Why does my guinea pig try to nibble my finger?

our new piggies nuzzle and lara are starting to get a bit tamer after there first week with us and appear to like being held when you have managed to catch them. however! after a while they decide that you may taste quite nice and start to nibble quite hard. they havnt hurt us yet but they keep trying a bit harder each time. is there any way of stopping this as i dont want them to nibble my 3 year old thanx

dave

do you get them out after chopping food. some times piggies can mistake hands for food if they smell of them? Otherwise if not then keep on getting them out it may take a while but they will soon realise not to nibble. It may be their way of telling you they are not happy which will go away in time once they are settled. i would advise to wait until they are more settled before letting your child hold them, just in case.

I must add however if you get them out for more than 10/15 mins it maybe their way of telling you they need a wee. They can hold a wee approx for 15 mins and after about 10/15 mins mine either nibble my fingers, teeth chatter or pull at my clothes depending on their mood and as soon as I put them in their cage they wee so that also could be the reason!

all i have to say is...youre not the only one.

I always make sure they've eaten dinner before I get them out...that way they are quite full and dont want to eat me! lol
Also, Abby started to teeth chatter or bite my clothes when she need to go wee...so I am sure to put her back and all are happy. I've been teaching my daughters to watch for the signs too...it seems to be working.

they went mad licking me after i had been swimming so must have liked the taste of the clorine. as for the biting nuzzle did christen me the other day after nibbling me!!

thanx anyways

mine used to put my finger in their mouths quite often but have never actually bit or even hurt.
They've more or less stopped doing it now unless I have cucumber in my hands and the juice gets on my fingers. They're about 9/10 months old now.

Nibbling or sharp nipping, or pulling on clothes, is quite often a sign that the pig needs to pee/poop. Not many pigs will happily "go" all over you, so they have to tell you somehow that they need to do their business! The best way to deter this behaviour is to handle the guineas little and often, rather than opting for one or two long cuddles. The young pigs especially have small bladders, so must pee more frequently; for these piggies, 2-3 five minute cuddles each day is advised, and you can build on the time spent handling them gradually.

Nibbling when being handled can be a sign of skin sensitivity (thus a skin problem such as mites or fungal), but for the most part it is behavioural, for reasons such as that I just mentioned and for reasons explained by the other posters.

One of our girls is fine will be picked up and happily sits to be stroked and have her nails trimmed, the other does not want to know! she is hard to catch and squeaks when you try to pick her up and wriggles like mad when you manage to get her! i have not yet attempted to cut her nails but will need to soon! She will be stroked and brushed in the cage but not be handled at all! what do you suggest?!rolleyes

tizzy - When you handle her, do you cuddle her close to you on your chest? I find the most wriggly and unsettled pigs (especially youngsters) do well when held close against you, on your chest, and covered with something (e.g. held inside your jacket/cardi), or if you wrap them in a light blanket and cuddle them. Such pigs are not the best "lap" pigs, until they are settled when being 'actively' handled.

It is intriguing how she will be stroked and brushed in the cage but has such an aversion to handling - with many pigs it tends to be the other way around!