Mooooooody Delilah!

[clarey]

I have a biter!!

Delilah HATES being picked up she bites to get down. Little Madam! Hence why we dont pick her up very often....only to check her nails.

Now i have a lil dilema....as you all know I'm planning on getting her a play mate....but at the moment i just dont have the time or the extra petrol money to go driving about so its on hold just for the time being but its something that i will be doing in the not so distance future. Now my **** is this....shes VERY protective over her food. If you try and move her veggies once the bowl is placed in her cage she bites HARD. My worry is that if we got her a piggie friend, and they went for her bowl of veggies (id have 2 seperate bowls) she would go for them & i somehow dont think Delilah would think 'oh thats not my veggies i wont eat them' her veggie fruit bowl being ful is her fav time of the day so i think she would go for theres too.

Has anyone had this 'possesivenesss' its probably normal for all i know, but i wondered if there is another way.

She can be friendly, she will run over for a little stroke from time to time, or if we are trying to get her close with veg (which she snatches) but i dont know if there is something i should or shouldnt be doing. mallethead@)

 

[Rodentopia]

I've never had a piggy whose bitten yet she really sounds like a little madam, very unusual for a guinea pig to bite, mine have a nibble if i have been touching food but they don't bite. Maybe when you handle her have some parsley on hand so every time you pick her up for lap time she gets a reward hence creating a positive reaction so when you pick her up shes not so wary x

 

[piggyfan]

Try moving her food bowl each day so she does not have an area to be possessive about. That may help a little. When she bites you try blowing on her as piggies do not like it and it shows you are not happy. I know it is hard when they bite. When I first got Amelia Jane she bit but I carried on holding her everyday and she got out of it. I find having them on your lap rather then the chest helps as they have nothing to bite.

 

[MargaretB]

I agree with piggyfan. Handle her and if she bites do not put her down as you are reinforcing her behaviour- she's getting what she wants. Hamish tried to bite me a few times when I first got him, but soon stopped when it didn't get him anywhere. I don't know about the possessive behaviour, but I do think you need her to be used to being handled if possible. Good luck.

 

[Tbag]

Could it be shes suffering from a skin condition? Cash went through a very moody "Dont touch me!" phase with us which was down to a little bout of mites. Might be worth checking just in case!