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Please I need help! - Hand tweaking

Kaydence_Hofmeister

Kaydence_Hofmeister

New Born Pup
Joined
Apr 26, 2024
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Hello everyone I am having a really hard time with my male guinea pig! His name is Milo and I love him to death it just seems he doesn’t feel the same he bites me constantly all the time without fail he bites my boyfriend also when we have him out for lap time I have done hand feeding and he has no issues with it. When I have him out I make sure he has a hidy he will make noises when I be pet him that sound like a fast pur that is more high pitched he does let be do it and will lay down and yawn he won’t try to bite me he will throw his head back if He doesn’t want to be petted and I listen he will lay and sleep next to me and even will sleep on me he is giving me many mixed signals. Back story- I found him at petco and I “saved him” he was getting very beat up by other males drawing blood bites huge scratches everywhere and now has a permanent slit in his ear from the other males I believe that could be a reason he is still skid ish I have had him since Dec 27 2023 and it is now April 25 2024 and I have made little progress with him I now bonding takes time but I think he should be at least a little more comfortable around me also he has plenty of room I have a CC cage that is 5ft long and 2 feet wide he gets veggies everyday and has chew toys and vitamin treats and toys the help grind down his teeth he also gets plenty of hay pellets and more I use oxbow hay pellets treats and toys! I have gotten him a new tunnel which he loves but he stays in there all day he has 3 other hidys I am worried about him and want him to be happy! Any advice will help!
 
Welcome to the forum, I'm sorry you're having a hard time with him. I am not one of the experts but does he have a cage mate?
 
No sadly I know they definitely need one but my parents are very anti pets and I kind of just brought him home without tell them because I knew they would never ever let me have a pet but I needed to get him out of that bad situation and my parents said if I got another one for him that they would make me get rid of them both which sucks I am planning to move out soon so that I can get him a friend!
 
I’m sorry to hear this.

Not having a cage mate will not help him. They are social animals and need to be with another piggy. A single piggy will transfer all social needs onto their human and expect you to fulfil everything at all times. This will not fit in with your lifestyle ie piggies tend to be awake while you are asleep.

In terms of his behaviour now, all you can do is use the piggy whispering tips and work with him in his own language. I can assure you though that not wanting to be touched or held no matter how long you’ve had them is normal. Most piggies don’t like it - I’ve had one of my boys for six years. He trusts me and is happy to be around me but still doesn’t want to be touched.

Do note that toys do not keen their teeth wearing down. The only thing that does that is eating one to of hay.
Pellets should be kept strictly limited to just one tablespoon per day. Eating too many pellets and not enough hay can lead to a lot of health issues. Piggies do not need vitamin treats. They get all they need from a hay based diet with one cup of veg per day and one tablespoon of pellets per day. There are no long term owners on the forum who supplement with vitamins.

Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips
 
Kaydence_Hofmeister said:
Hello everyone I am having a really hard time with my male guinea pig! His name is Milo and I love him to death it just seems he doesn’t feel the same he bites me constantly all the time without fail he bites my boyfriend also when we have him out for lap time I have done hand feeding and he has no issues with it. When I have him out I make sure he has a hidy he will make noises when I be pet him that sound like a fast pur that is more high pitched he does let be do it and will lay down and yawn he won’t try to bite me he will throw his head back if He doesn’t want to be petted and I listen he will lay and sleep next to me and even will sleep on me he is giving me many mixed signals. Back story- I found him at petco and I “saved him” he was getting very beat up by other males drawing blood bites huge scratches everywhere and now has a permanent slit in his ear from the other males I believe that could be a reason he is still skid ish I have had him since Dec 27 2023 and it is now April 25 2024 and I have made little progress with him I now bonding takes time but I think he should be at least a little more comfortable around me also he has plenty of room I have a CC cage that is 5ft long and 2 feet wide he gets veggies everyday and has chew toys and vitamin treats and toys the help grind down his teeth he also gets plenty of hay pellets and more I use oxbow hay pellets treats and toys! I have gotten him a new tunnel which he loves but he stays in there all day he has 3 other hidys I am worried about him and want him to be happy! Any advice will help!
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Hi and welcome

Please take the time to read the very informative links below to understand where your boy comes from and how you can work with him by communicating in social concepts and ways that he understands instantly.

Accept that he will never enjoy being handled but can come to tolerate any necessary grooming and a short cuddle. Piggy whispering is not an instant fix although it is very effective in taking human interaction out of the category of 'random violence perpetrated by a monster' and it respects his own social species wiring. By establishing yourself a 'super-pig' you are not only taking yourself out of the predator category, you also establish yourself as the authority who has the say about what goes and what not.

Arrival in a home from the perspective of pet shop guinea pigs
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)
A - Z of Guinea Pig Behaviours

You may want to bookmark this link to our very practical information collection, into which coming up to 20 years of forum experience, up to half a century of owner experience and quite literally tens and tens of thousands of questions have gone into. Have a browse, read and re-read need. You will pick up on different things at different levels of experience.

All the best.
 
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