I know patience is the key.. But I just want my piggies to love me now!
They've only been with me a couple of weeks, and they are still only babies really, so it's completely understandable that they a still shy around me and hide away. I know everyone is different but I was just wondering how long your piggies took to trust you?
Hi!
Trust is a tender plant that needs to make deep roots before it can grow. If you allow it to make these roots, it will grow faster and higher later on, but can be a matter of weeks or rather months and not one of days.
Please take the time to read these guides here. They discuss how arrival of pet shop piggies looks from the cavy perspective, how guinea pig prey animal instincts function and lists ways how you can best avoid triggering them.
We have also included a course of piggy whispering - using their own body language and interactive social behaviours to make them welcome, invite them into the group you are leading (which takes you out of the 'predator' group) and telling them that you love them in ways they they understand immediately rather than waiting for them figure out 'human'.
All of this will help to speed up the 'trust roots' growing process - the more you understand where your piggies come from and how they see the world, the more you can make them feel at home and help them to learn to understand humans. And that is the soil the roots of trust grow in.
Arrival in a home from the perspective of pet shop guinea pigs
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig Safely
Bonding and Interaction: Illustrated social behaviours and bonding dynamics
Who is the boss - your guinea pig or you?
A firm daily routine with a special call/melody for every action helps them to come to grips with their initially frightening new world faster and to learn to anticipate regular actions like feeding, cleaning, picking up, putting back, grooming etc. Guinea pigs listen more to the melody and the emotion in your voice. Lots of encouragment or showing disappointment in your voice (but NEVER anger!) can also help to give your piggies cues.
But please accept that guinea pigs are NOT naturally born animated cuddly toys; that is sadly a wide-spread and perpetuated misconception by all those people showing off their cuddly piggies online while the majority of piggies who aren't won't feature much; so you do not get a fair representation of reality - which is a common problem with social media.
By far not all piggies like being handled or cuddled although most will come to tolerate it and be relaxed with it - and trust you fully when they are ill.
Guinea Pig Facts - An Overview
Please make sure that you double-check the gender of any newly arrived piggies and be on the lookout for the usual problems that can come with pet shop piggies; the link below also includes information on your customer rights.
Mis-sexing is sadly not at all uncommon and can happen at all levels from the commercial mass breeder to transport to mis-sexing at the shop. This also means that there is a risk that any sow you buy could be potentially pregnant if she has been in the presence of a boar over 3 weeks old when she has been in season from 4 weeks onwards.
I would also strongly urge you to save up for a vet fund right from the start as part of their weekly maintenance. You do not want to have to argue about vet visits for days and see your piggies die from easily treatable illnesses.
What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)
All these guide links are part of our new owners guide collection, which makes a very useful resouce to bookmark as we specifically address all the issues we get the most questions, concerns and calls for help for - and also tackle especially those practical details that most books just gloss over. We also have a number of threads that help you to learn what is normal and what not.
Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
