Why Does My Guinea Pig Hide in My Hair? [Answered]

Guinea pigs are great pets for people of all ages. They’re adorable, easy to maintain, and usually very social. Guinea pigs often have unique and silly ways to play with their owners, such as hiding in your hair.

Why does my guinea pig hide in my hair? Guinea pigs hide in your hair because they’re trying to get more familiar with you and seek out comfort. Or they just like the feeling of hiding in your hair. But in some cases, they might hide if they’re sick.

There’s much more to it than that, though. So today, we’ll be going all over why your guinea pig is hiding in your hair, why they might eat your hair and more. Without further ado, let’s begin.

Why Does My Guinea Pig Hide In My Hair?

Your guinea pigs can have many reasons to hide in your hair, so here’s a detailed list of all the reasons why they might do so —

To Socialize

Just like cats and dogs, guinea pigs will do many things to try and socialize with their owner and seek comfort from them. And since guinea pigs are so small, hiding in hair is a very common way of trying to socialize. So a lot of the time, guinea pigs will hide in your hair to seek comfort from you, get more familiar with you, and socialize. Don’t be afraid if they’re hiding in your hair, as it means they trust you and enjoy being with you.

Additionally, if you hear excited squeals or whistles, hopping, or deep purring whenever they hide in your hair, it means they’re enjoying it. Guinea pigs make these noises and jump whenever they’re excited or happy.

Anxiety & Stress

Although most guinea pigs can hide in their owner’s hair to entertain them and play with them, in some cases, they might hide for the opposite reason. Guinea pigs are prey animals, meaning they’re often targeted by bigger animals, which is quite scary. So even when a guinea pig comes out of the wilderness in a safe house as a pet, it can instinctively get scared.

Usually, pet guinea pigs can be afraid of two things – the environment or their human owner. If they try to hide from you, it can mean that they’re scared of you. When this is the case, you should try to approach them from their height slowly to make them feel safer. But if they hide in your hair, it can mean that they’re scared of the environment around them, such as loud noises, unfamiliar objects, and more. If this is the case, you should spend more time with your pet.

Slowly approaching and spending more time with them can help them get more comfortable, but you can try going to a vet for advice. You can check out this article by Smallpetparade to learn more about anxiety and stress in guinea pigs.

Illnesses

As mentioned earlier, guinea pigs are animals of prey. So instinctively, whenever it gets sick, it’ll try to hide so predators won’t think that they’re an easy target. So if you notice any illness symptoms and see them hiding in your hair often, it could be due to diseases. Here are some common symptoms —

1. Decreased appetite
2. Respiratory infections
3. Lack of energy
4. Audible breathing issues
5. Discharge from nose or eyes
6. Hair loss
7. Intense scratching

If you notice any of these symptoms and they hide in your hair, immediately take them to the vet. Because this can be a sign of its anxiety.

Why Does My Guinea Pig Eat My Hair?

Along with hiding in your hair, guinea pigs often eat hair while hiding in it. They can do it for many reasons, but typically it’s due to a lack of fiber in their diet. But here’s a list of all the reasons —

Lack Of Fiber

Guinea pigs primarily eat plants, so they might not be getting enough fiber from their diet. If this is the case, they might eat your hair since it has a lot of fiber. Normally, they’ll just nibble on your knuckles or your head, but sometimes they could eat surprisingly huge chunks of hair.

If this is the case, make sure to add plenty of foods with a lot of fiber, such as hay. To know more about the proper diet for guinea pigs, you can check out this article by VCAhospitals.

Curiosity

Guinea pigs are very curious animals as a pet, just like cats and dogs. But because they’re so small, they’ll often be curious about things you might not expect, such as human hair. Usually, when guinea pigs eat hair out of curiosity, they’ll stop after they realize human hair isn’t really edible.

Boredom

Another reason why your guinea pig might nibble on your hair is due to boredom. So if they’re doing this, you should spend more time with them and keep hay toys in their cage.

Is It Safe For Guinea Pigs To Eat My Hair

Usually, it’s safe if your guinea pigs nibble on hair every now and then. However, guinea pigs can’t really digest human hair well, and they could risk their health if they eat too much hair. Along with that, sometimes your guinea pig can get addicted to eating your hair too, as they can find it entertaining. So make sure not to let them eat too much of your hair.

You can actually prevent it pretty easily by just tying your hair up whenever they hide in your hair. This will let them still play with your hair, but they won’t eat it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Now that you have a good idea about guinea pigs, here are some of the most frequently asked questions we get to help clear further confusion —

Wrapping Up

Hopefully, now your question of “why does my guinea pig hide in my hair?” is answered. They most commonly can hide in your hair to socialize or because they feel comfortable in your hair.

But other than that, it could also be due to illnesses or anxiety. So make sure to take them to the vet for illnesses and slowly let them get used to their surroundings to reduce their feeling of anxiety. You shouldn’t let them eat your hair too much either, as it’s not safe for them. With all that said, good luck and cheers!