Why is my Guinea Pig biting super hard?

[LunaAndPepper]

Hello! I'm new here. I've had my two female guinea pigs, Luna and Pepper, for a few months now and I have barely held or pet them at all and have really tried to let them get used to me at their own time. They have a huge cage and several places to hide, as well as unlimited hay and daily pellets and vegetables. Both of them will come out with my hand inside of the cage now and sometimes Luna will let me touch her head. But whenever I let Pepper smell my finger or hand, she bites me very hard and has drawn blood several times. Why is she doing this, and how can I prevent it? Thank you.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello! I'm new here. I've had my two female guinea pigs, Luna and Pepper, for a few months now and I have barely held or pet them at all and have really tried to let them get used to me at their own time. They have a huge cage and several places to hide, as well as unlimited hay and daily pellets and vegetables. Both of them will come out with my hand inside of the cage now and sometimes Luna will let me touch her head. But whenever I let Pepper smell my finger or hand, she bites me very hard and has drawn blood several times. Why is she doing this, and how can I prevent it? Thank you.

Hi!

Some piggies mistake your finger with veg, especially when it smells of it.

Here are tips and information on how to deal with unwanted behaviours in ways that make sense to a guinea pig:
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
Who is the boss - your guinea pig or you?
" Biting" And What You Can Do (Biting, Tweaking, Nibbling and Nipping)

 

[LunaAndPepper]

Thank you! I'll try to wash my hands more often to get any smells off before trying to handle her.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you! I'll try to wash my hands more often to get any smells off before trying to handle her.

Reading the guides and learning how you can use social interactive guinea pig behaviours to solve the problem in ways that they understand is amazingly effective and worth reading about.
We think we are the intelligent species but somehow we rarely bother to see things from their side and understand where they are coming from instead of expecting them to learn to understand humans...

It is actually sad because it is a totally fascinating world in which your pets come to life instead of just being your convenient comfort blanket in confined circumstances.