How to clean without disturbing new piggies?

Hayley M

Hayley M

New Born Pup
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Hello! I've adopted a mother and daughter pair (first time piggy owner) who are both terrified by the move and wouldn't come out of the little hidey I brought them home in last night - it's a fleecey teepee with two entrances, big enough for both of them. I just set it in their c&c cage and thought they would venture out overnight to eat and drink - there are lots of hidey areas with plenty of hay. But they were still there this morning, not moving... and then I think I did the wrong thing as I forced them out so that I could empty all the poop out of the hidey, and they were so scared. :( I encouraged them into a dark hidey filled with hay, with a blanket draped over so they can feel safe, and left veg just outside it, but my question is now: how can I leave them alone to settle in for several days if they stay in the one spot and do all their peeing and pooping in there? Should I leave them sitting in it or force them out to clean it even though it clearly scares the poor things? Please help - I don't want to make things any more stressful for them, but I don't want them to be sitting in their own waste for days either!
 
They will likely come out when you aren’t there, but probably not for the first 24 hours or so.
Put their hay right next to them so they can eat and not have to come out or venture far if they don’t want to. Ensure hideys aren’t spaced too far apart, nervous piggies won’t like open space so if they can run from one hidey to the other without being exposed too much, then they will feel happier. Also, cover the cage with a blanket as that will also help them feel more secure.
 
Thanks for your quick reply, Piggiesandbuns! Yes, I've done all those things, but what I'm unsure about is the cleaning issue. If they sleep and pee and poop in the same spot, and hide there when I appear, do I push them out to clean it (scaring them all over again!) or leave it uncleaned so as not to stress them? Neither is ideal but just not sure what experienced owners would consider the worse option!
 
Was there poop anywhere else in the cage, or was it only in that one hidey?
When mine were new, I left them for 24 hours and did nothing other than ensure hay was easily available. After 24-48 hours they were feeling brave enough and were coming out so I cleaned everywhere they weren’t and then went back half an hour later to see if i could clean the spot where they had been that I couldn’t clean earlier. I didn’t chase them out, I just worked around them.
So if you only brought them home last night then I personally wouldn’t do anything cleaning wise until they’ve been with you for 24 hours and then see how they are.
 
OK, that sets my mind at rest a bit. There was no poop anywhere except in the hidey this morning. Hopefully they will venture out a bit more today and I'll follow your advice and leave them to it for a while! Thank you so much. Very anxious first time 'mum'! 😅
 
Hayley M said:
OK, that sets my mind at rest a bit. There was no poop anywhere except in the hidey this morning. Hopefully they will venture out a bit more today and I'll follow your advice and leave them to it for a while! Thank you so much. Very anxious first time 'mum'! 😅
Click to expand...

Hi!

Please place a blanket or sheet over the cage and leave them be for the first days. Make sure that you create distinctive calls with a special cadence for routine jobs (feeding, cleaning, picking up, going back etc.) so they can learn what is up.
If necessary, just move the hut they are sitting in most into a clean area of the cage, with the entrance facing them so they can make a dash for it and clean the area they have been sitting in. Keep up a constant flow of quiet chatter - a predator who is making their presence known is not hunting. Use the hut to also park them out of the way when you do a full cage clean. This will make them feel more secure. ;)

Use the tips and information via this link here to settle them in and gradually make friends with them in their own language instead of waiting until they have learned 'human'.
Settling In And Making Friends With Guinea Pigs - A Guide

The link above is just one chapter in our much more comprehensive and very useful New Owners guide collection, whichyou may want to bookmark and use as a resource: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
 
:wel:

I'm a new piggie parent too. Don't worry about the poops for the first 24-48hrs. All I did during this period is cleaned around them, topped up hay and water. Add veggies/pellets.

Covering the cage with a blanket does help. Ive had mine a week today and only just started to leave the blanket off during the day and covering them back up during the night.

Sounds crazy but talking to them helps. Before I walk through the door I always say 'hey piggies!' and when I do something like add pellets/hay or clean or even move to a different part of the cage I tell them exactly what I'm about to do. Quite literally.

Here's an example from this morning: 'I'm going to move now Chunk to fix your bottle as it's about to fall off, so don't freak out. Ok now guys I'm going to put the hay away. It may be a bit loud but that's ok. Ok piggies I'll leave you to it.'

I have a convo with them. I must sound crazy but it helps rather than do everything in silence 😉
 
If people had heard me from outside they’d have thought there’s a child in the house with me...the way I spoke to them was akin to how you’d speak to a baby! And it works. They know what certain words and phrases mean. I feel they’re more intelligent than they’re given credit for.
 
I think George quite enjoys laying in his own wee - he could easily move but he doesn't. But then, he's a boar... :D
 
My guineas are exactly the same. For a week ago last Friday. Took them 2 days to move. Then I had 1 day with some dominance and mounting. And then a few days later it’s like they have been here forever. Darting around cage like mad. Popcorning whenever I put the hay in.

I did start early on the talking to them too. I do say hey piggies in a higher pitches voice too lol! They are already coming over when I talk to them and add food along with wheeking. It’s amazing how fast they come on.
I was paranoid about them drinking early on so put cucumber in with veg. When I went out of home for walks all stuff was hobbled so I knew they were coming out. Just think they prefer to be alone and safe before being brave and exploring.
I hope for you it’s same. 1 week to a wheek or sooner
 
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