Biting the hand that feeds him....

Question
My girlfriend bought a guinea pig recently.  She read in several books that they do not bite, hers however is an exception to that rule.  He doesn't seem to be doing it viciously but when feeding him or stroking him which he loves he will sometimes bite.  Can anything be done to stop this happening?

Also he has a gnawing block and some gnawing wood from the pet shop and he doesn't use them.  How can we encourage him to use them?


Answer
Hi Dave

You are right, guinea pigs dont usually bite out of aggression, but sometimes out of fear, and in your case, he thinks your hand is food.

Does he draw blood? If not, it can even be a sign of affection and to obtain salt from your hand.

Regarding knawing blocks, you can't really encourage him to use it, either he will or he won't. Guinea pigs know their own mind.

andy