I joined this forum because I have a similar situation as this user and really liked your advice. I would like to know more about leaving the guinea pig alone, to settle in, while still providing daily care. My three are petrified of me and I want to change that. While I understand I need to leave them be for a while how do I maintain their cage (daily) without adding to their stress or handling them? (I currently remove them from their cage and place them in a large playpen in another room while I change out litter boxes, hay, food, and sweep up “messes”. I just want to do things right and a healthy way for them to feel safe around me (and I’m out new living environment)
I Need Help With My Guinea Pigs
- Thread starter KLG0816
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Black piggies
Senior Guinea Pig
Hi and welcome. Saying you have a similar situation to this user, do you mean you have been hurting your piggies to get a reaction or shouting at them?
If not, and you're just asking about general new piggy care, it would be best to start a new thread about your concerns and questions.
Thanks.
It’s kind of both. I’ve had them for a few months but never gave them a chance to settle in. I’ve handled them everyday which I know now I should not have done. I relate to this post because I do admit to shouting, shaking, and holding them tightly to hear them respond (because those are the only noises from them: when they are scared for their lives). Its to the point where I have one that panic squeaks when I reach in to pet her or pick her up (to get her into her playpen or to cuddle her: she is clearly terrified of me and). I don’t want to sound like a monster (because believe me, I feel like one). I notice too that they shed like crazy from the stress I cause them.
I'm really looking to mend this relationship while still caring for their cage appropriately.
Black piggies
Senior Guinea Pig
Well it's great that you want to find a different way to relate to your piggies. Please stop shaking and shouting. Guinea pigs are prey animals and need to hide much of the time. It's a very gentle relationship we have with them, not like say with a puppy, who might give you a lot of continuous attention.
Guinea pigs have very delicate bones, it might be good to have them checked at the vet.
It's early hours here in the UK where the forum staff are mostly based, but you'll get some good advice when they're back on
It is good that you want to try and build a better relationship with your guinea pigs.
Honestly they can be very rewarding and wonderfully entertaining if you offer them the chance to feel safe and allow their personalities to emerge.
In the short term you will need to go back to basics and give them a chance to learn that interacting with you is a positive thing.
Speak gently to them and offer them fresh veg from your hand. Be patient.
You may find these guides helpful too.
How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pigs Safely
Yes, i agree, going back to the beginning and starting again with them is good advice.
it’s also normal for piggies to not want to be touched or picked up. Being picked up to any piggy is very scary - some get used to it, some don’t. My boys have been with me for over three years and they don’t want to be cuddled and held. Therefore the only time I do handle them is for their weekly weight and health checks. To remove them from their hutch for their daily playpen time or for their health checks, I put in a carrier. At first I had to herd them into it but now they recognise it and walk straight in. I can then pick them up from there - they don’t particularly like it, but it is far less stressful than ever trying to touch them or pick them up while they are still in their hutch
if you want to clean their cage without removing them from it, then it’s best to do half the cage at a time. They will move to the other end so you can clean one side and then go to the other and they should move to that other end. The recommended cage size for three piggies is 180x60cm so if you have that size cage, then there should be plenty of space for you to clean around them without needing to go get too close to them
My cage on the main level is not that large. It is 60cm wide but only about 122cm long. I have a second level that provides more. At any given moment at least one of them is chilling up there (I have a hidey log, litter box, hay source, and water bottle up there).
While they can just move to the other side of the cage while I tidy up was what I was asking about. As I enter the room I do speak softly and announce my presence. They don’t always scurry away (which I believe is a positive sign). I just want to also know if I should be “insistent” on them eating from my hand at the moment or if I should just place the vegetables in their cage and step away. I always try to cut the veggies in the room and crinkle the bags so that they associate the sounds and know the food is coming. Just not sure that they realize or care that I play a part in that (so again, should I be actually waiting for them to eat from hand?).
Like I said at first, I have been known to ask for a response from them, and terrified squeaking is pretty much all I’ve gotten. I am trying to be calm around them but it’s like a self fulfilling prophecy where they think I’m mean so I eventually seem to get annoyed and actually get mean. I really hate it and am realizing when I’m triggered. Really trying to move forward here in a positive, healthy, and rewarding way (for all of us).
When my piggies were new, I’d offer food from my hand, give it a few seconds and if they didn’t take it, id put the food down and step back. They would then eat it. Id then gradually increase the amount of time I’d hold it from a few seconds to a minute, then to a minute and a half etc then put it down for them to eat etc. Talking gently to them but never trying to touch them. After six weeks of doing this the bravest piggy took food from me for the first time. The other piggy always held back and would only ever take food once I’d put his piece down and stepped away. It took a year and a half of doing this with him before he finally took food from me for the first time. I never thought he was going to be confident enough but we got there in the end. I don’t offer them food from my hand ever day, mostly i just throw it in but they know me and trust me now and will always take it from my hand when I do go to hand feed them. Patience and calm is the key to gaining their trust but also recognising that they are going to be more comfortable with each other than they might ever be with a person. Some come round to wanting to be around people and even enjoy being handled, others are always going to be more nervous and would rather be watched than touched
I'm afraid upper levels of the cage don’t count towards the cage size. As ground roaming creatures they need their cage size to be big enough on the bottom level and I’m afraid your cage is not. Three piggies need 180x60cm (150x60 is a minimum) on ground level (120x60 is only the welfare minimum size for two piggies)
I'm afraid upper levels of the cage don’t count towards the cage size. As ground roaming creatures they need their cage size to be big enough on the bottom level and I’m afraid your cage is not. Three piggies need 180x60cm (150x60 is a minimum) on ground level (120x60 is only the welfare minimum size for two piggies)
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Julie M
Senior Guinea Pig
I don't mean this in a bad way at all but have you considered that guinea pigs may not be the best pet for you. If you keep getting angry with them its only going to end in tears. Is there anyone you can ask for help with your anger as its not normal to get annoyed and hit/squeeze pets. I really hope you don't take this the wrong way but I'm concerned for both you and the guinea pigs.
Siikibam
Senior Guinea Pig
Along with the advice above, please double check the sex of your piggies to make sure they are all (hopefully) sows. If they are boars, you will have to separate them into a pair and one single. The single can live alongside the pairs.
You are checking for a penis ridge or fleshy seal inside the slit. If you re blue to, post some clear photos and we can help you. However, this doesn’t replace a hands-on check and is a useful ‘skill’.
I think if you can’t provide the space they need you may unfortunately need to reconsider whether they’re the pet for you. You have to factor in vet costs. They are expensive animals.
Illustrated Sexing Guide
You are checking for a penis ridge or fleshy seal inside the slit. If you re blue to, post some clear photos and we can help you. However, this doesn’t replace a hands-on check and is a useful ‘skill’.
I think if you can’t provide the space they need you may unfortunately need to reconsider whether they’re the pet for you. You have to factor in vet costs. They are expensive animals.
Illustrated Sexing Guide
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I will split this thread to a new one tomorrow so you have you own separate thread
I have taken them to a vet for a health check and they are all sows. That was a worry of mine and am relieved they are all the same sex.
I understand your concern and am not taking personally. This is not my first go around with guinea pigs. I had some growing up and in my early twenties (in my thirties now). Just this time I went deep with research and got consumed and caught up in being perfect and thus getting frustrated. I have also ran into unexpected housing instability have been successful in getting us all in a calm and stable space. It is definitely not their fault but I do admit displacing stress from my personal life onto them. I am seeking weekly therapy and have a positive outlook that as things in my environment continues to calm down, I will be better at being in the moment and handling my issues by myself (not on the piggies). (But believe me, I had considered rehoming them. It is not fully off the table and am trying to take it day-to-day and consistently assess the situation - objectively)
Julie M
Senior Guinea Pig
Well done for seeking help. It is a very brave thing to do. Hopefully with the tips about handing and care you will get the girls to become more tame and you will enjoy interacting with them.
I totally will when we bond better. I have a few but they tried loading sideways. My profile picture is a straight shot of all them. I don't need to hear how cute they are because I already know they are perfect! (But compliments are always nice, and so is looking at cute, beautiful piggies!)Hello. When you get the chance, would you like to post some pictures of your piggies so we can all say how cute they look?
I actually got them all at different times so they are in order from left to right as far as age and getting them. I've been on a journey with them: I found myself waiting for an online order from one store and realizing there was a pet store was next door. I went in to get something for my sister's cats and walked right in seeing the cutest piggie I had ever seen. Like it was love at first sight and I just had to have her. I talked it over with my sister (who I was living with) and she didn't say I shouldn't, just that it would solely be on me to take care of her (which I was fine with, I've done it before, AND I was the only one caring for her cats. So animal upkeep wasn't an issue). After about an hour and a half at the store, I decided I was going to adopt her. I ordered a cage online and grabbed immediate needs there (I had a make-shift cage that was small but was super temporary). I also knew that of the four female pigs, I should get another so that they feel safer. Of the other three it really didn't matter at the time which one (because they were all similar and cute in their own ways) and so I got the first one they caught (the black and white one on the left). (ALSO, as I walking to the car with them and the supplies, I got an email from the store that the order I was waiting was not in stock and canceled! So fate, right?!)
I got them home and kept in my shut room until I got their secure cage. Within a few day the big cage was delivered. I had them upstairs in the kitchen area. I noticed the cats were super stalkerish so I set out motion sprayers and put inside-out tape on the cage's lid (which each cat got on once and then got the heck off of when it realized it was sticky). Those detterants worked to keep the cats at a distance.
I got home late one evening after going to a baseball game and I realized one the pigs wasn't acting right (the one I fell for right away). It was late on a Friday and did not know my options. I noticed she wasn't active, at all. I got her out and covered her with a hand towel. I was waking about every two hours to syringe feed her watered down pellets (didn't really know what I was doing or what I should be doing and just acted of instinct). She stayed on my chest the entire time. I was waiting for the pet store to open in the morning (Saturday) and when I was let in and described my night, they took a look at her. (Keep in mind that this was day 9 from my adoption AND I've had guinea pigs in the past and really noticed something was up). They looked her over and didn't notice anything wrong: clear eyes and breath sound and normal heart beat. SOOOOO they told me I had a "lazy" guinea pig and I should keep an eye on her (and that it was Saturday so the soonest a vet could see her was Monday). I took her home and then did more research. I started chatting with an online vet while calling emergency vets (I lived in a rural community litterally at least 40 minutes away from everything). In the meantime, the pig was clearly going downhill fast (like twitching). I found a vet and called the store to tell them I was taking her there. They insisted on me coming back to them (along the way). When I finally got there, she had passed (pretty sure I saw her take her last breath at the stoplight outside the shop). I WAS A CRYING SOBBING MESS!! I was taken to the side by the same lady who said she was "lazy" was the same one who pronounced her dead.
I was heartbroken but now realized while I got her sister to keep her company, now her sister had no one to support her. I asked if any of the other 2 were there and lady said there was one. I went to see which one and low and behold while there was one pig there, it was a totally different one. I took her anyways (and she was also gorgeous). I introduced them and they seemed to get along.
My sister eventually made me rearrange my room in order to get the piggies out of the kitchen because she didn't like how their hay made her house "smell like a farm". I moved them both down to my room, which I honestly loved being closer to them (and they've always had floor time in her office downstairs in a different, secured room). After about a week, one morning I noticed that the remaining "original" baby had eye drainage. I took her to the store and sure enough, they needed to administer a round of antibiotics. I went straight to work after dropping her off. When I got home that evening, the newer guinea pig had drainage as well. At this point, it was too late to get her to the store.
(Remember how I was talking to an online vet for the first one? Well thankfully I got real information on what to do to sustain life). Every four hours that night I administered 10 ml of Oxbow critical care, some mls of straight water, and some pediatric gasx. I kept her alive and got her to the store first thing in the morning. (It was nice that they were together again, though it was nerve wracking for me not to know they were really okay). They were there for 7 days, and I stopped by 3 times to see them over that week (and noticed they responded to my voice). When I went to pick them up, another female piggy caught my eye. I went home with the two and just spent the day/evening watching them and appreciating their lives! I lost track of time and realized it was 2 in the morning. I texted my supervisor, explaining that I would come in later in order to get some sleep (admitting to spending the time with the girls instead of being an adult and using time management skills). She insisted I take the day just to spend with them. (She likes guinea pigs AND I cried to her over the phone for 2 hours and 45 minutes the day the one died. So she knew how much I was attached).
With being off that day, spending time with the two, I kept thinking of the one still at the store. I decided to go and get her. (This is why my cage is small for three, because it was originally planned for 2). (ALSO, while the two were at the shop, I sanitized EVERYTHING in the cage. Ran the fleece liners through a sanitize load followed by a heavy duty cycle, then put all plastics and glass water bottles and houses in the dishwasher, followed by a hand wash of the bottles as well, and threw away everything else and just bought new ones- huts, logs, toys). So I was feeling better that if it were germs from the first one getting stressed and sick, that they were gone!
It's crazy how the first piggy (Solo) was "flat haired" red/brown and white, and her sister (Rapinoe) was Abyssinian black and white. When Solo died and I got Vicki, she was also flat haired like Solo, with black white and brown (tan-brown, lighter than Solo, but still a brown nonetheless). The reason the fourth guinea pig (Patrik) stood out to me in passing is because she was Abyssinian like Rapinoe, tricolored like Vicki, but with Solo's version of brown (red-brown). So it was like she encompassed some of every part of the three before her. Making her the "icing on the cake".
Not sure who all read that but that is my current story of my three. (I was since kicked out of my sisters house. I got school housing but did not have approval for the girls. Getting them approved took 3 weeks. So I would come to my apartment (90 miles daily) and then go back into a house where I was not wanted every evening to feed their veggies, maintain their cage, give them floor time, and cuddle them. It was really stressful and in all the craziness around me that I could not control, is where I started displacing my issues onto them. I got them approved so now they at our new place. I also sought out a private vet for them just to have established care for if they do get sick again. They got their first checkup (and sex confirmation) a week before we got to all move. I know I am NOT doing things perfectly but I am really passionate and trying. Getting a larger cage is on my list, I just have other bills to manage first (hoping by Christmas I will get them their full upgrade). I do really love them and hate myself for being a monster from time to time. That's why I am getting professional help and just trying to take things slow. It's been three days since I stopped reaching for them. I use an over-sized strawberry house to get them from cage to floor time and back to cage. (clean their cage in the meantime). I've been placing my hand in their cage for one minute with veggies before I place them all in a walkaway. Tonight (day three) they all went into the strawberry on their own (either going to floor time or back) AND two of them approached my hand during the first minute. I think I will increase to two minutes next week. After the third week of not reaching for them I would like to take them for lap time, for a minute a piece, and with some veggies and see if we can build off that. Please give me feedback if this sounds appropriate (and if you have made it this far...!)
Julie M
Senior Guinea Pig
It sounds to me as if you are a very Caring owner. You've been through a lot, so no wonder you get stressed out sometimes. Its a good idea to use the strawberry house to transport them between run etc. Hopefully soon they will trust you. My guinea pigs (apart from Snoopy)don't let me pick them up from the cage. I need to usher them into a tunnel etc to pick up. I think you're doing amazing. Keep up the good work.