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[Pearl and Zip]

My pigs are both shy. I know this is normal. But recently one of them got freaked out and started biting.

Four times a week, my pigs get floortime. I carry them out of their cage and into the playpen. They don’t like being held, and my fattest one recently started nibbling on my hand. No blood; just nibbles. Nothing big. But I can tell my pigs dislike being carried.

The biting one should be used to this by now. I’ve been doing it for 3 years. The other one has been with me since September, but she never bites.

What can I do to make my pigs stop freaking out?

 

[Betsy]

Have you tried picking them up in a hidey to transfer them from cage to pen? This is a lot less scary for them. How are they at lap time?

 

[Janice C]

Have you tried picking them up in a hidey to transfer them from cage to pen? This is a lot less scary for them. How are they at lap time?

As @ Betsy says try using one of their beds or a tunnel to lift them out in. I’m afraid some piggies just don’t like being handled!
How do you get them back to the cage after play time? Are they easier to pick up after? Tunnels etc will make things easier for both you and the piggies. I use these nests. They can be lifted in something like this then after playtime should be able to scurry back in to be lifted up again. Putting a favourite treat inside will encourage them to go back inside!

 

[Wiebke]

My pigs are both shy. I know this is normal. But recently one of them got freaked out and started biting.

Four times a week, my pigs get floortime. I carry them out of their cage and into the playpen. They don’t like being held, and my fattest one recently started nibbling on my hand. No blood; just nibbles. Nothing big. But I can tell my pigs dislike being carried.

The biting one should be used to this by now. I’ve been doing it for 3 years. The other one has been with me since September, but she never bites.

What can I do to make my pigs stop freaking out?

Hi!

Please have a read of these guides here. They should help you work around the problem. Make sure that you tell your biting piggy in piggy language that you love it first before telling it that its behaviour is not welcome - again in piggy language. Also train your piggies to come into a conveyance of some sort for the transport; that cuts down on the stress of being picked up (which is cutting very close to prey animal instincts).
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
" Biting" And What You Can Do

 

[sport_billy]

great advice above!

We have a biter if you pick her up she is saying she hates it. Use a conveyance like the video below, it will work wonders

 

[Pearl and Zip]

Have you tried picking them up in a hidey to transfer them from cage to pen? This is a lot less scary for them. How are they at lap time?

This seems to freak her out more. I see the whites in her eyes and she frantically tries to escape.

 

[Pearl and Zip]

As @ Betsy says try using one of their beds or a tunnel to lift them out in. I’m afraid some piggies just don’t like being handled!
How do you get them back to the cage after play time? Are they easier to pick up after? Tunnels etc will make things easier for both you and the piggies. I use these nests. They can be lifted in something like this then after playtime should be able to scurry back in to be lifted up again. Putting a favourite treat inside will encourage them to go back inside!View attachment 77342

Yeah, I tried treats, but they’re too smart!

 

[artcasper]

I use a fleece house.... I tell them it is dinner time ( they come out every night ) and they know the routine now.. I won't say I have trained them but to an outsider I say I have

 

[Pearl and Zip]

Hi!

Please have a read of these guides here. They should help you work around the problem. Make sure that you tell your biting piggy in piggy language that you love it first before telling it that its behaviour is not welcome - again in piggy language. Also train your piggies to come into a conveyance of some sort for the transport; that cuts down on the stress of being picked up (which is cutting very close to prey animal instincts).
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
" Biting" And What You Can Do

Picking my pigs up in hidey a makes it worse. The biting one hates it the most; my other pig will barely tolerate it. When I use this strategy on the biting one, you can see the whites of her eyes clearly. She frantically scratches at the walls and tries to escape. She scrambles a lot. I don’t blame her. I’d be horrified if someone tried to trap me in a flying box! So my biter seems to hate this option even more.

 

[Pearl and Zip]

Have you tried picking them up in a hidey to transfer them from cage to pen? This is a lot less scary for them. How are they at lap time?

We don’t really have lap time. Sometimes I come in at floor time. They are great. They run up to me and sniff me, begging for food. They seem perfectly fine; they just won’t allow me to touch them.

 

[Wiebke]

Have you tried the piggy whispering tricks yet (see the guides I have linked in my first post)? It can take quite a long time to build up trust, but it can be done. Yours has obvious had a bad experience with transport at some point because for most piggies a small confined space is actually calming and relaxing.

 

[Betsy]

It can take quite a long time to build up trust, but it can be done.

It took 14 months and a lot of work but eventually Betsy trusted me enough to fall asleep on my lap.




It was a very special moment! Betsy is my favourite guinea pig out of the five. She is so loving and gentle except when she is in season when she is PSYCHO PIGGY (cue music to The Exorcist!)

 

[Janice C]

Aw my lovely Betsy! I’m so jealous!
Mind you her cousin Gracie is fine now at lap time so might eventually snuggle in for a snooze! X

 

[Betsy]

Aw my lovely Betsy! I’m so jealous!
Mind you her cousin Gracie is fine now at lap time so might eventually snuggle in for a snooze! X

I'm sure Gracie will sometime soon Janice!

 

[Pearl and Zip]

Have you tried the piggy whispering tricks yet (see the guides I have linked in my first post)? It can take quite a long time to build up trust, but it can be done. Yours has obvious had a bad experience with transport at some point because for most piggies a small confined space is actually calming and relaxing.

Oh. It might be her previous owner. She was an eight year old who eventually got bored of the poor piggy. This pig also hates being pet on the butt and back area. Maybe it was her previous owner trying to spank her...? I don’t know.

I’ll reread the piggy whispering stuff.

 

[Pearl and Zip]

Have you tried the piggy whispering tricks yet (see the guides I have linked in my first post)? It can take quite a long time to build up trust, but it can be done. Yours has obvious had a bad experience with transport at some point because for most piggies a small confined space is actually calming and relaxing.

Okay I read it. I did not know one of my Pigs was kissing me! The non-biting one likes to lick. Based on her behavior, I think the licker wants to be dominant over me... thanks for that helpful post!

 

[VickiA]

None of mine will tolerate being touched on their rump. If you’re dealing with previously traumatised piggies you have to work with them to build their confidence again. Chin rubs are a first starting point. Then move on to stroking near the eye and top of head if permitted. Some piggies won’t ever allow more extensive petting than that.

 

[Pearl and Zip]

None of mine will tolerate being touched on their rump. If you’re dealing with previously traumatised piggies you have to work with them to build their confidence again. Chin rubs are a first starting point. Then move on to stroking near the eye and top of head if permitted. Some piggies won’t ever allow more extensive petting than that.

Okay, thanks.

 

[Betsy]

Betsy liked being stroked very gently under her left eye with my finger nail. It is the only thing that calms her down when she is having a season and she turns into PSYCHO PIGGIE She is usually the most lovely, gentle guinea pig.

 

[Pearl and Zip]

I just started lap time. Grumpy old Pearl (the biter) didn’t like it. She freaked out. But after a few minutes she gave up and allowed us to scratch her ears.

 

[Pearl and Zip]

Hi!

Please have a read of these guides here. They should help you work around the problem. Make sure that you tell your biting piggy in piggy language that you love it first before telling it that its behaviour is not welcome - again in piggy language. Also train your piggies to come into a conveyance of some sort for the transport; that cuts down on the stress of being picked up (which is cutting very close to prey animal instincts).
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
" Biting" And What You Can Do

Hmm. Okay. So I tried grooming myself (turns out I am not able to use my foot to groom my face) and my licking piggy, Zip, just stared at me and literally shook her head. I don’t think I’m a very good “piggy whisperer”.

 

[Wiebke]

Hmm. Okay. So I tried grooming myself (turns out I am not able to use my foot to groom my face) and my licking piggy, Zip, just stared at me and literally shook her head. I don’t think I’m a very good “piggy whisperer”.

You just mimic the washing motions with your hand, but if your piggy has kind of accepted you already they will find it rather strange. Piggies are not stupid.

You do not lick, just fondle and stroke your piggy in the areas where they get piggy kisses; that is usually accepted and understood by them. Like us trying to speak a kind of 'trade cavy language'.

 

[Pearl and Zip]

You just mimic the washing motions with your hand, but if your piggy has kind of accepted you already they will find it rather strange. Piggies are not stupid.

You do not lick, just fondle and stroke your piggy in the areas where they get piggy kisses; that is usually accepted and understood by them. Like us trying to speak a kind of 'trade cavy language'.

Ah okay. That’s much less difficult. I didn’t know my pigs are more flexible than I am, though.

 

[Wiebke]

Ah okay. That’s much less difficult. I didn’t know my pigs are more flexible than I am, though.

If you have a look at the pictures in the piggy whispering guide, they will show you how to go about it!

 

[Pearl and Zip]

None of mine will tolerate being touched on their rump. If you’re dealing with previously traumatised piggies you have to work with them to build their confidence again. Chin rubs are a first starting point. Then move on to stroking near the eye and top of head if permitted. Some piggies won’t ever allow more extensive petting than that.

My pigs seem pretty freaked out when I give them chin rubs.

 

[Pearl and Zip]

Okay, so lap time isnt really helping. My pigs just freeze and stay there. For at least one minite. Literally. And then they make a run for it and I'm chasing them around the room. Any tips?

Also, I need to clip their nails soon, and they hate that. The biting one bites while getting her nails clipped and continues to bite me for another few days after the nail clipping.

And this isn't just a new-guinea pig thing. I’ve had the biter for 3 years.

 

[Betsy]

OK so it looks like you may have to go back to basics. Don't chase your piggies round the room it'll just make them more frightened. Put various hideys around the room for them to run into if they do freak out when having lap time and they can run into those and then you can pick them up in their hideys and pop them back in the cage. Also only have lap time for 30 seconds then pop them back before they freak out and slowly build it up over time. When they are in the cage, do they take veg from your hands? The prey instinct is very strong in a guinea pig and it looks like you may have to start to build up the trust again. With nail clipping time, wrap your biter up tightly in a towel with a paw hanging out, clip the nails, unwrap and repeat. It helps to have another person around while doing this, one to hold wrapped piggy and one to clip nails. Hope this helps!

 

[Pearl and Zip]

OK so it looks like you may have to go back to basics. Don't chase your piggies round the room it'll just make them more frightened. Put various hideys around the room for them to run into if they do freak out when having lap time and they can run into those and then you can pick them up in their hideys and pop them back in the cage. Also only have lap time for 30 seconds then pop them back before they freak out and slowly build it up over time. When they are in the cage, do they take veg from your hands? The prey instinct is very strong in a guinea pig and it looks like you may have to start to build up the trust again. With nail clipping time, wrap your biter up tightly in a towel with a paw hanging out, clip the nails, unwrap and repeat. It helps to have another person around while doing this, one to hold wrapped piggy and one to clip nails. Hope this helps!

Okay. Yes, they take veggies from my hand. They run up to me in floor time, asking for veggies. It seems like they aren’t shy at all — until I touch them.

 

[Betsy]

Some piggies never like being touched and so just don't want to be touched on a particular day. Betsy and Velvet usually LOVE cuddle time but were having none of it tonight. They just stayed in their hidey which was on the carpet. The other 3 wanted cuddletime but not these 2. They flatly refused to come out of the hidey even for melon (piggy crack). So I guess they were happily having their own party in the cuddly and I left them to it.

 

[Pearl and Zip]

Found a solution! I turned a pigloo upside down!

They are really familiar with the pigloo — they had it since I adopted them. I flip it over and put a blanket and a piggy in. Then I carry them to their cage (which is still 6 square feet — we’re still working on the bigger one) It is the piggies’ new way of transport. I think they like it because it’s transparent so they can see what’s going on, but it also feels familiar and safe.