Feeling disappointed- need reassurance 😔

Sophie B

Sophie B

Senior Guinea Pig
Joined
Oct 9, 2018
Messages
5,975
Reaction score
7,468
Points
1,575
Location
Scotland
Smokey was biting on the cage so I tried to move him to discourage it and so that I could put hay in as they’d run out, and he bit me.
I’m very disappointed in him and myself...
I didn’t do anything wrong other than try and move him, I guess he just got grumpy because he didn’t want to go
It wasn’t hard but I definitely felt it 😔
That’s not something he’s ever really done, except for tugging on my clothes sometimes

Before anybody suggests it I know that he’s not in any pain because he let me pick him up afterwards, no complaints

I don’t know what to do, I know you’re not meant to punish them (for obvious reasons) but I don’t want this becoming a reoccurring issue. It’s very unusual for him 😔
 
Don't be so hard on yourself. It's okay. He may have just been frustrated & meant to bite the bars, then ended up biting you because well, the bars weren't there.

Does he bite the cage a lot, or has he just started doing so?
 
Please don’t be disappointed in yourself or Smokey @Sophie B I don’t think he was ‘purposeful’ in his biting, perhaps more a case of No!, if that makes sense. Bar biting can sometimes be attention seeking (I should know 🙄) but if it’s not a regular occurrence then don’t worry about it.

Go give them a stroke and ‘air your disappointment’. I think you’ll feel better once you’ve got it out there. (Hugs)
 
PoptartShop said:
Don't be so hard on yourself. It's okay. He may have just been frustrated & meant to bite the bars, then ended up biting you because well, the bars weren't there.

Does he bite the cage a lot, or has he just started doing so?
Click to expand...
He does it a lot, pretty much since we got it
We’ve tried everything we can to cover it up as obviously I don’t want it getting ruined!
 
Sorry your piggy gave you a nip. Our pigs have a straw house that you can buy in Amazon and Pets at Home and they chew on that a lot. If they don't have one in their cage they chew the correx or grids. They won't really chew the wooden toys and bridges. It seems as if their teeth are uncomfortable until they have a good chew on the straw house. Maybe your boy needed a good chew and didn't want you stopping him.
 
Does he seem to do it at certain times (feeding time or when hay stash has depleted) or always? If the latter it may be for attention. Toffee used to do it a lot but eventually calmed down when I realised and started ignoring him. PS he’s not damaged them yet, though I feared for his teeth.
 
Siikibam said:
Does he seem to do it at certain times (feeding time or when hay stash has depleted) or always? If the latter it may be for attention. Toffee used to do it a lot but eventually calmed down when I realised and started ignoring him. PS he’s not damaged them yet, though I feared for his teeth.
Click to expand...
He does it quite a lot... I had never thought to make a mental note of when specifically he does it but I will
They’ve got toys, but we’ve had more coming for ages now and they still haven’t arrived!
 
Does he usually act dominant towards you? If not I'd give him the benefit of the doubt and say he was aiming for the bars and you got in the way. I just can't imagine a normally friendly piggy suddenly turning vicious. They're not like that, are they? My girls use their teeth so gently to tell me when they want to go home!
 
Pigwhisperer said:
Does he usually act dominant towards you? If not I'd give him the benefit of the doubt and say he was aiming for the bars and you got in the way. I just can't imagine a normally friendly piggy suddenly turning vicious. They're not like that, are they? My girls use their teeth so gently to tell me when they want to go home!
Click to expand...
Nope, he’s never done that to me before, apart from tugging on my clothes
 
Aw that must have given you a shock, my Delilah is the sweetest little furtato I have, but she bit me very hard while at the vet yesterday. It was just a warning bite but it still hurt and left a mark, bless their furry little hearts though they only have a very limited amount of ways they can communicate with us and we all have bad days. I'm sure it wont become a regular thing, he may just have not been expecting you to move him and got a fright :)
 
Bernie bit me for the first time the other night, it shocked me a bit, because it was out of character, Dot bites me every time I touch her accidently near her face. I just called him a little poo head and shrugged it off lol. Don't be disappointed. Sure he didn't mean bad
 
Sophie B said:
Smokey was biting on the cage so I tried to move him to discourage it and so that I could put hay in as they’d run out, and he bit me.
I’m very disappointed in him and myself...
I didn’t do anything wrong other than try and move him, I guess he just got grumpy because he didn’t want to go
It wasn’t hard but I definitely felt it 😔
That’s not something he’s ever really done, except for tugging on my clothes sometimes

Before anybody suggests it I know that he’s not in any pain because he let me pick him up afterwards, no complaints

I don’t know what to do, I know you’re not meant to punish them (for obvious reasons) but I don’t want this becoming a reoccurring issue. It’s very unusual for him 😔
Click to expand...
Aw dont feel bad, Theo bit me today when I tried to discourage him from taking Piggle and Jezzy's dinner (they eat together on a platform that only fits 2 piggies so if Theo goes up there his bum is in the food and one of the ladies gets shoved off!) but with hindsight I think there were some hormonal herd dominance shennanigans upseting things today.
Have you tried the ear nibbling piggy whispering technique? If you gently nibble or pull piggies ears it is what a boss piggy would do to say, you are my herd and I like you but I am boss, its sort of reassuring and inclusive and bonding but setting boundaries with you as boss at the same time, and really effective at stopping biting. I do this loads because I think piggies have really kissable ears and I really think they understand it straight away, but if dont want pig ears in your mouth you can just very gently squeeze/pull the ears much like another piggy would do :)
 
Sophie B said:
Smokey was biting on the cage so I tried to move him to discourage it and so that I could put hay in as they’d run out, and he bit me.
I’m very disappointed in him and myself...
I didn’t do anything wrong other than try and move him, I guess he just got grumpy because he didn’t want to go
It wasn’t hard but I definitely felt it 😔
That’s not something he’s ever really done, except for tugging on my clothes sometimes

Before anybody suggests it I know that he’s not in any pain because he let me pick him up afterwards, no complaints

I don’t know what to do, I know you’re not meant to punish them (for obvious reasons) but I don’t want this becoming a reoccurring issue. It’s very unusual for him 😔
Click to expand...

Hi!

He was obviously seriously displeased.

Please follow the tips in these guides here for how best to deal with his behaviour. Piggy whispering is the most gentle and effective way to deal with a problem like this.
" Biting" And What You Can Do (Biting, Tweaking, Nibbling and Nipping)
Who is the boss - your guinea pig or you?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top