I Am So Ashamed And Confused!

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Gizi

Gizi

Adult Guinea Pig
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Brisbane, OLD Australia
Hi everyone! Today I have bad news, I am so ashamed of myself for dropping Honey! Honey is a very laid back pig who loves to lick me all the time. But instead of licking me she nipped me and drew blood. Okay must admit it was barely any blood, not even a drop. She nipped me over 3 times and at the third nip I had enough. I got mad at her and picked her up and then threw her on a cushion. OF coarse not with force but I sort of let go of her while she was hanging over the cushion. She landed on a soft bedding but I am still so ashamed! I'm not sure if she nipped me because I was trying to pick her up or because I might have touched her nail. If you don't know already Honey broke her nail at the quick and it puffed up. I am now treating it so not to worry. Honey also nipped Gizi ALOT of times aswell, so she might be in a bad mood because of her nail. I am so ashamed I could do that, but I don't know why she would nip me!
 
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What's done is done and you can't change it other than to make sure you don't do it again. You maybe need to start looking at what honey was trying to tell you. If she had already been nipping you she was trying to tell you something. It could be that she doesn't like being held - my Barney hates it and it is something you just have to accept. Of course it could be that she just wanted to go back to her care for a wee and was trying to tell you. She would have done it with force in the end because you hadn't listened to her.
 
*kate* said:
No, you can't change what you did but, I have to be honest and say that I feel quite sick at the thought of you hitting and throwing a defenseless animal.
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I know, I am actually very ashamed that I could do such a thing to my lovely baby! I feel so bad for her now :(
 
I think we have all discussed smacking guinea pigs recently, and we all know that they don't understand that kind of punishment. Dropping a small animal in shock if you are bitten I can understand, but throwing them, I really cant understand that :( You must not throw her again, but I am sure you wont, as you have said you are ashamed and you know that it was wrong.

Do you think you should take her to a vet to be checked over? Their bones are very fragile and she could be injured by being thrown.

You do need to think about why she is nipping. Did she nip you because she was scared? Does she nip Gizi because she was in pain? Are you sure they don't have mites? As the pain of mites can make them bad tempered. There could be many reasons, and your job as an owner is to figure that out. She has not become insane :( She is trying to tell you something.
 
Goth Mummy said:
I think we have all discussed smacking guinea pigs recently, and we all know that they don't understand that kind of punishment. Dropping a small animal in shock if you are bitten I can understand, but throwing them, I really cant understand that :( You must not throw her again, but I am sure you wont, as you have said you are ashamed and you know that it was wrong.

Do you think you should take her to a vet to be checked over? Their bones are very fragile and she could be injured by being thrown.

You do need to think about why she is nipping. Did she nip you because she was scared? Does she nip Gizi because she was in pain? Are you sure they don't have mites? As the pain of mites can make them bad tempered. There could be many reasons, and your job as an owner is to figure that out. She has not become insane :( She is trying to tell you something.
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Thank you for being polite, I can't believe what I have done :( I just feel like drowning in a big pool of water at the moment. I'm sure they don't have mites a they have been treated last month. I did not hit Honey, I was referring to dropping her around 15cm off the ground onto a cushion.
 
I have come back to offer more constructive advice…. @Gizi, when you handle her please wear protective gloves, or even oven gloves and a thick towel. This will protect you from bites and make it safer for her too, as you are less likely to drop her in shock.

If you are struggling with her, do you know anyone locally who is guinea pig aware who could come and look at her and the way she is behaving. I have never met an “insane” guinea pig in all my life, and I have had many “waifs and strays” and unwanted children’s pet guinea pigs from other people over my adult life, there is always a reason for the behaviour.

Of course, she might not like Gizi. What is their bond like? How long has she been nipping you for? Does she think your fingers are carrots? ;-)
 
Goth Mummy said:
I have come back to offer more constructive advice…. @Gizi, when you handle her please wear protective gloves, or even oven gloves and a thick towel. This will protect you from bites and make it safer for her too, as you are less likely to drop her in shock.

If you are struggling with her, do you know anyone locally who is guinea pig aware who could come and look at her and the way she is behaving. I have never met an “insane” guinea pig in all my life, and I have had many “waifs and strays” and unwanted children’s pet guinea pigs from other people over my adult life, there is always a reason for the behaviour.

Of course, she might not like Gizi. What is their bond like? How long has she been nipping you for? Does she think your fingers are carrots? ;-)
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Thanks everyone who is actually nice and not saying I should get bitten again because the nip was actually quiet painful and after almost half an hour it still hurts and has become red. We all make mistakes and for me this was a HUGE mistake that I will not make again. I will try and not handle her too much as I might have touched her nail. Honey is the most sweetest little thing in the world and would not hurt anyone. Their bond is actually quiet good except for the nipping which happens when Gizi gets told off to not go in honey favorite house 'the purple castle'. Gizi also gets nipped when she make sudden movement and Honey gets scared.

@*kate* I thought it was very rude of you to say that I should get bitten again.
 
Gizi said:
Thanks everyone who is actually nice and not saying I should get bitten again because the nip was actually quiet painful and after almost half an hour it still hurts and has become red. We all make mistakes and for me this was a HUGE mistake that I will not make again. I will try and not handle her too much as I might have touched her nail. Honey is the most sweetest little thing in the world and would not hurt anyone. Their bond is actually quiet good except for the nipping which happens when Gizi gets told off to not go in honey favorite house 'the purple castle'. Gizi also gets nipped when she make sudden movement and Honey gets scared.

@*kate* I thought it was very rude of you to say that I should get bitten again.
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Ermmm I suggest you learn to read, I didn't say that.

Get over yourself, you are the one that did wrong not me. No way will I be "nice" to someone who has abused an animal. Never will that happen.
 
Come on guys remain civil, or I'll nip to my special cupboard. ;)
 
*kate* said:
Ermmm I suggest you learn to read, I didn't say that.

Get over yourself, you are the one that did wrong not me. No way will I be "nice" to someone who has abused an animal. Never will that happen.
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Yes I am the one that did wrong, and I know that. But if you were in my position it would not be very nice to hear someone say that you abused an animal. This is a friendly forum after all :)
 
Gizi said:
Thanks everyone who is actually nice and not saying I should get bitten again because the nip was actually quiet painful and after almost half an hour it still hurts and has become red. We all make mistakes and for me this was a HUGE mistake that I will not make again. I will try and not handle her too much as I might have touched her nail. Honey is the most sweetest little thing in the world and would not hurt anyone. Their bond is actually quiet good except for the nipping which happens when Gizi gets told off to not go in honey favorite house 'the purple castle'. Gizi also gets nipped when she make sudden movement and Honey gets scared.

@*kate* I thought it was very rude of you to say that I should get bitten again.
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Gizi, re-read what @*kate* said
*kate* said:
How can you be sure you wont react in such a way again, should you receive another bite?
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She didn't say you should be bitten again.... she was referring to making sure you keep a check on your emotions, as to not make the same mistake again

Perhaps you need to look at a way of picking Honey up differently if she has a tendency to bite and nip... Vimto used to take chunks out of me when I carried her...Have you thought of collecting her in a cost or chube? Some piggies just hate being carried.

You realise you made a mistake and luckily there is no harm done to Honey, it is a mistake I am sure you will not repeat again.
 
Jack bit me once (it was when he and Pumpkin had a sudden fight and I had to dive in to separate them) and my hand got infected! I assume you did wash the wound immediately and also put some kind of cream on it - if it is red and inflamed/painful tomorrow you should probably pop to the doctors and see your minor injuries nurse - you don't want to end up with an infection. I know how painful it is! Did it bleed much? I was wrapping tea towels around my hand to mop up the blood after Jack bit me. It was totally my fault that I got bitten by Jack, I should have had protective gloves on to separate them.

Buffy has never broken the skin although she does nip sometimes for example when being bathed or having her nails cut.

I have also had an infected cat bite once! Take care!

edited to say: It was people on this forum who told me to get my hand seen at the doctors - thanks guys ;)
 
Gizi said:
Yes I am the one that did wrong, and I know that. But if you were in my position it would not be very nice to hear someone say that you abused an animal. This is a friendly forum after all :)
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I will never, ever be in your position, believe me.
 
*kate* said:
I will never, ever be in your position, believe me.
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I knew you would say that. Not everyone is as perfect as you @*kate* Also I was comparing that you wouldn't like to be called an animal abuser or anything bad in general especially after something horrible has happened

I'm sorry if I have caused harm by sharing this
 
Now that's it, cut out the bickering or I'll close this topic. :rant:
 
Dear Gizi,

I know you love your guinea pigs as I've read lots of your posts. You've also been honest enough to admit that what you did was wrong. You can't turn the clock back. The best thing to do now is make sure Honey is OK and get her checked out by a vet.
 
If it is possible that her foot is painful still then you could ask your parents about taking her to the vet for some pain relief. I also agree it could be a reaction to mange mites. Topical treatments from the shop aren't always effective.
 
I agree with the others about getting her checked for any painful skin conditions or something else which might be causing her pain or irritation. That could be a likely cause. Otherwise, it could be she didn't want to be out and telling you to put her back - I have a piggy who pulls violently at clothes when he wants to be put back, and if he pinches skin by accident this can be very painful! Was she pulling or actually biting? Working with her to solve the problem should help you understand her better and cope appropriately with any future biting if you can't solve the problem medically. With Eddie I simply have to know to put him back straight away as I know I might get a nasty pinch if I'm not careful.

I think its clear you had no intention to harm and it can be a shock to be bitten by a loved pet. Hopefully we can help you get to the root of her problem.
 
Oh dear everyone come on I'm sure there was no malace intended at all I was bitten by my late piggie when cleaning his wound. And yeah it hurts, let's not be awful to people, we all do things in the heat of the moment. I hope Gizi piggie is ok and also you too. A little more care ,and one nip and back in your cage you go !! Xx
 
I think initially you should look into WHY she nipped you and how forceful it was. One of my boys had sore skin and when patting him turned and nipped my hand as a warning to leave that area of skin alone. When i touched it for a second time I got nipped a bit harder. My fault and I realised that.

I'm extremely hot headed, and nippy myself so I won't point out your mistake in dealing with the situation, although I can say I wouldn't react this way, and I'm sure that won't help how you feel now. I have seen me telling off one of my girls in a way i would my children, for nipping at another piggy. Unreasonable of me as she clearly won't understand me, and looks at me like I'm barking mad, but its the heat of the moment and mother bear in me wanting all to be protected and unharmed. I'm not violent, but I did point at her and say NO loudly (that got me some right odd looks from the family!)

Personally, I feel you clearly have recognised you did wrong and are ashamed, or else why would you openly admit on a forum and be open to the verbal punishment you are inviting?

You need to look at some strategies on how to deal with situations like this. first nip ok, second you should have known better the piggy would be telling you, and third, well why not learn the first two times? as a rule of thumb, any guinea pig who nips being handled should be let go, and put back where they feel safe as they clearly aren't keen on whatever it is the human is doing and this is their way of telling them.
 
I'm just thankful , the 6 I have owned have all been comfortable in being handled. They may have gotten a little vocal at times, but I've never been nipped.
 
Duke nipped at me as he had a little fungal on his back and I found it, which he wasn't happy about. And when I touched it to verify for myself he had a sore bit, he swiped again. totally my own fault.
My youngest Pepper, thinks my finger is food sometimes and tries to nibble lol but never anyone else! Always me! and always this one left hand index finger :D not sure what that one is all about :lol:
 
I've only ever been nipped if the pig is either scared/startled or in some kind of pain or discomfort. One of my pigs is terrified of having her nails cut and I will have to wear gloves or otherwise protect my hands when it's nail clipping time. The other time I've been nipped was at the vet, and it was obviously either from fear or pain (I was holding the head end of the pig while the vet was palpating her bladder feeling for stones or masses.) Yes, it hurts, even if it doesn't break the skin (and especially if it does.) I've also had some pigs nibble hard if I don't pull away or otherwise let them know that I'm not food on the first couple 'test nibbles.'

Obviously you know that 'disciplining' a pig by dropping is not the way to handle the situation, so I won't belabor the point. I would draw a line in the sand for yourself and say that you made a mistake, but you will never permit that particular mistake again, and then stick with it. The 'good' thing about seeing something we don't like in our behavior is that it is always within our power to change our behavior in the future.
 
Barney hates being held unless he is eating something at the time. The first summer I had him, before I realised, he nipped and was frantic but I kept holding him on my knee. Then one day he obviously had enough and sunk his teeth into my thumb pad. The pain and the bleeding was unbelievable. I learnt my lesson that day - between the bite and searching this forum I discovered that not all piggies like being held. I still get cuddles now but I jam a carrot in his mouth straight away and then put him down the moment he finishes. He is funny - he loves stopping for a stroke as he toddles passed the sofa, just doesn't like being held!
 
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