Behavior Tips for my abby Peanut

[peanut.lover]

Hi everyone I have a male guinea pig(will get him a friend very very soon) his name is Peanut and he is 3 month old abyssinian. I've had him for a bout a month and a half, and I am getting frustrated from his behavior. When I try to pick him up and fail at the first try, he begins to make very bold and intimidating sounds, and if I continue trying to catch him he will end up chattering his teeth very fast ( That's when I back off). I treat him well, spoil him with veggies, he always begs me for food. But when it's time to pick him up (nail trimming-cage cleaning-laptime...) he begins to make very bold and intimidating sounds. But when he is in my lap he is very tame and cuddly. Does anyone experience this kind of behavior ( he started this about a week ago) I'm postponing his cage cleaning until I figure it out. Any help is appreciated !!!!

Does any one know how to pet/cuddle an abyssinian and his favourite places, because his fur is really weird and I don't want to make him uncomfortable. And I need grooming tips ASAP because I've never groomed his fur before.

 

[jangopop]

A lot of piggies just don't like the action of being picked up. With Panda, my littlest piggy, the easiest way to pick her up is by either wrapping her up in a blanket before lifting her out or getting her into one of her snuggle sacks and lifting that out. She can then make her way out onto my lap when she decides its OK for cuddle time

Your little one is getting to teenage months so this change in behaviour could be because of this?

 

[LithiumRiot]

I dont have an Abby, but my little pig, Sweetie Belle is like that. She's so fiesty, I can only hold her a few times a week. We're slowly working on it, but I usually back off if she chatters her teeth at me.

My older pig is usually ok with being picked up, she's only recently started running and teeth chattering because I think she's uncomfortable with the lump on her throat (Still havent been able to find a vet that will treat a guinea pig, im trying my hardest!)

My advice is just to keep working on it, hold her with a blanket and give her tons of veggies when your working with her.

 

[peanut.lover]

I'm trying my best !! thanks for the advice. Any other advice?? Especially on grooming??

 

[Agrimony]

My Aby Pickle does the same thing. He will also chatter at me when I go to feed him if I take too long feeding the other pigs first haha. They can have quite an attitude! Most pigs do not like to be picked up so they will usually run away. One thing that helps me is I have tubes for them as hideys rather than igloos, when he runs in there I can block him off and get him easier.

 

[peanut.lover]

That was really helpful and now I know that it is just normal! But what about the grooming and petting/cuddling part? anyone?

 

[Kritastrophe]

As far as I know, Abby's don't require trimming the hair because it doesn't get crazy long unless they are a cross with a sheltie or peruvian. Bath every few months to once a year is okay, and butt baths as needed for males. Hubert can be extremely hard to pick up sometimes, I use the tunnel technique to pick him up occasionally. Guide him to the tunnel, place both hands over entrance and exit, and then set the tunnel on my lap. He comes out of the tunnel and becomes his normal lap piggy once the tunnel is on my lap. Sometimes it just takes a lot of pulling them out, and putting them back so they can get used to the fact that when they're picked up, they will be going back to their cage eventually and they never get hurt in the process. Veggies as a treat also help them to associate cuddle time with rewards.

 

[mufasa]

I have an Abby, Amy, and I call her my bipolar pig because she can be as sweet as pie or an Abyssinian biting machine, depending on her mood. She has her days when she does the teeth gnashing when I go to pick her up, and she will even bite when she's in a particularly bad mood. I know her body language and how to avoid the teeth, so I just pick her up anyway to teach her that doesn't work.

Some days she loves to snuggle on my lap, and other days she's very irritable. I pet her carefully in the direction of her hair, which is tricky with a whacky-haired Abby. I also give her veggies during lap time to give her a positive association. She's actually gotten much, much better about being picked up, although I think she'll always have a hot and cold personality. It just takes gentleness and persistence.

 

[Hhbean]

My 2 abbys love chin and head scratches the most...but both will snap at me if I go to far down their necks. As for male cleaning tips, they need to have their perineal sac needs to be checked and cleaned on a regular basis(some boys are always clean but others need it a few times a week) here are a few links you might find helpful,
http://www.guinealynx.info/impaction.html
Sac cleaning video by brimstone_photo | Photobucket

 

[peanut.lover]

Thank you all so much, you have been very helpful. Now I know that I should hold my boy even if he is chattering to get him used to being picked up, AND THAT i WON'T BACK UP.
The scratching under the chin tips have been helpful

 

[Fables_my_pig]

give him allot of his favorite foods when you hold him on your lap all of my guinea pigs like to be up by my chin and i feed them their favorite veggies. Just groom a abby like you would any other guinea pig, to have them get conformable you can hold them in your lap in a cuddle cup witch is what i had to do with one of my piggy and after a wile they will let you hold them withought the cuddle cup they just have to get friendly and it takes time so hold them allot and alway be gentle with slow movments and mabe you could also try putting a small cloth that covers him and put him with the cloth over him on your lap so that hes on your lap but feels safe with the cloth over him i hope this helps

 

[peanut.lover]

Wonderful info. I really love this forum!!! My boy has relatively long on his rear and bottom compared to other abbys ( he is definitely and abyssinian). I think that he might need a trim for his rear and bottom . what do you think?

 

[Fables_my_pig]

he looks sweet if you wanted to cut his fur i wouldn't see why you couldn't its long enough to want to cut but short enough that you don't have to if you keep it clean you wont have to cut it. but Its pretty much up to you.

 

[peanut.lover]

he looks sweet if you wanted to cut his fur i wouldn't see why you couldn't its long enough to want to cut but short enough that you don't have to if you keep it clean you wont have to cut it. but Its pretty much up to you.

he is my little devil

 

[Fables_my_pig]

he is my little devil

well he is a VERY misleading guinea pig lol