are we doing something wrong? these piggys are not happy.

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fuzzybumx

hi everyone.
i bought my daughter 2 guineas for her birthday which was 2nd sept. i picked them 3 weeks previously and they stayed with a friend who use to breed guineas.
weve had them now 4/5 weeks in total. they came from a breeder who shows abroad,i think they were kept inside all the time bt i cant be sure.one of them had a white foot so couldnt be used for breeding.she was very pretty although a bit fiesty.he sold us her and her 5 month old sister as apair.he said they tame down quickly.
however i am a little worried about them.they started getting the odd small bald patch.the hair has started to grow back and i treated them for mites just incase.i have an indoor hutch.(large) and an outdoor run with a bedding apartmnent.weve bought them everything to make them comfy and happy,but they are just not settling in,and now theyve started biting me and my daughter.this is not ideal of course i dont want my little girl rejecting them ,to scared to pick them up.they hate the run.they just hide in the apartment all the time.i guess they are scared and not use to grass.they wont even come out to eat the bits i put in.
i had guineas as a child. i dont remember any of them being like this.
they are eating a bit more now when inside the indoor hutch but they dont seem happy. i dont really know what to do.I'm quite attached to them myself.my daughter loves them too.i dont know if I'm not being patient enough or wheter i should contact the man we bought them from.the piggys welfare is important to me,as is my daughter getting bitten.
i think they are stressed and unhappy, what do you think? and is it just a case of a little more time?
 
Hi, welcome. :)
I have only had my piggies for 3 weeks, they have never bitten, but they are very timid still. Only one will take food from us the other freezes up.
I think they probably need more time.
Alot of people on here recommend gorgeous guineas for skin treatment products.( sorry you'd have to google it as I don't know the link, or try the members website section)
I am sure some of the more experienced guinea owners will be able to give you more advice.
Good luck
Anne :)
 
Hiya,

Welcome to the board. I also think they need more time. I have 5 and they have never bitten me. My 6 year old puts her fingers in the cage and they lick her, I tell her not to but she never listens! I would suggest not picking them up until they feel comfortable and confident. It does sound like they haven't been used to people. Just talk to them, offer food from your hand and see how they go. Pigs are naturally scared but you can get them to take food off you and trust you, it just takes time and a lot of patience.

My two girls won't take food off me yet and I've had them around 4 weeks now but they are getting better with the trust, don't put a limit on the time it will take. :)

Good luck!

Louise
x
 
it's still really early days, it can take a VERY long time for them to chill out and accept you (months even), and even then they can still run away when you try and hold them, I have 2 that let me pick them up and 2 that try to run, but once held they are fine.you just have to pick them up as quick as possible so not to stress them out too much.
talk to them alot, and offer food through the cage,
I would advise you not to put them down when they bite you, they will learn that when they bite you that you will put them down, so they may do it everytime. so persevere, if you can,guinea pigs rarely bite to hurt us. do they bite hard?, or gently, one of my females gently bites me, little monkey.
They will calm down eventually, and I think every guinea pig owner has experienced this at the beginning, but trust me it will get better aslong as they get enough time spent on them.Lots of lap time with food to offer.

Good luck and keep us updated.
 
they have nibbled food from our hands. maybe weve been to over bearing.
desperate to hold our new babies. we hold them everyday morning and after school.
the bites leave teeth marks but they dont break the skin.
i thought holding them lots would get them use to us. i didnt reaaly think about leaving them too it for a while. thanks for all your comments.
 
If they haven't pierced the skin then thats the main thing. I have read somewhere that they nibble on you to warn you they need a wee, and so this is just a warning to be put back down. Of course when they nibble dont put them down straight away as maisydaisystar has rightly pointed out they will bite to be put down all the time.
 
Time is a wonderful thing.

I had a foster who was petrified of me. I don't think he had ever been handled and would do laps of his cage to try and get away from me.

Over time, he warmed to me. He started coming out of his igloo when I was in the room. I also started to open his cage and then close it. Then open it and just put my hand in and then close it again. I did this so he wouldn't think every time the cage was opened I was going to get him out. He eventually stopped racing round his cage when I picked him up.

He too was being treated to mites. Gorgeous Guineas do some fab products. They do something called melts (I forget which one I used), but once we was more used to me, I used a melt and shampooed him and eventually he stapped stratching and his fur grew back.

I was sorry to see him go as I felt we had come so far together.

Don't give up yet, I am sure they will calm down, just give them time.

Good luck.
 
I agree with all of the above. Especially as you are not sure how they were treated before, go very gently. It can take a long time but the rewards are well worth it :)
 
One of best things about having guinea pigs is when you suddenly realise that they don't just like you, they love you. And it takes a long, long time to get there. They are such complex little animals with quite fragile emotions - especially trust.
You must must must persevere. It took at least a month for my sows to stop fleeing for cover when they so much as heard me within a metre of their cage. It's their nature to hide, bite, stay under cover because they are prey animals - they are dinner to countless animals, including humans in some parts of the world, it's instictive for them to want to repel you.
I used to make a habit of stopping by their cage every time I passed. I just chatted to them. I also started putting my hand in the cage - for no reason, just leave it in there for a bit while you chat to them so they learn that hands don't mean chasing/picking up. Piggies are also VERY easily bribed They like food more than hey are scared. Try taking them slices of cucumber 3-4 times a day - just hold them in your hand in the cage. they'll smelll them I promise. If they don't come and take it from you, take it away again oter wise you are treating them for hiding.
They need to be handled daily as I'm sure you know. If they bite you - wear gloves. When they do bite you do not put them down, or they will learn that they get their own way by biting. Just sit down with them on your lap with some hay and a piece of fruit of veg. Stroke tickle and talk to them. A lot of piggies only like to have their heads stroked so start there.
Don't give up. They need you to keep going.

I've had my piggies for 9 months. They talk to me, run to greet me when I come home from work, groom and lick me and one will sleep in my lap. Yours will too one day.

For more guidance try www.guineapigcages.com www.guinealynx.com www.diddlydi.fsnet.co.uk

Good luck!
 
thankyou piggytoefluff GREAT advice and a truly GREAT name you have there.
i have started talking to them as passing,also you know the sound you make when calling a cat over for a stroke? when you purse your lips and make a kind of kissing noise,well i started doing that yesterday and the the white footed one(whitey) as my daughter named her does respond with the ooo oooo ooooo ing noise.
the totally all ginger one (gingey) (of course) remains aloof . i will pursevere and keep my fingers crossed......

thankyou again.
 
Yes i would just keep trying. I have 4 pigs, 2 of them I have longer than the other 2 and they come out to see me when I'm near and one of them comes out of his cage to be held, the others will sit for a stoke but aren't as trusting as my other two yet so I would just keep persevering :)
 
Yes, I would just recommend giving them some more time to warm up to their new enviornment. Talk to them softly, always move around quietly and offer them some veggies. It will take time for them to feel completely comfortable. I got Hriusha a year and two months ago when he was 1 year 8 months. He was very shy, tamer because he had a previous owner, but still very shy, insecure and nervous. He didn't eat he just sat. Over a few months time he became more comfortable, and now he joins Shura in greeting me every morning when I have treats. When I put my hands out he even jumps up because he wants to be held and he even sits on my feet. He's become more outgoing and much happier. It just took a while for him to feel that way. Your piggies will adjust :) They just need some time.
 
fuzzybumx said:
they hate the run.they just hide in the apartment all the time.i guess they are scared and not use to grass.they wont even come out to eat the bits i put in.
Click to expand...

What is often the case is this:

My piggies hate big open spaces, when putting them into a run they would only sit in a corner, huddled together.

you have to make sure there are plenty of things where they could take cover from potential enemies from the sky (explaining to them that there are no birds of prey in my front room doesnt work, tried it). So, plenty of cardboard houses with two or more entries, drainpipes, willow bridges, etc... if they can get from one side of the run to the other without having to cross an open and unprotected area, they will. They just want to be able to dash from one house to the next, make sure the coast is clear, then to the next...

Mine run around alot if they have houses in.

Mind you, its not just the fact that they feel more secure though - its also very boring having one big open space, because who on earth just wants to run around, if there is nothing to explore? "Great, I am in my run outside, and there is grass over here. Hm. *looks left* Grass over there aswell. *turns around* And behind me. Do you know what, if its all the same anyway, I might aswell not bother walking, and just continue eating here."
Click to expand...

(quoting myself)
 
It's like you were reading my mind when you wrote this. My piggies are the same way...well Rosie is a bit calmer and actually don't put up much of a fight when I pick her up but Mary Jane acts like she hates me. She bit one of my twin boys a few times but she loves to eat and will steal shredded carrots from his hand and then run and hide. I talk baby talk to Rosie and she seems too like it. I am going to spend more time with them each day to help them settle in.
 
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