Can't Tell If Guinea Pig Is Happy Or Not

[funkadelicfred]

I rub my pig's nose through his cage bars a lot and he likes that but when I reach in and give me full body pets he starts to making these rumbly noises when I get closer to his rump. He doesn't seem to enjoy this or maybe I'm just misinterpreting the sound?
Also, sometimes he will randomly chatter. I won't even be interacting with him and I will just hear him click his teeth a bit in his cage, what does this mean?

 

[Lilly]

Different piggies like/dislike different parts of their bodies touched. All 4 of my boys like their backs stroked from the neck right down to the rump. Not one likes head or nose rubs. Peanut Butter does not like chin rubs. Hazelnut so hates his head or nose touched he will bite your finger if you get it in his face without first asking permission for a chin rub & waiting for him to lift his head.

Don't know about the teeth clicking but my Peanut Butter randomly chatters all the time to himself as he potters about even though he has a cagemate & I'm sure it is a happy sound.

One thing that will always make a piggy happier is company. Does your boy have a companion?

 

[Wigwig]

Does he just rumble lots or does he move away? Cause he might be making a love rumble.

 

[funkadelicfred]

Does he just rumble lots or does he move away? Cause he might be making a love rumble.

He just sits there pretty still and doesn't do much else and then when I scratch his nose he get all happy and squinty-eyed again.

 

[funkadelicfred]

Different piggies like/dislike different parts of their bodies touched. All 4 of my boys like their backs stroked from the neck right down to the rump. Not one likes head or nose rubs. Peanut Butter does not like chin rubs. Hazelnut so hates his head or nose touched he will bite your finger if you get it in his face without first asking permission for a chin rub & waiting for him to lift his head.

Don't know about the teeth clicking but my Peanut Butter randomly chatters all the time to himself as he potters about even though he has a cagemate & I'm sure it is a happy sound.

One thing that will always make a piggy happier is company. Does your boy have a companion?

He did but Wally died a few weeks ago so he's alone right now. I'm hesitant to get him a new friend since the new pig would be quite young and the current pig is full grown.

 

[Lilly]

He did but Wally died a few weeks ago so he's alone right now. I'm hesitant to get him a new friend since the new pig would be quite young and the current pig is full grown.

Actually there's a better chance of bonding adult boy to baby boy than 2 baby boys. That way you don't get both boys hitting their stroppy hormonal teenage phase at the same time. If you're in the UK some rescues do boar dating as well to find a suitable companion. Even having 2 boys live side by side where they can see, hear & smell each other provides them with piggy company. We don;t have boar dating here in OZ so I took a chance of introducing a 4 week old baby boy to my 7 month old boy. By the time the baby was a teenager, the other boy was an adult. They've been together for over 3 years now.,

 

[funkadelicfred]

Actually there's a better chance of bonding adult boy to baby boy than 2 baby boys. That way you don't get both boys hitting their stroppy hormonal teenage phase at the same time. If you're in the UK some rescues do boar dating as well to find a suitable companion. Even having 2 boys live side by side where they can see, hear & smell each other provides them with piggy company. We don;t have boar dating here in OZ so I took a chance of introducing a 4 week old baby boy to my 7 month old boy. By the time the baby was a teenager, the other boy was an adult. They've been together for over 3 years now.,

No I'm in Canada so we don't really have shelters like that but I'll look into getting another one.

 

[Freela]

A lot of pigs don't love having their lower backs patted. Several of mine have hated it, although they did like having their heads and upper bodies patted!

 

[Wigwig]

He just sits there pretty still and doesn't do much else and then when I scratch his nose he get all happy and squinty-eyed again.

Sounds like hes enjoying it If guinea pigs really dislike something, they will move away or bite or headbutt. Archie really enjoys that area being stroked.