Are you looking to adopt a guinea pig, or do you already have a piggy who won’t stop biting? While it’s rare for guinea pigs to bite and rarer for those bites to break skin, biting can be painful or even irritating. After all, we want our pets to live good, happy lives, and we want to develop close, loving bonds with them.
Do guinea pigs bite, and how do you make them stop? In this article, we’ll discuss common causes and solutions for guinea pig biting.
Do Guinea Pigs Bite Their Owners?
Guinea pigs can bite, but they do so less than most other types of pet rodent. Generally, guinea pigs are gentle creatures, and it takes a lot to push them into biting a person.
Every guinea pig is an individual with their own personality, and some are more prone to bite than others. This is due to both personality and upbringing. For instance, a guinea pig who was abused in a previous home may be more likely to bite now.
Why Do Guinea Pigs Bite?
Your guinea pig may bite you for any of the following reasons:
Breaking Up Fights
The most common way to get bit is by using your hands to break up a fight between two guinea pigs. They won’t usually redirect their aggression toward humans, like you may see in a dog or cat fight. However, they may bite by mistake if you come between them and their target.
Use another object to separate them instead, or wear an oven mitt while bonding guinea pigs to help prevent injury.
Mishandling
Some guinea pigs will bite when they’re scared, irritated, or hurt by mishandling. This might be a child picking them up wrong or someone petting them in a way they dislike.
These are small animals who have very little control over their lives. Please remember to respect their boundaries and teach children to do the same.
Mistaking Hands for Food
The only time I’ve personally been bitten by a guinea pig was when bringing home a new baby piggy, who tried to eat his carrot and then my finger! Be sure to keep your hands out of the way when feeding your guinea pigs.
Stress
If your guinea pig is going through something stressful, they may be more likely to bite. This may include a new cage mate, being bullied by another piggy, or poor housing (such as living alone or in a cage that’s too small)
Stress may also be due to seemingly unrelated things, such as an unusual amount of noise in the home scaring your guinea pig.
Sickness or Pain
If your guinea pig is sick or in pain, they may be more irritable than usual. If this is due to pain, you may notice that they bite when you touch a certain body part.
Remember that changes in personality always warrant a trip to the vet. If your usually sweet piggy is biting frequently, it’s likely due to a medical issue.
Is a Guinea Pig Bite Dangerous?
Typically, guinea pig bites aren’t dangerous. However, animal bites are highly prone to infection due to the deep puncture wounds they cause. If the bite breaks the skin, clean the wound immediately with soap and water and watch for signs of infection. See a doctor if the wound appears swollen, discolored, or hot to the touch.
Can I Get Rabies From My Guinea Pig?
While some people worry about contracting rabies from their guinea pig, this is highly unlikely, especially for guinea pigs housed indoors. Guinea pigs are rarely infected with rabies themselves and aren’t known for spreading it to humans.
How Do I Stop My Guinea Pig From Biting Me?
If your guinea pig is prone to biting, here are some ways to stop them:
See a Veterinarian
The first thing to do with an irritable guinea pig is to take them to the vet! This ensures that there aren’t any health reasons behind the biting before you dive into the other solutions below.
Learn Guinea Pig Body Language
Next, learn how your guinea pig communicates. If you have children, be sure to get them involved as well! It’s important that everyone in the home understands how to interact kindly with your piggies and respect their boundaries.
Teeth chattering, rumble strutting, and raised fur are a few ways that guinea pigs tell us they’re unhappy. If this communication is ignored, they may bite as a last resort.
While guinea pigs like spending time in their hides and are easily startled, those who spend most of their time hiding when you’re around may be afraid. This may mean they need more time to warm up before being handled or that they’ve been mistreated in the past.
Respect their Boundaries
Consent is as important for small animals as it is for you and me. If your guinea pig doesn’t want to be petted or held, find other ways to bond with them that they will appreciate. This can include feeding veggies, teaching them tricks, or sitting on the ground with them while they free-roam.
Never Break Up Fights with Your Hands
Before bonding with guinea pigs, learn their body language so that you can more readily break up fights before they happen. Also, keep an object such as a large piece of cardboard on hand to gently separate your piggies should they launch at one another before you can step in.
Having an oven mitt or towel to wrap around your hand is another good idea during the initial stages of bonding when fights are most likely to occur.
What Does it Mean if a Guinea Pig Nibbles You?
Maybe your guinea pig doesn’t bite hard but instead gently nibbles at your hand. This can happen for many reasons, including:
- They’re nicely telling you that they want something. This might involve food or going back to their cage. Some guinea pigs nibble during lap time when they need to potty.
- They’re grooming you. Licking and nibbling are ways that guinea pigs show affection.
- Searching for food. Your piggy may associate your hands with food and be gently searching for veggies.
- Licking salt from your skin. Some guinea pigs enjoy the taste of salt when they lick people’s hands, which encourages them to keep doing it.
How Can I Stop My Guinea Pigs From Biting Each Other?
If your guinea pigs are biting each other and drawing blood, it’s time to separate them from one another. In a group of three or more guinea pigs, separate the aggressor from the herd if possible.
Sometimes, two guinea pigs won’t get along no matter what we do. If possible, find them other cage mates so that they can have companionship without anyone getting hurt. Rescues and shelters that offer bonding sessions or guinea pig “speed dating” are a great resource for this.
