Guinea pig nibble?

Piper&Kierstein

Piper&Kierstein

New Born Pup
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Hi All! I was just wondering what it means when your guinea pig nibbles on your finger? I came in to see Piper today (the eldest) and she smelled my fingers and nibbled a bit. She wasn't making any kind of noises so I'm not sure if she was scared or what?
 
Hi All! I was just wondering what it means when your guinea pig nibbles on your finger? I came in to see Piper today (the eldest) and she smelled my fingers and nibbled a bit. She wasn't making any kind of noises so I'm not sure if she was scared or what?
 
There can be lots of meanings from mistaking your hand for food to not wanting to be picked up. There is a very useful sticky thread in the behaviour and bonding section called ‘biting and what you can do’. You may find that useful.
 
Or maybe your hands smelt nice?
I had eaten a satsuma earlier this week and although I rinsed my hands afterwards, they clearly still smelt very nice to the piggies, who were convinced I was deliberately hiding satsuma from them!
 
Piper&Kierstein said:
Hi All! I was just wondering what it means when your guinea pig nibbles on your finger? I came in to see Piper today (the eldest) and she smelled my fingers and nibbled a bit. She wasn't making any kind of noises so I'm not sure if she was scared or what?
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Hi! Your fingers are likely smelling of something she's like to eat.
 
Piper&Kierstein said:
I dont think so. I washed my hands with dawn before I pet them lol. Unless she likes to eat soap 🤣😂
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It can be a sign of affection (like barbering in the absence of hair), but it is often not quite easy to determine as our knowledge of the subtleties of interaction is still very incomplete, and unlike guinea pigs we don't come with than instinctive manual.
I would however also like to point out that the sense of smell is one of the strongest senses in guinea pigs and a lot stronger than in humans.
 
One of guinea pigs has learned how to bite :hb: If your guinea pig is just nibbling it probably just thinks your finger is food xd
 
Thanks for responding! Yeah, I'm not really sure what it is. This isn't a first time occurrence she does it often. She will sniff my hand first and then she gives me a little nibble. It doesn't hurt and shes not actually biting. I don't think it's because of food because she has eaten a lot before I've had lap time with her before and she still does it. She always starts with smelling before giving me a slight nibble.
 
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