Bonding With Guinea Pigs!

[Rosie532]

I know this gets asked often but I was looking for some advice of my own. I have 2 lovely guinea pigs that I have had since they were 8 weeks old, they are coming up to being 2 years old and I don't feel that they have ever bonded with me. They do squeak when they here me coming in the morning as they know breakfast is coming but they often do everything they can to not be held. I was just looking for some tips on how to rekindle the relationship between me and my guinea pigs!

 

[FlannelPig]

I have a two pigs also and one of them is just not a fan of being held, might just be their personalities! But i think the biggest thing is just being a very calm presence. Just sit with them and speak softly. When i first got mine, i left one of my old shirts with them in their cage so they would get used to smelling me. Treats also help good luck!

 

[VickiA]

Patience, persistence, calmness and bribery usually work. But to be honest some piggies just don’t like being handled. Try picking them up in a cosy, keeping them in the cosy on your lap and feeding treats. Then they will associate being picked up in the cosy as a good thing. It does take time.

 

[Rosie532]

Thank you! I will try your suggestions and I have got a cosy for each of them so may try leaving that in there with them

 

[Reenie]

None of my three youngsters are overly keen on being held, they're far too interested in running around and jumping about, but they're all really friendly and fun. I don't force it, only really picking them up when I need to and an occasional lap time so that they know it has to be done lol. You can still have lots of great interaction. I hand feed my guys every day at least a couple of times, and they jump up on my lap by themselves (they're offski when I try to keep them there though!)

 

[Freela]

Most guinea pigs are never going to walk over to you and want to be picked up. It just cuts very close to their survival instincts as a prey animal. Even guinea pigs who are happy to be lap pigs may dislike be picked up (except for Leela. She is very placid. My kids say she is a like a furry potato.) I have found that the more often I pick them up, the better they are with it, so I try to get each pig out once a day for some lap time. They did get more tolerant of being picked up with repeat exposure. Most of my pigs have really liked lap time, although I've had some pigs that are relaxed enough to sleep on my lap while others always stayed alert. Try letting them snuggle into a blanket on your lap and give them a treat. You want them to feel comfortable and associate you with good things (like food!)