Keeping Your Guinea Pigs 'popcorning' Happy - Supreme Petfoods

What’s not to love about guinea pigs? These charming little pets are known for their long lifespans compared to other small animals, often living five to eight years. And guinea pigs, or cavies, make excellent companions because they’re active during the day and highly interactive, using a variety of sounds like chutting, purring, and wheeking to communicate. Their engaging personalities make them popular pets for children, though it’s important to note this should always be under parental guidance. Bear in mind too, that guinea pigs are a significant commitment especially given their longer life expectancy compared to other small pets.

What is popcorning?

One of the most endearing traits that adds to the appeal of guinea pigs is popcorning. This is when guinea pigs jump into the air with all four paws off the ground and run in quick, spontaneous bursts. Popcorning is often thought of as the happy little jump that guinea pigs do when they are full of joy.

But where does this unique behaviour come from? While popcorning is now seen as a sign of happiness in guinea pigs, it has been suggested that it may have originally been a ‘flight’ behaviour, used by their wild cavy ancestors to confuse or evade predators. Over time, however, it seems to have evolved into an expression of excitement in our pet piggies.

Want to find out how to keep your guinea pigs happy, healthy and popcorning to their hearts’ content? Read on!

Furry Friends

In the wild, guinea pigs originated from South America and would have lived in social groups of ten adults. Domesticated piggies should be kept in much smaller groups than this, but not housed alone as they are social beings and lack of companionship can lead to significant distress. There is a lot of information about ideal groupings which can become confusing so if in doubt speak with your local pet shop owner or vet for their advice.

Single sex pairings are usually advised, but it is essential for males to be neutered if they are to be kept with females. It can be very dangerous for a sow (female) to become pregnant with her first litter after 6 to 8 months of age as her pelvis will have fused by this stage and she will be incapable of delivering her babies.

Multiple boars (males) can co-habit a hutch together happily as long as there are no females nearby, especially if they are brothers or have been introduced at a young age. Ideally boars should be kept in groups no larger than three or as a pair, otherwise there can be increased levels of in-fighting. Introducing a new adult boar to the group is not recommended for newbie pig owners, who would do better to see whether a baby boar will be integrated and that should also be done very gradually and with care.

Sows are more likely to get along in a larger group than boars, but usually a group of two or three is still the optimum. As with people, they have their own individual personalities and can vary in how timid, inquisitive, calm or playful they are as well as a whole host of other characteristics. Different personalities may be a better or worse match with each other.