My Pig has started biting me :-(

[messypiggies]

Im a bit new to this but here goes.
I have 2 8month old guinea pigs that my partner bourght from a breeder where they were handled daily. They are brothers and their white and ginger and quite scruffy looking, i think the breed is refered to an 'abby'.
Pumpkin is the bigger of the two but is quite submissive. Likes an easy life, tends to sit on top of their house for a bit of peace. Badger loves to escape. He is an alfa male and will bully Pumpkin a bit if he can get away with it. They both live in an 100cm cage, eat a variety of food, have free rein of the back room twice a week and get handled every night.
Previously, Pumpkin wriggles like crazy when bein held and cried until i put him back in his cage. Badger was happy to be held and would eat and sit comfortably.
The past few times me and my partner have handled them has been quite strange. Pumpkin now sits on my lap, very content and will lick my skin if its exposed, like on my hand. Badger now wriggles and makes noises and will slowly turn his head and bite you, in a way which is almost calculated. Its as if they have swapped.
Im worried Pumpkin is getting bullied and has now had enough of his brother he would prefer to be anywhere but with him. And i think Badger, being the alfa male is now trying to get his own way with us. Any thoughts or suggestions would be brilliant!

Thanks x

[rugers285]

Do you wash your hands in between holding the piggies? If Badger still smells Pumpkin on your hands that may explain the sudden change. Also the more you handle the piggies the more comfortable they become with you. This could explain Pumpkin behavior. I just got second piggie yesterday so i am just offering suggestions.

[yodelpig]

Hi and welcome!

It sounds like Badger has now got the confidence (and the testosterone!) to tell you that he does NOT like being held and cuddled; while it is a success in respect of him trusting you, it is not so great news in terms of cuddling! Tell him off, firmly, but not shouting; but respect what he is telling you. Not every piggies loves being cuddled for any lengthof time.

It would be not a bad idea to have him checked for mites in order to make sure that the change in his behaviour is not down to painful skin.
www.guinealynx.info/mites.html

Your two boys are both right in the middle of the stroppy, hormonal months. The biggest peak is usually between 8-10 months old.

It would be ideal if you could find a bigger cage (the minimum recommendation is 120x60 cm, but for boars it is definitely a case of the more the better). If you can't, try to consider a hay loft, so they can get away from each other. Apart from space, space, space, we recommend that you have everything in twos, each item placed well apart from the same other item, so that noboar can hog it all.

[messypiggies]

I handle them every night plus i talk to them while i feed them veggies in their cage, but i just didn't know what to do with Badger.
Yodelpig - i have booked them in to see the vet after work tonight and i am going to buy a 120cm indoor cage and another house tomorrow. The reason we didnt have one in the first place is that my partner bourght them for me as a surprise and thought the 100cm cage would be big enough.
Should i continue to handle Badger every day? Or should i only do it once a week or so? I dont want to annoy or irritate him but he should still learn to be handled, i think. And how do you tell a guinea pig off? Thanks!

[3piggles]

Hello and welcome!!! I agree that it's mites, and both pigs should be treated, so take them to the vet together, tonight. IT can be hard to determine if a pig has mites, so the vet may decide to treat both just to be certain.

If you can, buy grids to make a cage the size you want and it needs to be. Those storebought cages are expensive, and I don't know if one that is big enough for two boars to live happily. If you check www.guineapigcages.com, it gives you a minumum size for the number of pigs you have. I figure add at least on pig to that for boars.

Good luck at the vet and with the cage!!!

[jolovespiggies]

Welcome to our happy world dear.

Hugs

Jo xx

[yodelpig]

If you can afford a grid cage, that is even better - I have one myself, actually, it's a bit of piggy palace as my crowd has grown and grown... It is much easier to extend and to adpat to your own needs if you wish to!

Please continue to cuddle Badger. Just don't try not to overreact to his tweaking. If he learns that it doesn't work, he will hopefully give up. If it is getting worse, you can GENTLY blow into his face. Generally, piggies are not good with cause and effect and don't understand the word "no".

[messypiggies]

Well the good news is when he bites its not hard (at the moment). I've had a look at those cages you were talking about and i've seen photo's of them on guineapigcages, there really good but are going to take up quite alot of room. I will now go home to have a word with the other half about turning the back room into a guinea pig room, we were wondering what to do with it as we have a living room, kitchen/diner already and the back room was going spare. Wish me luck! :-)

[vanillapop]

Hee hee best of luck! Pull up some pictures of other fine c&c cages from guineapigcages.com, or any from this forum! I'm sure seeing the happy pigs and very visually appealing cages will help convince your other half . At the moment I only have the largest cages money can buy (muchhhh more expensive ultimately than c&c cages XP) as I live in a very snug apartment, but from previous experience and other reviews everyone pretty much agrees they are easier to clean and maintain, so long as you have laundry facilities at hand! And pigs LOVE them! If you thought your piggies wheeked and ran laps before get ready to see them in a c&c cage!

Fingers crossed! I'd give my eye teeth to have one again, but alas! Luckily I'm home nearly 24/7 so my pigs are out with me like half of their waking hours n.n