Guinea pigs usually have many behaviors that can mean a lot of different things when they start to do it.
One of those behaviors that can have a couple of meanings is when they try to nudge you in one way or another.
So if they start to do it then it’s completely natural to wonder why a guinea pig will nudge you.
Most guinea pigs will nudge you away when they don’t like something that you’re doing, like if you are petting them or touching them in a certain way. However, some guinea pigs will also start to nudge you when they’re trying to show you some affection as well.
So to tell the difference between them trying to actually push you away and them doing it out of affection, you have to take notice of how they’re doing it.
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Why Do Guinea Pigs Nudge You?
If you have a guinea pig that nudges you then most of the time what they’re trying to tell you is to stop petting or touching them.
In most cases, this can mainly happen when you’re touching them on their head or when you’re close to it.
Even though some guinea pigs are fine with being touched by their owners, some of them will not like it and they’ll try to get it to stop happening to them.
So if you have a guinea pig that doesn’t like it and nudges you away, that doesn’t mean that they don’t like you it just means that they want whatever is happening to stop.
So if this is the situation that you’re in, then what you may notice is that your guinea pig will start to nudge you with their nose and then throw their head up in the air.
This is one of the ways that they can try to attempt to get you off of them if your hands are on them or if they’re being touched in a certain spot that they don’t like.
This is something that you can tell is happening when they start nudging you and it is in a firm way.
Along with them firmly pushing you away, they can also try to do that to you over and over again when they want you to stop touching them as well.
So basically if your guinea pig is nudging you because they want you to stop touching them, then the nudge will be firm and repetitive.
Guinea Pigs Nudging Out Of Affection
Sometimes a guinea pig can start nudging you so that they can show you some affection as well.
However, this is something that is not as common as when they do it because they want you to stop petting or touching them.
Luckily for us owners, there is a difference between them nudging you because they want something to stop and when they’re doing it out of affection.
So if they’re nudging you out of affection then this is something that you can usually tell is happening if you notice that they’re doing it in a playful way.
If your guinea pig is being playful about it then it will be more of a gentle nose nudge while you’re petting them rather than them firmly pushing you away.
So you won’t have to calm your guinea pig down because they won’t be showing that many signs of stress if they’re just trying to show you some affection by nudging you.
Is It Normal For A Guinea Pig To Nudge You?
It’s natural to want to know if it is actually normal when one of your guinea pigs starts trying to nudge you.
Well most of the time if you’re touching them in a certain spot that they don’t like, like their head, then they may try to nudge you away.
In this case, it is normal because of how guinea pigs show dominance with one another.
Guinea pigs will try to establish dominance and nose nudging is one of the ways that they can try to show dominance over each other.
So to them, it may feel like you’re trying to dominate them when you touch them on a certain area of their body.
This is mainly because they associate being touched in that area with being dominated by another guinea pig.
So they usually don’t like it when this happens to them, so sometimes if you’re touching your guinea pig and they don’t like it they will try to push you away from them.
That being said, it’s also normal for a guinea pig to nudge you with their nose when they’re trying to show you some affection too.
Although this isn’t something that is as normal as them doing it because they want you to stop touching them.
So some guinea pigs will like being petted and touched and will nudge you back, while some others might not like it as much and will try their best to firmly shove you away.
What Should You Do If Your Guinea Pig Nudges You?
So a lot of the time when a guinea pig nudges you they’re trying to push you away because they don’t like something that you’re doing to them.
But this doesn’t mean that they don’t like you, they just don’t like what you’re doing to them at that moment. So if they’re doing it for that reason then what should you do if they start to push you away like that?
The best thing for you to do when they start to nudge you away because they don’t like what you’re doing is to immediately stop.
So if they don’t like that you’re petting them on their head or rubbing their back then it might be time to back away for a little while.
That way you can give them a little bit of space to calm down, because if you continue to touch them even after they start nudging you then they may start to get mad and lash out at you.
So most of the time you should take this as a sign that they don’t like it and that you should stop before anything escalates.
It can sometimes be difficult to tell when a guinea pig is mad, but if you don’t stop doing what’s making them upset then they may try to bite you.
However, if your guinea pig is nose nudging you as a sign of affection then you should feel lucky that this is happening to you.
The reason why you should feel lucky is that not all guinea pigs will like or want to be touched.
So if yours actually does then this is a really good thing and you won’t have to do anything except enjoy their affection.
So if you take some time to learn your guinea pig’s likes and dislikes, then when they start nose nudging you it will be a lot easier to figure out what they’re trying to tell you.