Topaz nipped Me!

[Guinea_Mum2026]

Our baby, who's getting more confident, but still doesn't seem to enjoy being handled very much at all, just nipped me quite hard on the finger!

I had just got him out of the cage as we needed to clean it. Rusty was still in there, so I took the opportunity to get Topaz out and handle him for a few minutes until Rusty needed to come out, so husband could properly clean the cage. Anyway, I was holding Topaz and stroking his fur, gently teasing out the bits of hay stuck in the tufts, and all the time he was making his usual high pitched 'chatting'/'complaining' type of noises he makes a lot when he is in the cage with Rusty, then he also started chattering his teeth a bit, and I didn't think it was bruxing!!

So, then my husband got Rusty out and put him into the kitchen, where the run is that they go in while their cage's being cleaned out, during the winter etc., and so then I decided to put Topaz in there with Rusty, as he seemed to want to be with him, and as I leaned down to gently put Topaz in the run with Rusty, I quickly kissed him as I was doing it, and suddenly he nipped me on the finger tip quite hard, but not hard enough to draw blood!

I feel a bit upset to be honest, as we love those pigs so much but none of them really like being picked up or even held, it feels like they don't even like us sometimes. Though I'm sure that's not really the case, but Topaz nipping me was quite upsetting, especially as he's so young and it was very unexpected.

When I was holding him and he was making those noises (can't really explain them but it's not the blob, blob type of noises, but higher pitched) all the time, do you think he was telling me he didn't like it and that's why he nipped me??

I know guinea pigs don't usually bite and the other two don't, only Bramble has occasionally very gently nipped when we have been scritching him for a bit too long, but that's it.

I do wonder if little Topaz is going to be another one of those pigs who doesn't like being handled or picked up and do hope that's not the case. :(

[Guinea_Mum2026]

I think I could have been over reacting a little when I wrote this post earlier, it was just a bit of a shock when Topaz nipped/bit me.

A while after, when we put them both back in the cage, and also did a quick health check on the three of them (individually!), they were all quite calm and sweet, and I feel a bit better about it all now.

I'm still a bit shocked he nipped me as hard as he did (though again, no blood was drawn!) but it was hopefully just a one off and I do think he'll be ok with handling eventually, just got to give it some more time.

I actually think Topaz is quite a feisty little pig and that's not really a bad thing. :)

[Lynx]

I have been nipped/bitten a few times. Usually fear is involved or anticipating nail clipping :-)
Here is a helpful entry on the links page with links to two useful articles:
https://www.guinealynx.info/links.html#biting

[Guinea_Mum2026]

Thank you.

He definitely wasn't anticipating nail clipping though, we haven't even started that yet because he's still so small and we are finding it challenging to both see the nails and hold him still to do it!

The breeder we got him from said to wait around a month because we don't want him to associate us handling him with a negative experience, not yet...It's getting close to the time though, so got to try and work out how/when we're going to do it!

[Guinea_Mum2026]

When I said he was feisty, he really is and is already bossing his adoptive Dad Rusty about a bit, even though he's not quite 3 months old yet!

Got a feeling he's going to be boss pig because Rusty is pretty laid back and he was the submissive one when he was with his brother.

[PooksiedAnimals]

He's young - learning boundaries, Taste-testing everything. I bet he'll grow out of it.

[Guinea_Mum2026]

I think it was actually because he was a bit scared, as I was standing up with him and the run was right down on the floor, so it was a long way down, and that's when he nipped me - as I was bending down to put him in with Rusty!!

[Renonvsparky]

There's a good chance it was defensive. If the enclosure you were putting him into is on the floor and you had to bend down to put him in, it most likely scared him. I've had that happen before when I used to put mine in the grass outside. Since I live in Missouri now, I don't put them in the grass anymore because of ticks, chiggers, and a few predators we didn't have in Nevada. I pick the grassand bring it inside for them now. They don't really like the sensation of falling that putting them on the floor too quickly causes. Sounds like it was just a one time thing. Hopefully it was.

[Guinea_Mum2026]

Yes I think it was just a one off!

[Talishan]

Ditto what others have said. They also don't like to be startled -- move fairly slowly, and where they can see what you're doing -- and hopefully it's a one-off.