Changes in piggy vocalizing based on place in hierarchy

[emmamangopepper]

Hi all! I’ve been curious lately about changes in my sweet almost-7-year-old girl Mango’s personality that I’ve seen in each of her living configurations with other piggies. She is devastatingly now coming to the end of her life, but her terminal diagnosis has at least given me time to consciously appreciate every minute left and reflect on the many years we’ve spent together.

I got Mango and her slightly older half-sister Pepper when they were month-old babies, and in their five and a half years living together, Pepper was always indisputably the boss. Mango, who was always getting pushed around, was incredibly chatty, seemingly always making sounds as she trotted around the cage, wheeking loudly for food, and making that agitated whining sound when Pepper nipped at her. For her part, Pepper, while capable of big wheeks and of course rumbles, was silent most of the time.

When Pepper passed away, I took in a 4-year-old skittish rescue, Betty; this time, Mango established herself as the benevolent head pig in their pairing, and interestingly, she became very quiet, like Pepper had been, though she was obviously very happy. Betty, meanwhile, was even more vocal than Mango had been in the Pepper days!

Betty tragically also passed away a year after I got her, and Mango was on her own for three months as I tried to find a new rescue companion. In that time, I did my best to take her out and interact with her many times throughout the day. Interestingly, she became quite chatty with me again even with no other pig around! It almost felt like a return to the Pepper era in that sense, but with me as the head pig this time.

Finally, I brought home Mango’s current companion, 1-month-old Clementine, just under two weeks ago. Clementine has now set a new record for loudness, and, much like younger Mango, is ALWAYS making some sort of sound, and her wheeks are unbelievable coming from her tiny body. Much like with Betty, Mango has become very quiet again.

Sorry for the long post, but my question is: does it tend to happen that a guinea pig becomes more or less vocal when they move down or up in the hierarchy? Is it sort of a social role for a lower-ranked pig to be extra vocal on behalf of the herd? I’ve only ever had two pigs at a time so I’m curious how this tends to play out in larger herds and if there’s a behavioural explanation. Would be curious to hear other people’s observations!

 

[emmamangopepper]

P.S. here's Mango with all her buddies

 

[Mrs Tiggy Winkle]

Your post is interesting on the different chat types changing according to group constellation or no group at all. (Not too long at all). I'm sorry but I have no idea about why these changes might occur.

 

[Engel]

This is something that I have noted too with my piggies. Back when I had 8, there was one designated ''chief wheeker" and as they aged and others passed that role changed too. It was interesting to watch, especially as mine were in 3 groups, in 3 separate hutches within the same shed/room. They worked collectively like they would in the wild; many smaller groups becoming one during vulnerable times like eating and sleeping. I have no true idea why it happens, just an observation. I've noticed that not every piggy becomes 'chief wheeker' and sometimes 2 may have the role at once.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi

Youngsters are at their most vocal and loudest at around 4-6 months when they are at their most vulnerable to predation while moving more independently and further away from their group. Babies are wired to give a vocal non-stop status update about their whereabouts and how they are doing. Once they reach adulthood around 12-15 months and become generally hormonally more settled, most piggies calm down quite noticeably.

Generally, boars tend to be chattier throughout life while sows are often too busy to run the show although strong seasons, especially in mixed gender groups, can be high drama indeed.
That responsibility of running a group and bringing up the babies means that a leader becomes more focussed; it is not all about the privileges.

But there is a huge variance in personalities. You have the strong silent boars who hardly ever even wheek or rumble-strut and the natural chatterbox sows.
Single piggies are also often more communicative with you because they need that social interaction.

I've had about 100 piggies passing through my life in some shape and form, so I have seen quite a wide range over the years. Some groups or pairs of mine were a lot more vocal throughout life than others.; there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to guinea pigs.

Then there is the job of Wheeker for the Group/Piggy Room. It is very often the newest arrival (unless they are mature) or the youngest piggy with a good voice who is taking on this role. The others will chime in and provide the backing chorus. It is however not a high status role.
High ranking piggies do have the privilege of first access to food and choice of it, so they do not need to wheek loudest in order to ensure that they are not overlooked and that there is enough for all...

You may find these article series I have written interesting:
- Journey through a Lifetime: The Ages of Guinea Pigs
- The Herd, the Group and I: Investigating Guinea Pig Identity and Society
- Guinea Pig Behaviours in their Context

 

[emmamangopepper]

This is something that I have noted too with my piggies. Back when I had 8, there was one designated ''chief wheeker" and as they aged and others passed that role changed too. It was interesting to watch, especially as mine were in 3 groups, in 3 separate hutches within the same shed/room. They worked collectively like they would in the wild; many smaller groups becoming one during vulnerable times like eating and sleeping. I have no true idea why it happens, just an observation. I've noticed that not every piggy becomes 'chief wheeker' and sometimes 2 may have the role at once.

That's so fascinating! Thanks for sharing

 

[emmamangopepper]

Hi

Youngsters are at their most vocal and loudest at around 4-6 months when they are at their most vulnerable to predation while moving more independently and further away from their group. Babies are wired to give a vocal non-stop status update about their whereabouts and how they are doing. Once they reach adulthood around 12-15 months and become generally hormonally more settled, most piggies calm down quite noticeably.

Generally, boars tend to be chattier throughout life while sows are often too busy to run the show although strong seasons, especially in mixed gender groups, can be high drama indeed.
That responsibility of running a group and bringing up the babies means that a leader becomes more focussed; it is not all about the privileges.

But there is a huge variance in personalities. You have the strong silent boars who hardly ever even wheek or rumble-strut and the natural chatterbox sows.
Single piggies are also often more communicative with you because they need that social interaction.

I've had about 100 piggies passing through my life in some shape and form, so I have seen quite a wide range over the years. Some groups or pairs of mine were a lot more vocal throughout life than others.; there is no hard and fast rule when it comes to guinea pigs.

Then there is the job of Wheeker for the Group/Piggy Room. It is very often the newest arrival (unless they are mature) or the youngest piggy with a good voice who is taking on this role. The others will chime in and provide the backing chorus. It is however not a high status role.
High ranking piggies do have the privilege of first access to food and choice of it, so they do not need to wheek loudest in order to ensure that they are not overlooked and that there is enough for all...

You may find these article series I have written interesting:
- Journey through a Lifetime: The Ages of Guinea Pigs
- The Herd, the Group and I: Investigating Guinea Pig Identity and Society
- Guinea Pig Behaviours in their Context

Thanks for this Wiebke! I was hoping you'd pitch in - I always enjoy your posts about piggy behaviour and have learned so much from them That all makes perfect sense. I didn't know boars tend to be chattier throughout their lives, having only had sows so far. They're endlessly fascinating creatures!