Fred is skittish

[piggyfanatic]

So as the title says, my guinea pig is still so skittish even though I spend a lot of time with him during floor time and I hand feed him and he takes the food from my hand but whenever i try and touch him and approach him, he runs away so i’m not sure what to do.

 

[Wiebke]

So as the title says, my guinea pig is still so skittish even though I spend a lot of time with him during floor time and I hand feed him and he takes the food from my hand but whenever i try and touch him and approach him, he runs away so i’m not sure what to do.

Hi!

It unfortunately comes as a shock to many guinea pig owners that have seen all the videos on social media that what they have seen is not a representation of reality. Guinea pigs - if you allow them to express themselves - are in the majority of cases not naturally born animated cuddly toys. They are prey animals who like to interact with you (especially when food is involved) but they are not cuddly and most will have had enough after a short petting session, thank you very much!

Please take the time to read these guides here for how you can communicate better with your piggy and have lots of fun with them being active. There is a lot more to guinea pigs than sitting on a lap to be stroked. You can have a lot more fun with them if you enter their world instead of expecting them to conform to rather narrow human-centric expectations.
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips
Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs
Arrival in a home from the perspective of pet shop guinea pigs

Is your piggy a single?

 

[Swissgreys]

Also how long have you had, him and does he live with a friend?
Guinea pigs do better with a same species companion, and this will often make them feel braver and has the added bonus of you being able to see them interact in a natural way with their companion.
It is similar to you suddenly being put in a room full of people speaking a foreign language. If you suddenly discover someone who speaks the same language as you, your confidence will automatically increase as you have a friend who really understands you.

But ultimately some piggies never really like being handled and picked up, even after years in a safe and loving home.
It isn't a reflection on you - it is just how some piggies are.

 

[Scooter Pie]

Hey! I have 4 pigs and 3 of them are various degrees of skittish. Only one will let me pet her, and all hate being picked up. My favorite thing to do with them is just sit on the floor next to their cages and watch them and talk to them Ive had the 3 skittish ones all over a year and don't believe they will ever change, and that's ok. The one who does let me pet her has been like that since the day we adopted her.

So you're not doing anything wrong....it's just how they are.

Definitely get them a friend if they don't have one already. Watching pigs interact is the BEST!

 

[Piggies&buns]

I can only agree with everybody else.
ive had my two boys for over three years. They will both take food from me but even that took a while. It took the more confident one six weeks before he would take food from me, but it took the other a year and a half. Now, over three years later, they most definitely trust me and are confident to be around me, but they do not want to be held or be touched. I just sit in their shed with them and chat to them but I only handle them for their weekly weight and health checks

 

[piggyfanatic]

Hi!

It unfortunately comes as a shock to many guinea pig owners that have seen all the videos on social media that what they have seen is not a representation of reality. Guinea pigs - if you allow them to express themselves - are in the majority of cases not naturally born animated cuddly toys. They are prey animals who like to interact with you (especially when food is involved) but they are not cuddly and most will have had enough after a short petting session, thank you very much!

Please take the time to read these guides here for how you can communicate better with your piggy and have lots of fun with them being active. There is a lot more to guinea pigs than sitting on a lap to be stroked. You can have a lot more fun with them if you enter their world instead of expecting them to conform to rather narrow human-centric expectations.
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips
Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs
Arrival in a home from the perspective of pet shop guinea pigs

Is your piggy a single?

Thank you for responding I honestly thought most piggies liked to be handled and thought I was doing something wrong. And no he lives with another piggy named George

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for responding I honestly thought most piggies liked to be handled and thought I was doing something wrong. And no he lives with another piggy named George

You have to be aware that social media, whether it is videos or illness research, is always heavily slanted and should very much be watched with that in mind. Videos are entirely driven by human viewing interest - and who is frankly interested in watching lots of videos of piggies running away, squirming or protesting?

The same goes when it comes to googling illness. What you inevitably get is all the horror stories and the miracle cures but not the vast majority of perfectly normal and totally unexciting cases and recoveries because they are not worth posting about and are usually taken for granted.

By the way, if you are interested in learning more about guinea pigs, you may find our pretty comprehensive New Owners information guides collection interesting and very useful. We have put all the how-to detail and in-depth background information into the guides that we cannot repeat with every post because it would take too much time but it is a great one for bookmarking, browsing, reading and re-reading at need as you will pick up on different things at different stages of experience.
Here is the link: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

You can always access our complete and even larger information resource via the guides shortcut on the top bar.

 

[piggyfanatic]

Also how long have you had, him and does he live with a friend?
Guinea pigs do better with a same species companion, and this will often make them feel braver and has the added bonus of you being able to see them interact in a natural way with their companion.
It is similar to you suddenly being put in a room full of people speaking a foreign language. If you suddenly discover someone who speaks the same language as you, your confidence will automatically increase as you have a friend who really understands you.

But ultimately some piggies never really like being handled and picked up, even after years in a safe and loving home.
It isn't a reflection on you - it is just how some piggies are.

I’ve had him for about 7 months now and he’s he lives with a friend

Also how long have you had, him and does he live with a friend?
Guinea pigs do better with a same species companion, and this will often make them feel braver and has the added bonus of you being able to see them interact in a natural way with their companion.
It is similar to you suddenly being put in a room full of people speaking a foreign language. If you suddenly discover someone who speaks the same language as you, your confidence will automatically increase as you have a friend who really understands you.

But ultimately some piggies never really like being handled and picked up, even after years in a safe and loving home.
It isn't a reflection on you - it is just how some piggies are.

Ive had him for 7 months and yes he lives with a friend