Behavior My guinea pigs chatter their teeth every time they're picked up?

[leximaupin]

Hi ya'll!

I adopted two baby guinea pigs (Oliver and Henry), both about a month old, two weeks ago! They're my first guinea pigs ever, and i'm extremely excited about them! They're absolutely adorable and I can't wait to start our relationship. The only thing is- they really don't seem to like me. I've done a lot of research and I realize they're prey animals, so maybe I'm just over reacting?

It's just that- every time I go to pick them up, cuddle them, etc., they chatter their teeth, which I know means they're extremely annoyed. Both of them also bite me, and Oliver tries to best to escape my grip and jump out of my hands. I realize that they're both young, not quite used to humans, and probably still frightened, but I wanted to ask if this behavior was normal? I've read/heard that guinea pigs ere very gently creatures that rarely ever bite, so i'm a tad worried.

I don't think it helps that I adopted both of them quite sick, and so the two weeks I've had them I've had to give them antibiotics twice a day. Maybe they've associated their distaste for the syringes and eye drops with my contact?

Aside from their daily medal treatments, I think i've done the best I can to keep them comfortable. They have a 7.5 square foot C&C cage, a hide out, fleece bedding, a limitless supply of timothy hay, alfalfa based pellets, daily vitamin c tablets, and plenty of toys to bite. . I also clean their cage twice a day so they don't have to walk around in their mess! I also have a cuddle sack on the way so when we have lap time, they have something to hide in.

Does anyone have any advice they'd be willing to offer? Is this behavior normal? This sounds self absorbed, but will they learn to love me? Eventually, will they not run away from my hand and chatter when they're picked up? Has your guinea pig ever bit you? How long did it take for your fur babies to adjust? And finally, do you have any advice?

I'm sorry for posting a novel! I'm just a worried parent who wants to do the best that I can do, and would absolutely love some advice/words of wisdom.

OH- and when you leave the house, do you leave on background music/the tv and leave a light on, or do you shut everything off?

Thank you all so much

 

[bpatters]

It sounds perfectly normal. They're just skittish animals, and it takes a long time for them to be comfortable with you.

Are they biting you with an intent to really bite, or are they just tasting your hands? They really don't have any way to explore the world without tasting it, and pups will sometimes nip without any malice intended.

But a 7.5 square foot cage isn't going to be large enough for two adult boars. It barely meets the minimum for one pig, much less two, much less two boars.

Here's some recommended reading for new pig owners:

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!