How To Stop Piggies Being So Nervous?

[hollypoppyandrosie]

Hi All,
We picked up our two babies two weeks ago, we bought them from a rescue centre. They seem really really nervous, we speak to them every day and feed them from our hand to try and get them used to us. We have managed to have them out twice indoors. One of them is more than happy to be stroked and picked up. The other seems very very nervous. When we had them out inside she was happily munching away, we came to put them away. One was happy to be picked up and taken back to their hutch. The other stomped her food and made a high pitched squeek when we tried to get near her to pick her up! Does anyone know how we can make them both confident in our company? We have had guinea pigs for years and these are the first pair which are really really nervous!

 

[Hannah Boyd]

hello, lovely to hear you've got new piggies and especially from a rescue! What you are already doing sounds good, it took mine ages to get used to me just feeding veggies by hand and sitting outside their pen. They seem to learn off each other quite a lot so if one is more confident that the other and will be hand fed, the other will learn that she can get food by being confident. I have three which are very tame, and two which are terrified almost all the time! they live apart but they have grass time together and the terrified two are friendliest when in the run with the other 3, they will nervously come and take food because they see the others getting food.

 

[hollypoppyandrosie]

They are completely gorgeous and have had a hard time before we had them. If i keep carrying on with the way i am going do you think that they may start to trust me more? When i open their hutch door now they dont run away like they used to. I want to be able to try and up the amount of time slowly that we have them indoors for so they get used to us. What would you suggest in order to make the transition from their outdoor hutch to their indoor space easier? Someone mentioned a snuggle sack to transport them in?

 

[Wiebke]

Hi All,
We picked up our two babies two weeks ago, we bought them from a rescue centre. They seem really really nervous, we speak to them every day and feed them from our hand to try and get them used to us. We have managed to have them out twice indoors. One of them is more than happy to be stroked and picked up. The other seems very very nervous. When we had them out inside she was happily munching away, we came to put them away. One was happy to be picked up and taken back to their hutch. The other stomped her food and made a high pitched squeek when we tried to get near her to pick her up! Does anyone know how we can make them both confident in our company? We have had guinea pigs for years and these are the first pair which are really really nervous!

Hi and welcome!

Your problems are pretty normal for guinea pigs that have never had much in the way of friendly human interaction or a decent diet. It takes time and patience to work past it, but when they come round and you know for sure that they trust you, there is no greater feeling like that!

Please have a read through the information in this link; we have got lots of tips on how how to settle in, handle and make friends with skittish piggies, as well as understanding how they function and interacting with them in a way that is instinctively accessible for them.
" Starter Kit" Of Information Threads For New Owners

As we have members from all over the world, we would appreciate it if you please added your country, state/province or UK county, so we can always tailor any advice to what applies to you instead of keeping it general. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. Thank you!

 

[span]

You are doing everything right, it just takes time for guineas to get used to you.
When you pick them up, I would suggest encouraging them into a box or tube or something similar and try and bribe them with treats when you have a cuddle. One of my girls will shriek if you corner her, so we pick her up in a tube or a cuddle sack, whichever she runs into first!

 

[hollypoppyandrosie]

Hi and welcome!

Your problems are pretty normal for guinea pigs that have never had much in the way of friendly human interaction or a decent diet. It takes time and patience to work past it, but when they come round and you know for sure that they trust you, there is no greater feeling like that!

Please have a read through the information in this link; we have got lots of tips on how how to settle in, handle and make friends with skittish piggies, as well as understanding how they function and interacting with them in a way that is instinctively accessible for them.
" Starter Kit" Of Information Threads For New Owners

As we have members from all over the world, we would appreciate it if you please added your country, state/province or UK county, so we can always tailor any advice to what applies to you instead of keeping it general. Click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. Thank you!

Thank you for that link i will check it out

 

[lauraboara]

They are completely gorgeous and have had a hard time before we had them. If i keep carrying on with the way i am going do you think that they may start to trust me more? When i open their hutch door now they dont run away like they used to. I want to be able to try and up the amount of time slowly that we have them indoors for so they get used to us. What would you suggest in order to make the transition from their outdoor hutch to their indoor space easier? Someone mentioned a snuggle sack to transport them in?

Hi
Picking them up in a snuggle sack or tube is a really good plan, especially with nervous piggies
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig
This thread shows you some examples and is also in the 'kit' that Wiebke has posted above
Sounds like you are doing the right things and they just need some time to settle - lots of hand feeding bits of veg can really help so they think hands = good!

 

[hollypoppyandrosie]

You are doing everything right, it just takes time for guineas to get used to you.
When you pick them up, I would suggest encouraging them into a box or tube or something similar and try and bribe them with treats when you have a cuddle. One of my girls will shriek if you corner her, so we pick her up in a tube or a cuddle sack, whichever she runs into first!

Hehe, yes she seemed to want to go back to her hutch when we put a tube in, this made it lots easier to pick her up. So maybe that it the way forward with her

 

[artcasper]

I was going to say use a snuggle sack to transport them.. one of mine aged 1 hates being picked up so i try not to stress her out and dont prolong it... when its time to go back they jump into their fleece house.. very cute...

 

[Tigermoth]

Oh good luck! My piggies are from a Cambridgeshire rescue too, I wonder if it was the same one Do you know how old they are? If they have only been with you a couple of weeks but have their whole little lifetime of either no/negative human interaction it will take time to turn it around for them to learn. We've had ours here nearly 3 months and have moved forward so much but it has been a real effort to get where we are. There is still a long way to go though. It's rewarding though, the little victories when something good happens is fab.

 

[hollypoppyandrosie]

We got them from a rescue place in Dunstable Apparently they are 4 - 6 months but they arent sure of their exact age. I think they were rescued from an animal hoarder! I do love piggies, they are such a fabulous pet to have and so so loving! Plus their characters are just amazing!