Do guinea pigs bite?

The basic answer to this is no - guinea pigs do not usually bite - but as many people want guineas to be children's pets, it is important to know when and why they may bite. So when will they bite?...

If they feel threatened

It's basically just self defense. If guinea pigs feel threatened then they will bite, and quite viciously too, so it's another reason to give piggies their space. Don't get me wrong though, guinea pigs are so sweet but like all animals, they don't like being confronted too quickly. When I had just got Toffee, I was still only 9 so I was a bit too quick to try to give her a hug which made her jump a bit - but she got her revenge (which I fully deserved) and I had a chunk out of my finger to prove it. 

This really makes piggies sound really vicious, but don't worry, they're not at all!

If they are ticklish

Toffee loves her belly tickled but sometimes if she doesn't feel like being tickled then she will let me know by just nipping my finger a little bit.

This also applies to piggies being ticklish and getting a bit over excited when you tickle them so they might just nip you to show their happiness (a lot of cats actually do it as well...)

If they don't feel very well

If guinea pigs have a certain area that hurts them for you to touch, they will more than likely let you know by biting you! Luckily, I have never experienced this with Toffee but if you do experience this with one of your piggies, then it may be best to get them checked over at the vets!

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