My Guinea Pig Bites

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MacDoty

MacDoty

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My male guinea pig has been biting, usually when he's being carried back to his pen.
Not super hard but enough to draw blood sometimes.
Any idea why he might be doing this or if the behavior can be corrected?
 
They usually bite when scared or startled, are you swooping down on him to pick him up? Sometimes it's better to pick him up in a cozie, it's less stressful for him. ;)
 
BossHogg said:
They usually bite when scared or startled, are you swooping down on him to pick him up? Sometimes it's better to pick him up in a cozie, it's less stressful for him. ;)
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Well yeah, i can only assume he's stress out but i don't know why. We're usually picking him up as we stand up, often with towel under him. But he just nips anyway
 
Piggies are prey animals, so when the giant hooman picks him up, he gets scared, that's why he bites, try him with a cozie, that way he's fully enclosed and should feel safer, my Alfie loves his cozie and feels very safe in it, safe enough to not struggle whilst he's being carried. ;)
 
BossHogg said:
Piggies are prey animals, so when the giant hooman picks him up, he gets scared, that's why he bites, try him with a cozie, that way he's fully enclosed and should feel safer, my Alfie loves his cozie and feels very safe in it, safe enough to not struggle whilst he's being carried. ;)
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Well He doesn't struggle. Just gets nippy.
But i'll try that. Thanks
 
Is he ok while he is with you? If he's unhappy being handled in general you could try what I have been trying with one of my piggies. I get him out of his cage in a cosy, then pick him up and take him straight to our basil plant in the kitchen and feed him some basil leaves (his favourite!) To try to break his negative association with being held. I don't hold him for long, just something nice then put him back after a few minutes. Or sometimes we don't actually handle him but have him sit on our laps in his cosy or a tunnel. And lots of time sitting at the side of his cage with the cage open. He will now consent to have his head stroked in the cage and loves being hand fed.
 
Edwards always been a bit of a biter x someone on here advised me to gently blow on his face when he did it. It did work but unfortunately Edward has always enjoyed giving people a nip.He looks really happy with him self after.:D
 
I've got a piggy that *touch wood* hadn't actually bitten me yet. But she will bite my clothes, any fleece or cosy she is transported it. She just goes crazy and bites everything. I think it's pure fear.

Since taking her friend with her wherever she goes, it has calmed her down so much. Luckily her friend is calm with being handled. So we transport them together :) it helps her be calm :)
 
Tweaking is often a way of either expressing displeasure or an urge of the bladder. Is your boy a single piggy or has he got a companion? If he is single, he may not like being dumped back into his cage because he is short of companionship.

Would you consider using some kind of walk-in conveyance for transport, like a tunnel, a suitable cosy or upturned hidey, or a walk-in cardboard box that you put in some soft, fresh hay as a lure?
 
pudding&ginger said:
Is he ok while he is with you? If he's unhappy being handled in general you could try what I have been trying with one of my piggies. I get him out of his cage in a cosy, then pick him up and take him straight to our basil plant in the kitchen and feed him some basil leaves (his favourite!) To try to break his negative association with being held. I don't hold him for long, just something nice then put him back after a few minutes. Or sometimes we don't actually handle him but have him sit on our laps in his cosy or a tunnel. And lots of time sitting at the side of his cage with the cage open. He will now consent to have his head stroked in the cage and loves being hand fed.
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He doesn't have trouble with being held really and he's comfortable around us. Maybe he just doesn't want to go back to his cage?
But maybe i will try that positive association thing you mentioned. Thanks
 
nicky said:
Edwards always been a bit of a biter x someone on here advised me to gently blow on his face when he did it. It did work but unfortunately Edward has always enjoyed giving people a nip.He looks really happy with him self after.:D
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then blow on his face i shall!
 
ayemee said:
I've got a piggy that *touch wood* hadn't actually bitten me yet. But she will bite my clothes, any fleece or cosy she is transported it. She just goes crazy and bites everything. I think it's pure fear.

Since taking her friend with her wherever she goes, it has calmed her down so much. Luckily her friend is calm with being handled. So we transport them together :) it helps her be calm :)
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How do you hold them both at once?
 
Wiebke said:
Tweaking is often a way of either expressing displeasure or an urge of the bladder. Is your boy a single piggy or has he got a companion? If he is single, he may not like being dumped back into his cage because he is short of companionship.

Would you consider using some kind of walk-in conveyance for transport, like a tunnel, a suitable cosy or upturned hidey, or a walk-in cardboard box that you put in some soft, fresh hay as a lure?
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He lives with his brother. Not sure what you mean about "walk-in conveyance". We've got an open topped pen
 
MacDoty said:
He doesn't have trouble with being held really and he's comfortable around us. Maybe he just doesn't want to go back to his cage?
But maybe i will try that positive association thing you mentioned. Thanks
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Awww maybe he loves his cuddles so much he doesn't want to go back! My Pudding just hates being held! But he's getting better slowly, he sat on my lap for about five minutes last night!
 
MacDoty said:
He lives with his brother. Not sure what you mean about "walk-in conveyance". We've got an open topped pen
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If you have an open top pen you could try popping a carrier with the front opened and a piece of tasty veg inside into the pen in a corner. Quietly and slowly remove all other hidey places and allow him to walk into the carrier himself, replace the front and lift him out of the pen. If the carrier is lined with a folded towel you can then use that to wrap round him to lift him out. Give him lots of praise if he goes in and when you lift him out. I have used this method with skittish/scared piggies or ones that nip and it works well for me. It's also useful for retrieving free roaming pigs and ones in secure garden runs! A cardboard box works just as well if you haven't got a carrier that opens at the front.:)
 
MacDoty said:
He lives with his brother. Not sure what you mean about "walk-in conveyance". We've got an open topped pen
Click to expand...

Walk-in covenyance is a cosey, tunnel or box that a piggy can just walk inside when lured by a little favourite veg, herb or fresh grass so you can pick up whatever you are using for picking up your piggy without the need to handle it at any stage. ;)
 
My Suzie (avatar ) would always bite me through my clothes when being taken back to her cage, I think it was just impatience!
She would bite me at cuddle time too, if I didn't give her food, which I would place nearby, when she wanted it!
 
I was bitten this morning - I think that Susie panicked for some reason. Would very much like that it doesn't happen again so I'm going to use a cosy with her in future. Thank goodness for tea tree oil and for the advice on this forum!
 
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