Biting Do guinea pig bites hurt?

[lmaggie814]

Hi,

I am embarrassingly afraid of putting my hand in front of my guinea pig because I am scared of being bitten. Do guinea pig bites hurt? I put my hand in front of Chocolate this morning (I thought I was risking my life lol) and he kept coming forward to sniff me and bumped his nose against my hand repeatedly. Then he twists his head like he's about to bite me and I freak out. But I think he licked me. Idk. I'm scared.


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[bpatters]

Guinea pigs don't usually bite. They're very gentle, docile animals.

If they have a bad case of mites (they'd be scratching a lot), it hurts to be handled, and they'll bite. Pups are like all babies, they sample things to see what they taste like, but those are usually small nips.

I've had guinea pigs for years, and have handled many more, and I've only been bitten once. That was because I held on to a bit of tomato too long, and the pig got part of my thumb while trying to get the tomato.

You sound like a new pig owner. Here's some recommended reading material:

https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/113176-Information-for-new-guinea-pig-owners
https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/107827-What-NOT-to-do-for-your-guinea-pigs!

 

[koalamissy]

Hi,

I am embarrassingly afraid of putting my hand in front of my guinea pig because I am scared of being bitten. Do guinea pig bites hurt? I put my hand in front of Chocolate this morning (I thought I was risking my life lol) and he kept coming forward to sniff me and bumped his nose against my hand repeatedly. Then he twists his head like he's about to bite me and I freak out. But I think he licked me. Idk. I'm scared.


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My one pig Cocoa, smells my fingers and walks away. My other piggie, Sweet Pea, will either lick my fingers or nibble. It's cute. Nibbling doesn't hurt, but when she starts, I pull my finger away and gently tell her no. End of ordeal. No biggie. I would try to get used to it so your babies don't sense your fear.


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[CavyMama]

Just like with any other animal, how much it hurts depends on how hard they bite. If they are just nipping to see if you are food, it won't hurt but if they smell food on your hands or if you stick your hand in between two pigs who want to attack each other, it will be hard and it will hurt. They generally don't bite. If they do, it's for a good reason.