Help with Very shy and nervous guinea pigs

[Jennydaly4]

Hi, I am a New Guinea pig owner. We have two boys who have been with us for 6 days now. I have one boy who is showing signs of getting more confident with coming out of his hiding place when we are near, he has taken food from my hand and my other boy is extremely skittish and rarely comes out of hiding flys at the slightest movement or noise. I left them be for 2/3 days and have been talking to them as often as possible and spot cleaning around them but when I tried to pick up the more confident one up I couldn’t do it as he was petrified. I was wondering if anyone could help answer these questions / offer some advice:

1) is it ok to leave the holding part for a while until I feel they become a bit More settled?
2) if so when do I need to worry about getting them out and into their run or having some daily exercise?
3) I would like to get them checked over by a vet but will need to get them there is that going to massively set me back.

I also get nervous at the thought of picking them up as I’m so worried about doing the wrong thing, is that normal for a new piggie owner.

Thank you so much for your help.

 

[Siikibam]

Hello and welcome to the world of slaves
Your boys are still getting used to their new home. If they hide that is fine, just continue talking to them.

Piggies are prey and that instinct will likely never go away. So, even when they’re comfortable with you after years, they may still run away when you try to pick them up. Below are some threads you may find useful.

How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig Safely

Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips

How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?

Yes, it’s ok to leave the holding for a while. But you’re advised to weigh them every week at the same time. Sometimes that’s the way to detect illness.

Questions 2 & 3 can be answered by the thread on how to pick up piggies.

Good luck and enjoy. PS we like pigtures.

 

[Jennydaly4]

Thank you so much

 

[Lady Kelly]

Hi and welcome to the forum

 

[Pxhione]

Hi, I am a New Guinea pig owner. We have two boys who have been with us for 6 days now. I have one boy who is showing signs of getting more confident with coming out of his hiding place when we are near, he has taken food from my hand and my other boy is extremely skittish and rarely comes out of hiding flys at the slightest movement or noise. I left them be for 2/3 days and have been talking to them as often as possible and spot cleaning around them but when I tried to pick up the more confident one up I couldn’t do it as he was petrified. I was wondering if anyone could help answer these questions / offer some advice:

1) is it ok to leave the holding part for a while until I feel they become a bit More settled?
2) if so when do I need to worry about getting them out and into their run or having some daily exercise?
3) I would like to get them checked over by a vet but will need to get them there is that going to massively set me back.

I also get nervous at the thought of picking them up as I’m so worried about doing the wrong thing, is that normal for a new piggie owner.

Thank you so much for your help.

Hey there! Welcome to the forum.

So where you are right now, as a brand new owner is where I was at the beginning of Febuary this year.
I had the exact same issues with my two girls. One of them was very skittish and the other was more confident.
The first 10 days was very strange in the sense of that they would not come out much, they would run into their homes at the slightest noise and show signs of stress.(the first night they got soaked by their waste as they were so scared )

I felt defeated and sad as I thought it was something I was doing wrong. I took to the forum and everybody was so helpful!

At about the 11 day mark they started Popcorning, zooming and showing signs of happiness without me being in the room. A couple of days later with them getting used to associating me with food, they got crazy happy and have been ever since.

Keep talking to them so they get used to you, it's a really good sign that one of them is eating from your hand already!

As for holding them, please don't be nervous. It's normal to be anxious about this but they will feel uneasy in your arms if you do too. As they are such a skittish animal they will run all over the place when you try to catch them but make sure that when you hold them, you are supporting their whole weight. Have one hand under their feet, hold them close to your chest and the other hand on top of their back so they feel secure and that they can't jump down when they feel scared.
They might make it very difficult and start kicking out and rumbling the first few times... But when they realise you are just giving them love and food..they will love you!

Do you have much lap time with them? We found that helped so well with my girls to get them used to being handled by me and for me to get used to handling them too!

Taming guineas can be a long process but trust me... When it's done it is worth every second.

Let us know how you get on, feel free to have a chat with me about your little ones I'm more than happy to help as I was in your shoes only a month or so ago!

 

[Pxhione]

Also I forgot to mention...
A YouTube called Little Adventures helped me so much with her videos. She answers so many questions and her videos are filled with information...plus her Piggies are so lovely.