Difficulty Bonding/taming

Chloe04

Chloe04

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Jan 14, 2018
Messages
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Location
Staffordshire, UK
Ive had my two piggies since mid January, and although Nancy is definitely coming out of herself and is much more confident with me, Matilda is taking much much longer. Nancy is the more dominant piggy, and she will comfortably come up to my hands and give me a nibble every morning. Matilda won’t come up to me unless I’ve got food, and she always runs away when I come up to the cage. Part of me is thinking that it’s because Matilda was overhandled when I got her (she has incredible markings whereas Nancy is pure black, so everyone but me prefers Matilda) so now she’s afraid of being handled. Anyone have any tips on getting her more confident?
 
You haven't had them for a very long time yet, it is perfectly normal for guinea pigs to take months and even years to get used to you and start trusting you. After all, they are prey animals. I would recommend letting her be and starting with just offering food from hand and doing that for some time. If she accepts it, then that's already a win. Give her time. Some pigs are also naturally more shy and might not ever like handling at all. One of my pigs is naturally really curious and the other one likes to hide away, but that's no problem. You could also try to encourage her during floor time. Offer her some snacks and maybe she will come to you, it probably won't happen right away if she's really skittish. If she does come towards you, then I would not recommend picking her up right away, but rather offering your palm or lap to step on and making the piggy feel like she can walk away whenever she feels uncomfortable.
 
NightTraveller said:
You haven't had them for a very long time yet, it is perfectly normal for guinea pigs to take months and even years to get used to you and start trusting you. After all, they are prey animals. I would recommend letting her be and starting with just offering food from hand and doing that for some time. If she accepts it, then that's already a win. Give her time. Some pigs are also naturally more shy and might not ever like handling at all. One of my pigs is naturally really curious and the other one likes to hide away, but that's no problem. You could also try to encourage her during floor time. Offer her some snacks and maybe she will come to you, it probably won't happen right away if she's really skittish. If she does come towards you, then I would not recommend picking her up right away, but rather offering your palm or lap to step on and making the piggy feel like she can walk away whenever she feels uncomfortable.
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Thank you! She’s been taking food from my hand for about a month, and sometimes she’ll climb on me during floor time (very rarely though). I’ll just give her lots more time and see how she goes - thank you (:
 
RJ004 said:
Thank you! She’s been taking food from my hand for about a month, and sometimes she’ll climb on me during floor time (very rarely though). I’ll just give her lots more time and see how she goes - thank you (:
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What you’ve described is very promising. If she’s eating from your hand and coming up to you in floor time, then things are definitely going in the right direction. Very positive. Just keep on doing what you’re doing and keep up with the bribery.
Piggies’ personalities do vary tremendously. My 2 most confident piggies are the ones who least like to be petted. My 2 shyer piggies are actually easier to handle once you’ve caught them (and you have to be quick!). It just depends on their nature.
 
RJ004 said:
Ive had my two piggies since mid January, and although Nancy is definitely coming out of herself and is much more confident with me, Matilda is taking much much longer. Nancy is the more dominant piggy, and she will comfortably come up to my hands and give me a nibble every morning. Matilda won’t come up to me unless I’ve got food, and she always runs away when I come up to the cage. Part of me is thinking that it’s because Matilda was overhandled when I got her (she has incredible markings whereas Nancy is pure black, so everyone but me prefers Matilda) so now she’s afraid of being handled. Anyone have any tips on getting her more confident?
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Hi! Your piggies sund pretty par for the course. Try some of our piggy whispering tips and read up on guinea pig behaviours, so you make friends with them in ways that they instinctively understand, avoid coming across as a predator and understand their behaviour better. Building up trust with a prey animal that has not had anything in the way of friendly interaction before it is being sold as a pet is a slow and gradual process, but it is worth not to push too hard - you will reap the benefit in the long term!
Please be aware that the majority of piggies are not natural cuddlers; that is a misconception. But you can get a piggy to accept being handled and cared for as long as you tell it that you love it and that you give it the freedom to tell you when it has had enough.

Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig
Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics

More helpful information for new owners on a wide range subjects via this link here: New Owners' Problem Solver And Information Collection
 
Don’t worry.
Some piggies never like being petted - or only on their own terms.
My cute teddy Jemimah hates being petted when she’s out but will deign to put a paw on my lap if there’s food.
I’m not allowed to pet her though until she’s back in the cage.
They all have their own personalities and lots of patience is needed
 
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