2 months and I still never see her?

[Strawberries]

So I am a new piggy owner of two months now. the girls are about 6 months old. The white one is very curious, comes up to the bars on the cage and squeaks, looks for food in her dish when I open a bag, lays out in the open sometimes to sleep. When I do spot cleans she comes out and sniffs my hand and the dust pan, etc.

But my question is about the other one, the brown one. She will eat out of my hand if I stick my hand about an inch into the pigloo but won't move more than a one step towards it, farther away than that then she just won't bother for the treat, so other than that, I NEVER see her...she hides all the time, if I get up from my chair (they are in my office) she runs for cover, if I walk past, I hear her run for cover when they are still way out of my sight. It is like caring for a shadow. She has only 'popcorned' one or two times right after I do a total cage clean and fleece remodel (the other one pops all the time), the only noise she has ever made is the motor boat one when rumblestrutting, the other one makes all kinds of noise. Is this in the 'normal' behavior range or is she just kind of a dud? Oh, and one more thing...if I hide, and 'spy' on her...she walks around and even sometimes runs around, and eats, and has been putting on weight just as fast as the other one...so when I'm not around she seems to act normal.

I will just say this, if both my piggies were like her, well, let's just say, she is all work and no play. I don't even really get the fun of just looking at her...she really hides that much!

I have held her, which oddly enough, she doesn't seem to mind too much...well after she is caught that is...she doesn't like that part at all.

What do you think? :0

 

[fluff]

take the hide out untill the pigs are really tame, giving them a bolt hole will encourage them to stay very timmid, lots n lots of handling, they need lots at a young age to accustom them to being handled, look at kittens if they are not handled young they are little rat bags who hate human contact, i have tamed down many pigs that people have said are wild/scatty by removing any hide, then given them back to the owners as confident out going pigs that come up to the cage bars

 

[Strawberries]

thanks for the advice, I have wondered about the hidey hole thing, having or not having.

I'll try taking it out.

 

[piggyfan]

I do not agree with taking away their hidey things. Guinea pigs need to feel safe and having a place to hide helps them to. It will make her very stressed if she cannot hide away. My little Amina is the same as her. She is always hiding. If I walk past their cage she runs and hides. She is happy and when she thinks I am not around she runs and plays. Slowly she is coming out a little more as she gains confidence. Your little one just sounds shy. Keep holding her each day so she gets used to you but please do not take her hidey things away.

 

[lauraboara]

Just another thought, what is the relationship like between the 2 piggies? DO they seem to get on well? You mention rumblestrutting which can be about dominance so just wondering if they are happy together. One of my boys hid a lot more when their relationship was going wrong.

You also say that she does not like being caught (which is normal) - how do you pick her up usually? Again, my experience with my boys when then were young is to use a towel or better a snuggle sack or tube rather than picking up with hands. If they can walk into a tube or sack, the whole picking up experience is calmer for all and she may begin to trust you more for other aspects. I now say 'in your sack' and they waddle in!

Some piggies take a long time to become brave and hand feeding is good so hopefully things will change

 

[ghostbusterbunny]

My OH got his first two guinea pigs about 6 months ago and his piggies remind me very much of yours. Elvis is the most brazen, confident guinea pig I've ever met (and that's saying something). She will practically fall out of her cage to get a cuddle from him and popcorns on him, settles down and loves all the fuss - especially if food is involved.

Olivia is a very timid piggy. She is the complete opposite of her sister, she hides, she doesn't like to be caught and will only take food if you take it closer to her. What my OH did was (and this is in a ferplast cage, I'm not sure what you have) is he left the platform on and took the side off it, removing the hidey, but kept the darker place in the cage. So Olivia still feels comfortable, but she can see everything and slowly but surely she's becoming a little braver every day. She'll eat in the open now, come for food if it's offered (but her back end stays under the platform, she just sticks her head out) and is generally getting more comfortable with being around humans.

Some piggies take a lot longer to come round than others, but you'll get there with her.

 

[Angeladeedah]

I don't agree with removing their hidey places - they are there to give them security........and any animal needs a safe place to run to. We are after all huge in size in comparison to the piggies and they must be absolutely terrified of us.

The best advice is to handle her more - you say that she seems to enjoy/or at least doesn't seem to mind being handled once you have caught her and I think if you continue to do that she will become tamer. However, I did have one piggy who hated being picked up and hated being cuddled.......so in the end, I just left her to her own devices. I don't want to make them do something that doesn't make them happy.

 

[Mr Audrey & Mr Marilyn]

Your piggies sound very similar to my two when I first got them over a year ago- Mr Marilyn quickly became very brave (particularly where food was involved), but Audrey would run as soon as we were in sight, and when they are young they are so fast! Two months may seem like a long time, but it can take months for a shy pig to come out of their 'shell'. But when they do and they start to trust you it feels ten times more special, so hang on in there! Feeding by hand in the cage i think is very good, as is handling frequently. I dont like the idea of taking away there safe places, i think it would have turned AUdrey into a nervous wreck! After over a year my Audrey still doesn't like being picked up, but he's fine once he's out, *he comes to the side of the cage to see what's going on, and is very happy being stroked in the cage too! We're so proud of him! Good luck!*

 

[Strawberries]

Thanks for all the replies...

The two girls get on well, in fact, the rumblestrutting I was talking about is by the 'shy' piggie, but she is the dominant one of the two when it comes to their piggy relationship.

I have a c&c cage. I did take the hidey out for most of the afternoon, I think it was actually very helpful, as she walked halfway across the cage to get food from my hand, which she has never done. I fed her a lot by hand during the time she didn't have her hidey. The girls interacted more with each other too during that time, since Honey Bee (the shy with people, but dominant piggy) won't share here pigloo with Penny, poor Penny actually just walks around with no one to 'talk' to a lot when Honey is hiding.

Penny - the more outgoing one, talks ALL THE TIME! but neither will let me touch them or pet them in the cage.

They are a little like ying and yang...the outgoing people pig in the cage (Penny) and the food begger is the submissive piggy to her sister, and very sqirmy to hold and tries to jump off your lap, the shy people piggy (Honey Bee) is the dominant piggy in the cage, but actually relaxes when you hold her, and doesn't make any noise except a little motor boating when her sister tries to invade her pigloo. they never fight, and they split food pretty evenly...even eating what is hanging out of the other's mouth.

I just wish I saw Honey more often...I guess I should just set up my web cam over their cage, because they are both pretty active when I'm not around, or just standing perfectly still and peeking around the corner.

 

[twiams]

Two of my piggies where like this at first, Bentley was always more shy, where as Chester, the dominant piggy was very confident, it's evened out a little bit more but it has been about 6 months,

In all honesty, the only way to there heart is food ! Find a favourite food and just train like a dog, reward for confidence ! (:

My loan boar is still this shy, but he's find once he's out of his cage, i think some piggies confidence changes depending on if there in or out of there cage.