Help: Exceptionally shy guinea pig

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LisaM

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Hi all,

Yet another socialization question. I adopted a three-months-old silkie or sheltie boar about four weeks ago from someone who had an accidental litter. The Guinea pig was supposed to be a family pet. The cage is in my office where it's quiet, but he can hear the voices and noises of our home. I spend 6 hours a day there minimally, writing and on occasional telephone calls.

The Guinea pig rarely ever comes out of his hidey house, and when he does come out for food, the slightest movement scares him. I have a chair for reading five feet away from the cage. If the guinea pig is outside the hidey house, and I adjust my glasses - tiny movement- he races back in the hidey house with the bedding flying. Btw., I put the cage under my desk to give the guinea pig a greater sense of protection from predators. It's really like a protected den, and yes, we built a cage with storage cubes so it's comfortably large.

I learned everything I could online about taming and bonding, but all the advice is based on feeding guinea pigs by hand - not a chance with this one, or sitting quietly by their cage when they are outside of their hidey. I already sit by his cage, but he rarely comes out.

I had a guinea pig as a kid and I loved him. To me, this isn't even the same species. My childhood guinea pig was tame from the get-go. I feel like we have a piece of furniture that I clean and feed. My kids never developed any interest in him. I want to give up, but I am worried he's going to be passed from home to home.

Two questions: should I take his hidey house so he can see me move around and experience that nothing bad is going to happen? Should I force him to interact? Youtube videos have suggested I should coach him into a hidey or tunnel and then lift the whole thing up for lap time rather than grabbing him. Coaxing wouldn't be possible. Whenever I have to put my hand in the cage to put hay or veggies, he hides or races around frantically.

Any advice that is not standard advice that is available on-line, would be greatly appreciated. I have really read everything and I can't use any of this with this guy because he is even shyer than all the shy guinea pigs described on-line. Thanks.
 
Some piggies just take more time to open up. Penny took 2 months to get used to me while Cocoa took around 5-7 months to finally come around (and we're still working on it!). Do you just have one piggy? If so, getting him a friend would be good. Perhaps that's another reason he's so shy, but I'm not 100% sure. You could also try hand feeding and giving him lap time, that's how I got to bond with Cocoa. Overall, time and patience is key :)
 
Does he have a little companion. He is probably quite depressed and lonely if he doesn’t. Perhaps you could take him boar dating at a rescue so he could choose a friend. A companion would settle him and bring out his personality x
 
Four weeks is not long for a very shy piggy. DO NOT take out his hidey house this is what is making him feel safe in a strange and scary place. Put yourself in his position. He has been torn away from his family he is now on his own in a strange environment with new noises and smells. He doesn't have anybody to speak his own language and he is very frightened. His prey instincts are at an all time high and he is very stressed. Have you covered his cage with a blanket or a towel to make him feel safer. He is coming out for food so that is good.

He is coming out when you are sitting quietly in a chair so he is getting braver. Try sitting nearer the cage every couple of days until you are right next to it. You have to take it at your piggy's pace. It took me a long time to gain my piggies trust. I have had Meg since she was born (shop litter I AM NOT a breeder) she has just turned 3 years old and has been handled every day. She still won't take food out of my hand unless she sees the others first then she wants some (grass is the only exception to this). She is also a nightmare to pick up. The prey instincts in some piggies is higher than others. Patience is the key.
 
Guinea pig need to be kept in pairs, which is probably why he's so quiet! He needs a companion to hang out with, as they're very social creatures.
 
I decided to rip the bandaid off. I took the hidey, and 5 minutes later, after some racing around, I can wave my hand around in my chair, and he's peacefully continuing to munch his veggies. Again, his cage is already enclosed on four sides with the desk providing a roof - just the front is open to my office space. I know that's not how things are done apparently, but if he doesn't get used to people, he'll be passed from home to rescue to home or worst come to worst, discarded in a park. I plan on returning his hidey at some point, but for now, he'll be exposed to movements and sounds until he's not freaked out by them. I also can't imagine that it's a good idea for a guinea pig to spend 24/7 in his hidey for months on end and be afraid of the tiniest movements when in reality there are no dangers here. He's the only pet here. My kids don't frequent the office so it's a quiet and calm space. This is from a different forum: "Having gotten tired of Caramel and Oreo constantly sitting like dead things in their hidey house I removed it and put it in Ruby's cage. i have to say it was the best decision ever! They now run around the cage , will come up to chat with me, take food from my hands are beginning to do tricks. When the stupid pigloo was there all they did was hide in it. They're so much more social and fun to have around now!" This makes so much sense to me.
 
Welcome to the forum.
As others have said he really does need a companion. Guinea pigs are herd animals and need companionship for their emotional well-being.
Hideys are important too, especially for prey animals.
Have a read through the guides for new owners as there is some excellent information on settling shy piggies.
Sorry I can’t link for you - I don’t have the tech skills
 
Thanks:)

He was the only boar that was available in this litter. The family decided to keep his brother. I have heard different things about boars. I have heard of people whose boars don't get along and they have to keep them separately. I might be able to get a boar at a rescue this summer. Where we are now, there are very few guinea pigs available. Right now, there are none.
 
Not all boar pairs don't get along. Yes it can happen, but if matched well (personality wise), they should be fine. I have a pair of boars and they get on well. I've never had to separate them. Boar dating is the best way to get him a companion. Please don't give up on him. Piggies take time to get used to us. Remember they are prey and have that instinct in them.

Do you talk to him at all when going to feed, top up hay etc? And do you take him out the cage at all? You need to for the weekly health check.
 
I struggled to find a boar for my 6 month old boar Ron when his brother passed. I had to travel for over an hour and he picked one at the rescue. They've been together nearly a week now and the change in Ron is unreal! You hear them chatting nearly all day, they zoom, they popcorn at the slightest thing! It'd amazing what the new piggy has done for him! It's like having a playful baby all over again in Ron. Hopefully you'll be able to find him a friend soon and you'll see him blossom too x
 
LisaM said:
Thanks:)

He was the only boar that was available in this litter. The family decided to keep his brother. I have heard different things about boars. I have heard of people whose boars don't get along and they have to keep them separately. I might be able to get a boar at a rescue this summer. Where we are now, there are very few guinea pigs available. Right now, there are none.
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The only acceptable thing you can do if two guinea pigs dont get along, is house them directly next door to one another( cages touching) so they can still "speak" to each other and smell each other.

Your pig will become alot less scared if you introduce another one to him, but bond them properly on a new territory first, before caging them together.

Hope you find him a companion👍
 
I have two boars and they get along great, even though they're currently going through their teenage phase. The thing about having two is that they give each other confidence. The world suddenly becomes less scary when they have a friend. They rely on each other greatly.

And please, please, please give him back his hidey. It's somewhere for him to feel safe and protected on all sides. It's not fair on him to force him to act a certain way or expose him to all these sights and sounds when he has nowhere to retreat to. Guinea pigs are prey animals. Their instincts are to treat everything as if it might eat them, because, in the wild, this is often the case! They can learn that things are not dangerous, but taking away his hide is not the way to do this. It'll likely cause undue stress because he is out in the open. You may think he spends 24/7 in it, but the likelihood of that is very slim. Usually they will venture out when you are not around and they feel safe. My two are very confident but a new, unexpected sound they haven't heard before will have them scattering, because, omg, what was that! They swiftly recover. If I watch a new TV show, for instance, and there's something they haven't heard? Scatter!

Also, I'm sorry if I'm misreading, but if him not being/getting used to people (it's only been 4 weeks and can sometimes take much longer!) is enough for you to think about how "he'll be passed from home to rescue to home or worst come to worst, discarded in a park", I would actually consider whether or not guinea pigs are right for you, and whether it might not be better to hand him to a rescue now. Every guinea pig is different, and sadly some are not as social as others. They aren't instantly these cuddly little creatures. Sometimes they are never that. My guys don't really like being picked up, but that's them, and I accept that. I accept that they might never like to be handled. If this, though, is a a big factor in whether or not you would keep him or pass him on, then, again, I would have to ask if a guinea pig is the right pet.
 
I think besides looking at getting him a friend you just need to persevere and get into routines so he can get used to things. One of my piggies is very timid. It took about two months to get him to take food out of my hand, but the first time he rushed over to the bars to get the food felt so rewarding. I started out holding the veggies out to the entrance of his hidey, dropping after a sec and moving away. then holding it a bit longer each time. Eventually he started taking it from my hand instead of waiting for me to drop it. It took another couple of months to get him comfortable with head-rubs but again so rewarding when he doesn't run away now when he knows that's what I'm going to do and he even popcorns after it lol. I have two piggies though and I think he would be even more timid without his friend. Having a little bit of time each day with no hidey can be helpful, but they can get really stressed out without a proper place to hide and stress can trigger health problems so I wouldn't suggest making it a permanent thing. Good luck!
 
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