A troubling incident...

[TheAurora]

I had a friend round yesterday - someone who comes over regularly and the guinea pigs know well (he's even looked after them).

We were playing Scrabble and Freddie was between us on the sofa - my friend feeding him carrots and stroking him ... all fine.

Then my friend went to the kitchen and made a few cups of tea and I was chatting to Freddie and holding his carrot for him (holding their food while they eat is something both boyz will only let me do).

My friend comes back in and sits down and Freddie just turns around and goes for him ... bites him hard and starts kicking and rearing up. He then ran behind my back and I picked him up and cuddled him.

The weird thing was my friend was like: "OMG it's like he was protecting you!"

That can't be possible surely.

I'm mortified and really upset it happened - for my friend and Freddie who's my big cuddly bear not usually agreesive. He's the boy who wants cuddles all day long and sleeps until I move him in the crook of my arm. He's the boy that follows me everywhere, who never flinches however much I kiss him constantly and sits on my shoulder while I tell him a story ... not the boy who attacks people

Any ideas?

 

[gizmo01]

Don't know we've had a pig do this before but not as extreme, humohrey used to bite and chatter his teeth at anyone who went near emma when she was holding him

 

[Wiebke]

He was probably freaked out by your friend sitting down next to him without warning; some piggies will attack instead of run. Piggies can be protective of their friends indeed. Ask your friend to chat to him and even hunker down before she/he sits down again.

 

[twiams]

if you were like distracting him talking and things, he may not have been paying attention to her being back in the room and sitting down and it could have just spooked him a little :/

 

[TheAurora]

Another thing - I've only just remembered - the last time I visited my parents with the piggies, my dad commented on how jealous Freddie gets if Marmalade is given attention when they are both together in the cage.

Green ol' Freddie!