing that your guinea pig’s eyes are wet and weepy, then it’s an indication that something is going on. Your guinea pig could have allergies that are causing this to happen, but it’s often a sign of dental problems.
Guinea pigs deal with dental problems pretty frequently. Your guinea pig could have weepy eyes due to some type of an infection as well.
Figuring out what’s wrong with your guinea pig might take some time. The easiest thing to do would be to call your veterinarian to get the guinea pig checked out properly.
A veterinarian is going to be able to examine your guinea pig and determine what’s going on very fast. They will also be able to take steps to help your guinea pig, and you’ll be able to solve any infection issues, dental problems, or allergy situations that are going on.
If the crying that you’re referring to isn’t about wet eyes, then that’s what is going to be discussed today. Guinea pigs crying will be more like making crying sounds or calling out in a distressed way.
There are several different reasons why guinea pigs will make these sounds that you can learn about below. After learning why guinea pigs cry out, it’ll be possible to look out for situations like this for the sake of your guinea pig.
1 – Hunger
One of the most common reasons why guinea pigs cry out has to do with hunger. As mentioned earlier, guinea pigs rely on you when they’re being taken care of as pets.
If you don’t feed your guinea pig on time, then it might start to get worried that it isn’t going to get to eat at all. Guinea pigs are going to be vocal when they start to get hungry, and sometimes the noises that they make will sound like crying.
You might notice the guinea pig gets excited and happy when you take the time to feed it. In all likelihood, the guinea pig’s cries were simply an attempt to get you to give it food.
Try to do a good job of feeding your guinea pig consistently so that it can feel its best. Generally, you’re supposed to feed your guinea pig twice per day to get the best results.
Feed your guinea pig in the morning and then feed it again in the evening. Sticking to a schedule like this will help the guinea pig to maintain an ideal weight while also ensuring that it is getting the proper nutrition that it needs.
2 – Pain
You’ve heard that dental problems can be quite a big deal for guinea pigs. They often deal with dental issues, and sometimes this will cause your guinea pig to cry out in pain.
If you’re hearing a distressed sort of cry from your guinea pig, then it’s likely trying to inform you that it’s hurting. You might be able to tell that your guinea pig is in a bad way when it cries out like this once you’ve observed it a bit.
Dental pain isn’t the only type of pain that will cause a guinea pig to cry, of course. Many guinea pigs will make noise when they’re hurting in other ways.
It isn’t always going to be easy for you to tell what’s wrong either. If there isn’t anything obvious that you can help with, then you might need to contact the veterinarian.
Contacting a veterinarian is always going to be the best action to take when you’re concerned about your guinea pig’s health. A professional can get to the bottom of any issues and inform you how to help with any pain that your guinea pig is experiencing.
Sometimes it might be necessary for guinea pigs to take certain medicines when they’re dealing with infections or other things like that. The veterinarian will inform you of what to do so that your guinea pig can start feeling healthy once more.
3 – Fear
Another thing to consider is that your guinea pig could be crying out in fear. Guinea pigs can get scared of different things around your house, and that cry that you’re hearing could be a cry for help.
There are tons of things that could potentially scare a guinea pig and cause it to cry out. One of the most common things that will scare a guinea pig will be another animal.
Do you have a cat or a dog in your home? If your cat or dog is in the same room that your guinea pig stays in, then it might walk up to the cage and scare the living daylights out of your poor rodent friend.
Cats will sometimes try to intimidate guinea pigs by pawing at their cages and they might even make aggressive sounds. Things like this could easily scare your guinea pig and make it fear for its life.
If you don’t have other pets that the guinea pig could be scared of, then there are still other things to consider. Loud noises can scare your guinea pig and cause it to cry out because it doesn’t know what’s going on.
A pan falling off of your pot rack could scare your guinea pig, but so could loud noises emanating from the television. Even outside noises such as car horns and unusually loud music could cause a guinea pig to cry out in fear.
People have even said that their guinea pigs have cried out in fear during thunderstorms. Knowing this, it shouldn’t alarm you too much when you hear a guinea pig cry since these situations can be quite common.
Sometimes guinea pigs will even be afraid of people, and your pet might be a bit afraid when someone new comes over. This isn’t anything to worry about, but you should try to create a comfortable environment for your guinea pig where it can feel safe and happy.
If you have other pets such as cats or dogs, then it’s likely best to keep your guinea pig in its own room away from those pets. You should be able to prevent the guinea pig from getting too scared if you take the right actions and consider where the guinea pig’s cage is placed.
4 – Anger
Anger is another emotion that your guinea pig might be displaying when it makes noises. People often describe angry sounds as a series of fast squeaks, but this could differ a bit depending on the guinea pig.
Guinea pigs can get angry at many different things and situations. You might hear your guinea pig getting angry at another guinea pig if you keep multiple animals together in the same cage.
Sometimes guinea pigs might cry out if one bites the other. There can be little disputes among the guinea pigs that will lead to noises like this.
You might need to break up a fight or deal with situations that will occur sometimes, but guinea pig anger isn’t exclusively reserved for other guinea pigs. They can get angry at many things, and you might need to try to figure out what is making the guinea pig angry to help it solve its situation.
5 – Your Guinea Pig Wants to Be Left Alone
Sometimes little crying or wheezing noises can be heard when a guinea pig just wants to be left alone. This might sound more like an exasperated sigh than a cry, but it’s still worth mentioning here.
There are times when guinea pigs will be bothered by others when they really just want to take a nap or something like that. Perhaps you decided to try to play with the guinea pig when it really just wanted to relax.
If you try to interact with the guinea pig and it makes a wheezing cry noise, then you might wish to leave it alone. It’s said to be a sign that the guinea pig simply wants some alone time.
Guinea pigs will sometimes cause other guinea pigs to make this sound. For instance, a guinea pig could interrupt another guinea pig’s nap and get this type of crying noise as a response.
You would get annoyed too if you were being bothered when you were trying to take it easy. Sometimes it’s necessary to just let your guinea pig be for a while.
6 – They Want Attention
It isn’t unusual to hear a guinea pig call out to you when you walk by. The guinea pig might make a loud squealing noise that sounds like it does when it’s crying for something else.
In this instance, it’s likely that your guinea pig simply wants to get your attention. Guinea pigs will eventually bond with their owners and they will want to play and hang out.
Your guinea pig doesn’t want to simply be left alone in its habitat all day long. It wants you to come to play with it and give it the attention that it feels it deserves.
If you wish to keep your guinea pig happy, then it’s a good idea to go play with the guinea pig and check on it every so often. If you notice sounds like this occurring when your guinea pig sees you, then there’s a good chance that your pet is just trying to get your attention.
Some people get unnecessarily worried because the sounds that guinea pigs make when they call out can sound rather dire. Try to use the context of the situation so that you can understand if a guinea pig is just trying to get you to play or something like that.
Final Thoughts
It’s fascinating to know that guinea pigs can make crying noises for so many different reasons. They are pretty much always trying to communicate something when they cry like this, and the noises will sound a bit different depending on the situation.
As you get used to caring for guinea pigs, it’ll be easier for you to differentiate the sounds that they make. You might be able to have an easier time telling when a guinea pig is angry versus when it’s scared of something.
No matter what, it’s important to do your best to care for the guinea pig. This is a pet that you have taken responsibility for and you’re going to need to try to see what’s wrong when it makes crying noises.
There could be a situation where the guinea pig is in pain, and this might require you to call the veterinarian. Just try to be a proactive guinea pig owner who takes care of things and pays attention.
Hopefully, you feel more knowledgeable and prepared to take care of your guinea pig now. The next time you hear your guinea pig cry out, it’ll be easier to understand that it’s trying to say something, and you’ll be able to figure out what’s going on if you take the time to look at the situation.
I have a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When I’m not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, I’m at home with my wife, two daughters and a dog. Outside of family, I love grilling and barbequing on my Big Green Egg and working on projects around the house. Growing up, I had pet dogs, cats, deer, sugar gliders, chinchillas, a bird, chickens, fish, and a goat.