Is it normql for a piggie to lick your hand?

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Maxellnimons

Maxellnimons

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Its super cute she licks my hand like a dog and then curls up on my lap so I tickle her a bit and then more licking lol
But
It kinda makes me feel like she might have somthing missing from her diet?
Should I get salt licks? (Those dont seem very helpful, wont all the salt be harmful?)
Is this even proper piggie behavior?
Help please I'm a first time piggie owner (fist time pet owner actually lol) :))
 
We have two boars and they quite often give my other half (not me, for some reason) a little lick every so often. They often have a little nibble too but we think that's because we normally give them a little treat when they come out of the cage so they can probably smell or taste the treat. They don't do it all the time.

I don't know if it's normal behaviour per se, I'm sure someone will come along and advise better, but providing you don't have any chemical produce on your hands (perfume, lotion, bleach, cleaning products) I don't see the problem - it sounds as if she loves you very much!
 
Both my girls lick me. It's not just my hand, they will run up to my face and give me a quick lick on the chin, nose or even cheek!
I just assume it's because they want to groom me. Although in my human way I call it loves and kisses! rolleyes
 
Omg! Culd it really be grooming? Thats so sweet ah so sweet! :)p
 
My girls often lick my husbands arm when he is giving them a cuddle. I think it is a grooming/bonding thing, but I tease him and tell him that maybe he needs a wash!
 
It's normal (and cute!) for piggies to lick your hand but I think sometimes they do it more if they don't have a salt lick. I had to get one for my boys, as Timmy wouldn't lick me more than a few times before he started biting me! They don't lick their salt block that often, but they do seem to get salt cravings every now and again.

It probably is also is a grooming/bonding thing... I know it's a good thing if cats groom each other, it shows they like each other.
 
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max loves to lick, though only me !?!?!? none of my others do though. i got a salt lick and it was never touched so I'm not sure why they hated it ! its pretty normal and a kind of grooming thing . dont worry your not the only one
 
Two of my piggies are very licky! Its very cute, wolly woo licks the most tho and when they give a small light nibble its there way of telling me they gotta go! Which works well as ive only been peed on once by mr piggles where i ignored him as was snuggled up +comfty +enjoying giving him cuddles,i soon moved when he trickled on me! Ewwww! So now if they lick then lightly nibble i know its there way of saying put me back mum i wanna wee wee! Cotton my third piggy isnt very licky hes more dominate than the other two,and when i first got him with wolly woo he was quite aggressive,but ive seemed to have managed to calmed him down alot in the 9wks ive had them,now he gives a very light nibble whereas before he would bite! Hes also a hymalayian so i dont know if that has anything to do with his slighty spiteful behaviour? (as heard there the siemese version of guinea pigs like cats,and they can have a spiteful streak in them) but hes comming along great now and calmed right down and is just as tame and loving as the other two apart from he very rarely licks,
 
Oh ps cotton is the white one,and wolly woo the black one with white pocked on his side,mr piggles isnt in my profile picture,i really must change it so all three are saying hello to everyone!:)
 
Please do not use salt licks. They are very bad for guinea pigs and should not be sold. Licking your hand is a piggies way of kissing you. :)
 
Kimmi my previous piggie who was a companion to Zee for a few years used to lick me on the hands and if I went to her level she'd lick my lips too! But she only started doing that after her sister Gina died when I had them both neither of them licked me. So I don't know why she started to after Gina passed away.
It caused me to become so close to her and I still haven't gotten over the loss of her to this day.

Your little lady sounds like a cutie though!
 
Awww so she likes me? Awww I thought I'm just her slave lol ok I figured that about salt licks cause she generally ignores EVERYTHING anyway and just pays her majesties attention to hay, veggies and cage bars to bite occasionally to wake me up lol
 
Mine does this too, so I'm pretty sure it's normal.
 
Both my boys baz and Freddie ( god bless him ) always use to lick my daughters fingers they use to go mad but never lick me or my partners I put it down to them being small now she has got older they don't do it
 
I love getting my hands licked! My girl Sundae loves to lick everyone's hands (and noses on the kids, who are more apt to put their faces within licking distance.) The kids consider them kisses, I think she is trying to figure out if we are good to eat! My other pig, Linney, occasionally licks but is more likely to nuzzle us with her big fuzzy nose instead.
 
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