Are we doing ok?

[lastgirl]

Hi All,

Any advice greatly recieved . . . not sure if I am taking things too slowly here. Pudding and Treacle have been living with us for just over a week. Pudding I get pet in her cage quite well, she will happily take food from me (she has been a bit quieter the last 2 days, but the house has also been busier). I could not pick her up yet - she scarpers and I'm not confident enough - I have a fabric snuggle oo thing so I wait for her to head into it them lift her out in that - do not try to get her out of it just sit her on my lap in it, petting and chatting to her. Only for about 10 minutes (if that long). Treacle - a lot more nervous, the last couple of days she has let me pet her though, just the front of her face / nose, she has been taking food from me for a few days now but she tends to take it under cover to eat. Very skittish. She is getting a lot braver, sniffing away at my hand. Have got her out once via snuggle-oo method - literally a couple of minutes though, she was clearly frightened. Both let me know when they want there veg's and are at the front of the cage telling me in no uncertain terms!

I keep sitting chatting and petting / let them sniff with them in the cage mainly - and just the short lap time for now. I do not think they have had heaps of handling . . . lived outside in a hutch with 4 other piggies, so it is a lot of change for them.

Hoping to get an indoor run soon - that will help I hope as hopefully something big enough I can sit in there with them.

Anywhere I am going wrong? I just want them to feel safe so taking slower at their pace seems the fair thing to do, I would love big cuddles but in their time . . . or am I taking it too slow for them to get used to me?

 

[piggyfan]

You are doing all the right things. It takes a long time for guinea pigs to feel secure. Mine will still run away when I try to pick them up. It is a good idea to pick them up in the fabric as you are teaching them it means pick up time. To get my piggies used to me I pick them up everyday for five minutes and increase the time slowly. They often like to be on your lap rather then held.

 

[gogoguineas]

aww I don't think you're doing anything wrong, it all sounds good to me, the interaction is good and important so they can learn to trust you. Some pigs never like bening handled much tho, that's just their pigsonality! One of my boys is just over 18 months, I've had him since he was 6 weeks and he is the nosiest noisiest pig ever but will not let you pick him up, he's only recently let me pet him in his cage, it's just the way he is but he's blatently happy as he's happy to chill out in the open. So perserve but don't be disheartened if some are never that keen on being touched.