Bonding with humans

R

Rumblestiltskin

Junior Guinea Pig
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Good evening

Experienced GP owners please bear with me as I'm having a loss of confidence.

Ive had my 2/3 year old GPs for about a month - they came from a rescue as rehomes (family with a child). This is an adult only home with no caged pet experience. I was told they were very friendly.

Heres the question...in your experience do guineas eventually form bonds with their humans or are these not needed - beyond food and fresh hay etc - because they have a bond with their gp friend?

My two hate being picked up/held etc. They freeze -even the confident one. Ive been moving them using their carrier to avoid as much stress as possible but given I was informed they were used to being held this isnt what I expected. There is so much conflicting information around this subject I'm not sure what to do. Even if I pop them in a cozy for a minute on my knee they freeze and wont eat.

I guess this also about managing my expectations.

The confident one will take food from my hand on the floor or at the edge of the cage. The other one is still building her confidence to do this, not helped by the alpha pig not wanting her to have anything he isnt directly getting (he had his first then she notices and wants some too!).

I guess I'm wondering if I should reset my expectations as to their need to bond with me beyond giver of all yummy things.

I do find them amusing though especially at floor time.
 
Hi Ramia. Do they chose to get on your lap in the cuddle sack? What type of sack do you have? Ive been putting their dinner on my legs to encourage interaction
 
I have a sack that has a wire rim on the opening.

It's how I always take them out of the cage. I find they just walk right in to their "taxi" at floor time and cage cleaning, and one takes meds.

Sometimes they play catch me if you can.

As prey animals they don't like being picked up by hand.

I let them walk into the sack and place them on my lap for a petting before floor time. They allow petting more because they feel secure

I lure one onto my lap with a treat sometimes and he crawls up there but then jumps down.
 
They do see people as part of their herd 🥰 My piggies went from being very shy to being great cuddle bugs. I just stroked them, which sounds rather simplistic, but it is in a way. I reached into the run and gently stroked their heads. They would run into the furthest corner and sit still. Then I could gently touch them or stroke the top of their head with one finger. Eventually they stopped wanting to use up lots of energy shooting off and just sat still while I stroked them, just for a few moments at first and then longer as they started to show signs of liking being stroked on the head. Now I can stroke them firmly down their backs and they love being stroked. Truffle purrs away happily, Polo shoves his head against my hand. They still shoot off if I go to pick them up and don't like being held, but we are working on that. When spooked, they are very fast and strong. I also spent time with them on my lap, feeding them and stroking them. It did take a while but once I started stroking them in the run, they started to enjoy being stroked more quickly.
 
It is very normal for piggies to not want to be held. It’s part of the prey response - some learn to like a cuddle in time but many never will and will dislike being handled.
Taking food from your hand is a massive positive thing though - it means they trust you - but for some piggies that is as far as voluntary physical interaction goes

Mine have been handled for health checks but we don’t do any kind of lap times etc as it isn’t what they want - they would rather be off playing than being sat with me. I will sit on the floor and they will come to me if they want to but I mostly enjoy watching them interact with each other

My last four have all been on quite a range - of the two I have with me now:
Wilbur is incredibly friendly, loves to be stroked in the cage and I can very easily pick him up and he has a tolerance for his health checks etc but he still isn’t a cuddler. He was comfortable with me from day 1. I can carry him to the run as long as it isn’t far away from the cage but I use a box for safety.
Hugo absolutely hates being handled in any form and it is a battle of wills! He does bite if held what he considers to be too long. He will walk voluntarily into the box and I can stroke him in there but he isn’t impressed!
The other two that have passed within the last couple of years -
Dexter didn’t mind being stroked once or twice if he was in the mood and he was a friendly boy (climbing up bars when I approached etc) but didn’t want to be held for long.
The other was terrified of his own shadow and froze whenever held - this didn’t change much in all 7 years of his life but he did mellow and become more inquisitive, happier for me to be in his space and stopped freezing like he initially did.
All took food from my hand although it did take the one who was most terrified a year and a half before he did it for the first time
 
I used to sit on the floor with a "smelly" blanket on my lap. My boys chose to approach and climb on me. I let them do everything in their own time, the wait makes every little bit of progress seem much more precious in my opinion.
I am not the most experienced but my little lord and his recently passed companion definitely had a bond with me that wasn't just about food and housekeeping. We just got back from holiday and Sir George made it very clear he was pleased to see us even though he was staying with his favourite auntie. IMG20230619191017.webp
 
I use a concertina tube made of plastic from Pets @ Home to catch them from the run as it's easier than trying to catch them with my hands. I hold it with the front raised and with my hand in front as far as possible in case the piggy inside it tries to jump out as a fall from any height could easily injure a piggy. They have an Omlet playpen which I can sit and even lie in. Their run is an indoor cage and is not huge, about 4' x 2' for each piggy.
 
Piggies std very observant and learn by watching other piggies and even humans. I threw Truffle's chewy apple stick around this afternoon and he came over, picked it up and started chucking it around as well. Very cute 🥰
 
Piggies&buns said:
It is very normal for piggies to not want to be held. It’s part of the prey response - some learn to like a cuddle in time but many never will and will dislike being handled.
Taking food from your hand is a massive positive thing though - it means they trust you - but for some piggies that is as far as voluntary physical interaction goes

Mine have been handled for health checks but we don’t do any kind of lap times etc as it isn’t what they want - they would rather be off playing than being sat with me. I will sit on the floor and they will come to me if they want to but I mostly enjoy watching them interact with each other

My last four have all been on quite a range - of the two I have with me now:
Wilbur is incredibly friendly, loves to be stroked in the cage and I can very easily pick him up and he has a tolerance for his health checks etc but he still isn’t a cuddler. He was comfortable with me from day 1. I can carry him to the run as long as it isn’t far away from the cage but I use a box for safety.
Hugo absolutely hates being handled in any form and it is a battle of wills! He does bite if held what he considers to be too long. He will walk voluntarily into the box and I can stroke him in there but he isn’t impressed!
The other two that have passed within the last couple of years -
Dexter didn’t mind being stroked once or twice if he was in the mood and he was a friendly boy (climbing up bars when I approached etc) but didn’t want to be held for long.
The other was terrified of his own shadow and froze whenever held - this didn’t change much in all 7 years of his life but he did mellow and become more inquisitive, happier for me to be in his space and stopped freezing like he initially did.
All took food from my hand although it did take the one who was most terrified a year and a half before he did it for the first time
Click to expand...
Ok so it sounds like a) dont force the lap time b) take time to watch and discover your piggies preferences.

It does make sense to me to give them a choice but others say keep handling them and they will learn to overcome the fear.

I think I need to reset expectations that they are used to being handled -maybe they were but it doesnt necessarily mean they enjoyed it!

I think Ill continue hand feeding in their cage and on the floor if possible and see how things develop.

Thank you for helping me manage my expectations.
 
fluffysal said:
I used to sit on the floor with a "smelly" blanket on my lap. My boys chose to approach and climb on me. I let them do everything in their own time, the wait makes every little bit of progress seem much more precious in my opinion.
I am not the most experienced but my little lord and his recently passed companion definitely had a bond with me that wasn't just about food and housekeeping. We just got back from holiday and Sir George made it very clear he was pleased to see us even though he was staying with his favourite auntie. View attachment 283182
Click to expand...
They are very cute!
 
They are quirky, delightful little animals. I think if your piggies have been described as friendly, you should be able to get them quite tame in time. Let us know how things are going. Send us some photos, we love piggy spam 🥰
 
Truffolo said:
They are quirky, delightful little animals. I think if your piggies have been described as friendly, you should be able to get them quite tame in time. Let us know how things are going. Send us some photos, we love piggy spam 🥰
Click to expand...
Thank you for the encouragement Truffalo. I did try to attach a short vid but think it must be too large. Daphne took food from me at the side of the cage this evening -my brave girl!
 

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We cannot host video directly on the forum (the forum is run on member contributions and video hosting is costly). You would need to upload to YouTube and then post a link to it here
 
Ramia said:
I have a sack that has a wire rim on the opening.

It's how I always take them out of the cage. I find they just walk right in to their "taxi" at floor time and cage cleaning, and one takes meds.

Sometimes they play catch me if you can.

As prey animals they don't like being picked up by hand.

I let them walk into the sack and place them on my lap for a petting before floor time. They allow petting more because they feel secure

I lure one onto my lap with a treat sometimes and he crawls up there but then jumps down.
Click to expand...
I think i might try this - do they both go in the sack? Mine are currently learning to go their carrier like this. I think a quick stroke before free floor time might be the way to go. Ill soon see if theyre relaxing or on going hate it lol
 
Sequinn said:
I think i might try this - do they both go in the sack? Mine are currently learning to go their carrier like this. I think a quick stroke before free floor time might be the way to go. Ill soon see if theyre relaxing or on going hate it lol
Click to expand...
I do them separately. The dominant first then the submissive.
 
Piggies&buns said:
We cannot host video directly on the forum (the forum is run on member contributions and video hosting is costly). You would need to upload to YouTube and then post a link to it here
Click to expand...
Piggies&Buns may I ask I want to get some c&c grids for floor time to block the pigs going under their cage stand and to facilitate them coming downstairs eventually. I’ve seen you point to songmics but I’m not sure exactly what are you able to provide a link please? Will they self stand if you don’t 100% connect on 4 sides and can you double up to make a larger pen of any shape?
 
The Scottys Animals channel You Tube video can be helpfiul. There is also the Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue channel on You Tube which is fabulous ❤ Oj7BecXQLC8
 
Truffolo said:
The Scottys Animals channel You Tube video can be helpfiul. There is also the Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue channel on You Tube which is fabulous ❤ Oj7BecXQLC8
Click to expand...
If you Google Scotty's Animals you tube C&C cages you should find Scotty's cage building guide ❤️
 
No, they won’t self stand in a single line. They need to either be wedged between other furniture or have grids at the 90 degrees to form a corner

I have loads cable tied together in a long line. This means they concertina and fold up for easy storage. When i need to make a cage I simply attach the two ends with connectors (adding connectors elsewhere also to create rigidity) and you’ve got a pretty instant cage.

This is a link to the kind of grids but do note the ones you have must be 9 hole grids. Anything less and the holes are bigger which then means the piggies can either get through or risk getting their heads stuck in the grids if they try

Amazon.co.uk
 
Piggies&buns said:
No, they won’t self stand in a single line. They need to either be wedged between other furniture or have grids at the 90 degrees to form a corner

I have loads cable tied together in a long line. This means they concertina and fold up for easy storage. When i need to make a cage I simply attach the two ends with connectors (adding connectors elsewhere also to create rigidity) and you’ve got a pretty instant cage.

This is a link to the kind of grids but do note the ones you have must be 9 hole grids. Anything less and the holes are bigger which then means the piggies can either get through or risk getting their heads stuck in the grids if they try

Amazon.co.uk
Click to expand...
 
I was thinking at 90 degrees to form a corner but not completely connected. Like a fire guard

Given all the interior connectors arent needed does this mean this item can form a pen larger than 123cm x 31cm x 123cm? I'm assuming they are easy to fold out and down?

Sorry - not a practical person. I really appreciate your time and advice.
 
Sequinn said:
I was thinking at 90 degrees to form a corner but not completely connected. Like a fire guard

Given all the interior connectors arent needed does this mean this item can form a pen larger than 123cm x 31cm x 123cm? I'm assuming they are easy to fold out and down?

Sorry - not a practical person. I really appreciate your time and advice.
Click to expand...

Yes you can make a fire guard shape to block areas off

You can make a c&c as large as you have space for - simply add as many grids as you need. That’s the beauty of them!

It’s easy to fold if you use cable ties.
There are some pictures at post #4 of this thread which show it
Temporary Housing Solutions?
 
Piggies&buns said:
Yes you can make a fire guard shape to block areas off

You can make a c&c as large as you have space for - simply add as many grids as you need. That’s the beauty of them!

It’s easy to fold if you use cable ties.
There are some pictures at post #4 of this thread which show it
Temporary Housing Solutions?
Click to expand...
Thank you this is really helpful :nod:
 
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