lauryn1289
Teenage Guinea Pig
so in my near ten years of owning piggies i had my first on purpose bite today. i’d been bitten before by my second ever piggy but it was fully 100% my fault, i was a teenager and didn’t think when i put my hand into their bed to stop my boys fighting so that was absolutely my fault and he didn’t do it out of aggression whatsoever, just a misplaced bite
i took in a boy called Miso Thomas last may when my very beloved boy Eggs passed away suddenly and my other boy Ollie needed a friend. Ollie’s a little demon in his own right and when he’s irritated like at the vet or having his nails done, he does a few little chomps on the skin with his teeth but he doesn’t push or break skin. Miso was being given away because he couldn’t get along with a girl’s other pigs, which was fine since Ollie is feral and lives in a separated cage anyway so Miso wouldn’t be able to start trouble with him or vice versa
Miso is very antisocial for lack of a better word, he’s the biggest beggar i’ve ever met and that’s saying a lot for guinea pigs. he had a great home with a very loving owner before me, he’s about a year and a half old and he’s friendly in the sense he’ll come straight to the bars 24/7 to beg and will climb all over you no issue. he’s not shy at all. he’s not even afraid or skittish per se, he just seems to hate being touched in most contexts which is fine that’s his prerogative, i don’t force affection on him. but tonight i took him out of his cage to do a quick weigh in, and when i was putting him back in out of absolutely nowhere he bit down really hard on my finger so hard that it bled for about 25 minutes. i was shocked because i’d already been carrying him, and near the very end of the journey into his cage again THEN he bites. he’s quite bad for what i’d call exploratory bites but this was really uncalled for. i’d get it if i had startled him or done something to trigger his instincts, but i didn’t even. i’m glad he’s with me and didn’t end up in a house with kids or something he could’ve bitten like that, god knows where he would’ve wound up if that had happened. i’m very cautious now even though his nails really need trimming and i’m not sure how to navigate that going forward
doing Ollie’s nails is a chore because he’s very impatient and does his little chompy “leave me alone” bites, but now i’m conscious of actually being bitten again when it comes to Miso and his nails are 50%ish black which means it takes longer for me anyway. if anyone has any tips or ideas i’d really appreciate it. i had thought of enlisting help and some food doing it but he eats at a ridiculous speed so i’m not sure that’d work too well either to distract him
i took in a boy called Miso Thomas last may when my very beloved boy Eggs passed away suddenly and my other boy Ollie needed a friend. Ollie’s a little demon in his own right and when he’s irritated like at the vet or having his nails done, he does a few little chomps on the skin with his teeth but he doesn’t push or break skin. Miso was being given away because he couldn’t get along with a girl’s other pigs, which was fine since Ollie is feral and lives in a separated cage anyway so Miso wouldn’t be able to start trouble with him or vice versa
Miso is very antisocial for lack of a better word, he’s the biggest beggar i’ve ever met and that’s saying a lot for guinea pigs. he had a great home with a very loving owner before me, he’s about a year and a half old and he’s friendly in the sense he’ll come straight to the bars 24/7 to beg and will climb all over you no issue. he’s not shy at all. he’s not even afraid or skittish per se, he just seems to hate being touched in most contexts which is fine that’s his prerogative, i don’t force affection on him. but tonight i took him out of his cage to do a quick weigh in, and when i was putting him back in out of absolutely nowhere he bit down really hard on my finger so hard that it bled for about 25 minutes. i was shocked because i’d already been carrying him, and near the very end of the journey into his cage again THEN he bites. he’s quite bad for what i’d call exploratory bites but this was really uncalled for. i’d get it if i had startled him or done something to trigger his instincts, but i didn’t even. i’m glad he’s with me and didn’t end up in a house with kids or something he could’ve bitten like that, god knows where he would’ve wound up if that had happened. i’m very cautious now even though his nails really need trimming and i’m not sure how to navigate that going forward
doing Ollie’s nails is a chore because he’s very impatient and does his little chompy “leave me alone” bites, but now i’m conscious of actually being bitten again when it comes to Miso and his nails are 50%ish black which means it takes longer for me anyway. if anyone has any tips or ideas i’d really appreciate it. i had thought of enlisting help and some food doing it but he eats at a ridiculous speed so i’m not sure that’d work too well either to distract him
The only thing I can think of is wrapping him up and getting someone to hold him. If he learns that you are going to trim his nails and handle him anyway, he might give up biting. If he is clever he will still try to find a way around being held when the wraps are off. You could try stroking him with a soft toy to push back his boundaries. What a dilemma 
he was born if i remember correctly in his previous owner’s house too so he’s always been really well socialised and loved
He is a handsome piggy. Your little pirate crew are very sweet, what lovely pets. Yes, kitty does look very innocent beside two piggy rascals 