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Behavior Can guinea pigs be ticklish?

Starthecavy123

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Ive always considered my guinea pig being ticklish because when I pet her down the lower back it seems like I'm tickling her. So I was wondering if they can be ticklish?
 

ellisa

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Is she kicking when you touch her lower back? She very well might not like to be touched there. What makes you think she's ticklish and not just annoyed?
 

Starthecavy123

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I don't know she may be jus annoyed, she doesn't kick or anything but she will start chewing she I pet her there. And its not all the time only when I pet her a certain way. Like if I pet her from the head then down the back very lightly she won't do it.
 

lunarminx

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I think its possible. My son can pet huggle around the butt and side and huggle will lay down, stretch and and start purring, maybe not a tickle but he likes it. The pig loves him...lol. Me when I hold him, he kicks a leg out snuggles down and lightly talks to me. I know when he's tired of being held because the talk becomes loud. But i never get that pet me more purr Mason gets. He's a lush when it comes to Mason.
 

pinky

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I think guinea pigs associate petting or tickling their back ends with another guinea pig trying to mount them. They usually make the purring sound when they're annoyed and probably think you're trying to dominate them and are letting you know they don't like it. I never pet or tickle their back sides. They seem to like being stroked on their head, upper back, behind their ears or on the bridge of their nose.
 

lunarminx

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I think guinea pigs associate petting or tickling their back ends with another guinea pig trying to mount them. They usually make the purring sound when they're annoyed and probably think you're trying to dominate them and are letting you know they don't like it. I never pet or tickle their back sides. They seem to like being stroked on their head, upper back, behind their ears or on the bridge of their nose.


Maybe he is submitting to Mason..lol
Both like petted under the chin too.
 

Starthecavy123

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But she doesn't purr when I do this she'll start randomly chewing on anything in front of her when I do this. Also my other pig bella (R.I.P) never minded it I could pet her from head to tail and wouldn't do anything. She wouldn't purr, chew, or bite she would jus sit there. So doing the same to both they would react differently.
 

pinky

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But she doesn't purr when I do this she'll start randomly chewing on anything in front of her when I do this. Also my other pig bella (R.I.P) never minded it I could pet her from head to tail and wouldn't do anything. She wouldn't purr, chew, or bite she would jus sit there. So doing the same to both they would react differently.

of course, no two guinea pigs are alike. I'm sure there are guinea pigs that don't feel threatened by it but I think most are bothered by it. I had one that was really laid back and nothing really annoyed her but the majority of mine got vocal or reacted to being touched or pet on the rump. Guinea pigs grind their teeth when they're annoyed. We trapped a groundhog in our yard with a humane trap one time. I could tell he was really agitated because he was really grinding his teeth and chewing on the bars. It was sort of funny because it reminded me of a giant guinea pig.
 
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