Advice On New Piggys

Status
Not open for further replies.
katie-elizabeth

katie-elizabeth

Adult Guinea Pig
Joined
Feb 17, 2014
Messages
3,560
Reaction score
3,355
Points
1,225
Location
Midlands, UK
Hi everyone, I picked up two male guinea pigs yesterday from a rescue, one is almost a year and is very skittish, the other one is still a baby. When I put some food in the cage last night the older one got scared and darted around the cage... other than that they haven't come out from their house very much which I know is normal but I am wondering how long I should leave them to settle before I try getting them out to have floor time and handling them? I don't want to scare them but also want them to get used to me, so I am at a loss about what the right thing to do is? Thank you in advance x
 
Give them a few days but in the meantime talk to them lots and get them used to you being around. Also it might be an idea to have a box or cosy to herd them into when you want to take them out as this may be less stressful for them. Finally I'd also say when handling them build up the length of time gradually :)

Good luck
 
Congratulations on your two new piggies!

Here is a link to a sticky thread on settling piggies http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/faq-how-do-i-settle-shy-new-guinea-pigs.36239/ well worth a read. Everything sounds pretty normal to be honest, piggies are very nervous to begin with as they are prey animals so have a instinct to run and hide or freeze with fear. They will learn to trust you and get used to you, food is a great bribery and a way to win a pigs trust.
Lots of talking to them in a soothing voice so they get used to you being around. Don't worry we have all felt like this, with our first piggies I had to set a video camera up to see if they ever came out :)) Within 6 months they were very tame and would come out to the bars to be fed.

Once they have settled in be lovely to see some photos of them in our Photos and Videos section http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/forums/your-photos-and-videos.13/
 
Hello and congratulations on your 2 new arrivals. Patience, kindness and bribery with veggies will always pay off in the end. Just give them plenty of time and be calm and talk soothingly around them so they get used to you. I remember that one rescue pair I took in several years ago seemed almost invisible for days, hiding in their houses and I swear they held their breath if I went near them. They turned into a lovely friendly pair of piggies, but one never did like being picked up. As long as they are eating drinking and pooing plenty then you know they are starting to settle in. I hope you enjoy getting to know their personalities in time.
 
Thank you :) I know they have at least been eating because the massive pile of hay & celery they had yesterday has somehow disappeared haha :xd:

Thanks, will look for a cosy for them and leave them for a few more days, should I try getting them out even if they are still hiding in their house or should I wait until they are confident to come to me... I'm unsure how long to leave it before I pick them up?

Looking forward to posting some pics! x
 
There's a chance they may always hide away when you try to handle them (mine always run and hide from me - it's a nigtmare with my huge cage!) so I'd go ahead even if they're hiding. But if you can be patient then you can place the cosy at the entrance of their hidey with a little treat inside it and then lift it when they're in there :)
 
That's a good idea thanks! They came out for a little while just now but as soon as they saw me they ran :( sounds like that's normal though from what I've read!? I'll keep talking to them! :)
 
katie-elizabeth said:
That's a good idea thanks! They came out for a little while just now but as soon as they saw me they ran :( sounds like that's normal though from what I've read!? I'll keep talking to them! :)
Click to expand...

Yup! Mine still do that. Sometimes they even refuse to eat their veggies until I leave them alone! But they do now come running out everytime I come in the room as they seem to think I'm there just to feed them!
 
Definitely recommend when you do start picking them up for laptime to herd them into a cosy or a chube http://www.amazon.co.uk/Critters-Choice-Chube-Giant-Guinea/dp/B007DK4GKU This takes the stress out of collecting for you and them. We have always used this technique after one of our first piggies was insanely skittish. Our current piggies have learnt that when we put the chube in the go into it to be moved.
 
Thanks will get one of those! We're making slow progress, Joey (the youngest) poked his head out whilst I was talking to them and he stayed there a while instead of hiding straight away :). So sweet :love:
 
Just be patient and wait with run and lap time until they are fine with their current cage and with your presence.
Ideally, you train/gently chivvy them to come into some kind of pick-up, like a tunnel, a suitable cosy or upturned hidey, so you don't have to chase them down and handle them for transference. That takes a lot of stress out of the whole procedure. Use little bits of their favourite veg or small bit of grass to lure them in!
 
Congrats on your new piggies!

I'll give you the advice I am currently doing with my new piggie. I've had her since Wednesday to give you an idea. :)

She is extremely skittish but I have put her in the busiest room in the house, that being the living room so there's constantly people coming and going. Whenever I walk past I talk to her. I take to sitting by her cage and making a LOT of noise with the veggie bags at veggie time at 4pm. She has already grown to know that the noisy veggies and me sitting by her cage means food. I will not give her the vegetables unless she comes over and takes them from my hand. This can take a long time, anywhere from a couple of minutes up until half an hour (with an old piggie, not my current, she caught on quick) but it is extremely rewarding when they take it from your hand. She comes over, takes it and quickly runs away with it. In the last few days she has taken to running less distance away and today to my shock and happiness, she was standing up at the bars waiting for the food (though when she realised it she quickly hopped down and moved back two steps :)) ). I've had her for 4 days and she's already at this point. It really takes a lot of patience, a soft tone, constant encouragement like 'good girl/boy! in a different tone' and keeping the same routine up. She took every piece of food from my hand today and instead of backing up 4 steps as usual or running it to the bowl, she only took one step away.

She's catching on fast, which can depend on the braveness of a piggie so don't compare yours to mine. I've had one piggie who took 6 months before he felt brave enough to take food from my hand without running away. I hope this helps a lot. I talk to her constantly whenever I am nearby. She legs it when anyone else comes or goes but she doesn't do it to me. This shows you how well it can work if you work with them. :)

It's quite fun to watch their steps in getting braver. :)
 
Thank you - that's great advice! I will try waiting for them to take veggies from my hand tomorrow, I can imagine I may be sitting there a while but we will see haha, it sounds like it's worth it :D
I have been talking to them loads and I think it's already paying off, even though the rest of the house think I've gone loopy :roll: but the piggies are definitely getting braver with venturing out of their hidey house bless them, and they're eating/drinking/pooing lots which must be a good sign!
I'm excited to watch them grow braver and get to know them :)
 
You're welcome. ^_^ I thought I'd pass it on as its working for me and Sakurai.

Haha yeah you do usually sit a while but their greedy guts will make them really want that veg and they will come over. :))
 
Yep! It's like a way to a man, through the stomach. XD

I think mine is a tiny bit more food motivated as her ex only gave veg only once a week and I give it daily so she's so excited over it. I usually give my boys it twice daily but I don't want to upset her tummy with too much.
 
I'm currently sat next to their cage with carrot and cabbage, Alfie just took some carrot from me, does it count if I was holding it right close to his house haha? :D
 
Yep it still counts! That was the only way I could get Gilbert to eat it and I would have to hold it there for ten minutes, I can tell you my arm died so many times. xD;

Eventually he started to come further out for it and then rushing up to the bars. :) Small steps!

Also just to let you know, he was the 6 month piggie and the one that was the hardest to tame but once I got him tame he was my tamest piggie out of them all and he'd let me do whatever I want. He'd never even put up a fuss. :)
 
That's good to know, was a lovely feeling anyway :) definitely have a dead arm now, but at least it feels worth it XD reading is a good idea, I do that alot anyway so may as well read out loud :)
 
It is a lovely feeling, even if your arm suffers. xD
Some days I'd be like oh please take it my arm is killing me. :))
 
Hehe, Alfie's just taken another piece from me, I hope he's sharing it with Joey haha, greedy piggy :)
My next aim is getting to understand all the different sounds they make, I knew they were noisy animals but didn't realise quite how chatty they can be! I've watched a few youtube videos which has helped a little!
 
I just held Joey, the youngest, for the first time for just a short while, I waited until he went into his tunnel and got him out that way. I'm not sure if he was happy about it or not - he was vibrating and as soon as I put him back he scampered back into his house. When should I try again with him?
 
Yep skittish pigs are annoying i agree with you but leave them to settle and get used to you and your voice but your making progress maybe try again in a few hours or so ? x
 
they're getting braver I think, slowly but surely! I might try some floor time with them later, see how that goes... x
 
You may find this website helpful; their interpretation of sounds is solid. A lot of the sounds actually depend on situational context/body language as they can be quite similar. Unfortunately, there is also quite a bit of stuff out there that is plainly wrong.
http://jackiesguineapiggies.com/guineapigsounds.html
 
Thankyou. They're both currently in the kitchen, huddled up in a corner, Joey keeps venturing away from Alfie then changes his mind and runs back to him haha... does it matter how long I give them floor time for the first time?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top