Is it normal for a guinea pig to bite?

[blossomhill]

My 6 month old male gp is still so nervous, hates being picked up. He is scared of his own shadow. Trying to get him paired up but nothing has happened yet.
He has bitten a few times. Nipped and then this week he drew blood on dh's finger.
Anyway today ds was holding him and ds really started crying and the blasted gp had bitten through his pj's onto his stomach. It must have really hurt.
Is this normal for a gp to be like this?

no gp owners then?

Oh BH, sorry you're still having these problems. It's not normal IME- one of ours bit once the first week we got them, but neither have never bitten since, and they are happy to be handled. The once I had when I was a teenager never bit either. Your sounds very anxious- any news from the rescue centre about a companion yet?

not normal

tamum ~ well we are still waiting for a 5 week or younger male. Otherwise he will be neutered and I am worried to do that.
I could have cried today as I wanted a pet to be fun and to help dd with sn to learn how to care for a pet.
This is going to sound silly now but I am scared of him. He is so skittish (that's how vet described him) and hard to handle.

I used to be terrified of my gerbils when I was a child, I know exactly what you mean. There's no possibility that the rescue centre would swap him for another pair, on the basis of your dd's special needs, is there? I can understand why you don't want to have him neutered.

tamum ~ they might do but ds would be devestated.
I just feel like I have done something wrong tbh. I am so anxious around animals and I am worried the gp can tell.
Can't believe I am opening up over a gp

I have had Gp's for over 5 years and have only been bitten when I deserved to be iyswim! One occaision for example was when I just brought a baby one home and my housemate kept me talking for ages while I was holding her, she was scared and had just been through a traumatic experience. Never been bitten since. DS sticks his fingers in and out of the remaining GP's cage and she is as good as gold with him. Its not normal AsAIK, but then I have always had females which are IIRC less aggressive. They pair up better too. He may get better with regular holding? He has a lot to get used to.

Thanks Flossam and that's what I am trying to do now is get ds to hold him more. I can't
We only have to walk in the conservatory (room he is in) and he scuttles off.
Wish I'd got a rabbit now as they are supposed to be tamer and easier to handle/more sociable.

my Gp i got from somone whose children had lost interest. they dont like to be handled. so even though i have had them a year my kids have never held them. they stroke them and hand feed them though, dd3 stickjs her fingers through and they havent bitten her. neither has the rabbit, again a bit of a sorry case, we can onyl know handle him after having him about 8months. but again not the children , they wil lstroke him whilst i hold him.

the only person these animals have bitten is my neice who is a fairly nervous child.

i wouldnt go for handling straight away, just try handfeeding to start with from open palm, then from closed palm so you can then pet their heads, to stroking the body and then eventually handling them by picking up. mine only got picked up in the early days when i needed to check their undreneaths when they get mucky.

I have two guinea pigs, one of which was very skittish for a long time and I was quite wary of handling him. He's a lot better now though. I do think that with patience and gentle handling they do generally calm down and are exceptionally gentle animals. Like any animal if they sense fear they will be tense and perhaps defensive too.

My rabbit on the other hand is neurotic. I have had him for seven years - got him from a sanctuary - he has a charmed life but still reacts to me as if I kick him around the garden twice daily - no aggression, just blind panic whenever I approach the hutch. That's gratitude for ya!

Thanks misdee. I think you are right, we need to build up his confidence.
He has a great life though. Free run (obviously not all the time) of the coservatory but I was not happy when I saw the gnaw marks on my brand new furniture and skirting boards (coverv. only 6 months old!)

Does he have an indoor hutch?

Guinea Pigs are naturally fodder for birds of prey and so are very frightened of being exposed from above and need to scuttle for cover underneath things to feel secure. Just wondered if the conservatory, if it's nice and bright and open might be freaking him out a bit?

My gp's have the run of the garden all day but I spend about an hour with a torch looking under trees and bushes for them come lock-up time as I always forget to put them back before it goes dark (darn wintery nights!!)

crystalpony ~ we were told that gp's mustn't go out at all in the winter. Far too cold and they would get ill?
This was from the sanctory. So he just runs around inside, although we make sure he has plenty of fresh grass and dandelion leaves.

Rabbits seemed much more hard work and did bite. A lot when my friends had them. GP's are better I'd say.

So can they go out in the cold or not?

I'm sure what the sanctuary said is likely right, blossom.

Mine are in a sheltered hutch in the garden and I go out each morning and open the hutch door and then it's up to them whether they venture out or not. They're pretty old now (6) so I must have just got a hardy pair!!

(I did once have a house guinea pig before these two but he chewed through the tv aerial).

I hope he sorts his biting issues out soon, as they do make lovely pets

Hi blossomhill.. our GP is out side all year round.. we have like a pod thing inside the sleeping part for him to keep warm...
we did have 2, but 1 died recently.. the kids would sit with the guinea pigs on their laps stroking them whilst they ate grass and dandelions just to get used to being handled...

I would say if he's not used to being out in all weathers from the start then the shock of the cold could be a bit much for him.

The sanctory said that they thought he may have something wrong with him? My mum said what nonsense!
do you not worry a cat may get them or something? I know I do when he is in his run.

I think either the font on my computer is too small or I have been reading the MN lentilweaving threads too much. I read this as quinoa pig! ROFL

Well the garden's all enclosed by nine foot walls with spiky wrought iron fencing on top. I've seen our own cat chase them around playing (and them by turn chasing the cat, which makes me laugh - they all come pottering past the conservatory window in a little convoy) but no, I've never really had cause for concern.

No, definitely best to keep gp's indoor/in hutch in winter. We have a few, (I've had many over the years), who have their own shed,so we just open double doors in mornings to allow light in for them, but I won't be allowing them in their runs until about March. It warms the cockles of my heart in spring to see them turned out happily munching away at the new grass, bless. It's really bad for them to have cold wet feet. As long as they're kept dry and fed loads of lovely veggies/hay/grass(remember NO lettuce though) they're quite happy. Our two rabbits, however, are free-running but they are "trained to come in at night-time into animal shed. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my little furries.

LOL at caffeinequeen's "quinoa pig" mistake.
Neither of our guinea pigs have ever nipped or bitten. They are both male, and have lovely natures - unlike our rabbit, who would nibble yer hand off soon as look at ya!