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My First Guinea Pig!

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Tinka

Tinka

Junior Guinea Pig
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So I went adopted a darling little piggie today. I had the intention of getting two, but alas she was the only one left sooo.
I named her Tuulikki, and she's an Abyssinian. I love her. I immediately placed her in her cage and she darted straight into her hut and remains there. Now she's like. Frozen. She won't move, at all, and has been this way for a few hours. Should I be worried? Even when gently prodded, she won't move. Is this normal? When should I start hearing some activity?
 
Bless her! She is just really scared being in a new place. You need to leave her be for a couple of days to settle in. You can sit near her and talk gently to her. Make sure she is able to reach her food and water. She will start coming out of her shell once she realises she is safe. Can take quite a while and lots of patience before she starts to trust you. Will be worth it though. Piggies are wonderful creatures. Enjoy!
 
AbiS said:
Bless her! She is just really scared being in a new place. You need to leave her be for a couple of days to settle in. You can sit near her and talk gently to her. Make sure she is able to reach her food and water. She will start coming out of her shell once she realises she is safe. Can take quite a while and lots of patience before she starts to trust you. Will be worth it though. Piggies are wonderful creatures. Enjoy!
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Okay, haha. I was just hoping she's not in shock or something. I scattered some hay inside her hut. At the shelter she was all about being petted. I guess the new environment has her wigged out.
 
Tinka said:
Okay, haha. I was just hoping she's not in shock or something. I scattered some hay inside her hut. At the shelter she was all about being petted. I guess the new environment has her wigged out.
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You could also put some tasty veg and dried food just outside her hut so she can have something tasty to eat - she will probably wait until you are not in the room!
 
Aw bless her x. New smells and things will unsettle her to start with. Give her time, she will gain confidence once she knows her new mum and new routine.
 
AuntyC said:
Aw bless her x. New smells and things will unsettle her to start with. Give her time, she will gain confidence once she knows her new mum and new routine.
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She is doing better. I woke up at like 1 a.m. last night and heard her eating and drinking and walking around. I'm waiting for her to be confident and adjusted before I try and adopting a friend.
 
AbiS said:
You could also put some tasty veg and dried food just outside her hut so she can have something tasty to eat - she will probably wait until you are not in the room!
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You were right (: She came out and ate very very late last night. Drank some too.
 
Aww, poor little thing. She will soon settle in :) I know you want to wait until she is more confident before adopting her a friend, but having a friend there could actually help make her more confident much faster. Pigs in pairs kind of bounce off each other, they help each other to adjust quicker and feel braver quicker when they have a buddy with them.
 
Wiebke said:
Poor thing! it is always so much harder for a single piggy that is not used to human interaction in a new (and potentially hostile) territory.
You may find these tips here helpful:
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/how-do-i-settle-shy-new-guinea-pigs.36239/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...stincts-and-speak-piggy-body-language.117031/

Please keep an eye out for another sow or neutered boar companion for her!
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Maddykins said:
Aww, poor little thing. She will soon settle in :) I know you want to wait until she is more confident before adopting her a friend, but having a friend there could actually help make her more confident much faster. Pigs in pairs kind of bounce off each other, they help each other to adjust quicker and feel braver quicker when they have a buddy with them.
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Thanks! She's really come out of her shell now! She enjoys being pet and will crawl around in my lap and eat from my hand. I think she was handled a lot before I got her cause she's pretty friendly and curious. I really wanna get her a friend, but I'm nervous about quarantine. I don't have another cage to house two separate piggies. :/ I'm afraid if I add another, it may be sick and put Tuulikki in danger. But I also don't want Tuulikki to be bored and lonely for too much longer. I know I will get her a friend soon, though, like within the next few months.
 
Tinka said:
Thanks! She's really come out of her shell now! She enjoys being pet and will crawl around in my lap and eat from my hand. I think she was handled a lot before I got her cause she's pretty friendly and curious. I really wanna get her a friend, but I'm nervous about quarantine. I don't have another cage to house two separate piggies. :/ I'm afraid if I add another, it may be sick and put Tuulikki in danger. But I also don't want Tuulikki to be bored and lonely for too much longer. I know I will get her a friend soon, though, like within the next few months.
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Most of the transmittable diseases show up within two weeks, they are generally mange mites, ringworm or a respiratory infection (gunky eyes, runny nose, crackly breathing and/or loss of appetite are the symptoms for that). We recommend quarantining any guinea pig that comes from a place without one, so you do not have to treat two or more guinea pigs with the same issue, especially if some of your already existing guinea pigs have underlying or ongoing health problems and can be more susceptible. You can make a temporary cage out of a large cardboard box, which you line with plastic (to prevent it from leaking) before you add the bedding on top.
Hopefully, there is another sow coming into your local shelter soon. Ask them to contact you if that is the case or keep an eye out yourself. ;)
 
Wiebke said:
Most of the transmittable diseases show up within two weeks, they are generally mange mites, ringworm or a respiratory infection (gunky eyes, runny nose, crackly breathing and/or loss of appetite are the symptoms for that). We recommend quarantining any guinea pig that comes from a place without one, so you do not have to treat two or more guinea pigs with the same issue, especially if some of your already existing guinea pigs have underlying or ongoing health problems and can be more susceptible. You can make a temporary cage out of a large cardboard box, which you line with plastic (to prevent it from leaking) before you add the bedding on top.
Hopefully, there is another sow coming into your local shelter soon. Ask them to contact you if that is the case or keep an eye out yourself. ;)
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Okay okay, good to know. Yeah I think I'll call the shelter when I'm ready to see if they have anymore, even though when they had that first bunch of guinea pigs, they said they usually didn't get many of them. Poor Tuulikki. I don't want her to be lonely. ): She kinda likes the cat. The cat couldn't care less about her, though.
 
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