My girls still won't wheek!

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garfieldette

garfieldette

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I've had my 3 new girls for three and a half weeks now and still not a sound. I have heard them clucking to each other but as soon as they know I am around they go silent.

I have tried sitting talking to them quietly (they either hid away till I went or went off upstairs to to the second floor of the hutch away from me), I've sat trying to hand feed them parsley (they only took it if I wasn't looking at them then went off upstairs).

I've tried handling them gently so they know I'm not going to hurt them (they just ran away every time I came in the room becuase they thought I was going to pick them up), I've tried not handling them for a week so they stop being frightened of me picking them up. They won't come out and eat their fresh vedgies till I leave the room.

What am I doing wrong? I've never had this much trouble settling new guinea pigs in before. And I so miss the cry for vedgies. I have even tried playing them the sound of guinea pigs on my computer to see if that sparked a reaction (guess what, they just hid away!)

Does anyone have any words of wisdom?
 
I'm sure it'll happen soon, I had to wait a few weeks as well. First time I heard my girls wheek I was boiling the kettle (I think they associate it with me cooking/ therefore foodtime, as it's the only time I use it). Now they wheek when I blow my nose (I think they're suggesting I sound like a kettle). :p
Good luck.
 
they just need more time. George was so timid when I got him it was about 6 weeks before me or paul dare move when he was out of his house. Everytime we did he'd run off :)) After a while they will start to associate rustling, the sound of the fridge and even the tap with food!

Now in my house you can't eat a packet of crisps in piece! :))
 
they just need more time. George was so timid when I got him it was about 6 weeks before me or paul dare move when he was out of his house. Everytime we did he'd run off :)) After a while they will start to associate rustling, the sound of the fridge and even the tap with food!

Now in my house you can't eat a packet of crisps in piece! :))
 
They will get there eventually. I had a rather stubborn rescue sow who would only talk to the other guineas in the room, but not me. She now sings like a bird. Took her a good few months to talk to me though.
 
I have a pair of girls I got from Preloved about 6 weeks ago, and I had one wheeking at breakfast time on Tuesday, it brought a tear to my eye, she stands at the wire and waits for veggies but as soon as I turn to their hutch she scurries back into their hidey box. She will take green beans through the wire though, so that's an improvement.

Give your girls time they'll soon start singing.rolleyesrolleyesrolleyes
 
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Some guinea pigs tend to be quite a bit longer due to their background.

I always make "tsk tsk tsk" when I'm preparing and bringing food, and new piggies usually latch onto that within 2-3 days and are waiting impatiently!

You could also try and play sound bites to them? That usually gets a reaction.
http://www.jackiesguineapiggies.com/guineapigsounds.html
 
I have one very shy girl too that took weeks to accept veggies from my hand even if she was hiding in a house. She makes noise, finally (after three months), but no proper wheeks. It'll come :)
 
Thanks for your comments. It appears patience is not one of my virtues:-)

I will keep perservering and wait for that magical day.
 
it will come it took oliver about 2 months to settle in now i cant shut him up & jake has trained oliver to do all the shouting xx
 
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