male skinny pig

Question
I have a male skinny pig (guinea pig breed to have little to no fur), Bear, who is about 5 and 1/2 months old. I've had him from four hours old- he was a 1.5 oz runt whose mommy pig didn't care for him. We have a very close bond, as I hand fed him and we play and cuddle a lot. About 2 weeks ago we moved- a 6 hour drive (which he is fine for- he likes to travel)- and are currently staying with a friend who has a female cat and two male ferrets. The cat shows little interest, but we put chicken wire around Bear's cage to be safe. His cage is in the same room with the ferrets, but they never interact. Since around the time we moved, Bear has been very "nippy"- he frequently nips at me when I pet him, giving little bites- not really hard, but not nice. He does not do this when I hold him at night (bedtime hug- he usually goes to sleep on me). He's definitely not trying to be mean, but I don't understand why he is doing it, or if I can help him stop. Could it be the predator smell?  Also, in the last few days I have seen him have an erection and ejaculate twice (something I've never seen in a guinea pig before, incidently), so I wonder if it could be that he wants companionship?   I'd rather not get another guinea pig (I have 5 girl piggies that will be moving down too once my fiance finds a job here), but would a male friend help?
Sorry so long- it said to give details.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Saskia

Answer
Hi Saskia,

The erections won't be signs that he wants companionship.  It could be that the smell off of the ferrets is causing this problem, because both guinea pigs AND ferrets are from the rodent family, so it's more than likely that the smell coming off the ferrets are not disimilar to the hormones of a piggy. Although the ferrets are male, many male piggies who have lived alone tend to become sexually excited at the smell of another piggy (even males,) as they're not used to it, so if they smell like piggies, Bear doesn't know the difference. It would be a bad idea to get him a companion, as if he's sexually excited all he'll try and do is mate it. If this continues for a long period of time this would cause frustration in the other guinea pig and may lead to vicious fights. Unless he seems depressed living by himself as well as the erections, (not eating, drinking restlessness, depressed state, etc...) then he does not require a companion.

Also, the nipping is probably the result, as you say, of the smell of the cats and ferrets in the house. As both of these creatures are natural predators of a piggy, its not surprising that he may have become quite nervous in trhis new situation, and the smell is making him curious and a bit frightened all at the same time, as he has never had to share an environment with these other animals before. Try washing your hands, and perhaps changing your top, before you handle Bear, as the smell coming off of you is probably causing the nipping.

One last thing....is it possible that any of your clothes, or you, smell of your female piggies? Or are you keeping him in a cage that once housed a female piggy? The smell coming off of it, if it hasn't been cleaned thoroughly and completely disinfected, could also be causing these erections, qnd female smell can also cause nipping.

I hope at least some of this info helped,

Jo x