'Popcorning' (jumping like popping corn), and 'zooming' (running at neck-breaking speed) or any combination of the two are expressions of exuberance and joy of life.
It can be rather puzzling or worrying when you see these behaviours for the first time. They are typical for youngsters but even older and the very old can still indulge in a somewhat more moderate version of them.
The individual style can vary as much as personal dancing styles in humans; they are an expression of personality as well.
Popcorning can even include bouncing off walls or rolling on the floor and jumping on furniture for a spot of 'trampolining'.
Zooming can be varied by creating special loops, jumping over small hurdles (1-2 inches), through tunnels and often intentionally crashing into a mate at the end of ('playing dodgems').
Mutual or joint popcorning and zooming is a way guinea pigs play and share their joy.
But if you have a quiet (but healthy and otherwise alert) youngster, please don't feel like you are doing something wrong. You can simply have the equivalent of the kid that is sitting in a corner with a book or happily taking apart a toy rather than bouncing around...
Husboars (neutered boars living sows) can also break into a popcorning spree after some rumblestrutting display to the sows or when being told off by the girls to not be such a pest... Simply because being a married boar and being able to show off their boarliness to sows or other boars makes them very happy boys indeed!
Here are some videos of piggies of mine that will hopefully give you an idea:
Popcorning
Popcorning 6 weeks old Carys. Wiebke's Tribe oct 2018
When 'boarly' rumblestrutting switches to popcorns and zooming:
Zoomies
Never mind how disabled or old you are, anypig can popcorn and run, even when blind and severely arthritic, as nearly 8 year old Mali in this link here where she happily waddles around following her own scent spoor:
Wiebke's Tribe - This is how zoomies look when you are 7... (please click on the link)
It can be rather puzzling or worrying when you see these behaviours for the first time. They are typical for youngsters but even older and the very old can still indulge in a somewhat more moderate version of them.
The individual style can vary as much as personal dancing styles in humans; they are an expression of personality as well.
Popcorning can even include bouncing off walls or rolling on the floor and jumping on furniture for a spot of 'trampolining'.
Zooming can be varied by creating special loops, jumping over small hurdles (1-2 inches), through tunnels and often intentionally crashing into a mate at the end of ('playing dodgems').
Mutual or joint popcorning and zooming is a way guinea pigs play and share their joy.
But if you have a quiet (but healthy and otherwise alert) youngster, please don't feel like you are doing something wrong. You can simply have the equivalent of the kid that is sitting in a corner with a book or happily taking apart a toy rather than bouncing around...
Husboars (neutered boars living sows) can also break into a popcorning spree after some rumblestrutting display to the sows or when being told off by the girls to not be such a pest... Simply because being a married boar and being able to show off their boarliness to sows or other boars makes them very happy boys indeed!
Here are some videos of piggies of mine that will hopefully give you an idea:
Popcorning
Popcorning 6 weeks old Carys. Wiebke's Tribe oct 2018
When 'boarly' rumblestrutting switches to popcorns and zooming:
Zoomies
Never mind how disabled or old you are, anypig can popcorn and run, even when blind and severely arthritic, as nearly 8 year old Mali in this link here where she happily waddles around following her own scent spoor:
Wiebke's Tribe - This is how zoomies look when you are 7... (please click on the link)