Why Are My Guinea Pigs Crying? (7 Interesting Facts)

It can be quite distressing to hear your guinea pigs crying. Once you hear your guinea pigs making crying sounds, you will want to know the reason behind it, and how you can help them. This article has the answers.

Why are my guinea pigs crying? Guinea pigs crying could be due to hunger, thirst, fear, pain or anger. It could also be a call for attention or as a way of trying to assert dominance over other guinea pigs.

Looking at the context within which the guinea pigs are crying can help in identifying the reason behind it.

For instance, if it has been ages since you fed the guinea pigs, and they are crying, it could be due to hunger. You can confirm this by checking the guinea pigs’ bellies.

If the guinea pigs’ bellies are caved in (a sure sign of hunger), and they are crying, it is probably due to hunger.

In another context, there may be unusual loud sounds playing out, and you find the guinea pigs crying. Here, you would suspect the cause of crying to be fear induced by the loud sounds.

In yet another context, you may find a guinea pig attacking another and making crying sounds. Here, you would suspect the desire to assert dominance as the reason for the guinea pig crying.

Thus the circumstances around which the guinea pigs are crying offer important clues on the reason(s) for crying.

Yet for people who are new to guinea pigs, the very idea of these cavies crying can sound strange. In fact, there are people who find it difficult to believe that guinea pigs cry at all.

As such, we may start by establishing whether guinea pigs really cry.

Do Guinea Pigs Cry?

Guinea pigs do cry.

People who keep guinea pigs often give accounts of hearing the guinea pigs crying from time to time. Thus crying is a common thing for guinea pigs.

In forums where guinea pig owners discuss issues, it is common to encounter queries about the cavies’ crying. This is further evidence that guinea pigs are capable of crying.

Going through social media platforms, you may even encounter a crying guinea pig meme. The inspiration for this is likely to have been an actual crying guinea pig.

In a way, you can take this as further evidence that guinea pigs do cry.

To be sure, guinea pig crying is somewhat different from our (human) crying. It tends to be dry crying, with different sounds. Those are mostly screeching sounds, though grunting and whimpering sounds are also common.

Therefore the bottom-line is that guinea pigs do cry.

Why Do Guinea Pigs Cry?

After establishing that guinea pigs do cry, the next question is on why they do it.

So, the real question here is on why do guinea pigs make noise that sounds like crying? What are the specific reasons behind it?

For instance, do guinea pigs cry when in pain? And do guinea pigs cry when sad?

The truth of the matter is that there are many things that can make guinea pigs cry.

Guinea pigs may cry because they are hungry or thirsty. The guinea pigs may also cry because they are in pain or scared. Or you may find guinea pigs crying because they want attention or because they want to assert dominance over each other.

Thus with regard to what makes guinea pigs cry, there are so many possibilities.

When you try to research on why do guinea pigs make a crying noise, you find many possible reasons.

How Do I Know If My Guinea Pig Is Crying?

It is not hard to tell if your guinea pig is crying.

Normally, a crying guinea pig will make a screeching sound, which can’t be mistaken for anything else but a cry.

There are less dramatic crying episodes though: in which guinea pigs may make whimpering or grunting sounds.

But generally, when a guinea pig is crying, you can tell through the sounds it makes.

It would be more challenging if it was a question of the guinea pigs telling when you (as their owner) is crying.

Thus if the question was on can guinea pigs tell when you’re crying, that would be trickier.

Indeed, if you pose such a question (like do guinea pigs know when you’re crying) in guinea pig owner forums, you will mostly draw blanks.

But as for you being able to tell when guinea pigs are crying, that is not hard at all.

Guinea pigs crying tends to be emphatic, and it can’t be mistaken for anything else. It is the sort of thing that will bother you to the extent of starting to ask questions like, why won’t my guinea pig stop squeaking, screeching and so on.

So the way to tell that guinea pigs are crying is by listening to the sounds they make. If you encounter screeching, whimpering or grunting sounds, the guinea pigs may be crying.

Why Are My Guinea Pigs Crying?

If you have heard your guinea pigs crying, there could be several reasons behind it.

The guinea pigs may be crying because they are hungry.

It could also be a case of the guinea pigs crying because they are thirsty.

At another level, you may find the guinea pigs crying because they are fearful.

Or the guinea pigs may be crying because they require attention.

Anger and asserting dominance over each other are also reasons why guinea pigs cry at times.

Let’s now look at these various possible reasons for guinea pigs crying in turn.

Hunger As A Possible Reason For Guinea Pigs Crying

If your guinea pigs are hungry, and they want you to supply them with food, they will often let you know by way of making crying sounds.

Hunger seems to be the commonest reason for a guinea pig crying.

Thus if it has been long since you fed your guinea pigs, and they are crying, hunger may be the reason.

Experts tell us to feed guinea pigs at least twice per day: since these are fast metabolism animals.

All in all, the reason why your guinea pigs are crying may be hunger. You need to rule this out, before thinking of other possibilities.

Thirst As A Possible Reason For Guinea Pigs Crying

If your guinea pigs don’t have water to drink, and they want you to supply them with some, they may let you know by way of crying.

They have no other way of communicating with you, especially if you are somewhat far from them. So they cry.

Besides hunger, thirst is another very common reason for guinea pigs crying.

Thus if your guinea pigs are well fed, yet they are still crying, you should check their water bottles/bowls. If there is no water there, it could be thirst that is making them cry.

You need to understand that with animals like guinea pigs, thirst can be just as agonizing as hunger.  And the risk of dehydration is just as huge as (if not in fact bigger than) the risk of starvation.

Fear As Possible Reason For Guinea Pigs Crying

If something is causing guinea pigs a great deal of fear, they will tend to cry in response to it.

There are many things that can scare guinea pigs. Loud noises can scare guinea pigs. So can the presence of unfamiliar sights. Even the presence of animals they perceive as potential predators can make guinea pigs very fearful.

There are even cases when doing something nice to them may make guinea pigs to be still fearful. Remember, these are prey animals, which always think that they are on the verge of suffering harm.

If, for instance, you research on why do guinea pigs squeak when you pet them, you will see that it is sometimes fear-related.

You may be petting the guinea pig in an affectionate manner. But the guinea pig thinks that you want to harm him. That makes him fearful, hence the squeaking.

All in all, fear is a common reason for a guinea pig crying.

Requiring Attention As A Reason For Guinea Pigs Crying

Sometimes, guinea pigs just cry in a bid to attract attention.

This may be a case of baby guinea pigs crying in a bid to attract their mother’s attention.

It may also be a case of adult guinea pigs crying in a bid to attract their owner’s attention.

With time, guinea pigs come to learn that crying is something that draws their owner’s attention fast. So they cry whenever you pass close by, or whenever they want to see you.

They may also cry when they want you to let them out. Or when they want you to play with them, the guinea pigs may cry.

Anger As A Reason For Guinea Pigs Crying

Guinea pigs are capable of getting angry. And when the guinea pigs get hungry, their response is often that of crying.

The guinea pig may get angry because another one is messing with what it perceives as ‘its’ stuff.

A guinea pig may also get angry because you are handling it too much, and it wants to be left alone.

In all these sorts of situations, the end result may be that of the guinea pig making a crying sound.

Asserting Dominance As A Possible Reason For Guinea Pigs Crying

If you have more than one guinea pig, they may at times get into pecking order fights. These are fights in which one guinea pig endeavors to assert dominance over the other(s).

Now one way in which the guinea pigs assert dominance over others is by making loud crying sounds.

Admittedly, this can be one of the most difficult reasons for guinea pig crying to diagnose.

Pain As A Possible Reason For Guinea Pigs Crying

If guinea pigs are in physical pain, they will tend to cry.

The pain that makes the guinea pigs cry may be due to dental problems, to which they are very prone.

Alternatively, the pain making guinea pigs cry may be due to other forms of physical hurt.

Guinea pigs with gastrointestinal problems that cause pain may also cry.

Thus when you hear your guinea pig crying, you need to know that it may be a sign of pain.

Why Are My Guinea Pigs Crying At Night?

There are cases in which you specifically find guinea pigs crying at night.

Why do guinea pigs cry at night? That is usually because something is making them fearful. So it could be on account of the strange night sounds. Or it could be due to shadows and other strange sights of the night.

Then again, it could be that you forgot to feed or water the guinea pigs. So they are crying due to hunger or thirst. Or it could be some sort of pain that is making the guinea pigs cry at night.

Why Are My Guinea Pigs Crying Tears?

As noted earlier, ‘normal’ guinea pig crying ought to be of the dry type: with only sounds, but not tears.

Yet there are times when you find your guinea pig crying tears.

Now when a guinea pig cries ‘tears’ it is usually a sign of an illness. It may show that the guinea pig is having an allergic reaction to something. Or it may show that the guinea pig has dental problems that make it produce tears.

Certain infections may also make a guinea pig ‘cry tears’.

A guinea pig persistently crying tears may require veterinary help.

All this is with exception of what seem to be ‘white tears’. Sometimes, you find your guinea pig producing white tears. Then you start wondering, why is my guinea pig crying white tears?

In this case though, those are not actual tears. The white substance is something that guinea pigs produce for grooming their faces. It is normal. So you shouldn’t worry about that.

While at it, one may ask, is it ok to let my guinea pig shed crying tears? As we have seen, shedding tears is usually a sign of illness in guinea pigs. That is with the exception of ‘white tears’ which are actually a grooming substance.

Thus if your guinea pig seems to be persistently shedding tears, you may need to take him to a vet.

My Guinea Pigs Are Crying – What To Do?

Upon hearing your guinea pigs crying, you will naturally want to know what you can do to get them to stop.

So the key question here is, how can I keep my guinea pig from crying?

Now if the crying is due to hunger or thirst, you need to provide food and/or water.

If the crying is due to fear, you need to identify what is scaring the guinea pigs. Then get rid of it, to get the cavies to stop crying. If it is something you can’t get rid of, at least pet and reassure the guinea pigs…

In case the guinea pigs are crying due to anger, identify what is making them hungry. Then mitigate it, to give the guinea pigs relief.

If the guinea pigs are crying as a way of asserting dominance over each other, try to resolve the situation. You may even give the aggressive guinea pig a time-out, or use some other strategy of that nature.

If the guinea pigs are crying for attention, just go to them, pet them, play with them, let them out… and so on. But avoid conditioning them into being attention junkies.

Get them to also learn how they can enjoy their time by themselves, without always demanding attention.

Final Verdict – Why Are My Guinea Pigs Crying

Your guinea pigs could be crying on account of hunger, thirst, pain or fear. Or your guinea pigs may be crying as part of their dominance fights, because they want your attention or because they are angry.

Watching the context within which the guinea pigs are crying can help you in understanding why they are crying.

If the guinea pigs are producing tears, you need to know that it could be indicative of an illness. So it could be due to dental problems, allergic reactions or some other illness. This often requires veterinary attention.

The only exception there is for white tears: which are actually a normal self-grooming substance for guinea pigs.

Providing guinea pigs with food and/or water may get them to stop crying. That is if hunger and/or thirst was the reason for them crying.

In other cases, mitigating whatever is making guinea pigs fearful or angry can get them to stop crying.

If the crying is due to some sort of pain, treatment by a vet may be what it takes to stop it.

It may also be possible to get guinea pigs to stop crying by just giving them attention. This applies if the guinea pigs were simply crying to grab your attention.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet guinea pig a good and comfortable life!

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️