Piggy Personality Change

Question
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Followup To
Question -
Hi Lorena, I can see now that my original question did not go through so I am emailing you again. I bought 2 female GP's the Sat. before Christmas. Popper(the larger one) and Sadie. In the beginning Sadie was not as skittish as Popper. Sadie would always be out of their house and she seemed curious and I thought she was adapting very well. She has nibbled on me and she actually bit me on my neck, which didnt hurt. My 10 yr old son kept telling me that she bit him very hard. I thought that he was exaggerating until the other night. Before cleaning out their cage I put my hand in and actually sweet talked Popper out of her house. Sadie came up to me (i was holding my hand out for her to smell), very non threatening and she bit me so hard that it drew blood. I had to get a bad aid and you could see the blood through it. My finger is still sore today. I have also noticed that Sadie isnt coming out of her house much and when I hold her, she is frozen. If she is not frozen, she wiggles and wants me to put her down. She was once the brave and inquisitive one, now she is withdrawn. I am very concerned. What can I do? I dont want her to be unhappy and I dont want to be bit. Popper will just nibble and lick and her little personality is taking off. She is the confident one now. How do I help my GP?

Answer -
Jennifer -

I just wanted to make sure that you got my response to my previous email.  I have been very ill recently, which is why my responses have been delayed.  If you have not gotten it, please let me know and I will respond again.  Thanks!

Lorena


-Hi Lorena-I am sorry you have been sick. I didn't get the actaul email with the answer on it. I only got this one that says if I didn't get the previous response to let you know. Could you please forward this to me again?
Thanks,
Jennifer

Answer
Jennifer --

Unfortunately, you may have just gotten an animal that likes to bite.  There is an easy solution to this.  Don't put your fingers near his mouth.  The problem with guinea pigs is that they are animals.  While we tend to give them personalities of their own (and they do have them, don't get me wrong), they don't see anything wrong with trying your finger for lunch on occasion.  What you'll need to do is keep that from becoming an option for a while.  Perhaps when you put your hand in front of her mouth, put something in there for her to chew that she would like better, like a carrot or a piece of timothy hay.  Don't give her a ton of treats, but on occasion you will want to train her that there is something better tasting than your hand.  

As for the personality change, has something major happened in the household lately, or has their cage been moved?  Guinea pigs are very sensitive to change, and sometimes even a minor thing can set them off.  For example, I once had a guinea pig that went into hiding for two weeks every winter when the heat first came on.  If something has happened, than recognise that it may simply take them a few weeks to adjust.  Be patient and wait, eventually they will come around with enough love.

Hopefully this is helpful.  If you have any further questions or if you need clarification on anything I've said, please feel free to contact me.  Good luck.

Lorena