Help! I’m a new Mum

[Daisy&DelilahsMum]

My dear little Daisy (7 weeks) and half sister Delilah (11 weeks) were adopted by me very recently. I know it is natural for them to be terrified by this giant who feeds, cleans etc for them. I’d really like to get it right. I left them alone for the first 48 hours. Since then, due to an incident, litlle Daisy needed Critical Care which she took very well. However, it took a lot of work to catch her to do this. She is now eating and no longer needs Critical Care. My need to bond with them successfully requires a good bit of learning. Both are still, dare I say, terrified of me and are hard to catch for our daily bonding times. I thought that with persistence and repetition they would gradually get used to the fact I was not harmful to them. I’d like to be more certain that I am doing the right thing by this practise of mine of regular cuddle time at least twice a day. Quiet soothing time with each one wrapped in a soft towel. Today I attempted to offer simple treats, a piece of cos lettuce, a small piece of apple, which I know both of them like a lot. They refused to eat the tasty treats from my hand, yet they lapped up the critical care earlier on in the process. Is there someone who could recommend the best steps for a successful attempted bonding between piggies and PigMum ,please?

 

[aleeza]

I'm not one of the experts here, but from personal experience I wouldn't be holding them so often if I were u before they're comfortable enough to eat from your hand. that's usually the 1st step. once they feel comfortable eating from your hand, then u can move onto holding them but twice a day is a lot to start with.
there are also excellent guides on this forum that can help u. I'm not sure how to post the links, but people will see your post soon a probably post the links for u

 

[aleeza]

also, it's advisable to leave them alone for longer than for 48 hours at first. many experts recommend as long as 2-3 weeks, or until they really seem settled and confident. 48 hours is the absolute minimum

 

[Piggies&buns]

and

Its recommended to let them settle into their new home for a week, feeding and keeping their cage clean (I’m sorry to hear about the accident but I’m glad she is doing better now - handling for that purpose is of course unavoidable). They will also be in a period of establishing their own relationship as a pair in a new environment.
In the following week, you can move on to sitting by their cage and talking to them, offering food from your hand - just generally getting used to your presence. If they take food from your hand while in their cage, then that is a sign they are starting to trust. This can vary in how long it takes to achieve - some weeks, sometimes months. What is important is taking things at their pace - if they arent comfortable being held then I personally don’t feel there is benefit in getting into a regular routine of doing it if they aren’t ready for that.
Of course being used to some handling is important for weekly health and weight checks and in case they need medicating, but some piggies won’t like being cuddled and would rather the odd chin scratch while still in their cage rather than being held.

As prey animals, being picked up can be terrifying for them (it equates to being eaten) and while some will learn to enjoy a cuddle in time, some never will. The best way to pick them up is to herd them into a box or carrier and then pick them up from there. Avoiding chasing them around the cage.

My two certainly varied in how they settled in. For one of mine it was six weeks. He was taking food from my hand and happy with my presence after that time. However, his companion took 18 months to stop running away from me and to finally take food from me for the first time. I took everything at their pace and now four years down the line, they are comfortable with my presence and are always running to the front of the cage to see what I’ve got for them, happy to be around me, but they still do not like being held. They will tolerate a quick daily handling (herding using a carrier) for moving them to and from their play area, a daily visual health check and then weekly, the weight check, more detailed health check and nail clipping but they do not like being held for cuddles so we don’t tend to do that. To interact with them, I sit in their shed with them and they will pop their feet up on my legs etc, to see what I’ve got, don’t mind a little head stroke, but its pretty much as far as it goes.

The guides below help with further information

How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pigs Safely
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips
How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?

 

[Swissgreys]

In my experience it can take months for guinea pigs to settle into a new environment and many will never enjoy being picked up.
Even our cuddliest guinea pigs usually only wanted to be handled a few times a week - certainly not daily!

It is clear you are very caring and committed and I am sure your girls will come around eventually, but they may never love being cuddled. However they are such great pets filled with character that even if they don't turn out to be cuddly, I am sure you will enjoy owning them.

 

[Daisy&DelilahsMum]

Thank you for the valuable information so far. I now know I need to change my modus operandi drastically and will commence today.

 

[Bill & Ted]

Don’t worry they will learn to trust you, start with small steps first like getting them to eat little treats out of your hand while talking quietly to them x

 

[Daisy&DelilahsMum]

and

Its recommended to let them settle into their new home for a week, feeding and keeping their cage clean (I’m sorry to hear about the accident but I’m glad she is doing better now - handling for that purpose is of course unavoidable). They will also be in a period of establishing their own relationship as a pair in a new environment.
In the following week, you can move on to sitting by their cage and talking to them, offering food from your hand - just generally getting used to your presence. If they take food from your hand while in their cage, then that is a sign they are starting to trust. This can vary in how long it takes to achieve - some weeks, sometimes months. What is important is taking things at their pace - if they arent comfortable being held then I personally don’t feel there is benefit in getting into a regular routine of doing it if they aren’t ready for that.
Of course being used to some handling is important for weekly health and weight checks and in case they need medicating, but some piggies won’t like being cuddled and would rather the odd chin scratch while still in their cage rather than being held.

As prey animals, being picked up can be terrifying for them (it equates to being eaten) and while some will learn to enjoy a cuddle in time, some never will. The best way to pick them up is to herd them into a box or carrier and then pick them up from there. Avoiding chasing them around the cage.

My two certainly varied in how they settled in. For one of mine it was six weeks. He was taking food from my hand and happy with my presence after that time. However, his companion took 18 months to stop running away from me and to finally take food from me for the first time. I took everything at their pace and now four years down the line, they are comfortable with my presence and are always running to the front of the cage to see what I’ve got for them, happy to be around me, but they still do not like being held. They will tolerate a quick daily handling (herding using a carrier) for moving them to and from their play area, a daily visual health check and then weekly, the weight check, more detailed health check and nail clipping but they do not like being held for cuddles so we don’t tend to do that. To interact with them, I sit in their shed with them and they will pop their feet up on my legs etc, to see what I’ve got, don’t mind a little head stroke, but its pretty much as far as it goes.

The guides below help with further information

How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pigs Safely
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips
How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?

Thank you. The information and the links are invaluable. I was misunderstanding how to introduce them to their new lives and thought by nurturing them, they would adjust more quickly. That changes from today.

 

[Merab]

Welcome to the forum.
Your piggies sound as if they have landed on their paws with you.

 

[Daisy&DelilahsMum]

Welcome to the forum.
Your piggies sound as if they have landed on their paws with you.

Thank you for the encouragement. Like you I am besotted. Want to do what’s best and get it right.

 

[Daisy&DelilahsMum]

To all of the lovely caring people who replied to me, thank you. This morning, my littlest, Daisy was running zoomies around the cage, then she did some popcorns. I still keep my distance, apart from delivering food and cleaning sessions. Her sister Delilah is still so very nervous, but she did one popcorn and then this afternoon they both did zoomies around the cage, together. Then they stopped abruptly. They are eating well. They don’t like strawberries, they love carrots and Cos lettuce. Delilah loves apple. I started them on Timothy hay, they didn’t particularly go near it. I purchased oaten hay, much softer and greener and they seem to like that. Is oaten hay acceptable? Can anyone comment please. This seems very green and is grown here in Australia and is not dry and spiky like the imported Timothy hay. Once again, thank you.

 

[Piggies&buns]

To all of the lovely caring people who replied to me, thank you. This morning, my littlest, Daisy was running zoomies around the cage, then she did some popcorns. I still keep my distance, apart from delivering food and cleaning sessions. Her sister Delilah is still so very nervous, but she did one popcorn and then this afternoon they both did zoomies around the cage, together. Then they stopped abruptly. They are eating well. They don’t like strawberries, they love carrots and Cos lettuce. Delilah loves apple. I started them on Timothy hay, they didn’t particularly go near it. I purchased oaten hay, much softer and greener and they seem to like that. Is oaten hay acceptable? Can anyone comment please. This seems very green and is grown here in Australia and is not dry and spiky like the imported Timothy hay. Once again, thank you.

That’s really lovely. They will settle in and gain confidence in time. Talk to them as you move around the house, they will get used to you and household noises and realise there’s nothing to be scared of!
Yes it’s fine - any grass hay is fine and needs to be the main part of their diet. Keep apple, carrot and any fruit strictly to one small piece once per week as a treat only. Too much sugar in their diet isn’t healthy