Should I give up with him?

[Gruffalo]

I have a very difficult guinea pig!

We brought two boars a little over a year ago and at first they were great and we managed to slowly tame them so they would sit on our laps and be easily handled, then one of them slowly changed and would start nipping and wouldn't sit still for a second.

Slowly we stopped handling him so much and just stroked the other one.

Then suddenly one morning found the tamer piggie dead in the hutch, he had no obvious injuries or illnesses.

So we are left with one male who hates being handled or stroked. I put a bucket in the hutch now and when he crawls in carry him over to the run. When it's time to put him back as soon as he sees me approach he loudly chatters his teeth at me so I have to wait again until he gets in the bucket.

If I try to stroke him he either throws his head back or turns round quick as if to bite me.

He is a real horror!

He's well looked after, clean and well fed. We chat to him and he gets plenty of fresh air and excercise but I really don't enjoy having him.

Can I make him like me? The children gave up long ago.

 

[Guinea pig slave]

Aw, sorry to hear you lost your piggy - your surviving boy must miss him terribly
Have you considered finding him a buddy to share his life with, not all piggies like us hoomans but one of their kind is much better for them.
If you find a local rescue that does boar dating, maybe it will lift your piggies spirits and he will become less agitated ?/

 

[Liane]

Have you thoroughly check over your problem-pig? It is very unusual for a guinea pig to behave aggresively like this. I have only had this problem once - with my boy Ringo, who used to fidget on my lap and bite me really hard. It was so unusual to us that my Dad didn't believe me at first and thought I was exaggerating the bites - until he found me crying with a bleeding hand. Turns out Ringo had a nasty abcess on his chin, which was obviously hurting him, more so when we handled him.

Maybe your piggy has a pain somewhere?

 

[Connie]

I would agree with seeing if you can find him a rescue buddy. I know its hard having piggies that dont enjoy human interaction (believe me i know!) However they can become much more pleasing pets if you can sit and watch them interact together in their cage, and if your piggy chose a friend that was very human friendly, it might even help him to come out of his shell

 

[Wiebke]

I can only agree with your previous posters - please make sure first that there is no medical reason to cause this behaviour.

Your boy will most probably never become a great cuddler; not all piggies are - and certainly not all of mine are! But he may be a lot happier with a new properly bonded mate and mellow with age and the amount of time you are spending with him. The way to ensure a stable bond at minimal risk for yourself ending up with another headache is to take him boar dating to a recommended rescue; even if it is a bit further - it comes with the guarantee that you have the rescues backing if problems come up down the line.

 

[hazeyg]

I suggest given his obvious dislike for human company that he needs a little friend. Ive had piggies that have shown aggression in the past and its always been trhough fear and Ive one them over but with veggie bribary it doesnt every seem totake me long he he!