Guinea talk.

[MartinsPoultry]

Question for everyone. How in Gods creation can I get Juliette to stop biting when I hold her? Foxy and Zelda arent near as snippy as Juliette. I try to handle daily to check for injuries, or just to get them used to human contact, but she is my worst subject ever.

 

[GlennLee]

Mouse is such a cutie. It would be fun to have a mouse guinea! If it works out, we could do a swap. Not sure about the distance factor though...

 

[GlennLee]

Question for everyone. How in Gods creation can I get Juliette to stop biting when I hold her? Foxy and Zelda arent near as snippy as Juliette. I try to handle daily to check for injuries, or just to get them used to human contact, but she is my worst subject ever.

Not sure about advice here. Some of mine are just nippier than others. They don't like hands at all. I try to handle them in the dark with black gloves and a dark long sleeve shirt. Some of them will still hiss at me. Others are the opposite and will eat out my hand. Go figure...

I know if you let an animal go while they are nipping, that will reinforce the nipping - They are making the connection: If I nip and then they will let me go. If you wait until they stop and are calm before letting go, it tends to reinforce the calm while being held. I always try to wait for mine to return to calm again before I releasing them. With birds, there's a whole lot of reinforcement needed time after time, over and over again. Our dog trainer always says with dogs - successive repetitions over the course of about a month and a half before the behavior becomes automatic. I'm sure it's more than that with a bird.

That's about the only tip I have for you and wear gloves....

 

[MartinsPoultry]

I need to get a pair of gloves. But that tip helps alot, i will continue to work with her and the others. One of my main reasons for hand taming is in case someone gets hurt and has to go to the vet they wont try and eat the vets hand off.

 

[GlennLee]

The other thing that I have found is that some of them seem to settle when I hold them close to my body or even tuck their head between my arm and rib cage and they do better if I walk with them. You could try any or all of those things. At least you would know if it helps to settle her down or agitates her more.

 

[MartinsPoultry]

If not its a sock mask for her when being held.

 

[pattyhen]

I think each guinea has his or own personality. Spiderman likes to be held against your chest especially when it's cold out. Thats a good idea Rhonda hold them until their calm never release them when their panicked. If you release when their wild they know that works for them.

 

[MartinsPoultry]

Got four more fresh bloods for my guinea flock.
Parents are Purple pied cockerel x white hen

 

[pattyhen]

their beautiful keeters.

 

[MartinsPoultry]

@pattyhen arent they?
And we found out that Echo whom we thought to be a female for over a year is a male. And an aggressive one at that, he will be finding a new home with a bigger farm or in my freezer.