I need some real help...

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Goldi

My boyf and I adopted 2 year old guinea pigs just over two weeks ago. I adore them. They are both male and have always been together so are more than happy with each other.

The problem is they are terrified of us. We have got to the point where they will occasionally let us stroke them but they shudder as we do and they will take food from our hands sometimes so it a vast improvement.

We are in the process of making them a nice big run in the garden or living room so they can get out whenever they want (it would be attached to their cage/hutch so they could go inside too when they like). I'm not happy that they sit in their cage til we get home from work and can only then come out and run around which I make sure they do for 30-60mins at least. They enjoy it because they mutter as they walk around but they are so easily bored and after a while just sit and don't move or will hide in a box i've put out for them to play in. I've tried everything to keep them interested and moving. small plastic balls, toilet tubes, cereal boxes, large boxes, shredded paper...

nothing interests them and it makes me sad that they don't seem happy with us.

What am i doing wrong? Am i a bad guinea pig mum? :'(
 
:D Welcome to the forum! :D

You reeeaally dont need to worry...some guinea pigs just dont move very much....if I put mine in the run, they run around, then a couple of them go off into an igloo to hide a couple will jsut sit where they are...another will start tossing toys around they do what makes them happy!

Like people, some of us always need to be doing something and others just like slobbing out n the sofa.

Guinea pigs arent really that active...they are naturally scared and skittish but with time (and it could take months) they become more and more tame...just handling them for a few minutes a day makes the world of difference.

You have only had them 2 weeks, thats nothing! As long as they are eating and drinking there is no need for you to worry!

They sound perfectly normal and you sound like you are doing everything possible to help them settle! :)

Have you posted pigtures of them? :smitten:
 
They certainly eat...!

I am finding out what their favourite foods are and working out their personalities which is lovely and I love listening to them as they explore... its like a running commentry as they wander about!

I have one picture on my computer picture file but I'm a bit of a computer novice so i'm not sure how to present it on the site. They are called Digby and Elmo and as far as I can tell from the time we've had they Elmo is shy but loves to explore. Digby is more of a follower and likes his food and is very nosey (he loves to watch me clean their cage!) and also has a thing for plastic bags which I have to keep away from him!

I just want to make them as deliriously happy as I can. I get worried when others on the site here talk about their piggies being so happy and domesticated and I'd like that with mine. I'd like it so they aren't terrified of us and would actually come to us to get food or to be held. It's lovely to hear about the other piggies but I worry I'm doing something really wrong.

I guess patience is the key. Maybe I am mistaking their quietness for bordem when really they are just adapting to their new lives.

I will persist and see what progress we can make. They are the most gorgeous and funny little creatures ever. :smitten:
 
Sounds like you're doing a really great job! I agree with the advice given! My guinea who just had babies is a lounger, not an explorer, and so is the babies papa. They just sit in their igloo and scury out to get some munchies every once in awhile! 98)

The babies on the other hand, now they are totally different! They hide in the hay, play with their food.. so cute!

O0
 
Hi There :)

There is a thread in the photo gallery which tells you how to post pictures-if you search for it it should be the first on the list.

Don't worry about your piggies-one of mine is very very timid but is slowly coming out of his shell. I just make sure I give him lot's of lap time and plenty of running around. He often looks terrified at first but calms down after a while. I think it just depends on their personalities. Another one of mine is a real porker and runs around for a few minutes then flakes out!

It's taken me years before my oldest boys are completely comfortable with me! And even now they still run and hide if they get spooked. Anyway, hope you have fun getting to know your piggies ;D
 
It sounds like you're doing everything you can to make them happy and comfortable. They will probably be nervous for a while, some guinea pigs can be quite nervous by nature. Carry on doing what you are doing - sit with them every day and talk to them so they get more and more used to you. Try and get them out once a day so they get used to being held and stroked. When you say they shudder when stroked, are they making a sort of purring noise whilst they do this? If so that could be a good sign.

When we give our guinea pigs floor time they walk about for a while and then they often just sit there so that's normal. Like others have said, sometimes they want to chill out, they're not like other rodents who are constantly on the go.

I've had one of my guinea pigs for four years and she is very used to being handled and isn't nervous, although she was when we first got her. We've recently got two more from rescues and both were (and one still is) nervous of being held at the moment. One of them runs every time I put my hand into his cage to stroke him I can barely catch him at the moment! But I know with a bit of TLC he'll be ok. Don't worry, you sound like you really care about your piggies, you'll be fine.
 
I don't think you are doing anything wrong at all!

I got mine about a year ago, and they were new born then.

They still scatter if there is a loud noise, but they definitely don't as much as they used to, and they now usually stand still for me to pick them up -- which they DEFINITELY did not do when they were babies!

My Guineas are complete opposites. One is incredibly active and runs and plays in the run a lot, while the other likes to laze in their little house, or on the edge of the run.

All Guinea Pigs are different, of course, but I think that if you just keep handling them and playing with them, they'll soon learn there is nothing to be scared of!

It sounds like you're doing a marvellous job and caring for them a lot!

=] x
 
i know how you feel, when i adopted my piggies i was worried we werent good enough for them, as they came from a lady who knew a lot about piggies, and had loads of them, and turned her entire garden into a run for then. after all that space and freedom i felt so bad bringing them inside, into a cage.

i thought they would never settle, and for a few weeks they wouldnt even let us touch them, and wouldnt leave the cage (was a pain to clean!) but after a while the settled in, and now they like nothing better than to run around the playpen i set up for them in my room, followed by a nap on my knee.

dont worry, it sounds like you really love them and are trying hard to make them happy, so they will settle soon enough! :)
 
I think your doing great & your piggies have a lovely home with you & your BF , as has already been said they all have their own little ways , I have 4 & all are very different . Abigail has always been happy to sit & have cuddles & is the 1st to come when she sees me nearly climbing out the cage in her eagerness . Fizz her sister an Aby x is a nutter who loves running around & exploring but isn't keen on cuddles. Marvin is a bit like Abigail & is a fairly placid chap who'll happily sit on you knee for ages, & last but not least Colin who loves to jump & climb but is very shy & will hide behind the others when he feels nervous.

i think this is why I'm so besotted with guinea pigs unlike a lot of smaller animals I think they have a lot more character.
 
Well, things are picking up. They are getting a bit more curious which I guess is to do with the fact they are worrying less about their new environment which allows them to explore more.

Also, after reading up some more on them I definitely need to get them a bigger living space. I'm not happy with the size of their cage and I actually think it is making them cross with one another when they do not have the ability to get their own space. So I am now saving up for a cage similar to the one they are in now and we are going to join them. I also need to get a suitable height stand to put them on because I think they feel intimidated when my boyfriend or I walk in the room as we tower above them when their cage is on the floor...


Also, I am doing their run which I am making out of an old chest of drawers. I am dismantling it and arranging it so the pieces slot together without nails etc and so it also has a base so they can be in it inside and outside (I don't want them to be outside and eat tonnes of grass and make themselves ill). I know it sounds very cheap skate method of making a run but I really want them to have a huge amout of space without worrying they will escape. My boyfriends suggestion was to use willow garden edging which is normally used to go around flower beds. It's a good idea as they are a good height but there are gaps which I would worry they would get stuck in and knowing my two they will chew anything made of willow to bits!

So there is much to do... and I'm loving every second! :smitten:
 
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