behavior problems

Question
Kat,
Thanks for the info.  I think you may be right about Oreo.  She is a very special "princess".  My husband and I looked her over well and didn't see any mites.  We did notice that she just doesn't want her back touched. Oreo has short hair and a very soft fur with a beautiful shine to her coat.  The back tips of her ears are pink skin. When we first got her we thought maybe she had mites and has just been scratching at her ears. Not the case. She was clear of any problems and doesn't scratch at her ears.  If I may ask one more thing.  With a high strung Princess with an attitude.  How will I ever cut her nails?
Thanks again for all your help.
Joan
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
Kat,
I have a 5mo old black & white female guinea pig (Oreo).  I have had her for 4mos now. She lives with our 4year old brown & white female guinea pig (Jamie).  They get along great. Like mother & daughter. They live in a 3x5 ft. crate. Oreo, since day one, cries every time you pick her up. She'll sit on your chest, and will let you walk around the house with her. Just don't touch her, or she'll cry. Stop touching her she stops crying.  If you can get her to sit still for more then one minute.  She popcorns & does flips. Runs around the floor at play time like a puppy full speed.  She's a very happy Piggy. Our problem is that she bites. One minute your playing with her and combing her every things great. Just like that, Like a snake she'll turn on you and bite.  She does the same thing to Jamie.  She's a very high strung guinea pig. She's very healthy.  When she goes in heat she's very moody.  I have never seen a guinea pig with an attitude like this one. She's from the same pet shop that the others before her where also from.  Is she normal or is there something wrong with her? Either way she's mine till the end...
Any info you can give would be helpful.
Thank you.
Joan
-----Answer-----
Hello Joan,

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you, I just lost a piggy. Some piggies are very touch-me-notish. You didn't mention her breed, but those with rosettes (cowlicks) tend to be particularly sensitive. Some piggies are more high strung than others. I have a female (covered in rosettes) who sounds very much like Oreo. She loves to snuggle right up but she hates to be petted anywhere other than the top of her head. She will scream like you are killing her if you pet her or pat her and sometimes even if you just touch her and she's the same if other pigs touch her. It's just her personality. I suspect that's the same with your girl, however, to be safe, you may want to have a vet check her for possible injuries (possibly and old injury that healed wrong) or a mild case of mites. I suspect you'll find she's perfectly healthy and just a little princess who expects to be treated as such. As for the biting, since it's not really aggression or fear, it's a reaction to discomfort or pain at having her sensitive hair touched, there's not too much you can, or even should, do. If you suspect she's about to bite you tell her firmly, "No!" and stop what you are doing. Also, try to notice what happened immediately before she nipped, just how and where you were touching her and try to avoid doing it again. If I'm right and this isn't injury or mites, it's just her personality. You can teach piggies tricks and behaviors but you can't change who they are, you just have to find ways to live with and work around it. She's just a very special queen piggy. They can be a handful, but they are the ones you will remember forever. Good luck with your little princess.

-kkat
www.geocities.com/abyssinianguineapigs

Answer
Hello Joan,

LOL Now that IS a problem isn't it? My girl doesn't bite so I can just be insistant and cut hers the same as I do the rest of them while the little drama queen yells (actually she's learned yelling during nail cutting doesn't solve her problem so she's just good and still now and demands her treat when it's over). With Oreo though, you are going to have to take a different approach or you are liable to end up bloodied. I recommend getting someone to help if at all possible. Wrap her in a thick towel with just a foot sticking out. Hold her firmly (or better have someone else hold her firmly) and clip the nails on that foot. Let her out for a moment between each foot (more often if it's taking too long on one foot, she shouldn't be covered completely for more than 5 minutes at a time). Give her a treat when you are completely done and return her to her cage to destress for while. This will not at all be a pleasant experience for either of you, that I can promise, but cutting her nails is really very important to her health so it needs to be done. It will also probably take a while, at least the first few times. This will be the safest way for you and her though. You COULD have someone else hold her, making sure her head stays secure so she can't reach around and bite while you clip them. This is actually a better, less stress method than the towel method but it can be difficult to do if she's really squirmy. It is worth a try though. Always be sure that you give her a treat and some time to herself to recover afterwards. You could also call your vet. Some vets don't charge for nail clipping and you may be able to get them to do it for you. Sometimes groomers or pet stores are willing to help with that too.

-kkat