How Do I Persuade My Son To Take In A Colleagues Piggies, Rather Than Buying Babies?

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Clarey008

Clarey008

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So I posted on here a few days ago about having more guinea pigs, I have two girls at the moment and would like another couple of sows. Rather than buying, after going on this forum, I have been considering rescue piggies. I mentioned this at work and a colleague said I was welcome to have hers, as her children had lost interest, they are about three years old. However my teenage son had set his heart on having babies as he thinks they will be much easier to tame, as my colleagues guinea pigs have not been handled much. He was also looking forward to having babies as they would be more energetic than our current girlies who are rather sedate. Finally he wanted Abyssinians and obviously we will not have a choice. Has anyone got advice, firstly on how I persuade him and second how to tame guinea pigs that have been rarely handled?
 
Buying is not giving a different piggy a second chance in life, and by buying you are funding more piggies to be bred!

Try feeding veg by hand and talking softly at first, then you can try picking up in a tunnel or cosie when that is successful.
 
Baby piggies grow quite fast and will slow down too! I would give the three year old girls a chance( but that's just me!) as I worry about where they might end up if you don't home them:(. Hand feeding and patience is the best way to get new piggies used to you. Your current two might liven up with new company as stimulation. Try visiting your nearest recommended rescue and see what they have available - most have websites with photos so you can browse first. At the end of the day it will be your joint decision, so good luck in your search.:).
 
No, I agree. If the whole family has got fed up with them and they are not getting any love or attention it is not ideal. I also think it is fate, that just as I was thinking about having more, I find out about these two. I may have to override my son's wishes! Out of interest there must be some breeders that are ok? Otherwise none of us would have any Guinea Pigs at all.
 
Coco and Crunchie came to us as fully grown piggies that had rarely been handled. The were nervous and skittish and when it came to lap time the would just freeze in fear. All it took was some patience. Talking quietly to them all the time got them used to our voices and we spent a lot of time just sitting near them. Having a snack on hand always helped too! Now you can't tell the difference between them and the piggies we have had from babies- they are the tamest, most loving piggies I've ever seen.
 
To be honest it doesn't make a difference on the age of the piggy and taming them, it all comes down to how much they have been handled and how gently they have been handled.
Babies can be more difficult to handle and they are extremely quick and harder to pick up than an adult. The easiest way to pick up a scared piggy is using a snuggle sack or something similar they can hide in and hen pick them up in that, it reduces stress and teaches them you are not going to hurt them as they are pray species and instinct is to run x
 
Thanks BertisKing and Rosie and Bramble. That has reassured me. Everyone else I have spoken to has advised me to get babies but none of those people have actually had Guinea Pigs themselves!
 
Ive rehomed all ages of piggies. The oldies appreciate the life of relaxed luxury for their final home :)
Ellie was 5 when I was given her, she was the last of 4 &the kids had outgrown piggies.
She was the perfect companion for my other old lady who had just lost her sister.
Ellie is now 7 &3/4 she's a little sweetheart, her health isn't as good now as it could be,but she still seems happy :). Minipigs are lovely &high on the ahh factor. But I love my oldies too :luv:
Xx
 
To be honest, wiggly babies can be a lot harder to handle and to tame than adults; the latter at least know when they see a loving home and appreciate it!

You may find these threads here helpful to bring your girls round; teaching them to trust you can be turned into a fascinating journey of discovery and study of behaviour with nearly every day bringing another tiny step forward or little upset.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/how-do-i-settle-shy-new-guinea-pigs.36239/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...stincts-and-speak-piggy-body-language.117031/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/how-to-pick-up-your-guinea-pig.126359/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/guinea-pig-toys.43520/
 
I have nothing further to add, but just want to say well done for giving these girlies another chance. I love older piggies too! X
 
T
Clarey008 said:
Good news! My son has come round to the idea and I have also shown him this thread, so I will speak to my colleague and find out when we can pick them up.
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That's great news! IMO adult pigs are more interesting than baby pigs - you can already see their personality and plus I've had pigs before that seemed truly appreciative of having a new home. It's so rewarding giving an older pig a home and I'm sure some of them realise how lucky they are.
 
Just to update you, picking them up tomorrow very excited. They are both ginger and white and short haired. Makes a change from the ones I have got which are dark grey and white and long haired. So there will be less grooming required of the new girlies, I think two long haired are enough!
 
True, I can't even remember mine being tiny, they always seem to have been this size. Now we just have to work on taming the newbies and finding out if they get on with my girls. I have seen some photos and they did look well cared for but had turned into a chore for the owner.
 
So this is Lily (I was debating changing their names but I have kind of got used to them now) and Daisy is hiding in her tube. I haven't managed to get a photo of Daisy yet as she is more nervous but she is more ginger than Lily. They both seem to be settling in well and haven't stopped munching. However I have some work to do to get them s bit tamer.
 
I love ginger n white piggies! Lovely looking lass. Sure they will get used to you in time, especially as you have other piggies for them to squeak with. :love:
 
Got a photo of both of them now as my son put them out in their run and they ventured out. Feels very strange looking out of the window and seeing ginger piggies instead of black and white ones!
 
Thanks everyone, I must say it has made me realise how tame my other piggies are compared to the newbies. Worlds apart but as they will be kept indoors (apart from when they are out in their run) and with daily handling, hopefully the newbies will get easier to handle.
 
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