New Piggies Cooing

[Yoshikonatsu]

Hello! I just got 2 male piggies a couple days ago. I keep hearing cooing/purring coming from the cage. I’ve heard it means distress and annoyance, but it can also mean happiness. Does the distress have anything to do with being new? Am I doing something wrong? (I’m a new owner)

 

[dannif_piggies]

Firstly, welcome to the forum, would love to see photos of your piggies, just curious as to the size of their cage? It can be difficult to house a pair of boys together if they do not have sufficient space, assess their body language toward eachother, as this could just be them communicating and/or the distress of being in a new environment, however if it is accompanied by other behaviours such as aggression towards each other (there's plenty of information online as to what behaviour is acceptable/normal) it may be something else other than the move to yours

 

[Wiebke]

Hello! I just got 2 male piggies a couple days ago. I keep hearing cooing/purring coming from the cage. I’ve heard it means distress and annoyance, but it can also mean happiness. Does the distress have anything to do with being new? Am I doing something wrong? (I’m a new owner)

Hi and welcome

Your boys are most likely busy establishing a working hierarchy and rumblestrutting, which is perfectly normal for this stage and an expression of mild dominance or measuring up to each other.
Unfortunately for us humans, guinea pigs have three purring expressions that sound very similar to the uninitiated and that - like rumbling - can mean different things in different situations. That is why sound bites can help you only so far; you always have to take body language and situational context into account, too. The good news is that you will get the hang of it fairly soon.

Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
This site has got some sound bites with a correct interpretation, which cannot be said of many other online examples!
Guinea Pig Sounds

You may find our new owners guide collection very helpful and interesting; we are addressing all the areas that new owners come against most often.
Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides