How To Bond?

[PiggyMama88]

Hi guys! Absolutely new to the site, so if I make a mistake, please bear with me. I have two female piggies. Both are less than a year old, I would say about ten months. I've had them since they were 10 weeks old. Both of them absolutely hate being touched. I tried to pet them, and bond with them when I got them, and they wanted no part of it, and still don't. Any ideas or suggestions of anything I can do? I love them, and want to have more fun with them, but I don't want to stress them out by trying to handle them. All help is appreciated!

 

[Stayc1989]

Hello and welcome to the forum, firstly I would have them checked by a vet as they could have a skin problem like mites/lice that cannot be seen by the naked eye. Which could be making them sensitive to touch.
Guinea pigs are timid creatures and don't automatically like you like puppies and kittens you have to build their trust up slowly. I got my frankie on 27 Dec 2014 and didn't like being touched or picked up until recently, he did have mites though which could explain it but now he likes being held, well he'd rather do his own thing and go exploring but will let me pick him up easily without running for cover now.
I don't think you will stress them out as long as you are careful how you pick them up and hold them close to you when you hold them to make them feel safe. You could try giving them veggies when you have them out so they associate being held with something nice. I'm no expert but I would definitely recommend seeing a vet first before anything else

 

[Wiebke]

Hi guys! Absolutely new to the site, so if I make a mistake, please bear with me. I have two female piggies. Both are less than a year old, I would say about ten months. I've had them since they were 10 weeks old. Both of them absolutely hate being touched. I tried to pet them, and bond with them when I got them, and they wanted no part of it, and still don't. Any ideas or suggestions of anything I can do? I love them, and want to have more fun with them, but I don't want to stress them out by trying to handle them. All help is appreciated!

Hi and welcome!

You may find these guides here helpful (we have put the settling in/human interaction guides in our newbie owner section as it is generally a topic they are most interested in). You can find our guides at the top of our various Care Sections.
These guides here explain to you how guinea pigs work, how you can avoid looking like a predator and use guinea pig body language to build up a relationship in ways that they instinctively understand.
Please be aware that the majority of guinea pigs are not natural cuddlers; that is a widespread misconception. But you can certainly build up friendly interaction, make your piggies come to you and be not frightened about being handled.

How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig
How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language

You also may find the information in this guide bundle helpful and interesting, as it addresses the most often asked for questions by new owners and also points out some important areas that most new owners are not aware of.
New Owners' " How To" Starter Kit

 

[PiggyMama88]

Thanks so much!

 

[PoptartShop]

It definitely takes time & patience. I've had my two girls for about 3 month now, it took weeks for me to be able to pick them up and hold them without them being like WHAT ARE YOU DOING LOL.

The guides above have helped me too, so they definitely will help you. Try hand-feeding and petting them in the cage. Mine do still run away if I make noise or if I approach the cage, but then they are like 'oh, she's not a threat!' and they come out and I am able to pet them. They are prey animals, so it can take awhile for them to gain your trust.