Vicious Biting.

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guineapigemily

guineapigemily

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A couple weeks ago one of my Guinea Pigs attacked the other Guinea pig (brothers) on him lip and his side and they were both fairly deep but were curable. Since then they have been separated and don't live together anymore. The cuts on the attacked Guinea pig have cleared up now but we are not going to put the pigs back together as Sam (attacked one) is super scared of pip (the bitter).
Anyway to the point, my mum got pip out about 10 minutes ago and he was fine and then he just turned and bit her really really deep, Pip was literally hanging off her finger but she managed to get him off.
My question is that my mum was to get him put down as hes attacked Sam before and now bit her really hard, but i really don't want him to get put down! i mean surely there's a reason to why he bit :( what should we do? I don't want to get him put down because hes healthy and all i can think of is not handling him or putting him in a guinea pig rescue home thing? please help :) (both the pigs are about 8 months old) xox
 
Hi and welcome! Which country are you in?

That teenage boys are falling out is not at all rare. Good that you have separated. Boars will rarely go back together after a serious fight with bites. How big was their cage? Have they got a quiet space and have you given them time to settle in and slowly build up trust with you?

A guinea usually bites only in self-defense if it is very scared. A sudden movement or noise is all that it takes in that situation. It is usually not the piggy's fault - it would have given signs through its body language that it was very tense and frightened before; often you can see the white of the eyes, for instance. Sitting still is in the presence of a predator is another prey animal tactic. Pip will be very upset after the fight, too. Especially if he was handled rather roughly because he was the "aggressor".
 
has he been checked for mites or skin infections? normally a pig wont bite but apparently if they have mites etc they can
 
I mean with the biting your mum not the other pig xx
 
Wiebke said:
Hi and welcome! Which country are you in?

That teenage boys are falling out is not at all rare. Good that you have separated. Boars will rarely go back together after a serious fight with bites. How big was their cage? Have they got a quiet space and have you given them time to settle in and slowly build up trust with you?

A guinea usually bites only in self-defense if it is very scared. A sudden movement or noise is all that it takes in that situation. It is usually not the piggy's fault - it would have given signs through its body language that it was very tense and frightened before; often you can see the white of the eyes, for instance. Sitting still is in the presence of a predator is another prey animal tactic.
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I'm in UK :) Their cage was a 2 level shop cage. if that makes sense? Now Sam has the top level and Pip has the bottom level. When they were first seperated they were in a quiet garage but last weekend got moved outside. And yes, we genrally stroke them and that everyday and give them veggies and such.

It happend when my mum got him out and she was stroking him and he was purring so i guess he wasnt frightend and then she got up to bring him to me and walked past where Sams cage is (they are inside at the moment as we are cleaning their cage) and then pip bit so maybe he thought he was going in with sam because they saw eachother? thankyou for your reply aswell :) x
 
piggylover said:
has he been checked for mites or skin infections? normally a pig wont bite but apparently if they have mites etc they can
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No not recently, we didnt want to check him straight after he bit though because he may bite again? i might put some gloves on so he cant bite me and check him for any mites or anything? what do you think? or just leave him? thankyou for replying xox
 
if he was my pig I would definitely check him over just in case , you wont actually see any mites ( lice you can see but not mites) as they burrow under the skin so I would look for any sore patches , hair loss , cuts and flaky skin in fur xx and just watch him for a bit and see if he scratches himself a lot
 
it could even have been that your mum squeezed him a bit too tight while carrying him and hurt him so he bit xx
 
okaay, i havnt seen any mites in the cage (like when the chickens had mites you could see them in the cage) but I'm going to check him like you said for sore patches. thankyouu, helps alot. i just dont agree with putting down a healthy/curable animal :( id rather take him to a guinea pig rescue place, even tough that would be difficult but better that putting him to sleep. x
 
I too don't agree with having him put down because he bit. I've been bitten by my guinea pig and I still own him. He bit me for a reason, I hurt him accidentally (pulled a bit of fur when brushing - he's long coated). I agree that you should take him to a rescue if he continues to bite.
Your mums hand didn't smell of anything did it? He could have possibly smelt it and thought it was something to try a taste of.
 
sorry not saying your mum was squeezing I was just trying to help with a cause x yes please don't put him down a rescue is a lot better xx you wont see mites in cage either xx
 
ah nah its okay dw ;) i wont, I'm not gonna let her what ever she says :) i just checked him (with gloves one just in case) and his skin looks fine, it looks like a nice light pinkish colour. no hair loss or anything. Maybe he was just frightened by something and just bit what he could. I'm still gonna keep an eye on him to make sure hes not scratching. thannkyou soo much :) x and ah okaay x
 
Julesie said:
I too don't agree with having him put down because he bit. I've been bitten by my guinea pig and I still own him. He bit me for a reason, I hurt him accidentally (pulled a bit of fur when brushing - he's long coated). I agree that you should take him to a rescue if he continues to bite.
Your mums hand didn't smell of anything did it? He could have possibly smelt it and thought it was something to try a taste of.
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exactly. i think there will always be a reason for biting, wether they just genrally dont like being picked up or anything. ah okay, if he bite like he did today again than maybe take him to the rescue but i think ill be able to handle him, even if my mum cant. I'm not scared whereas she is now, and said she wont pick him up again :/ thankyou loads x
 
guineapigemily said:
I'm in UK :) Their cage was a 2 level shop cage. if that makes sense? Now Sam has the top level and Pip has the bottom level. When they were first seperated they were in a quiet garage but last weekend got moved outside. And yes, we genrally stroke them and that everyday and give them veggies and such.

It happend when my mum got him out and she was stroking him and he was purring so i guess he wasnt frightend and then she got up to bring him to me and walked past where Sams cage is (they are inside at the moment as we are cleaning their cage) and then pip bit so maybe he thought he was going in with sam because they saw eachother? thankyou for your reply aswell :) x
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Going past Sam's cage will probably have triggered it. The fight must have really upset both boys!

You can still cuddle and handle Pip as usual well away from Sam, but have a look at our pick-up video; this is an excellent way of avoiding any further upsets. The boys should settle down eventually, but they will need some time. https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/videos/
 
Did your Mum hold the other pig (the non bitter before hand) he might of got mixed up and bitten you but instead of the one he wanted to bite x ( i wouldn't put him down just yet give him a chance :) )
 
sorry just got a bit of (not sure how you spell it dashavue) as you just said what i thought :)
 
ASTRID said:
Did your Mum hold the other pig (the non bitter before hand) he might of got mixed up and bitten you but instead of the one he wanted to bite x ( i wouldn't put him down just yet give him a chance :) )
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noo, but i think she may of had a little bit of food on her hand which pip (the bitter) was licking beforehand. ah yes, I'm hoping my mum can give him another chance, if she dont want to give him another chance then ill just tell her that she dont have to do anything with him anymore and ill look after him because it would be unfair to put him down:( i thinnk she'll give him another chance though hopefully x
 
I'm sure shes just in a bit of shock as I'm sure you staring at a cute fluffy hamster and thinking its so cute and then it takes a chunk out of your finger i think the hat rids going to take a bit of time to wear off :)
 
Wiebke said:
Going past Sam's cage will probably have triggered it. The fight must have really upset both boys!

You can still cuddle and handle Pip as usual well away from Sam, but have a look at our pick-up video; this is an excellent way of avoiding any further upsets. The boys should settle down eventually, but they will need some time. https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/videos/
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ahh okaay, yeah when ever they see eachother now they teeth chatter and raise the hair on the back of their necks :(
ooo okaay, i shall check that video out. thankyouu Wiebke x
 
ASTRID said:
I'm sure shes just in a bit of shock as I'm sure you staring at a cute fluffy hamster and thinking its so cute and then it takes a chunk out of your finger i think the hat rids going to take a bit of time to wear off :)
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ahaha so true ;') x
 
He sounds like a true alpha male. My boy went through this stage. He bit me, my mum and husband, just purely due to the fact he thought he was the dominant pig over all of us! I got him checked over by a vet and once we realised it was psychological we got tough. If he went to bite I would put my finger on top of his head hard and say very loudly NO! This went on for a week and we demonstrated our reaction. Not dominance as I don't believe in that, but just like a child showing right from wrong. He had a naughty box he went in too, away from everyone for 10 or so minutes. He learnt quickly that biting was unacceptable, It took a week and he has not bitten in nearly two years.

He still is bolshy with the girls, in fact he is currently in the naughty box as we speak for picking on one of the girls and creating havoc in the indoor cage. But he has learnt his lesson. He even knows and understands NO now! It brings him up short if he is naughty,

Please do not put him down! He is just being a spirited teenager! Having a spirited pig is fun and you should love the him for it really!
 
ASTRID said:
I'm sure shes just in a bit of shock as I'm sure you staring at a cute fluffy hamster and thinking its so cute and then it takes a chunk out of your finger i think the hat rids going to take a bit of time to wear off :)
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so truee ;) (not sure if ive repplied alrady?) x
 
Guinea Slave said:
He sounds like a true alpha male. My boy went through this stage. He bit me, my mum and husband, just purely due to the fact he thought he was the dominant pig over all of us! I got him checked over by a vet and once we realised it was psychological we got tough. If he went to bite I would put my finger on top of his head hard and say very loudly NO! This went on for a week and we demonstrated our reaction. Not dominance as I don't believe in that, but just like a child showing right from wrong. He had a naughty box he went in too, away from everyone for 10 or so minutes. He learnt quickly that biting was unacceptable, It took a week and he has not bitten in nearly two years.

He still is bolshy with the girls, in fact he is currently in the naughty box as we speak for picking on one of the girls and creating havoc in the indoor cage. But he has learnt his lesson. He even knows and understands NO now! It brings him up short if he is naughty,

Please do not put him down! He is just being a spirited teenager! Having a spirited pig is fun and you should love the him for it really!
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awwww! your little piggie does sound like a naughty child ;'D ahah awww. i wont dont worry, i will make sure my mum wont. x
 
guineapigemily said:
awwww! your little piggie does sound like a naughty child ;'D ahah awww. i wont dont worry, i will make sure my mum wont. x
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Yes that's about right! He is very naughty but we love him for it. He is out of the naughty box now looking very sheepish! Xx
 
I'm more inclined to think your mum was unlucky to have her hand in the wrong place at the wrong time! I've only ever had one "Biter" & now looking back, it was because it was one of our first pigs & lack of experience meant we would pick her up & one of our hands was always under her chin, not a good idea! If your mum's hand smelt of food that's probably why he bit. Check for any fur loss on his back. usually mange mites will show hair loss of some kind. Lift his fur up to look. A good tip is to feed them before handling, they are usually sleepy & less fidgety when you handle them then & avoid leaving fingers under his chin! Support his bottom with your hand & with the other hand hold him just behind his front legs & if you handle him like that you are less likely to get bitten. Guinea pigs are never vicious, I don't think I have ever heard of any biting unless very scared or threatened. Good luck :)
 
Guinea Slave said:
Yes that's about right! He is very naughty but we love him for it. He is out of the naughty box now looking very sheepish! Xx
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awww, he sounds like a cutie thoo ;) i may try your method of getting the piggy not to bite, i mean its worth a try ;) thankyouuu ehhe x
 
Poppy'sMum said:
I'm more inclined to think your mum was unlucky to have her hand in the wrong place at the wrong time! I've only ever had one "Biter" & now looking back, it was because it was one of our first pigs & lack of experience meant we would pick her up & one of our hands was always under her chin, not a good idea! If your mum's hand smelt of food that's probably why he bit. Check for any fur loss on his back. usually mange mites will show hair loss of some kind. Lift his fur up to look. A good tip is to feed them before handling, they are usually sleepy & less fidgety when you handle them then & avoid leaving fingers under his chin! Support his bottom with your hand & with the other hand hold him just behind his front legs & if you handle him like that you are less likely to get bitten. Guinea pigs are never vicious, I don't think I have ever heard of any biting unless very scared or threatened. Good luck :)
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ah okay, well ive checked him all over and that and there's no hair loss or signs of skin infection so i think you could be right is saying her hand was in the wrong place. ah okay, thankyou for that tip! Sam actually purrs when you stroke his chin (checked like 5 times that its purring and not some bad sign ;D ) thanksss x
 
Tickling them under the chin is fine, once they are used to you doing that & you can tell if they want a nibble lol :D When holding/carrying I never hold them under the neck, I value my fingers ;)
 
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