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Behavior Weird behavior.

NutmegandClove

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Hi!
I have two girl Guinea pigs. Their names are Clove and Nutmeg. I seem to be having trouble with my girl Clove. She is about 1 year and 6 months old. I adopted her from the shelter. When we got her home she was very sweet and loving. Now having Clove home and together with my other piggy for about a month she is showing some weird behavior. She will only let me pet her head but nothing else. When I try to pick her up she tried to bite me. And she chatters her teeth a lot at me. Never having done this till recently. But she still eats very well and is always excited about food. Also, I don't see her itch very much either. I would love some help to get Clove and me to become much better friends. Thank you for reading and I hope something can help.

My spice girls


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Snugglybutt

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I wouldn't say any of that is weird behaviour, every guinea pig has a different personality. One of my boars only likes getting his head pet as well, so I only pet his head. Is she chattering when you try to pick her up? Because that's normal too, as not every pig likes getting picked up. If she is eating, drinking, and isn't losing weight, I would say that she is perfectly fine. It's just her personality!
 

NutmegandClove

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She used to be very sweet. Does Guinea pig behavior change. I?m very new at this.


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Snugglybutt

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She used to be very sweet. Does Guinea pig behavior change. I?m very new at this.
Have you been weighing her to make sure that she is healthy? Illness can cause pain/discomfort, so chattering and biting can occur. Weight loss is often the first sign of illness. That being said, if she is eating, drinking, popcorning, not losing weight, isn't itching... she is probably healthy. Are Clove and Nutmeg getting along fine?
 

NutmegandClove

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They love each other. They snuggle all the time! She hates being held and doesn?t sit still. So I haven?t gotten a good chance to weigh her. I hope she is ok. I love them.


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Snugglybutt

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They love each other. They snuggle all the time! She hates being held and doesn?t sit still. So I haven?t gotten a good chance to weigh her. I hope she is ok. I love them.
That's good to know :). I put a large bowl on my kitchen food scale and then place my pig in the bowl so they can't run away! Even though she hates being held, weighing your piggies weekly is a must! As I said before, weightloss is the often first sign of illness. One of my boars HATES being held (he chatters and yawns at me), but I still manage to do it.

As for getting Clove to warm up to you, you should try to get her out of the cage and have lap time! My skinny pig used to hate being picked up and held but I "forced" lap time with him every day. I always give him some yummy veggies when he is out. He really improved and he's a lot easier to pick up now!
 

NutmegandClove

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That's good to know :). I put a large bowl on my kitchen food scale and then place my pig in the bowl so they can't run away! Even though she hates being held, weighing your piggies weekly is a must! As I said before, weightloss is the often first sign of illness. One of my boars HATES being held (he chatters and yawns at me), but I still manage to do it.

As for getting Clove to warm up to you, you should try to get her out of the cage and have lap time! My skinny pig used to hate being picked up and held but I "forced" lap time with him every day. I always give him some yummy veggies when he is out. He really improved and he's a lot easier to pick up now!

Thank you SOO much for all your help!!


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bunnyfunny

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Newbie here. Is there any some kind of unique behaviour to show that the guinea pig really loves his human or show some affection to his or her owner?
 

NutmegandClove

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Newbie here. Is there any some kind of unique behaviour to show that the guinea pig really loves his human or show some affection to his or her owner?

Thank you so much for asking that question because I would also love to know the answer.


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bpatters

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Nope. Sorry. You're the bringer of food, not a snuggle partner. Some pigs may not mind being snuggled, but many aren't fond of it.
 

Snugglybutt

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I agree with @bpatters. Sure, guinea pigs get more comfortable around their human, but at the end of the day they just want food. Whenever I enter the pig room my boars wheek their hearts out, but it's not because they want to snuggle, play, or give me kisses. They think I'm bringing them food. Once they realize I don't have food, they go back to their hiding places and sleep. It sucks but that's just how it is!
 

spy9doc

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Hmmm.......I guess I must be the exception. Both my boys enjoy lap time, and obviously miss it if something interferes. They are both going to be 3 y.o. next month and it has taken all of that three years for Chip to learn to relax and cuddle. He is high-strung, mischievous, almost always vigilant. For the longest time it was obvious that he enjoyed lap time because it was an opportunity to cuddle with his brother which doesn't take place in the cage as there is no hidey large enough to fit two grown cavies, especially when one of them is a little over three pounds. And, Chip absolutely adores his brother! Did I mention that Chip "sings"? From the time he was a baby, he sings his song incessantly when being held at lap time. In the beginning, it was SO loud that we couldn't hear the television! The singing has become softer and less intense with time and his increasing comfort. He still does it, but will relax and be quiet and snuggle.

Sparky is a totally different creature. He has obviously loved his hoomans since he was a baby. Sometimes it seems that he prefers our company to that of Chip. If something interferes with lap time, he will sit at the side of the cage to ask, "What's wrong......did I miss lap time?" My husband has some physical issues and is often in a good deal of pain. Sparky has become his emotional support/comfort animal. When Gary can't sleep, he often stays on the sofa and Sparky will happily sleep for hours on Gary's chest.

I should mention that none of this has to do with food! The boys are fed one generous meal per day at around 6pm and rarely even a treat thereafter. They often retire for a nap after dinner and are ready to come out for lap time around 9-10pm. As most of you know, cavies are creatures of habit and aren't happy when their routine is upset. Who knows.....perhaps lap time has become such a part of their daily routine that they feel the absence if it doesn't happen?

I work from home a lot and the boys' cage sits alongside my desk......yes, the piggy room is my home office. So, I guess you can say that we all spend a lot of time together. I love it because I get to see all the cute things they do and have thoroughly enjoyed watching them grow up. When my previous cavies died, the room seemed so empty that I could barely stand to go in there to work. Within a week, I made arrangements to get Chip & Sparky. They have brought so much joy to our lives that I can't imagine being without them. Do the boys show affection? You bet! They both will lick and kiss without provocation. It almost seems as though they are grooming us.

I'm sure that all of us have very different experiences, and I appreciate being able to share mine.
 

LittleSqueakers

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My pigs have all had their different personalities, but as far as how/if they show affection towards their human(s), I think part of it also depends on how you choose to engage with them.

If you mostly choose to leave the pigs to do their own thing and don't spend a whole lot of time with them or around them, then of course they aren't really going to react to you very strongly one way or the other. You're just that person who shows up to clean and feed them. But if you choose to spend time socializing with them outside of the basic necessities, I think some of them (though obviously not all) will learn to seek out your attention. My boar who I had the longest would come when I called him (well, sort of :p). Almost all of my pigs would come over to greet me (except Flower, who I called my "turtle pig" -- she always wanted to be under a hidey and would stretch as far out towards me as she could without actually leaving cover lol) My pigs rarely ever got treats outside of regular mealtimes, so I know they were not expecting food when they did this.

Like spy9doc said, a lot of this attention-seeking behavior will be based on habit and routine. None of my pigs were ever really lap-lovers. I think this has partly to do with their personalities (although some would snuggle for a little while if they felt like it), but really had more to do with the fact that I'm kind of a restless person, and I rarely ever sit still long enough for a pig to settle in and get comfy in my lap. I didn't ever do a lot of laptime, so my pigs weren't lap-pigs. Instead, I'd usually get down on the floor and play with them every night. My two boars I raised from pups especially would walk under my knees, hop over my feet, nibble my shoelaces, lick my bare legs, and so forth. I was their favorite toy! And I'd lead them on "walks" to explore the house, which the two raised from pups absolutely loved. Over time, this is how all of my pigs learned to interact with me (even reluctant little Flower!)
 

Snugglybutt

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You guys seem to be very lucky with your pigs : )! My office is also in my guinea pig room so I spend around 6+ hours in the same room as them daily. I place my fingers in the cage often and they'll smell/lick/kiss my fingers, but it's not out of affection, they're looking for food and licking the salt from my fingers. One of my pigs really enjoys lap time, but that's because I "forced" him out daily for months and fed him while he was on me. He gets excited for lap time, but it's only because there's food involved. He'll lick me when he's out but once again, he's just licking the salt from my fingers.

I have a very strict routine with my pigs so they should know by now when they are getting food, but they don't. It can be 10AM and if I cough or make a loud noise, they harass me for food, even though they get veggies at 7PM. I know that they aren't seeking affection because if I attempt to pet them or hold them they run away. I'll put my fingers in the cage and they'll sniff them for food then run away. It can be frustrating sometimes being seen as "the bringer of food"!
 

spy9doc

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Instead, I'd usually get down on the floor and play with them every night. My two boars I raised from pups especially would walk under my knees, hop over my feet, nibble my shoelaces, lick my bare legs, and so forth. I was their favorite toy! And I'd lead them on "walks" to explore the house, which the two raised from pups absolutely loved. Over time, this is how all of my pigs learned to interact with me (even reluctant little Flower!)

I envy that! My boys have never enjoyed floor time and will absolutely freeze in place if I put them on the floor. I'd trade a lot of the lap time for other activities with the boys. I think you have to start early with them for them to be secure outside their cage environment. If only we could find the "happy medium"!
 
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