General Help please for a newbie

[rubypig]

Hi all, I was really wondering if my new piggy Ruby is acting normal and what her behaviour means?

I got her the day before yesterday and I am waiting for a buddy to arrive so she has a friend. First she was very quiet not moving even to change position but eating fine. Poops look fine too. Yesterday she was roughly the same but last night she started to roam a little around her home and look up a little which made me really happy as you can all imagine she even takes food from my hand with no problems. I can pick her up even though she's a little skittish because I think she may have been a little rough handled previously. She lets me hold and stroke her and it seems she likes me stroking her face over and under her eyes, I did attempt to see if she'd would like her chin rubbed but she gave me a soft nip so I guess not.

Today I held her and she had more head movement looking around etc the thing is she softly squeeled a little as I picked her up this time but was fine and happy when I hugged her. When I went to put her down I noticed she was more panicky and tried to nip me again.

My questions are really these, 2 times she soft nipped me today and she doesn't like to come out of her tube that much, I did take her out because I was worried and when she was out she went to eat and roam a little. Is this all normal? She doesn't wheek or scream, she doesn't make those cute woop woop sounds but she did kind out put which I consider a soft warning when I touched her side bottom area. How do I know if she likes something or not? When I rubbed the side of her face and below her ear she turned her face to the side as though telling me to rub a little lower :0) can anyone tell me what's normal what's not and how to understand her movements etc? Any advice much appreciated...

By the way I don't know her age but her nails are short sharp and a little brown she is larger than my hand in length and she's an abbsynian.

 

[bpatters]

If she's nipping when you touch a particular part of her body, like her back end or behind her ears, she may have mites. Where did you get her? Pet store pigs come with mites more often than not, and sometimes with other diseases.

If that's not the case, she may be smelling something food-related on your hands.

You can discourage the nipping by saying "Ow!" sharply (but not too loud) and moving your hand when she does it. That's what another guinea pig would do, figuratively speaking.

She's not skittish because she's had rough handling before, although that may make it worse. She's skittish because she's a guinea pig -- that's just the way they are. To make it easier on her when you catch her, cut holes in the end of a shoe box and shoo her in it. Put your hands over the holes and lift the box out of the cage. Then put her on your lap (out of the box) and feed her yummy treats -- she'll soon come around, although it may take you months to be able to just reach in the cage and pick her up. Or never. :weepy:

 

[rubypig]

Thanks for the reply, I have reached in like 10 times to pick her her and it's only been around twice she was scared. She's actually really calm and relaxed when I pick her up but I gathered she obviously doesn't like the trip from her home to me as she is kind a free flying in her mind I guess. She hasn't got mites as Have checked through her coat she has absolutely nothing wrong with her skin either but she does have a little cut on her belly, Its very superficial not deep and not bleeding more like a graze but I'm guessing she may have scratched it in her previous setting because it's not like a bite in any ways got her from a pet shop but it's my friends shop and I know that she came from a breeder to the shop. She seems slightly under weight when I look at the other piggies but not thin, she has a great appetite so I'm very happy with that. She doesn't want to eat hay though strange? She nipped me softly when I was putting her down as she wriggled a bit and the other time she may have thought my finger was food as I did hold some veg before I picked her up and my finger did come from behind so I think I'll put that down to her smelling food.

She doesn't roam that much or run unless she's scared she'd rather stay in her tube is that ok? She actually is very tame