Guinea pig grooming/nibbling?

Question
QUESTION: After I pet my guinea pig Chamomile enough to make her purr she will gently nibble and lick my fingers as if she is grooming me (she only bites when I hold her too long). But then she will chatter her teeth as if annoyed. I'm confused on the mixed signals. Is she trying to groom me or is she annoyed at me and is just really bad at getting a good biting grip?


Aby  
Teddy   ANSWER: Purring is her way of saying she enjoys your touch. Teeth chattering however is her way of saying, "I'm warning you I'm going to bite." Those definitely are mixed signals.  The nibbling or licking may be that she's tasting your fingers to see if there's anything good to, or she may just be tasting the salt. I honestly don't think she's trying to groom you.

You don't say what breed of guinea pig she is, and that's important because most pigs only want to be petted in the direction of their hair growth. The short smooth haired pigs (Americans) have hair that grows from the head to the rear. Teddies grow the other direction and they object to being stroked from the head.  They want to be stroked from the rear to the head.

Abyssinians have hair that is in rosettes all over and they are far more picky about being petted because it's irritating to them to have their hair rustled. It's like someone stroking your hair from you neck to your forehead. It doesn't feel good.

I'm not sure that's what the issue is here because I don't know what she looks like. My suggestion is that as soon as she begins to appear uncomfortable when petting her to just stop. When she starts to chatter give her a little flick on the nose to let her know that's not acceptable. It may take more than one, and you don't want to truly hurt her, just get her attention and let her know there are consequences to her behavior.

As I said, teeth chattering is a warning of severe aggression. Be careful and try not to let her get to that point. After she purrs I would take my hands off of her and let her sit for a few minutes to settle down quietly.

Wash your hands before you handle her so there isn't any smell of goodies she might confuse and take a bite of.  But I don't think she's grooming you, I think it's tasting.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I believe she is an Abyssinian and I noticed her fur so I only rub her spine, not stroke her because I thought it would make her uncomfortable. Does that help? She is only 4 1/2 weeks old so perhaps that might also have something to do with it?

Answer
That does make a difference. If she's that young she should settle down and learn to "play nice" with just holding her. Try just holding and not petting. That may be enough. But give her a chance to grow a little more and she should stop that biting business.  

If she's that young don't flick her on the nose. You don't want her to be afraid of your touch and at that age she just may get fearful of being hurt. A little patience and time is what she needs at this point.  

Abys have a different personality than other breeds. They're very independent and much like a cat, they will do everything their way and in their own time. But that shouldn't start until they get older.