Guinea pig biting.

Dr. Marie replied:

Guinea pigs are wonderful little creatures but they can have some annoying habits at times!

Female guinea pigs (sows) can have a very strong tendency towards territorial aggressiveness and this may be what you are seeing.

Here are some things that you can try. The idea is to gradually desensitize her to your presence and change her attitude so that she feels very comfortable with you.

For a couple of days, don't pick Squeaky up at all. Several times a day, go to her cage and drop in some kind of treat/veggie that she likes. You can talk to her but don't try to touch her.

Then, after a few days, do the same thing but instead of dropping the treat in, put it next to her with your hand. Do that for a couple of days.

Then, do the same thing, but after you put the treat in the cage, then pet her a little bit. At any point in this process, if she gets aggressive then go back to the previous step for a few days.

The next step would be to actually pick her up while you have a treat in your hand.

You can gradually take her to different places in the house and give her a small treat every now and then so she is comfortable with you.

If this isn't working then another option would be to find a vet who is able to do a guinea pig spay. Spaying her will greatly reduce the hormones that are likely causing her to be aggressive.

Dr. Marie.

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