How soon do they wheek?

I don't think there is a set amount of time. Once Nismo is good and comfortable with you, he'll start to vocalize more. By the looks of the little guy, he'll be demanding free access to the veggie bin in no time!

All mine wheeked except one. It wasnt until cilantro came into his life that he started wheeking. Lil Ernie is over 4months old and usually quiet. But the second I go in the kitchen I hear his lil tiny wheeks.

LOL maybe I"m giving him too much food, cuz he never has to beg for it

They always beg anyway. Mine will beg 5 mins after they get food. It goes on constantly all day. Some guinea pigs are just quiet and some take days or weeks to figure out how this system works. Once they learn plastic or opening fridge means food they will never be quiet again. Babies learn from the adults around so if a baby is raised where the adults already beg for food they'll start up right away. If they are raised where they never get veggies it can take them awhile to catch on without someone to show them.

Some piggies don't wheek very much at all, even when they're grown up, some do a lot!

Mia liked to wheek right away. Pepper on the other hand is quieter, but she sure can wheek when it's veggie time. It's kinda like you train them. Rustle a plastic bag when it's time for veggies and he'll soon catch on. I say "Piggy piggies!!" when I do that and now they respond to my voice. It's so cute!

My pig s'more almost never wheeks. She used to a little, but after she got her buddy Ruby she doest do it much anymore. Ruby Weeks so much and so loud that I can hear it in the shower

Dagwell never wheeked when he was a single pig. As soon as Atticus came into the mix I haven't been able to shut him uplol

Yeah, my pigs aren't the hugest wheekers in the world...they seem to "come and go" with it.

My new pig wheeks sometimes when she's having floor or lap time, and I don't know her well enough to know what it means! Maybe it means she's ready to go back in her cage or something...I dunno.

My first pig would sometimes wheek the "lonely" wheek when I left the room. Awwww! During a certain time period I would always bring her a fresh handful of grass when I got home and came in the door, and she got to where just hearing the car pull up, or the car door shut, would make her wheek like crazy.

If you want to get the wheeking started, here's some suggestions:

*Feed at the same times everyday.

*Make sure the pig hears the same sounds every time (fridge opening, or plastic rustling, or knife chopping up vegetables or something!)

*I say the SAME thing to my pigs everytime it's veggie time, in the exact same tone of voice: "What some veggies???" (in highpitched loveydovy talk, you know! ) I don't think this has ever actually made them wheek, but I think it DOES make them a little easier to catch and take out of the cage!

My pigs associate the stair gate, the front door opening, the rustling of any plastic bag, someone coming up the stairs, any door shutting, the sound of someone chopping food and anyones voice as food time. Lottie and Jazzie are the vocal ones in my group - they are so loud and seem to take turns in speaking for all the others!

Nismo will get used to the sounds you make while getting his dinner ready, and before you know it he'll be wheeking away and sitting expectantly at the front of his cage waiting for his veggies!

The fridge door opening sound must be embedded in their genes somehow cause my pigs wheek like crazy when I do it although they never get their food directly from the fridge, I always let it get a bit warmer for about an hour or so.

And some pigs wheek more than others. Bonnie is the loudest of all, she's the food indicator for the whole group. Zirbel and Sydney are catching up. Gobi almost never wheeks, and even when he purrs angrily, he's quieter than the three girls.