With a little bit of patience and understanding, you can help your guinea pigs learn to get along with each other and provide them with the best care possible. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Its completely normal, but in some cases, it may escalate. Bring them back together slowly and if the fighting continues then something more permanent will need to occur. See a doctor right away if you have any suspicions that the wound is infected. This is most common when a new cage mate is introduced, and they are figuring out their social cues. As An amazon associates, we earn from qualifying purchases. You just need to find out why your guinea big had bitten you. As always, consult your veterinarian with any other questions or concerns. It is somewhat difficult to distinguish between play biting and actual fighting in guinea pigs. Do not put them in a cage together right away. If the nipping gets frequent and/or draws blood, you will have to intervene. Guinea pigs, of course, can bite. In today's article, you will read into detail about the reasons why guinea pigs bite their feet, as well as similar questions related to the topic. Guinea pigs can eat cecal pellets aka green poops! How Serious Is A Guinea Pig Bite?Conclusion. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 Petsvills | All Rights Reserved. she has developed this habit of following the other one round nibbling at her bottom - constantly. Get rid of the smell if you want your cavy to stop biting you. A good rule of thumb is to provide them with at least two square feet of space per guinea pig. The majority of guinea pigs grow out of this tendency. Second, provide plenty of enrichment activities for each guinea pig in its own space, so they are both getting attention and stimulation. Here are a few: At the same time, there can be peaceful actions mistaken for aggressive ones. However, there are several reasons why a guinea pig might bite another guinea pig. The occasional nip or two on the ears will be the most intense that it gets. Since guinea pigs teeth and nails are sharp, they can cause injury to you while breaking them up. But if the biting is accompanied by aggressiveness and involves injuring each other, your piggies may be fighting. Can Damaged Kidneys Be Healed And Reversed? Use a towel, oven mitt, or anything you can think of to protect your hands as you move them away from each other. It is also essential to note that some guinea pigs may carry a type of Streptococcus bacterium in their mouths called Streptococcus mutans. But why do guinea pigs eat each other? So This can cause stress if it is affecting their health. While 2 males may seem like theyll get into fights for dominance, as long as it doesnt turn into a full-on brawl, everything should calm down. Guinea pigs teeth keep growing throughout their lives, thus, they must chew. Are you looking for information on your Business, SEO, health, technology, or Education? Understanding the reasons behind this behavior can be helpful in preventing or resolving conflicts between your furry friends. Take your cavy to the vet ASAP when you notice any injuries. Do not worry; we will cover the most common reasons for biting, both playful and fighting. For the most part, bottom sniffing is a cute and harmless behavior. Below are some of the reasons your guinea pigs could be fighting. Also, it should be large enough for the pigs to retreat to if they get frightened during introductions. A guinea pigs bite is not powerful enough to break the skin and draw blood, but it may display symptoms of aggressiveness in self-defense when it feels threatened and afraid. Do not rush introductions. This behavior is alarming for owners as it poses a risk of injury to both cavies. Here are some reasons your guinea pig might bite. But keep in mind that this can also be a sign of pigs resisting mating, which leads back to your role of conscious observer to make sure curious exploration doesnt get out of hand. What Are Their Health Benefits? Otherwise, you shouldnt be over-conscious because they are just doing what piggies do in routine. This is more likely to happen if the guinea pigs are kept in a small cage with not enough food. In most cases, this behavior is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. Leaning back on haunches (position to fight), Popcorning (moving around quickly in all directions like popcorn), Rumble strutting (walking side to side and making rumbling noises. Dogs are the most loyal animals among others but here we are concerned with guinea pigs. In such a case, just place the cavies in separate cages and hope to get a more submissive companion. The guinea pigs suck each other ears sometimes & they walk behind the other guinea pigs. Please keep reading to find out more about why do guinea pigs bite each other, how to identify if they are fighting, and how to stop them. Knowing the behavior of mating guinea pigs, or of the same gender, will help you determine why. The ideal cage size for two guinea pigs ranges from 7.5 square feet to 10.5 square feet the larger the guinea pig cages, the better. Some indicators that your guinea pigs are fighting include; Guinea pig fights dont last that long usually, but they could do some significant damage to each other during the few minutes theyre fighting. Additionally, if a guinea pig isn't a big fan of being held, he or she might resort to peeing to get released. Why Is My Guinea Pig Shivering When Held? Yes, guinea pigs can bite. She enjoys writing about anything animal related from scientific information about rare species to animal references in pop culture. HOME; ABOUT US. Benefits of adopting a guinea pig companion include: As social creatures ourselves, we often feel better or thrive from living together with other people. Make sure the guinea pig cages have enough food, enough toys, and enough toys. This can be problematic, especially for kids that don't understand why their beloved pet would bite them. Reasons Why Guinea Pigs Bite #1. Good luck! (Benefits & Feeding Tips). These kinds of behaviors are occasionally shown by guinea pigs when you are growing them at home. Here are some reasons your guinea pig might bite. Why do guinea pigs eat each others poop? Finally, guinea pigs might bite each other's bums if they are feeling threatened or scared. You will need to know what to do to prevent injuries. With over 3 years of experience studying and observing various species of rodents. A guinea pig may occasionally bite as a response to their emotions or environments. The best way to solve the dominance issue is to pair an older and a younger cavy. In these circumstances, the younger and feistier guinea pig will sometimes attempt to challenge their dominance. To break up a guinea pig fight, clap your hands loudly or make loud noises to startle them. Guinea pigs are social creatures that do best when living in pairs or small groups. Staying dominant over others has always been the favorite virtue of human beings. Several behavioral facts that you can see if guinea pigs are about to fight are: Lunging and shoving each other with their noses. It is also seen that people hold the guinea pigs in their arms or cuddle with them by taking them under their feet and sometimes show affection by hugging them. The older guinea pig may be more prone to acting chill and laid back. If you have a guinea pig that dies, its important to remove the body from the cage as soon as possible. If you intervene, it may be time to decide if it is time to separate them temporarily or permanently. Adrienne Kruzer is a veterinary technician with more than 15 years of experience providing healthcare to domestic and exotic animals. With a little bit of effort, you should be able to get your furry friends back on track to loving each other as much as you do. Mistakenly food #3. A guinea pig can be caged alone and still live a happy life. Get a larger cage whenever you have more than one guinea pig. Puberty occurs in males around two to three months of age, and if two males are housed together, they may bite each other or be more likely to bite you because of their high testosterone levels. When guinea pigs are on their own, they will usually establish a hierarchy in which one guinea pig is the dominant one. If all else fails, you may need to separate your guinea pigs into different cages, so that they cannot fight. You can rely on him to find the facts. It could be a sign of affection from your guinea pig, curiosity, or they may smell something intriguing on your skin that catches their attention. In addition to being less gregarious, female guinea pigs have been demonstrated to be less patient with other guinea pigs and handled while they are in heat. It allows them to identify members of their own species, determine compatibility, and determine whether the other guinea pig is dominant or submissive. I'm the owner of GuineaPigParent.com, a website all about guinea pigs! Why Do Guinea Pigs Whine at Another Guinea Pig. You can try to look for any visible injuries, but its best to invite a qualified veterinarian to diagnose any underlying problems. Close proximity too quickly does not allow for natural relationship building to take place. Placing two dominant guinea pigs in one cage will always end up in fights. In contrast, unfamiliar scents represent a threat to that safety. Socializing guinea pigs is important as they are animals that tend to live in pairs or groups. Avoid handling your guinea pig more than necessary if you fear it is ill or in discomfort. Do Guinea Pigs Bite Draw Blood?3. If theyre fighting for a female, make sure to spay or neuter them. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Guinea pigs bite in reaction to their emotions or surroundings. Nose nudging is one of the best ways to stay dominant and persistent over other guinea pigs. Guinea pigs that aren't feeling well may be more likely to bite. Anything with a mouth can potentially bite. Guinea pigs do follow the same pattern and they want to stay dominant over other guinea pigs. This can occur between the young and old, male and female, and piggies with varying degrees of temperament. Breeding your own guinea pigs may sound like a lot of fun, but there are many risks involved with the birthing process and too many guinea pigs are simply a lot of work. If your guinea pigs cage is not large enough, has few toys, or lacks hiding spots, he may become bored and turn to chew on his cage as a way to pass the time. WHY DO GUINEA PIGS BITE EACH OTHER? Probably the main reason guinea pigs pee on people has to do with whether or not they can hold it, but perhaps some of the same reasons guinea pigs spray each other also might hold true with peeing on people. When more than one guinea pig is housed together, they should each have their own cover, water bottle, and food bowl to avoid jealousy or lack of food and water. If your cavies are bored, it means that they dont have enough toys to play with. Bum sniffing or biting may insinuate that they are searching for nutrients that may be found in their cage mates feces. Instinctively, a guinea pig would prefer to have a friend rather than be left in a cage all alone. The greatest emotion in the world is the emotion of love and every creature on this planet has a different way of expressing love. This reaction is natural and is an attempt to protect itself or stop whatever is scaring it from happening. Even though guinea pigs are sociable creatures, not all of them are compatible. You dont have to worry about the guinea pigs. The reason for getting so close to each other is they smell the food and their tastes. Should you intervene if guinea pigs are biting each others bum? Note: If you think your guinea pig is teething, be sure to provide him with plenty of toys and things to chew on, and if it becomes excessive, consult your vet. Their natural instincts will kick in to protect their territory and lives at whatever cost. | Listen What Experts Say, Why My Female Guinea Pig Mounting Another Female? For such little animals, guinea pigs can have a nasty bite. Thats why they are initiating their actions and behaviors. And when theyre locked in a fight, theyll bite anything that comes close to them. ). This will help to reduce aggression and fighting. If a guinea pig mother is eating her own baby, it is because she is sick or she is very stressed. If guinea pigs are not behaving normally, they could be sick or stressed. If you notice any of these behaviors, its important to separate them immediately. Guinea pigs communicate together verbally sometimes. Your guinea pig might be biting you due to the smell of food in your hands. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Guinea pigs feel stress like people or other animals. Some guinea pigs may be able to return to living together based on the severity of the injury. Enjoy the sights of funny-looking bottom sniffing and other entertaining behaviors. Pain can cause biting. This will help to reduce aggression and fighting. Recently, I watched. You may need to intervene if you notice that your guinea pigs are causing injury, not eating or drinking, or the dominance phase doesnt appear to end. This is something they do intuitively, and it isn't necessarily an indicator of anger. Males will sniff females to find out if they are capable of reproducing via the complex system of pheromones I mentioned earlier. You can keep them in separate cages but still next to each other for interacting vocally. It can be a bit of a shock if your guinea pig bites you, don't let it discourage you. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. financial planning companies in bangalore Search. If theres hair in one of their mouths, the next movement will be a bite. This behavior isn't unexpected from any hungry animal, but there are ways to help decrease the likelihood of it occurring. If you have more than one guinea pig, it's important to make sure they have enough space. why do guinea pigs bite each others bums. To prevent your guinea pig from injuries or other health issues causing pain, you should start by keeping the guinea pig cage clean.