I've never hated any animal, except my guinea pig Brock.

[catzeye21138]

So maybe hate is a strong word. I really, really dislike Brock.

A picture of his nose when he was younger:
Brock's nose - Guinea Pig Cage Photos've had him for almost 4 years, and he still is 'afraid' of me. I put afraid in quotes, because I think it's gone beyond fear, and into malice. No amount of holding him or feeding him by hand has changed this. I'm starting to think there is something wrong in his head.

I'll be holding him, and with no forewarning he bites down and draws blood. No sound, no squirming, nothing.

Not very bad this time, but there is still blood in this picture:
(broken link removed)here's a nice gash in my cuticle, too.

It's frustrating, because my other two guinea pigs are friendly and playful. So I don't think it's by any fault of my own he is so mean. I'm afraid that if Jack (his bonded cagemate) goes first, I'm going to have to try to adopt Brock out. But I don't know of anybody that would want an old, mean boar.

Blragh. Yes, this is a complaining thread. But I am VERY fed up with him and his nonsense.

Even when I bring food to their cage, Jack stands on the side of the cage, and Brock watches from a few feet away (not even hiding) and waits till I leave. It's like he has a personal vendetta against me. He barely ever makes noise, and when he does he's upset. When I pick him up to hold him and he's not in the mood he'll grind his teeth a little bit. But even that is sporadic.

He's probably nearly 5 now. Maybe he'll chill out in his old age, the bugger. :headache:

 

[Piggy_Passion]

Well, that doesn't sound nice. I've never heard of a guinea pig giving no warning before biting, though. Maybe he is stressed or just antisocial. Does he get along well with the other guinea pigs? You could try to separate him for just a little while (he doesn't need to be lonely) from the other pigs and see if he calms down. Otherwise, I can't really be much help. Remember, though, he is still a living, feeling animal and deserves to be treated well. Don't be mean to him if he bites you, he might even not know what he's doing. My guinea pig bit my brother because he had veggies on his hand. Treat him well no matter what. He is your responsibility and still deserves the best. You could try feeding him veggies (carefully) from your hand.
Hope this helps.

 

[Queen.anirbaS]

Not gunna lie, that made me laugh a little bit. But hmm, I wonder why he is like that.

 

[pinky]

I wish I was there. I'd take him. He's beautiful. I've had a couple of guinea pigs that weren't friendly at all. I was warned that the first one would probably never be socialized. She'd climb up the side of the cage to keep from being touched. Once, while I had her on my lap, she zoomed up my chest and grabbed me around my head with her legs. It was like right out of "The Great Outdoors." I screamed and I know we both scared each other. It took a really long time of holding and hand feeding her for her to trust us but she eventually did and tolerated us petting her. I could tell that she was always still kind of scared but she'd slowly approach us to get her treats and pets. To me, that was progress. The second one was really mean to all the guinea pigs I housed her with. She'd nip them and me and hated being touched. I discovered that if I only used my pointer finger to pet her on her head or bridge of her nose, she'd shut her eyes and let me do that. With both of them, it was baby steps of progress but I did see a difference. I had one friendly male that used to bite, unprovoked. He was usually really sweet but when you least expected it, he'd draw blood. I would hold him in a towel to protect my skin. He really bit my vet one time, too. Hold him in a towel and give him snacks while you hold him as a diversion. I'll bet he'll love that.

 

[Christinieo]

Have you attempted taming him? This is a process that you have your own techniques on, however there are professionals who can try to tell you how. Try setting him on your lap every day for 15 mins. while he munches on vegetables. Later try attempting to feed him the veggies from your hand and then start to pet him while he eats it from your other hand and then try holding him while he eats. This process may take a while but it would be worth the try!

 

[Piggy_Passion]

Well, that doesn't sound nice. I've never heard of a guinea pig giving no warning before biting, though. Maybe he is stressed or just antisocial. Does he get along well with the other guinea pigs? You could try to separate him for just a little while (he doesn't need to be lonely) from the other pigs and see if he calms down. He could have also been damaged when he was young. He could have been abused when he was little. Otherwise, I can't really be much help. Remember, though, he is still a living, feeling animal and deserves to be treated well. Don't be mean to him if he bites you, he might even not know what he's doing. My guinea pig bit my brother because he had veggies on his hand. Treat him well no matter what. He is your responsibility and still deserves the best. You could try feeding him veggies (carefully) from your hand. You could also try to win him over with some kind of veggie or treat. Find something that is like guinea pig candy.
Hope this helps.

 

[catzeye21138]

I held him just as much as my other pigs. I fed him by hand all the time, and I've never been mean to him. In the 4 years I've had him he has just never taken to me or I to him.

He gets along fine with Jackson, but that's the only guinea pig he's ever been around.

I think he does it on purpose, lol. I understand why he does it when I trim my nails, but it's gotten to the point that he doesn't just nibble, but chomps down 9/10 times. He's definitely an interesting case.

 

[CavyMama]

Well, it's possible he's just one of those ornery pigs who doesn't prefer the company of others. It's not often that a pig will simply not get along with other pigs but he might be one. Ditto what others have said, he might just be better as a lone pig.

Has he been checked for mites? That can sometimes be painful enough to cause a pig to not want to be touched and/or to bite unprovoked.

 

[catzeye21138]

He gets along just fine with his cagemate, it's people he doesn't like.

They don't have mites or lice. They did last summer, but it's been long since treated. He's always been like this.

Well I guess not all of them can be people pigs, haha.

 

[suzilovespiggie]

If you have had him for 4 years and he has always been so antisocial I would leave him alone.
If he gets along with his mate I would leave them together. I would only pick him up for his care of nails and his sac. I too, had a boar that was unsocial. He lived alone as he bit up any other that was paired with him. His cage was next to the others so he good visit between grids.

Guinea pigs don't have to have our love to be alright. Make sure he has his nutitional needs met. Good veggies, pellets and hay. which it sounds that you do. I wouldnt force him to be affectionate if he doesnt want to.

 

[Delaine]

I have one girl that would not hesitate to bite if I got between her and her food or pick her up under her front legs. I have learned what she doesn't like and avoid these things. I usually get my way but on her terms. Would sitting with him in a play area work for him? This is a great way to really observe him and his relationship with you. I made a C&C 3 x4 play area and I put food and hay on my lap so my girls can come and go when they like. Because I am not forcing them to sit with me they are hanging out with me more and more. If they want to go hide in their box they can, it is their choice. Does he like to be brushed? My girls love it and if he turned to bite you he would get the brush not your hand. If you don't want to pick him up maybe a transfer box would work.

 

[jacqueline]

i'm sorry for your situation - it's exasperating to give affection and get bit in return! i do agree with suzielovespiggies that you could just accept that you have a "cranky old boar", and let him be who he is, and still love him. tall order, i know. the only other thing i can add is that perhaps he has some sort of bio-chemical, or brain imbalance, disease thing. i know dogs can get a kind of dementia, and suffer the same kind of strokes that humans can which can change their personalities, including causing aggressive behaviors. perhaps that's part of what's happened to your boar, though you'll never know for sure. but if you think of him as having suffered some brain injury, or chemical imbalance, it may hep you feel more sympathy or compassion? good luck! your pig is lucky to be with you, and not with someone who'd be mean to him back.

 

[pinky]

Sometimes guinea pigs need to be treated for mites more than once to get rid of mites. He might still have them. It's not uncommon for a guinea pig that's stressed to be prone to mites.

 

[Paula]

It kind of sounds to me like the pig is one who is very shy by nature and doesn't want to be held. As an owner of many "cuy" guinea pigs, I can certainly relate to the frustration of wanting to hold him and pet him and not having any affection reciprocated. However, trying to force the issue isn't likely to result in anything but frustration for both of you. It's important to respect the individual nature of our pets, so if it's clear (and I'd say it is) he's not comfortable being held, I think you might find your relationship more rewarding if you respect his boundaries and stop trying to hold him so much. Guinea pigs don't bite out of anger or aggression, they bite out of fear or discomfort. I think I'd take a hint and let him be. I know with my pigs, they aren't comfortable being held, and as I've come to understand that, I don't try to handle them as much as would be "normal," and that respect for their boundaries had gone a very long way in earning their trust, and in turn, allowing them to feel more comfortable with me and my handling of them.