Fear Of Being Bit

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Anon123

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so I post on here to get advice on my Gilligan, and I have a fear of being bitten since he bit me once. He hasn't done it since and he and I have a pretty good relationship, I am really new to this guinea pig thing and I am just wanting to know if there is any way I can get over that because he is very curious and he always comes near my hands when it's cuddle time with his head stretched out and wants to nibble my fingers and I don't want to be bitten... any veteran advice?
 
There is a section on the guinea pig guides at the top of the page about biting. Sorry I can't link it in at the mo as I on my phone. Have a look at that. I can't remember off hand which guide it's under. Just have a flick through and I'm sure you'll find it!
 
It is normal to be anxious after you have been bitten.
We also have a guinea pig who bites so I understand what it is like.

But if you have only been bitten once, chances are it was not typical of him - maybe your hands smelt like food?

Here is the Forum guide to biting written by a very experienced guinea pig owner.
Hopefully this will help.

" Biting" And What You Can Do
 
Swissgreys said:
It is normal to be anxious after you have been bitten.
We also have a guinea pig who bites so I understand what it is like.

But if you have only been bitten once, chances are it was not typical of him - maybe your hands smelt like food?

Here is the Forum guide to biting written by a very experienced guinea pig owner.
Hopefully this will help.

" Biting" And What You Can Do
Click to expand...


Thanks @Swissgreys that was the thread I meant! You are a complete STAR :yahoo:
 
Both my boys can be a bit nibbly..the older one during lap time when he needs the loo.

The little one I am putting down to the fact his a baby.

I've had piggies 8 years and you learn something new everyday..that link was really helpful!
 
I was exactly the same after two of my three bit me, both drawing blood, on the same weekend a few weeks after I got them.
Chewie was a genuine mistake - my fingers smelt like peppers and BB was really cross! (Nail clipping)

Neither have ever bitten me like that again. Chewie did nip quite hard at the vets, but I can sympathise there! My OH wears thick gardening gloves when he holds the pigs for nail clipping now because they still hate it !
I think you just have to be brave - BB is a licker and Chewie and Rey will also lick occasionally but usually just shnuffle their lips against my hands. Every now and again they, quite carefully, use their teeth but I tell them no and they do learn. Except bar biting. Chewie has recently taught BB to do it! I give up!
 
Anon123 said:
so I post on here to get advice on my Gilligan, and I have a fear of being bitten since he bit me once. He hasn't done it since and he and I have a pretty good relationship, I am really new to this guinea pig thing and I am just wanting to know if there is any way I can get over that because he is very curious and he always comes near my hands when it's cuddle time with his head stretched out and wants to nibble my fingers and I don't want to be bitten... any veteran advice?
Click to expand...

Hi!
Please take the time to read this guide here. You will find it very helpful: " Biting" And What You Can Do

This guide is also part of our new owners' collection, which you may find very interesting. New Owners' Problem Solver And Information Collection
 
I have fortunately never run into a guinea pig that was a habitual biter (which is not to say we have not been bitten ever- Sundae got me good once when I was cutting her nails, and as a baby Hadley would aggressively try to chew clothing and got my daughter underneath the clothing on a couple of occasions.) A lot of pigs will bite either when scared or because they mistake you for food, so you can take precautions like washing your hands after handling food and perhaps protecting your hands during times that are going to be scary for your pig (like nail cutting in our house.)
 
One of my previous piggies was a bit of a shark when she arrived. Until she came I’d never really had a bite from a piggy unless it was really in protest eg at nail clipping or abscess flushing etc. She was a habitual biter and I used Wiebke’s fabulous guide to biting thst she has detailed above. She stopped biting. It really worked.
 
My late Pedro once snuggled into the bend of my arm having a cuddle. (He used to be a neglected piggy so could sometimes be bit temperamental) He suddenly bit the fleshy inside of my arm... ouch :yikes:. It didn’t arf hurt! But he didn’t mean it so he was instantly forgiven. RIP Pedro ( I still have the scar & it makes me smile) :love: xx
 
Hoppity.K said:
My late Pedro once snuggled into the bend of my arm having a cuddle. (He used to be a neglected piggy so could sometimes be bit temperamental) He suddenly bit the fleshy inside of my arm... ouch :yikes:. It didn’t arf hurt! But he didn’t mean it so he was instantly forgiven. RIP Pedro ( I still have the scar & it makes me smile) :love: xx
Click to expand...
Awwww that last bit about the scar made me smile as well as brought tears to my eyes. Pedro was a very lucky piggy to have landed up with you two! How could anyone have neglected such a cute and gorgeous little chap? It's quite beyond me!
 
I remember my old Furby, has to be 10 or more years ago!
Furby hated everything that moved including me, and l still have the scares on my fingers were he would bight me!
One time l picked him up out of the garden run and his insiors sunk that deeply into my finger that hit the bone!
I instinctively rased my hand quicly with Furby still atached, the poor lad whent flying unceremoniously into hebe shrubs , Lucaly he wasn't hurt!
Then at the age of around 6 his personality suddenly changed as if by magic!
He was a totally differant pig and he spent the next few years happily bonded to a succession of boars and sows
 
gizzy said:
I remember my old Furby, has to be 10 or more years ago!
Furby hated everything that moved including me, and l still have the scares on my fingers were he would bight me!
One time l picked him up out of the garden run and his insiors sunk that deeply into my finger that hit the bone!
I instinctively rased my hand quicly with Furby still atached, the poor lad whent flying unceremoniously into hebe shrubs , Lucaly he wasn't hurt!
Then at the age of around 6 his personality suddenly changed as if by magic!
He was a totally differant pig and he spent the next few years happily bonded to a succession of boars and sows
Click to expand...
I don't know if I should laugh or not. I think, since he was ok, then it's ok to laugh. Poor you though!
 
I think anyone who has been bit by their guinea pig is afraid of being bitten again. My Coco when she was still a baby mistook my index finger as food once and bit my finger so deep it took over half an hour to stop bleeding and several weeks later once my finger healed it was still tender to touch which made typing a real pain. She looked so guilty when she did it she was instantly forgiven but even now she has a tendency to nibble my arm when she is finished with lap time and I don't mess about putting her back in the cage just in case the next nibble is harder lol. They have some seriously sharp teeth.
 
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