Not Wheeking

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Mhairi

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We got our 2 girls at the end of November, and just love them to bits. One of them (Honey) never wheeks and I'm just wondering if that's normal? Since we've had them they've both been treated for URI's, Pip a few days after we brought her home, and Honey ended up having a month long antibiotic treatment back in January.

They both get really excited when it's food time, and come up and "beg" impatiently for their veg, popcorn wildly when I replace their hay morning and night, and zoom around their cage, so it's not like she's lethargic and lacking in energy/loss of appetite. Pip wheeks loudly whenever she hears the plastic bag being rustled in anticipation, but Honey, although excited, remains quiet. Her sister is a veg monster and so we make sure we hand feed Honey some of her share coriander, pepper, romaine etc so Pip doesn't eat it all! Nothing about her behaviour raises red flags in my mind to think it's illness related, but just hoped to get some of your opinions to know whether that's normal or not?
 
No answer to the above question. But as for hand feeding Honey. I always put 2 food bowls & 2 water bottles in, that should stop Honey going hungry.
 
Mhairi said:
We got our 2 girls at the end of November, and just love them to bits. One of them (Honey) never wheeks and I'm just wondering if that's normal? Since we've had them they've both been treated for URI's, Pip a few days after we brought her home, and Honey ended up having a month long antibiotic treatment back in January.

They both get really excited when it's food time, and come up and "beg" impatiently for their veg, popcorn wildly when I replace their hay morning and night, and zoom around their cage, so it's not like she's lethargic and lacking in energy/loss of appetite. Pip wheeks loudly whenever she hears the plastic bag being rustled in anticipation, but Honey, although excited, remains quiet. Her sister is a veg monster and so we make sure we hand feed Honey some of her share coriander, pepper, romaine etc so Pip doesn't eat it all! Nothing about her behaviour raises red flags in my mind to think it's illness related, but just hoped to get some of your opinions to know whether that's normal or not?
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Hi! Quiet guinea pigs are not uncommon; it is just a personality question.

As to prevent food hogging: feed pellets and vet in small portions that can be eaten in one sitting 2-3 times a day in one bowl each per piggy. Place the bowls at least one piggy length apart, ideally more. Remove the bowls in between meals. Unlimited hay makes over 80% of the daily food intake, so your girls won't be going short and in fact will have their long term health encouraged.
Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet
 
Wiebke said:
Hi! Quiet guinea pigs are not uncommon; it is just a personality question.

As to prevent food hogging: feed pellets and vet in small portions that can be eaten in one sitting 2-3 times a day in one bowl each per piggy. Place the bowls at least one piggy length apart, ideally more. Remove the bowls in between meals. Unlimited hay makes over 80% of the daily food intake, so your girls won't be going short and in fact will have their long term health encouraged.
Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet
Click to expand...

Hi. We already have 2 food bowls for them, but Honey will eat the veg for a couple of minutes then head off to the hay which would be her first choice of food. At other times I see her heading for the nuggets rather than the veg. Whereas Pip will stay at the veg till it's all gone! That's why we have been handfeeding a few bits of veg to Honey to make sure she gets her Vit C.

As for the drinking we have tried everything to encourage them to drink. Pip will occasionally drink from the bottle but only a small amount each day. Honey has never been a big drinker. She must get most of her water from her veg which is another reason we handfeed her. I give cucumber and romaine each day to make sure she's getting fluid each day.
 
Also meant to say that I used to water down their veggies to make sure they were getting fluid, then I read that doing this would discourage them from seeking other sources of fluid (ie from a bottle) so I stopped but it doesn't seem to have made any difference in their interest in the bottle. Should I go back to watering down their veggies?
 
Only one of my boys will wheek. Comet will "talk" but he has never wheeked that I've heard. He's also the friendlier one of the two, so it isn't shyness for him.

It's nice, in a way. I know exactly who to blame when it starts at 3am!
 
Mhairi said:
Also meant to say that I used to water down their veggies to make sure they were getting fluid, then I read that doing this would discourage them from seeking other sources of fluid (ie from a bottle) so I stopped but it doesn't seem to have made any difference in their interest in the bottle. Should I go back to watering down their veggies?
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Watering down the veg won;t give her a lot of extra fluid - it is the water content of veg that is the decider. I have guinea pigs that are healthy drinking rarely and others that are queally healthy drinking lots on a daily basis. Please do not worry much - if Honey is really thirsty, she'll drink water.
 
One of my girls never wheeks, she chatters as she's exploring but tends to just turn in circles when excited about food coming. I've always figured her sister is that loud, she just doesn't need to bother lol
 
I have 4 guinea pigs - 2 of them are extraordinary wheekers. Seriously, Oreo could shatter glass.
But Eddi never wheeks, and Ruby only chatters. She chatters non stop, but never wheeks.
 
It is good that you have had them tested for URIs. I would agree with the above that some guinea pigs may not wheek. I wouldn't know myself though because both of my boys are very loud:)
 
I envy those with healthy non wheekers, especially at 6am on a weekend cos they demand breakfast veggies!
 
Not all guinea pigs are really vocal. Sometimes in a pair of pigs, one will do all the wheeking for both of them!
 
Jingle is the boss piggie but rarely wheeks. Mistletoe, little shy Mistletoe wheeks and wheeks!
 
Lorcan said:
Only one of my boys will wheek. Comet will "talk" but he has never wheeked that I've heard. He's also the friendlier one of the two, so it isn't shyness for him.

It's nice, in a way. I know exactly who to blame when it starts at 3am!
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Famous last words and all that, Comet now wheeks like a champ when he hears the rustle of a veggie bag. Never the hay bag, of course, just veggie bags. Sometimes all they need is a little more time!
 
Oh the envy, I have 4 piggies who scream bloody murder when I'm preparing MY OWN veg. They don't seem to realise that they must share :))

As for the water, my oldest barely drank anything for the first few months of being with me. Now they're fine, they don't like to drink in front of us to start with. I wouldn't worry too much :)

Luckily my piggies share the veggies relatively well (when they're not stealing it from each other's mouths!) but I feed them on little tea trays rather than a bowl as they're harder to hog XD
 
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