Help with my piggy’s

[ClaudiaG]

Hello everyone! I’m new to the forum, came across to it while doing some research for my piggy’s. So I have to 2 male Guinea pigs, phinias & furby, got both of them in January this year so it’s coming up to a year. I feel hopeless with them and I have also thought to rehome them. I can’t seem to tame them, I can’t pick them up because they run away, when I do manage it phinias gets agitated after a while and tends to bite while furby likes being stroked and kept comfortable, but as soon as they are down they’ll run back into the hutch. Also they shed a lot of hair, mainly from phinias, I’ve checked them they haven’t got no visible lumps, also have used anti parasite to make sure they don’t have or catch mites. I can’t hold them for long as I’ll get covered in fur, they currently stay in my balcony because bringing them inside the flat will become too messy. Taking them to vet is so expensive at the moment as they asking for £100 each to do a health check
They will poop everywhere and anywhere every time I clean the cage and Lift the hutch there’s a whole pile and they end up sleeping on, I try my best to keep them clean but it’s such a chore at times..so I feel discouraged, I bought them cuz my little one wanted them but now he’s not even that interested in them as phinias bit him a few months ago
What can I do ? I don’t know if I should separate them as they sometimes annoy each other.

 

[Deleted member 144252]

In my personal experience, I haven't been able to keep male piggies together. But I've heard that it is very possible for two male piggys to get along fine. I think your two bores will eventually sort each other's place out in the pecking order and after that they should be friendly. However, if you notice that they are pulling each others fur out or biting at each others neck and/or back, it is a bad sign and you would need to separate them.
Hope this helps.

 

[weepweeps]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Your piggies sound just like normal piggies to me. They do poop everywhere. Are a bit messy. Don’t like being caught or held. Unfortunately guinea pigs are made out as cuddly pets for children. And they really aren’t. Some do like to be held but that’s the exception not the rule. Children do lose interest in pets very quickly. I did as a child. I think if you are struggling with them the best thing you could do is surrender them to a good rescue who will find them a safe forever home. Please don’t sell them on free sites as you won’t know what sort of home they are going to. I have two boars who get along fine.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum.
I'm sorry you feel discouraged.

What you are describing is entirely normal. Piggies are not cuddly animals, most don’t like being held and handled. They can enjoy a stroke in their cage, some will tolerate being held for a short while, but mostly they are happier just playing together rather than being held. I only handle my two boys for their weekly weight and health checks as they don’t like to be cuddled.
Unfortunately they aren’t really suitable to be childs pet. They can be expensive in vet care.

There are things you can try to communicate with them but they may still never like to be held. One of the first steps in gaining their trust is offering food from your hand. If you can offer food to then from your hand and they will take it, then they do trust you. This step can take a varying amount of time though - weeks, months etc. The most nervous of my two boys took 18 months before he took food from me and stopped running away terrified every time I went near them.
To pick them up, herding them into a carrier is best. Most piggies wont like being picked up as it comes too close to their prey instinct.
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pigs Safely
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips

They do poop a lot and its actually very good as it means they are eating plenty of hay - a piggy who isn’t pooping is unwell. They cant be litter trained so seeing poops everywhere in the cage is what will happen. It is a lot of work in cleaning out and does take quite a bit of time.

Please don’t use preventative anti-parasite treatments on them. Products you can buy from a pet shop aren’t prescription strength so are not strong enough to deal with an active problem - they also won’t stop them from catching mites. Active mite cases need to have a treatment at the correct interval to stop the life cycle of the mite. The once a month preventatives won’t do that. Using them routinely can lead to resistance forming making it much harder to treat an active infestation.
If they are shedding excessively (remembering some shedding is normal), then they do need to see a vet.
Should they ever have an active case of mites, then they do need to see a vet to have prescription strength treatments as part of a course with the correct gap between each dose.
New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

It’s perfectly fine to keep two boars together, but any bond comes down to character compatibility - they will fall out if they do not have compatibility. There are so many of us on here who do have boar pairs - sadly though they have an unfair reputation as being difficult

Showing normal dominance behaviours (chasing, mounting, rumbling) is entirely normal and not annoyance. You do not need to separate for these behaviours. My own boar pair are coming up 4 years old, they love nothing more than rumbling and chasing each other - it’s normal boar behaviour!

Ensuring boars have a lot of space is essential. They are more territorial and require a 180x60cm (6ft x 2ft) hutch on a single level to have enough room. Lack of space can mean they can’t get away from each other so can mean they get wound up more and at worst lack of space can contribute to break a bond.

However, it’s obvious when a bond has broken down - there will most likely be full on, rolling around, blood drawing fights. This sadly requires permanent separation.

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

If they are outside, then do ensure they are kept warm enough using lots of hay, thermal hutch covers and snugglesafe heatpads

If you really don’t feel they are the right pets for you, then surrendering them to a rescue centre for rehoming is best.

Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
Rescue Locator

 

[Tigermoth]

Oh bless you, it sounds like you really aren’t enjoying them at all.

Some of this is about expectations. Imagine if you were at the very bottom of the food chain. If your feet left the ground in nature it was because a predator had picked you up. That is how they feel! They have no idea that you aren’t about to eat them. Jenny is 7.5 (we lost her partner last month) and she still expects that one day we will eat her. We have clearly spent years fattening her up . It takes a lot of effort to teach a pig to tolerate you and some never get there. You need to give them lots of time every day. Try the piggy whispering tips. There are techniques on the forum that show you how best to pick them up to take the trauma out of it there. Timmy would shed a lot. I always put a pad down before I picked him up to catch the mess. A towel would do. Or have a specific piggy jumper that you wear for cuddles. It does seem to go in phases so it could be to do with moulting type seasons too. Mine run and hide in relief very often when they go home too, even if they seem to enjoy the cuddle whilst out.

They are tremendously entertaining to watch when they are younger so having them indoors allows you to enjoy their character and interaction between themselves. When outside your relationship is just about chasing them, holding them and putting them back. You shouldn’t be taking them inside for cuddles if they are outside now as the temperature fluctuations going indoors and out are not suitable.

Poop is part and parcel of piggy ownership. They don’t care about it. I used to but I soon learned to live with it. They are constantly producing it because they have to keep their gut moving to survive.

Defensive biting is unusual. I’d carry on yourself and if your little one comes round then so much the better but don’t push the relationship. My son lost interest years ago. I knew he would so I knew the pigs would always end up being mine when I set out.

Annoying each other is normal. Is your cage big enough? They need lots of room.

If after all of that you decide they aren’t for you then find a proper rescue using the tabs at the top. It’s important to properly rehome them.

Good luck, they can be such a joy but it does take some work.

(I’m a Westcliff High School for Girls, old girl by the way!)

 

[ClaudiaG]

Oh bless you, it sounds like you really aren’t enjoying them at all.

Some of this is about expectations. Imagine if you were at the very bottom of the food chain. If your feet left the ground in nature it was because a predator had picked you up. That is how they feel! They have no idea that you aren’t about to eat them. Jenny is 7.5 (we lost her partner last month) and she still expects that one day we will eat her. We have clearly spent years fattening her up . It takes a lot of effort to teach a pig to tolerate you and some never get there. You need to give them lots of time every day. Try the piggy whispering tips. There are techniques on the forum that show you how best to pick them up to take the trauma out of it there. Timmy would shed a lot. I always put a pad down before I picked him up to catch the mess. A towel would do. Or have a specific piggy jumper that you wear for cuddles. It does seem to go in phases so it could be to do with moulting type seasons too. Mine run and hide in relief very often when they go home too, even if they seem to enjoy the cuddle whilst out.

They are tremendously entertaining to watch when they are younger so having them indoors allows you to enjoy their character and interaction between themselves. When outside your relationship is just about chasing them, holding them and putting them back. You shouldn’t be taking them inside for cuddles if they are outside now as the temperature fluctuations going indoors and out are not suitable.

Poop is part and parcel of piggy ownership. They don’t care about it. I used to but I soon learned to live with it. They are constantly producing it because they have to keep their gut moving to survive.

Defensive biting is unusual. I’d carry on yourself and if your little one comes round then so much the better but don’t push the relationship. My son lost interest years ago. I knew he would so I knew the pigs would always end up being mine when I set out.

Annoying each other is normal. Is your cage big enough? They need lots of room.

If after all of that you decide they aren’t for you then find a proper rescue using the tabs at the top. It’s important to properly rehome them.

Good luck, they can be such a joy but it does take some work.

(I’m a Westcliff High School for Girls, old girl by the way!)

Thank you! It’s not that I’m not enjoying them, i actually love them, obvs coming from being a previous rabbit owner to having piggy’s is completely different ahah! I’ve got a big cage and my balcony is covered I just open the balcony windows to clear the air for them.. westcliff high school just around the corner from me actually!

 

[ClaudiaG]

Welcome to the forum.
I'm sorry you feel discouraged.

What you are describing is entirely normal. Piggies are not cuddly animals, most don’t like being held and handled. They can enjoy a stroke in their cage, some will tolerate being held for a short while, but mostly they are happier just playing together rather than being held. I only handle my two boys for their weekly weight and health checks as they don’t like to be cuddled.
Unfortunately they aren’t really suitable to be childs pet. They can be expensive in vet care.

There are things you can try to communicate with them but they may still never like to be held. One of the first steps in gaining their trust is offering food from your hand. If you can offer food to then from your hand and they will take it, then they do trust you. This step can take a varying amount of time though - weeks, months etc. The most nervous of my two boys took 18 months before he took food from me and stopped running away terrified every time I went near them.
To pick them up, herding them into a carrier is best. Most piggies wont like being picked up as it comes too close to their prey instinct.
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pigs Safely
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips

They do poop a lot and its actually very good as it means they are eating plenty of hay - a piggy who isn’t pooping is unwell. They cant be litter trained so seeing poops everywhere in the cage is what will happen. It is a lot of work in cleaning out and does take quite a bit of time.

Please don’t use preventative anti-parasite treatments on them. Products you can buy from a pet shop aren’t prescription strength so are not strong enough to deal with an active problem - they also won’t stop them from catching mites. Active mite cases need to have a treatment at the correct interval to stop the life cycle of the mite. The once a month preventatives won’t do that. Using them routinely can lead to resistance forming making it much harder to treat an active infestation.
If they are shedding excessively (remembering some shedding is normal), then they do need to see a vet.
Should they ever have an active case of mites, then they do need to see a vet to have prescription strength treatments as part of a course with the correct gap between each dose.
New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

It’s perfectly fine to keep two boars together, but any bond comes down to character compatibility - they will fall out if they do not have compatibility. There are so many of us on here who do have boar pairs - sadly though they have an unfair reputation as being difficult

Showing normal dominance behaviours (chasing, mounting, rumbling) is entirely normal and not annoyance. You do not need to separate for these behaviours. My own boar pair are coming up 4 years old, they love nothing more than rumbling and chasing each other - it’s normal boar behaviour!

Ensuring boars have a lot of space is essential. They are more territorial and require a 180x60cm (6ft x 2ft) hutch on a single level to have enough room. Lack of space can mean they can’t get away from each other so can mean they get wound up more and at worst lack of space can contribute to break a bond.

However, it’s obvious when a bond has broken down - there will most likely be full on, rolling around, blood drawing fights. This sadly requires permanent separation.

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs

If they are outside, then do ensure they are kept warm enough using lots of hay, thermal hutch covers and snugglesafe heatpads

If you really don’t feel they are the right pets for you, then surrendering them to a rescue centre for rehoming is best.

Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
Rescue Locator

Thank youuuu I appreciate all the help!

 

[ClaudiaG]

Thank you to everyone for your help and encouragement!

 

[ClaudiaG]

I’m thinking of buying this hutch for my piggy’s, would you recommend it would be suitable for them?

 

[Piggies&buns]

I’m thinking of buying this hutch for my piggy’s, would you recommend it would be suitable for them?

I’m afraid as you have two boys, this hutch doesn’t look anywhere near big enough. Upper levels don’t count towards the cage size so the hutch needs to meet requirements on the bottom level. For two boys a hutch/cage needs to measure 180x60cm (6x2ft)

I am also a rabbit owner (currently have three rabbits and two piggies) but I do find the piggies are a lot more work than the rabbits (although the space requirements for piggies being dramatically less does make the piggies easier in that respect!)

 

[ClaudiaG]

I’m afraid as you have two boys, this hutch doesn’t look anywhere near big enough. Upper levels don’t count towards the cage size so the hutch needs to meet requirements on the bottom level. For two boys a hutch/cage needs to measure 180x60cm (6x2ft)

I am also a rabbit owner (currently have three rabbits and two piggies) but I do find the piggies are a lot more work than the rabbits (although the space requirements for piggies being dramatically less does make the piggies easier in that respect!)

Yeaa that hutch is about 41”

 

[Piggies&buns]

Yeaa that hutch is about 41”

41 inches is only 104cm so is well below minimum welfare standards anyway so isn’t suitable for any piggies to live in. The smallest a hutch should be for welfare purposes is 48 inches (120cm) but even that is too small for boars

You need a hutch of 72 inches (180cm).

 

[VickiA]

You’ve had great advice above. With boars, you really do need as much floor space as possible and on one level (second levels don’t count when considering the floor space).

There are plenty of guides to help you to build a better bond with the boys. Some piggies are always skittish and difficult to catch and handle whereas others are naturals. You just have to be patient and persist. I have one piggy I absolutely dread trying to catch - she’s like a whirling dervish but we can catch her by ushering her into a house, and once I’ve caught her I can do weight, health checks and nail clipping without too much trauma. There are some excellent piggy whispering tips. I will link the relevant guides for you. Sometimes it’s worth going back to first principles - even for us more experienced owners.

Settling In And Making Friends With Guinea Pigs - A Guide

" Biting" And What You Can Do (Biting, Tweaking, Nibbling and Nipping)