I have kept eveything from guinea pigs to horses for most of my life, so while I am not an expert in Guinea pigs in particular, I work on the basis of plenty of space, plenty of forage, company of their own kind and not hurting or scaring them as this seem to work for most herbivorous, fluffy creatures! We have a pair of boars who are about 2 years old and they have been brilliant in every way. But I have 3 children, and the youngest was beginning to feel left out of the guinea pig snuggling. So I bought a pair of young boars from the local pets at home (yes, I know I should have known better, and next time I will use a local breeder) but they were not a "pair" in terms of being bonded. we ended up with the alpha and the runt, and the alpha wouldn't let the runt eat. Anyway after much shuffling about, building of extra runs, and giving the smallest one time and space away from the bullying one they are both growing well and getting on together better. Now despite the drama and bullying of the other piggie, the "Alpha" one has always been a delight to handle, and would even escape his run and come and seek out humans to sit on and chat to while his brother was in his other run to eat. He sat on our shoulders, and was generally lovely. very wiggly and chatty, but seemed happy. Then suddenly he has started nipping and jumping about whenever we try to pick him up. He spins on the spot and nips. Once out of his run and with us he doesn't seem scared of us, he will climb into our laps, but if we try to pick him up again he squeaks and spins and nips again. He has never broken the skin, even of my 4 year old, and I have had a good at him and cant see anything that would obviously be hurting him, so I am stumped. I have banned the children from picking him up, and told them to just stroke him in his run. I pick him up when it is quiet in the evenings. Any clues?
Previously Tame Youngster Now Nipping And Jumpy
- Thread starter decadec
- Start date
Claire W
Forum Donator 2025/26
- Joined
- Mar 23, 2008
- Messages
- 37,477
- Reaction score
- 30,286
- Points
- 2,915
I would suggest a vet visit to be sure that he doesn’t have mites or something as jumping around and nipping can be a sign that he’s uncomfortable.
Mites can’t be seen by the naked eye. Have you checked his skin? Is it dandruffy at all? Does he have any scabs due to scratching?
Mites can’t be seen by the naked eye. Have you checked his skin? Is it dandruffy at all? Does he have any scabs due to scratching?
Betsy
Anniversary Herd
When Dennis had mites all I noticed was a bit of thinning hair on his nose and then vet said it was mites and gave me some Xeno spot on for him. I treated all 5 of my piggies to make sure the infestation was completely gone.
Hi!
Please have our boy vet checked for mange mites to exclude a medical angle. An unwillingness to be touched can be the very first symptom when the skin starts becoming painful and inflamed.
Please do not treat on spec with low dosed broad spectrum shop products that can only temporarily suppress skin parasites, but not get rid of them in an acute outbreak.
Guinea pigs are prey animals; you have to work around their instincts and try not to trigger them. Young children chasing and grabbing piggies is prime territory for that!
Please take the time to read these guides here. They help you do exactly how to approach and handle guinea pigs in ways that your little boy will instinctively understand by using some piggy whispering tricks, but without triggering his instincts.
Please do not allow your young children to pick up piggies and to put them back, especially not without supervision. It is the most common cause for freak jumps or falls that often end with serious injuries or even death.
Children And Guinea Pigs - A Guide For Parents
Children And Guinea Pigs - Age Appropriate Interaction And Responsibilities.
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
Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
Children And Guinea Pigs - Age Appropriate Interaction And Responsibilities.
We have got lots more helpful guides via the guide shortcut on the top bar but you are always welcome to ask any questions you may have in our Care sections.
Thank you, that is most helpful, I will book a vets appt. this afternoon. I am a human medic myself, so not stupid enough to replace a proper examination and consultation with uninformed guesswork medication!
I would also wonder about mites or something else causing pain if he is suddenly sensitive to being touched. Mites can make the skin very painful to touch and can make even typically friendly pigs bite in response to pain being touched.