How to let my piggies know I'm not a thread

[carlos'sguinea's]

hello recently iv adopted 2 guinea pigs named yobi and bubba there six months old and their cage is like 3 feet wide and the length of a queen size bed i just got them today and am wondering how to show them I'm not a threat to them i am looking for tips on how to do so.
also they dont make any other noise then week is that good or bad?
please feel free to tell me more tips that were good for you when you first got your piggies.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Welcome to the forum.
it can take many from weeks to months or even years for piggies to settle in. as you’ve only just got them, then leave them alone for a week, cover their cage and do nothing other than feed them and poop pick (slowly so as not to scare them) to give them time to settle into their new home. ensure you put hay in all areas of the cage, near their hidey houses etc so they don’t have to come out to eat if they don’t feel confident enough to. after that sit by their cage and talk to them, offer food from your hand (this can vary in how long it takes then to accept it - one of mine took food from my hand after six weeks but it took the other 18 months to be brave enough). the important thing is to take it at their pace. Don’t look over their cage and always talk to them as you approach - a predator will come up to them silently so if you go to them silent and then suddenly try to touch them then they will be scared and instantly run for cover.
the guides below will help further
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
New Owners' Most Helpful How-To Guides and Information

 

[carlos'sguinea's]

thanks and as i was reading it i was in the cage when i sit down they week and run in circles around me and the smaller piggy tried to mount the bigger one their both males well thats what petsmart said any advise or anser ?

 

[Piggies&buns]

thanks and as i was reading it i was in the cage when i sit down they week and run in circles around me and the smaller piggy tried to mount the bigger one their both males well thats what petsmart said any advise or anser ?

If they are confident to be around you already, then take their lead but generally we advise not handling them or touching them for the first week to give them time to settle in.

Same sex piggies mount each other - it is a dominance behaviour. What you are seeing is normal teenage boar behaviour - they are hormonal plus they are trying to establish a relationship between the two of them. Piggies will always reassert dominance and reestablish their relationship if their environment is changed so this is why you need to keep any territory changes to a minimum. Teen boars need plenty of space, you need to respect their hierarchy and handle the dominant piggy first so as to not cause a problem between them.

However, if they are pet shop piggies, then you must check the sexes of them both yourself. Pet shop missexing is sadly common and you dont want to find yourself in a tricky situation with opposite sex piggies and the risks of pregnancy associated.

I'll add in some further guides below to help you know how to deal with boars but also to help you sex them.

A Comprehensive Guide to Guinea Pig Boars
Dominance Behaviours In Guinea Pigs
Boars: Teenage, Bullying, Fighting, Fall-outs And What Next?

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/illustrated-sexing-guide-for-all-ages.156297/

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

Please take the time to read the very helpful guide links in the previous posts and bookmark our comprehensive New Owners' guide collection, which specifically addresses all the areas we get the most questions and concers from new owners. It has also guides to teach you what is normal and what not in both behaviour, body and weight changes. It is one of the best and most comprehensive information collections around. What you are asking about is a bit too complex to explain in just two short sentences.
Here is the information access link: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
You can access our full and even more extensive information collection via the shortcut on the top bar.

Please always double check the gender of your guinea pigs upon arrival. Our sexing guide helps you to learn to find the hidden areas in an hands-on examination where the gender division is much clearer. Both genders mount as part of dominance behaviour behaviour or when they are in season but mis-sexing is sadly anything but uncommon.
New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites

We would be grateful if you please stopped using upper case titles. We are a lively forum and doing our best to answer any threads as soon as anybody of us is coming on, considering that we are UK based (if with an international membership) and that we are all doing this for free in our free time.