How do I get my Guinea Pigs to warm up to me?

[raining.ashes]

I have scoured the internet, and this topic is so controversial! Tons of sites say to wait a while before picking the guinea pigs up, and first let them come to you. Others say that starting to handle them sooner will help get them used to you.

My guineas are 7 months old and 1 month old, and I have had them for exactly one week. They have already begun to eat out of my hand occasionally (sometimes they outright refuse and only eat when I am out of the room, which is difficult because it is my bedroom), but they are both frightened by any attempt at petting. Sometimes, the mom will approach my hand even when it is empty, but the baby is too frightened unless she can clearly smell the food on my hand. I have held them only a few times, for a necessary bath after receiving them from a friend who kept them in a feces infested cage, to clean their cage, and when the mom and daughter kept getting aggravated with each other. Each time I have done so, they go nearly rigid and refuse to eat anything I put in front of them.

Is there anything that I can do to help them get used to me better? Should I pick them up more to get them comfortable with handling or should I work my way up to petting first?

 

[Betsy]

Leave them to get used to their new surroundings. They are prey animals and are running on prey instincts at the moment. They will get used to you. You may find these guides helpful.

Settling In And Making Friends With Guinea Pigs - A Guide

The one on piggy whispering really does work! You may feel ridiculous doing it but if nobody is around to watch, who cares?

You need to put yourself where you piggies are now. They have been moved from the only home they have ever known and put in a strange environment with new smells, had a bath (which they hate but by the sound of it was necessary) and a new HUUUUUUGE giant looking after them. They don't know you aren't going to hurt them, you need to teach them that. It takes time - a lot of time and a lot of patience to get a prey animal to trust you. If you put in the hard work now you will be rewarded in bucket loads later.

I have had mine two years and they trust me implicitly but it has taken a lot of time to get to this stage. They still aren't keen on being picked up mind but once I have picked them up they are fine. Some piggies don't like being handled at all and you have to respect that. Guinea pigs will nip at each other all the time and if one of them sounds like they are being murdered (Meg does all the time!) this is just submission wheaking it is all part of dominance behaviour. Guinea pigs have a strict hierarchy and sometimes the lower ranking pigs need to be put in their place! You gently need to let your piggies know that you are top pig and by following the aforementioned piggy whispering techniques you will be able to tell them in a language they understand that you are not going to hurt them.

Let us know how you get on!

 

[LittleGems]

Leave your pigs alone so they can settle for a few days and after that try hand feeding or stroking ver lightly on the back with one finger while they are still in their cage.

 

[Pigwhisperer]

too.

 

[Tewdric]

Some pigs just aren't 'cuddly' pigs. None of mine really appreciate being cuddled. Obviously they're handled regularly - but none of them enjoy lap time. This doesn't mean they aren't friendly. Brunel, my male pig loves to sit next to you on the sofa with a pile of food and will happily lie against you - but he doesn't like cuddles.

The rest of the herd have followed his lead. Of my 4 piggies I've got three who'll happily come for a chat and to take food..... but none who are cuddley. Young Wellington, the fourth pig in the group is very shy and can quite happily do without her humans..... she much prefers the company of my husband to me (he doesn't do the nasty jobs like toe nails) and it's like she's worked out that there's always enough tasty food on offer so she doesn't have to come and get anything from me.

They're all individuals....... I'd like them to acept me on their terms so I respect their choice not to want cuddles and spend a lot of time chatting to them in a way they enjoy. They love it when we're out gardening, or sitting outside with them - it's like the entire 'herd' is complete when we're around. They'll come for a chat and wiffle then scuttle off on whatever buissness they feel is important.

I feel that as long as they trust me, that they appear happy and that they're healthy I've done my job. I'm sure one day in the hopefully distant future I'll end up with another pig who does enjoy cuddles. Until then I'm happy to let them express their wishes and just enjoy their company.

Give your pigs time and get to know their personalities. YOu'll find they relax and become themselves the longer you're with them.

 

[Wiebke]

I have scoured the internet, and this topic is so controversial! Tons of sites say to wait a while before picking the guinea pigs up, and first let them come to you. Others say that starting to handle them sooner will help get them used to you.

My guineas are 7 months old and 1 month old, and I have had them for exactly one week. They have already begun to eat out of my hand occasionally (sometimes they outright refuse and only eat when I am out of the room, which is difficult because it is my bedroom), but they are both frightened by any attempt at petting. Sometimes, the mom will approach my hand even when it is empty, but the baby is too frightened unless she can clearly smell the food on my hand. I have held them only a few times, for a necessary bath after receiving them from a friend who kept them in a feces infested cage, to clean their cage, and when the mom and daughter kept getting aggravated with each other. Each time I have done so, they go nearly rigid and refuse to eat anything I put in front of them.

Is there anything that I can do to help them get used to me better? Should I pick them up more to get them comfortable with handling or should I work my way up to petting first?

Hi! You will get there more quickly and more sustainably if you respect your guinea pigs' needs and instincts. A lot of online advice is sadly just from the human perspective and for human needs. Trust is a tender plant that needs to make roots first before it can grow and flourish!

Please keep in mind that guinea pigs are prey animals that live in groups; when you buy shop or breeder piggies, they have not had any human interaction before they were ripped from their families, transported to shops and then ripped up again to be thrust into yet another completely different and demanding environment where they are suddenly expected to function as fully socialised pets while for them it is all foreign and potentially hostile territory with lots of smells and noises they are not accustomed to! At the age shop babies are being sold they still rely very much on the guidance and protection of their elders, and they feel inevitably very exposed and lost.

It takes generally several weeks for guinea pigs to fully settle in. Be patient. If you want instant cuddly pets that are used to a home environment and handling, consider adopting from one of our recommended good standard rescues!

Here are things you can do that make more sense when you think about it from a prey animal perspective:
- avoid any predatory behaviours and try not to trigger prey animal instincts. Picking up and cuddling is cutting very close to being caught and played with by a large cat!
- learn to understand their social behaviour and use this to make friends with them in a language that they instinctively understand instead of expecting them to learn human-based communication on top of everything else.
- create a firm daily routine with lots of calls with different melodies so they can learn to anticipate and make sense of what for them is random violence right now.
- use food to make friends with them by entreating them gradually to come and pick up veg from your hands. Piggy guts usually win out eventually, but be patient and only push them as far they will go. If you push too far, give them time to settle down and restart two steps back again next time round. They will trust you more if they feel respected when they reach their limits.
- don't handle them and cuddle any more than necessary until they are taking food from your hands, which means that they have started to trust you and associate your hands with nice things.
- use a pick-up conveyance; that is cutting down on the stress of being chased and grabbed by a predator. Most piggies will never quite like being picked up and they are more likely to relax on your lap when that time comes if their prey instinct is not on high alert.
- Please accept that by far not all piggies love being cuddled. When you give them an honest choice, in fact the majority won't, even if they trust you fully! Most piggies will come to be OK about being cuddled and handled and some will really enjoy it. Be aware that the picture you get from videos doesn't necessarily reflect reality. Once you learn to spot body language, you may find that a number of piggies are actually pretty frightened in a fair number of videos.
- learn to interact with them as a fascinating animal species with a much more complex social interaction than you'd imagine and enter THEIR world. You miss out on so much if you just see them as living cuddly toys and as a reflection of your own human needs.

Please take the time to read these guides here. They contain the specific practical tips you need to achieve the points I have listed above. You will hopefully find them both fascinating and helpful!
How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig

Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
Guinea Pig Facts - A Short Overview

All these guides are part of our new owners' information collection, which addresses the most often encountered and asked about issues as well as helping you to learn what is normal and what not, how to best care and how to spot and prepare for illness: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

 

[raining.ashes]

Hi! You will get there more quickly and more sustainably if your respect your guinea pigs' needs and instincts. A lot of online advice is sadly just from the human perspective and for human needs. Trust is a tender plant that needs to make roots first before it can grow and flourish!

Please keep in mind that guinea pigs are prey animals that live in groups; when you buy shop or breeder piggies, they have not had any human interaction before they were ripped from their families, transported to shops and then ripped up again to be thrust into yet another completely different and demanding environment where they are suddenly expected to function as fully socialised pets while for them it is all foreign and potentially hostile territory with lots of smells and noises they are not accustomed to! At the age shop babies are being sold they still rely very much on the guidance and protection of their elders, and they feel inevitably very exposed and lost.

It takes generally several weeks for guinea pigs to fully settle in. Be patient. If you want instant cuddly pets that are used to a home environment and handling, consider adopting from one of our recommended good standard rescues!

Here are things you can do that make more sense when you think about it from a prey animal perspective:
- avoid any predatory behaviours and try not to trigger prey animal instincts. Picking up and cuddling is cutting very close to being caught and played with by a large cat!
- learn to understand their social behaviour and use this to make friends with them in a language that they instinctively understand instead of expecting them to learn human-based communication on top of everything else.
- create a firm daily routine with lots of calls with different melodies so they can learn to anticipate and make sense of what for them is random violence right now.
- use food to make friends with them by entreating them gradually to come and pick up veg from your hands. Piggy guts usually win out eventually, but be patient and only push them as far they will go. If you push too far, give them time to settle down and restart two steps back again next time round. They will trust you more if they feel respected when they reach their limits.
- don't handle them and cuddle any more than necessary until they are taking food from your hands, which means that they have started to trust you and associate your hands with nice things.
- use a pick-up conveyance; that is cutting down on the stress of being chased and grabbed by a predator. Most piggies will never quite like being picked up and they are more likely to relax on your lap when that time comes.
- Please respect that by far not all piggies love being cuddled. When you give them an honest choice, in fact the majority won't even if they trust you fully. Most piggies will come to be OK about being cuddled and handled and some will really enjoy it. Be aware that the picture you get from videos doesn't necessarily reflect reality. Once you learn to spot body language, you may find that a number of piggies are actually pretty frightened in a fair number of videos.
- learn to interact with them as a fascinating animal species with a much more complex social interaction than you'd imagine and enter THEIR world. You miss out on so much if you just see them as living cuddly toys and as a reflection of your own human needs.

Please take the time to read these guides here. They contain the specific practical tips you need to achieve the points I have listed above. You will hopefully find them actually fascinating and helpful!
How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig

Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
Guinea Pig Facts - A Short Overview

All these guides are part of our new owners' information collection, which addresses the most often encountered and asked about issues as well as helping you to learn what is normal and what not, how to best care and how to spot and prepare for illness: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful

 

[Flutterby]

Can't really add to the excellent advice that has already been given. You just need to give them lots of time, patience and food. Take it at their own pace and they will soon come round!