biting fingers/tugging at clothes

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Porky Pig

Hi!

I've had my GP for 3 weeks now - still getting to know him.
I've learned that when he starts nibbling on my fingers (progressively getting stronger bites!), he needs the toilet. So I put him back in his cage to relieve himself.

However, last night, while I was lying on the sofa with him, from the start, he kept biting/pulling at my top --- my collar, sleeves, etc. It was a kind of a long strong pull each time. I put him back in his cage in case he wanted to pee/poop - which he did - but when I got him back out, the same behaviour occurred.

What am I doing wrong? I wish I had a gp dictionary so I can understand his language!

Thank you for any wisdom you can give.

?/
 
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Guinea pigs like to rearrange things; I think he just found out he could pull and was having fun! If you want him to have play time, sacrifice an old tea towel, peg it firmly to the bars/mesh, so it falls onto the floor and sit back to watch the games unfold!

I've seen mine doing it with towels, old toilet mats, ribbons, tissues in a tissue box, carpet fringes and my clothes.
 
Vickyt said:
Guinea pigs like to rearrange things;
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Wow, I would never have thought THAT! rolleyes
Ok, I'll try it with old towels/hankies/tea towels. That's a great idea!

Their desire to arrange things... is that the reason why he jumps up and down, runs like mad, squeals loudly whenever I spot clean his cage? He is unafraid of the trowel I use and will tug and pull at it while I'm shovelling his muck away and putting down fresh shredded paper + hay! :)) OR, is he upset?
 
No - the running and jumping (i.e. "popcorning") is an expression of sheer joy! And your boy is a young, happy, cheeky lad who wants to have some play and fun!

Alternatively, give him the the carboard bit of a toilet roll or an empty soap box to chew on and lug around. Toys don't need to be expensive; especially, if they are there to be distroyed...
 
Vickyt said:
No - the running and jumping (i.e. "popcorning") is an expression of sheer joy! ...
Alternatively, give him the the carboard bit of a toilet roll...Toys don't need to be expensive; especially, if they are there to be distroyed...
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BRILLIANT! I'll make playtimes fun for him (and me!) :(|)
Your posts have been so helpful - THANK YOU!
 
Piggies can be playful little mischiefs! I had one sow who would rearrange her cosy bed to perfection before finally snuggling down:

[ame]www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjkUD6JAw5Q[/ame]

She pulled at the fleece with her teeth, she would do it with everything she wanted to snuggle in. Nothing was any good unless she had done it herself!
 
a biter by nature?

Hi - it's been over a week since I last posted.

Have followed advice here... now using a towel for lap times + putting cardboard "toys" in his cage (e.g., toilet rolls).

These work to some extent. But my gp is still biting me. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. ?/

He seems so much better being taken out of his cage (by lifting his plastic "cave", tenderly petting him, then scooping him out --- not much of a fight as before). He seems to enjoy being on my or my husband's lap, on the fluffy towel, and enjoys the scratching, brushing, etc.

Sometimes, he can stay on our laps for ages and will indicate he needs a wee or that he's hungry by tugging at our shirt or sleeve.

BUT, he has many moments when, he will DELIBERATELY SEARCH out for a hand (specifically the tender parts like in between fingers, or the fleshy part of the thumb, or the fleshy part in between thumb and index finger) or my wrist or the fleshy part of my arm and he begins to nibble --- it starts with a very small nibble and when his teeth grab hold of the skin surface, HE PULLS slowly and strongly!

I don't want to startle him with a strong reprimand, so I just go "ssh" or a firm "no" - this stops him for about 10 seconds, then he's at it again.

I know guinea pigs have different personalities, but I can't help but envy my brother who has the most gentle piggy (has NEVER bitten or nibbled on anyone's hand!).

Should I simply accept that my gp is a biter by nature and love him for who he is? Or, am I unwittingly reinforcing (or causing) this behaviour ?

Many many thanks for reading this long post and for any answers you might give.
 
Does your piggy have a friend? He might be frustrated somehow, when i get the odd nibble i do my best to ignore it and lift them up and rearrange them on my lap and continue stroking them.
 
lovelygirl said:
Does your piggy have a friend? He might be frustrated somehow, when i get the odd nibble i do my best to ignore it and lift them up and rearrange them on my lap and continue stroking them.
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No he doesn't. He's a gift from a relative.
I do exactly as you do and persevere, rather than give up. 6 out of 10 times, he stops biting and re-positions himself on my lap to continue cuddling up.

Any other thoughts?
 
i dont think you are doing ANYTHING wrong. since you've only had him for a short while, give him more time. maybe he'll outgrow this. have you thought about getting him a friend? piggies love friends.
 
my suggestion would be space allowing a friend, piggies really need piggy company to do piggy things with. Before you get a friend make sure you have got the sex right you don't want to end up with lots of piggies! If you want some advice in person get in contact with fi cantillion, www.cavyrescueandretreat.org.uk she is based in bristol and may be able to help you pair him up with a new friend.
 
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I would also say get another guinea pig. You don't see much of their natural behaviour until they have a friend.

As for the biting, have you just given him veggies? Do you smell like his food? A few of ours give very gently nibbles if i have just been cutting and preparing food. Also I heard that boys can do this from time to time and grow out of it after a few months.
 
It looks like the common denominator in each of your answers is be patient (to see if he will outgrown the biting) and, more importantly, get a piggy friend for my piggy!

Well, I wasn't planning on having a gp in the first place - he was a gift - and my husband was annoyed by this addition to our "family." I already have a reptile that takes up loads of our time & money. Slowly but surely, my hubby is learning to love and accept our piggy, too, BUT to say I'm getting another one - we might end up divorcing :))

Out of curiosity, why do you think getting a friend will solve the biting issue?

Also, will he not bully a new addition to his cage? He is fiesty and assertive and playful and clever! I think he might cause trouble for a new friend !

PS - he looks male - he has these "bulbous" things on the rear side which I assume to be testicles! Correct me if I'm wrong!
 
Lol, sounds male to me!
I've got a young male who likes the occasional nibble - although he does it more often with my partner than with me and I've no idea why. He also does the long slow pulls on the fleece we use for lap cuddles, as you described. I'm pretty sure he's a happy piggy, although he is taking his time truly settling in and trusting us. I'm hoping he'll grow out of it too, its a shame there is no definitive answer.
Perhaps you can gently train him to understand that you don't like being bitten? For example take your hands away for a few seconds, then return to stroking him? But if he isn't hurting you I wouldn't worry, I guess its just curiosity? 'Mmmm, what does this taste like?'
x
 
thanks HappyCath! I do wonder if I taste like a vegetable - I'm from the far east, so maybe I have a funny taste & smell! :D

I'm determined to persevere - after all, pets are for life and, except for the biting, he really is a good, playful, clever piggy.
 
is there anything piggies do not like? maybe you could rub it on your hands to dissuade him? used to use tabasco sauce on my shoes to stop the dog stealing them and chewing them, not suggesting you bathe in that though!
 
lovelygirl said:
is there anything piggies do not like? maybe you could rub it on your hands to dissuade him? used to use tabasco sauce on my shoes to stop the dog stealing them and chewing them, not suggesting you bathe in that though!
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:)) :)) :)) I like that suggestion! :)) :)) :))
Tabasco sauce might be too strong for his taste buds, tho.
Maybe the bitter stuff that people use to stop nail-biting would be good ?

In the meantime, the little rascal is being nice (for how long, I wonder!).
 
It may just be one of those things! One of my late piggies, Warren, just seemed to have a taste for human flesh! He didn't bite if he was frightened or angry. He seemed to just enjoy gnawing on my hand, sometimes singing away as he did it and yes, it hurt!

I got all sorts of advice on how to stop it - blowing in his face, sternly saying no, but apart from wearing gloves (which wouldn't have made cuddling him very nice,) nothing seemed to work.

He was a bit of an odd pig - very intelligent (used to rearrange the food in the cage very methodically to keep most of it for himself, leaving his companion Ernie looking puzzled!) and not overly fond of cuddling, but loved to have a bath for some reason.

Every pig is an individual!
 
hi :)

just wondering if your piggy got a friend?
guinea pigs really need a friend to live with.
they feel better and safe and have company
and not all alone. Guinea pigs naturally live in
groups and need other pigs around :)
hope piggy is well xo :)
 
:)

Guinea pigs tend to get very bored without a friend (they sleep in short bursts through the day and night) so, if he had a friend he would have someone to play with while you are sleeping. :) In the wild they live in herd of many animals, but in a house two will be fine. It wouldnt cost much more (only food cost) to have another piggy, and untill you do it you wont believe the difference it will make to his behaviour! Lots of rescues do "Boar dating" So you can make sure your little boy gets on with his new friend before you take them home. :)
 
Hi, i have 6 piggies all boars and one of my youngest does this. I actually think its a sign of intellegence and great confidence with you. Jem does it and i just blow on his face and say no! I am certain he will grow out of it. Jem is EXTREMELY playful and it sounds as though your chap is too, i would just continue to enjoy him and put all worries of the biting to one side. If he wanted to hurt you, you would know about it :))
The nibbling may stop with a friend, it may not. But they do tend to work better in pairs, someone to play with. Jem and Spike have great fun playing chase and play fighting. He could be feeling a little lonely and his nibbling could be his way of coping and communicating this with you, who knows. Having a human companion is not the same as a guinea pig. I'm not judging you, i know how it is with a lone piggy. I had to keep Jasper alone for a while and eventually my husband gave in and let me get a companion for him. He realised that one extra in the cage is no more work.
I do think Jem is very intellegent, and i think your chap is too.
Good luck Xx
 
I have 3 young boars - 2 love there cuddles but Toby chews the towel, my clothes, the sofa anything he can,, constantly after only 5 minutes.
I think it's because he's so inquisitive & finds cuddling in very boring (he never lies down) & constantly has to be on the go.
I'm hoping it will calm down a bit as he gets older,, but I don't think he'll ever be the snuggly type.
 
My boar likes to eat my necklace:)) and he's chewed some of my hair off before!
 
One of my pigs is, for lack of a better term, 'nibbly.' She will lick and nibble at our hands, fingers, and basically anything else right in front of her face. She doensn't do it hard enough to hurt us. I just move my hand away when she starts to nibble or lick. I think we just smell interesting or she is hoping that we may be edible. There's no aggression to it... it's just something she does that our other pigs haven't done.
 
Jayne. said:
I have 3 young boars - 2 love there cuddles but Toby chews the towel, my clothes, the sofa anything he can,, constantly after only 5 minutes.
I think it's because he's so inquisitive & finds cuddling in very boring (he never lies down) & constantly has to be on the go.
I'm hoping it will calm down a bit as he gets older,, but I don't think he'll ever be the snuggly type.
Click to expand...

How cute is your avator! x)
 
Wiebke said:
Guinea pigs like to rearrange things; I think he just found out he could pull and was having fun! If you want him to have play time, sacrifice an old tea towel, peg it firmly to the bars/mesh, so it falls onto the floor and sit back to watch the games unfold!

I've seen mine doing it with towels, old toilet mats, ribbons, tissues in a tissue box, carpet fringes and my clothes.
Click to expand...

Mine do the exact same they love it !
 
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