nipping ?

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<3 my boys <3

<3 my boys <3

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hi everyone, my two piggies Rocky and Scruffy have started nipping at our fingers and clothes etc when we hold them. they haven't bitten yet but lightly nip which in itself makes you jump. they only started doing this for the last few days and they are approx. 11 weeks old. i am worried that it will continue into biting but i got guinea pigs over any other animals as was told piggies very rarely bite and will 6 young children we need pets that wont bite. any advice on this? sorry i keep asking questions, but i have never had piggies before and just want to make sure i am doing everything right and so are they. they are on antibiotics and being treated for mites at the moment the poor things, am hoping they clear up quickly..... maybe this may be a reason for their nipping and not wanting to be handled as much?

also, approx how much veg a day should you give? we given them a bowl of pellets a day and two servings of fresh veg a day.

thanks for any advice you can give.
 
<3 my boys <3 said:
hi everyone, my two piggies Rocky and Scruffy have started nipping at our fingers and clothes etc when we hold them. they haven't bitten yet but lightly nip which in itself makes you jump. they only started doing this for the last few days and they are approx. 11 weeks old. i am worried that it will continue into biting but i got guinea pigs over any other animals as was told piggies very rarely bite and will 6 young children we need pets that wont bite. any advice on this? sorry i keep asking questions, but i have never had piggies before and just want to make sure i am doing everything right and so are they. they are on antibiotics and being treated for mites at the moment the poor things, am hoping they clear up quickly..... maybe this may be a reason for their nipping and not wanting to be handled as much?

also, approx how much veg a day should you give? we given them a bowl of pellets a day and two servings of fresh veg a day.

thanks for any advice you can give.
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They probably nip because they don't want to be held. Mine do it too; they also are not fond of being held.

Pellets, with young pigs especially, should be unlimited. Hay should be unlimited. I am not 100% sure on veg...but I give mine 2 bowls a day, plus the odd lettuce leaf if they are wheeking at me :)

I would be grateful for the veg advice too :))
 
oh no, i love holding my piggies..... :0 hoping in time they may get a bit more tame.... yeah they have unlimited hay and they never seem to finish the pellets in a day so there is always some for them..... they do love their vegetables tho, they go mad when i give it to them :)
 
<3 my boys <3 said:
oh no, i love holding my piggies..... :0 hoping in time they may get a bit more tame.... yeah they have unlimited hay and they never seem to finish the pellets in a day so there is always some for them..... they do love their vegetables tho, they go mad when i give it to them :)
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You should still handle them even if they don't really like it, they may come round eventually. Mine are getting better :)

Mine love their veg too, they jump up the bars trying to reach it before I have even put it down haha
 
One of my piggies starts to nibble at my clothes, buttons, necklace, infact anything within his reach when he's had enough of being cuddled. It's usually when he needs to wee and wants to be put back in his cage. :))
 
my scruffy started nipping as soon as i picked him up, he has never been cuddly whereas rocky usually loves cuddles. i will keep handling them tho and hopefully they will get used to it in time..... oh thats a very good piggie telling you he needs a wee then, i wouldnt fancy being weed on! lol.
 
Ive got 10 pigs and 4 of them don't really 'do' lap time - they fidget and fuss the whole time - not all piggies enjoy cuddles :(

2 of my boys will let you know when they want to go back by pulling/tugging on your clothes, while one my boys will nudge me under the chin when he needs to pee/poop.

Have you tried have a few pieces of their favourite veg handy during lap time - at first they probably wont take it from you, but eventually they will. Guinea pigs love food and so by having their favourite food handy every time you approach their cage or when you have cuddle/lap time, they'll soon come to associate you with good things :)

Gaining a pigs trust can be a long affair with some pigs - so don't expect fast results - when it does happen though it's very rewarding.

5 of my pigs know how to give a kiss when they want a treat - if i go to their cage and ask them 'who is going to give me a kiss for some yum, yums' they will run over and give me a proper kiss on the nose/cheek/lips xoxo

One of my pigs gave piggie kisses anyhow and once she knew if she gave a kiss she would get a treat, she started doing it all the time - the other 4 of her cage mates watched and then copied her x)x)
 
wow sodapops, thats amazing! Rocky will sit there and let you give him cuddles but scruffy cant sit still for a minute..... there personaliltes are so different but i will continue to try to gain scruffys trust... :)
 
My one girl is a nightmare to catch but then settles...and my other girl I can pick up easy but she never settles, strange lol (although she is getting better I must add)
 
my youngest girl wont sit still for 5mins - lap time is a fun-filled 10min affair - any longer and i'd lose the will to live lol
 
A lot of it is down to patience and time. Not all guinea pigs will ever be cuddly piggies.

Please be aware that young guinea pig explore that world by nibbling; piggies can't bring bad foods up, so they need to learn by tasting what is edible and what not. It is usually a short period that is soon over, especially if you make gently, but firmly clear that you do not appreciate it. Praise your piggies lavishly for the behaviours you wnat to encourage, and they will soon catch on.

Biting is also a reaction when a piggy feels trapped and threatened.

You may find this thread from our food section helpful: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=42

Please limit the veg to about 1 cupful/ca. 50g of mixed veg per piggy per day; try to include one high vitamin C veg like a slice of pepper of any colour, a bit of broccoli (all parts) or a sprig of parsley or coriander. Vary.

Unlimited pellets for young piggies until the current rate of growth is slowing down at about 6-9 months old. then very gradually reduce the amount to the 1/2 -1 handful that fully grown adult piggies need from 12-15 months old.

The biggest part of the diet should be hay; it makes up to 80% of the daily food intake. The digestive system is laid out for hay, and it also keeps the crucial back teeth ground down.

Fresh water daily; please do not add additives as you cannot control the intake.
 
thank you for your reply, i will definitely take your advice on board and apply it to my piggies needs. thank you! :)
 
If your piggies are a bit nervous about being held you could perhaps have a big towel to cuddle them up in. It will give them security, somewhere to snuggle if they feel threatened and will absorb any little accidents they may have :)
 
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