Skittish Guinea Pig

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I got a guinea pig from PetSmart for my daughter for her birthday in February. She named him 'Guinea'. At first he was afraid and never let us touch him until I started bribing him with veggies, then he let me pet him and even seems to really enjoy it, but he NEVER lets us hold him. He runs like a madman when I try to put my hands under him and then bites pretty hard when I do finally catch him, although he only drew blood once and that was my fault. I've taken to herding him in a basket to move him to his outside area and he doesn't even seem to mind being in it. I know he likes me because he closes his eyes and allows me to rub between his eyes and even greets me at the edge of his pen and he cuddled next to me out in his outside pen. Is there any way I can help him be more comfortable being held or this just him being him?

ANSWER: Some pigs just want to make you work for the right to hold them. There are a couple of ways to handle this little guy. First of all I would recommend you wear a pair of garden gloves when you try to catch him so you don't get bitten. It's aggravating when you have to chase them like that, but it's not because he's afraid. He's just being difficult.

Don't be afraid to flick him on the nose if he tries to bite. He will quickly learn that's not acceptable. Once you pick him up, wrap him in a small towel. Swaddle him like a baby with just his head sticking out. You'll need to wrap him pretty snug because you don't want him to wriggle out. The idea is to have control of his body so he can't turn to bite.

It's nice of you to want to take the blame for his drawing blood, but don't excuse him. He shouldn't do that. When you have him swaddled in the towel you can stroke his head and quiet him down. After a couple of minutes on your lap you should be able to unwrap him and he will sit on your lap.

You might try not giving any goodies unless you have him on your lap. But make sure that you wash your hands before you pick him up so he doesn't smell a carrot on your finger and nip at it. Usually that only means a nip, not blood drawing. Biting that hard is serious. He's wanting to hurt you.

Once you're settled into a chair or on the sofa, then offer him some lettuce or whatever. He will learn that you are the source of the goodies, and the way to get them is to be on your lap.

I know this is frustrating for you mom, but persistence will do magic. Just be patient and don't give up.

Another issue I'm wondering about is what kind of coat type he has? If he's a smooth short haired pig it's not usually an issue, but with some of the coated pigs you have to remember to always stroke the way the hair grows. Otherwise it's irritating and they don't like it. I'd love to see a picture of him if you can attach one?

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Guinea and Houdini   QUESTION: Guinea is the brown American one, the second one is Fuzzy Houdini, I think he's Abyssinian. Which way should you pet the Abyssinian? Their hair is all over the place. Do I have to worry about Guinea teaching Houdini to run when I try to pick him up? I will try out your suggestion and hopefully it works. Thank you so much for the advice, I've been looking everywhere for help but most of it's about scared guinea pigs, not obstinate ones.

Answer
You are correct, Houdini is an Aby. Abys are generally considered the smartest and the most active of all the breeds and we sometimes compare them to a Jack Russell Terrier. They're always busy, busy, busy. Brushing them is a challenge, but not difficult. Use a toothbrush and start in the center of each rosette and brush the way the hair grows. You pet them the same way. Otherwise pushing the hair to the opposite direction is irritating to them.

Guinea is an American Golden Agouti. They are short smooth haired pigs. His belly is the same solid reddish color as the tips of his hair. They are the original color of wild cavies. I specialized in this variety for many years and know them well. If you look at a few of the hairs closely you see that the base is black and the tips of the hair are red.

As for Guinea's attitude it's not because of his breed. If he were the Aby I would be more certain that it's just the Aby thing. What I might suggest you do for Guinea is to give him a warm bath. Fill the bathroom sink with about four inches of warm water. Sit him down into the water and hold onto him so he doesn't try to panic and jump out. Most pigs enjoy their bath but it takes a time or two for them to get used to it.

Guinea pigs actually can swim. If you have a deep sink you can put some water in it and use that for bathing. Soap him with your shampoo or use dish soap. To rinse him you will have to hold only him and put him under some gently running water.

When you first put him in the water hold him on his back, supporting him so he can't flip over. They seem to get very calm when they're lying in the warm water like an otter does. It has a soothing affect. Take him out and put him in a bath towel. Hold him as he begins to dry. He should remain fairly calm while wrapped in a towel, as the 'bunting' effect gives them a sense of security.

I had a breeder friend who always used this method for those tough cases and it always seemed to work. Plus you end up with a clean pig.

Please let me know how this works for you. Don't take his resistance personally. He just has that kind of personality and it will take some time for him to feel comfortable when you're holding him. As for having to chase him to catch him, that may always be a problem. I've had lots of pigs that would make me work like crazy to get them, but once caught they calmed right down.