We just adopted our newest companion, Sati, in July. It’s only been a few months so I haven’t been concerned until recently, but she’s been acting out a lot with us. We like to take her out for socialization almost every day (when she’s not out, she’s in a huge enclosure with her two sisters) but she has been progressively getting worse with not wanting to be around us. She will run away, bite us, and try to get into small areas. Even when I try and sit on the sofa with her, she doesn’t want any part of it. I just had her out and she bit me so hard she drew blood. We’ve tried giving her treats when she has good days, but our other two pigs were pretty calm after a couple of weeks of having them. She has very high energy (which isn’t surprising because she’s still young) and tries escaping the enclosure from time to time. Our other piggies just enjoy cuddles and are always popcorning over food while Sati is planning her escape. Any suggestions on how to help?
Why is my piggie acting this way?
- Thread starter Nataloo
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Betsy
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When you get Sati out for cuddle time is she in a hidey? This may make her feel a bit more secure.
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She is confident enough now to tell you she is scared rather than just freezing
Guinea Pigs are prey animals which means they have a huge prey instinct, some piggies have this stronger than others.
We had a biter in Vimto, she used to bite because she was so very scared of us. Some piggies while fine in the cage and interacting on their terms with you but when on laps feel a vulnerable, the bites are her way of telling you she does not like it. I used to get actual snaps off Vimto and she would draw blood too
She was just a very scared piggie and felt vulnerable on laps, she didn't appear frightened (but obviously was) but she was confident enough with me not just to freeze and it was here way of saying 'please put me home i don't like this'.
Can you feed her in the cage veggies? Will she take food off you?
My advice would be to start trying to hand feed in cage to build trust. Start off putting some nice veggies to your piggy when they are in their hidey, and walk away, after a few times offer the food in the hidey by holding it - if they take it great - if not just pop it down in the hidey. Keep doing this till they take from your hand hopefully they will take it off you as you hold it in for them... after a while try offering it a little further from the hidey so they edge out and take it from you.
You'll have to do this for a month before attempting lap times again we then attempted laptimes. We worked at it and would take her out for 30 seconds then pop here home, we did this 3 times a week for around two months, then slowly increased it up to 5 mins via 30 second increments . Each lap session she'd have a sprig of coriander.
But some piggies really hate lap time and we as owners have to respect that, we'd all but gave up with Vimto and used to interact at the bars with her in the cage rather than lap times but by the time she hit 3 she was much tamer
One more thing use something like this to catch her, really takes the stress out of picking them up... the issue is you scare pigs by catching them which automatically sets them up to be frightened and stress at lap time
Guinea Pigs are prey animals which means they have a huge prey instinct, some piggies have this stronger than others.
We had a biter in Vimto, she used to bite because she was so very scared of us. Some piggies while fine in the cage and interacting on their terms with you but when on laps feel a vulnerable, the bites are her way of telling you she does not like it. I used to get actual snaps off Vimto and she would draw blood too
She was just a very scared piggie and felt vulnerable on laps, she didn't appear frightened (but obviously was) but she was confident enough with me not just to freeze and it was here way of saying 'please put me home i don't like this'.
Can you feed her in the cage veggies? Will she take food off you?
My advice would be to start trying to hand feed in cage to build trust. Start off putting some nice veggies to your piggy when they are in their hidey, and walk away, after a few times offer the food in the hidey by holding it - if they take it great - if not just pop it down in the hidey. Keep doing this till they take from your hand hopefully they will take it off you as you hold it in for them... after a while try offering it a little further from the hidey so they edge out and take it from you.
You'll have to do this for a month before attempting lap times again we then attempted laptimes. We worked at it and would take her out for 30 seconds then pop here home, we did this 3 times a week for around two months, then slowly increased it up to 5 mins via 30 second increments . Each lap session she'd have a sprig of coriander.
But some piggies really hate lap time and we as owners have to respect that, we'd all but gave up with Vimto and used to interact at the bars with her in the cage rather than lap times but by the time she hit 3 she was much tamer
One more thing use something like this to catch her, really takes the stress out of picking them up... the issue is you scare pigs by catching them which automatically sets them up to be frightened and stress at lap time
Hi!
Please take the time to read these guides here. You may find it helpful avoiding triggering prey animal instincts and dealing with her in ways that she instinctively understands.
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig
Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
" Biting" And What You Can Do
There are always guinea pigs that are wired a bit differently, the same like humans. Some piggies are very independent and born adventurers while others stick as closely to their daily routine and hate any changes. My Minx was more like a mini-dog and loved nothing more like a new challenge or discovery; we bonded through interaction and shared adventures (including discovering she'd climbed up the stairs only 10 days before giving birth to two surprise babies).
I have also made the experience that some babies born to very stressed out sows can internalise this high alert state as their default setting. In this case, it can sometimes take years to slowly work past it, but it is still worth it.
You have to work out for yourself what works with her and what not. But try to cherish her and her independent spirit rather than seeing her as a defective living cuddly toy. Many piggies, when they are given the choice are actually not all that cuddly and they are definitely not just animated cuddly toys. They are a lot more than that!