My Pigs Hate Me:(

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Flower~Hazel

Flower~Hazel

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Hi everyone, I'm really sad atm. :(I have two piggies called Hazel and Flower, they are about 4 months old and I bought them from Cadbury garden centre. I have one question and that is why do my guineapigs hate me and why are they absolutely terrified of me? I'll tell you about myself and the pigs to save everyone asking. I'm 15 so obviously I go to school, I attend to my pigs every morning and evening, they live indoors at the moment but have just ordered a £400 omlet hutch for them! I CANT UNDERSTAND WHY THEY DONT LIKE ME :help: I love them to bits and handle them every day but the moment they hear or see me they dart and are terrified. They have never taken anything from my hand either! Am I doing something wrong? If I were to get 2 or 3 more RESCUE Guinea pigs with a really good temperament for them, would that make any difference? Please any advice is helpful. The most important thing is for my pigs to have an amazing life and I don't mind if they don't like being picked up I just don't want then to be terrified of me everytime they see me! I've never even heard them wheek and it makes me so sad to think my presence frightens the life out of them? :help:
 
Aww your piggies do not hate you. They are prey animals so to them we are predators. I have had a piggy for five years and she still runs away when I pick her up. They can learn to like cuddles in time. Have you tried holding them under a fleece? Guinea pigs feel safer when they are hiding. You can slowly try to give them a piece of vegetable. Leave it next to them at first. With time and patience you will bond with them.

Rather then that expensive cage I would build a c and c cage for them. It is much cheaper and you can make it big enough so they will not need floor time.

Getting more piggies will not change them liking handling.
 
I wouldn't worry - my pigs still act like they hate me after 5 months! If you sit next to their cage and chat to them lots, also if you keep yourself busy around their cage so they get used to you being around them. Wait until they're really hungry and then try to hand feed them, especially if you've got their fave veg in hand! It will still take time but they will get there eventually, my boys now sniff my hand everytime I put it in the cage (they soon pull away when they realise I've nothing there!). Finally, if possible prepare their veggies in the same room so they learn the sound of this, I've found since I've started to do this I get to hear my boys wheek as it's the only time they do it!

Good luck, I promise you - you're piggies do not hate you!
 
My piggies hate me too so i feel your pain, these are my first piggies and it really stressed me out at first and took me a while to come to terms with their rejection on a daily basis. But i sit and study on the floor next to their cage and i have my pc in the same room too (which is where i spend most of my time) and this way they have to get used to me typing, singing talking and anything else i do. By sitting right up next to their cage but essentially ignoring them they eventually became brave enough to come out of hiding while i was there but would still run if i looked up at them or moved suddenly. but once they got this brave i then kept veggies handy and fed it to them through the bars of the cage carefully so i didn't make any sudden movements. now ive have trained them using a clicker that they will only get veggies if they make the effort to come and take them from me. also those veggie cages with a bell on (cheap in wilkos) are good if you hang them at the edge of the cage they force the piggies to be there for a while to get their food out and they are less likely to run away. I just basically passively forced them to accept me into their lives as their bearer of food despite this they still run a mile everytime i get home from work! lol
just keep at it you will get there although i think having them indoors most of the time will help you bond with them, those omlet things look awesome but WOAH price! I'm content with my C&C right now :)
 
I bonded with our first piggy over lettuce. I held her and set some romaine on my lap. She sniffed it the first couple times, but wouldn't eat it. After a couple tries she started eating it from my hand, and she's been terribly affectionate ever since. My males still run from us, but it's like the other person said... they're prey animals, so that's their instinct. Don't take it personally. Ours are great once we snatch them up, but we usually have to remove the hidey houses and tunnels in order to grab them! I also read somewhere that you should try to get down on the floor before reaching for them because if you bend at the waist you'll look like a predator swooping in. Remember, piggies have lousy eyesight!
One other thing that helped us was moving the cage from my son's playroom to the living room, so they're always around people. If you keep yours in your room, perhaps your parents will let you move the cage to a common area.
Good luck, and don't give up on them... they probably love you more than you realize! :-)
 
It's a good idea to firstly speak to them softly. Like, maybe talking about your day at school, whilst their cage is fully closed. After a few days of that, keep speaking to them softly, but start feeding some of their food by hand through the cage bars, whilst the cage is still closed. Then after a few days of that, open the cage, tempt the piggies to come over to you and hand feed the piggies and keep speaking to them softly, and slowly start petting them by hand too. Keep doing that for a week, and then you can start to take them out of cage (if they let you. don't chase after them, as this is like a bird trying to chase after them to kill them), but if they are still uncomfortable with that, keep tempting them, petting them, and hand feeding whilst they are in the cage. Once they are comfortable with you doing all of that, take them out of their cage, with slow movements, put them on your lap, keep speaking softly to them, and hand feed them whilst stroking and petting them. (Make sure you are handling your piggie properly, if not, they will think you are the preditor trying to grab and eat them)This slowly introduces you back to them, and basically tells them that you are not predator, you are their friend. :-)

However, what you shouldn't do is:
-Shout when you are near them/to them
-Chase after them when you want them on your lap
-Rush this kind of "introduction"
-Make any fast, sudden movements

Please don't think that they hate you, they are just nervous when you are around, so therefor you should introduce yourself back to them. Maybe it's not even you that they are scared of, they can just be nervous around humans generally. Sometimes you can open the window, so they can get used to the outside-world noises, and get used to them, so they know that they aren't harmful either. A C and C cage is also good, as it is very open, but make sure that they are comfortable with it first, (introduce more and more floor time) because it is very open and they can easily get very terrified and scared.

Hope this helped!

Superpiggies x
 
piggyfan said:
On the web site it says the omlet hutch if 80 cm. That is tiny!
Click to expand...
Yes I know I'm not happy with the size of the actual green thingy but they have an enclosure which is about 20METRES by 20metres so they will have plenty of space to roam and forage and popcorn!
 
Nicola_ said:
I wouldn't worry - my pigs still act like they hate me after 5 months! If you sit next to their cage and chat to them lots, also if you keep yourself busy around their cage so they get used to you being around them. Wait until they're really hungry and then try to hand feed them, especially if you've got their fave veg in hand! It will still take time but they will get there eventually, my boys now sniff my hand everytime I put it in the cage (they soon pull away when they realise I've nothing there!). Finally, if possible prepare their veggies in the same room so they learn the sound of this, I've found since I've started to do this I get to hear my boys wheek as it's the only time they do it!

Good luck, I promise you - you're piggies do not hate you!
Click to expand...
chopping up their veggies in the same room sounds like a good idea and I will be able to try that! I hope that they love me more than I think they do! I love them to bits! Thank you :)
 
TBones said:
My piggies hate me too so i feel your pain, these are my first piggies and it really stressed me out at first and took me a while to come to terms with their rejection on a daily basis. But i sit and study on the floor next to their cage and i have my pc in the same room too (which is where i spend most of my time) and this way they have to get used to me typing, singing talking and anything else i do. By sitting right up next to their cage but essentially ignoring them they eventually became brave enough to come out of hiding while i was there but would still run if i looked up at them or moved suddenly. but once they got this brave i then kept veggies handy and fed it to them through the bars of the cage carefully so i didn't make any sudden movements. now ive have trained them using a clicker that they will only get veggies if they make the effort to come and take them from me. also those veggie cages with a bell on (cheap in wilkos) are good if you hang them at the edge of the cage they force the piggies to be there for a while to get their food out and they are less likely to run away. I just basically passively forced them to accept me into their lives as their bearer of food despite this they still run a mile everytime i get home from work! lol
just keep at it you will get there although i think having them indoors most of the time will help you bond with them, those omlet things look awesome but WOAH price! I'm content with my C&C right now :)
Click to expand...
I have tried pretty much all of that but I will continue to persist! I like c and c cages but from a personal point of view I think guineapigs should live outside like chickens, as they don't live in houses! But I can understand why people keep them in c and c cages. Thank you very much for your advice and I'll try and get a clicker and see if my pigs make any progress with that! :)
 
Pig Fan said:
I bonded with our first piggy over lettuce. I held her and set some romaine on my lap. She sniffed it the first couple times, but wouldn't eat it. After a couple tries she started eating it from my hand, and she's been terribly affectionate ever since. My males still run from us, but it's like the other person said... they're prey animals, so that's their instinct. Don't take it personally. Ours are great once we snatch them up, but we usually have to remove the hidey houses and tunnels in order to grab them! I also read somewhere that you should try to get down on the floor before reaching for them because if you bend at the waist you'll look like a predator swooping in. Remember, piggies have lousy eyesight!
One other thing that helped us was moving the cage from my son's playroom to the living room, so they're always around people. If you keep yours in your room, perhaps your parents will let you move the cage to a common area.
Good luck, and don't give up on them... they probably love you more than you realize! :-)
Click to expand...
I have tried with the veggies and they just won't take it! They are in my bedroom at the moment and will be going into an eglu hutch sometime this week, I think having free run of a 20metre by 20metre enclosure will help them to feel more free and they will be happier because they can forage and stuff! Thank you for your advice and your help, I won't give up:)
 
Superpiggies said:
It's a good idea to firstly speak to them softly. Like, maybe talking about your day at school, whilst their cage is fully closed. After a few days of that, keep speaking to them softly, but start feeding some of their food by hand through the cage bars, whilst the cage is still closed. Then after a few days of that, open the cage, tempt the piggies to come over to you and hand feed the piggies and keep speaking to them softly, and slowly start petting them by hand too. Keep doing that for a week, and then you can start to take them out of cage (if they let you. don't chase after them, as this is like a bird trying to chase after them to kill them), but if they are still uncomfortable with that, keep tempting them, petting them, and hand feeding whilst they are in the cage. Once they are comfortable with you doing all of that, take them out of their cage, with slow movements, put them on your lap, keep speaking softly to them, and hand feed them whilst stroking and petting them. (Make sure you are handling your piggie properly, if not, they will think you are the preditor trying to grab and eat them)This slowly introduces you back to them, and basically tells them that you are not predator, you are their friend. :-)

However, what you shouldn't do is:
-Shout when you are near them/to them
-Chase after them when you want them on your lap
-Rush this kind of "introduction"
-Make any fast, sudden movements

Please don't think that they hate you, they are just nervous when you are around, so therefor you should introduce yourself back to them. Maybe it's not even you that they are scared of, they can just be nervous around humans generally. Sometimes you can open the window, so they can get used to the outside-world noises, and get used to them, so they know that they aren't harmful either. A C and C cage is also good, as it is very open, but make sure that they are comfortable with it first, (introduce more and more floor time) because it is very open and they can easily get very terrified and scared.

Hope this helped!

Superpiggies x
Click to expand...
Wow thank you, I think I am going to start from scratch with the bonding and pretend they are new again, that way I will start with the cage closed like you say and so on. I'll update I this post if I make any progress! Thanks for all your help it's very useful to me:)
 
When I first got my boys, I used to say 'what's this for you' (all in one word, all in a squeaky voice), then pop their bowl of food in the hutch and leave them to it. I would say the same if I was hand feeding them something while they are on my knee. Somewhere along the line I also added a squeaky, excited 'Piggles' in as well. So now, as soon as I say either of those things, I end up with 2 furballs trying to trip me up running around my feet because they know its food time. Then I kneel on the floor and they will both start climbing (front paws only) on to my knee. They are 11 months old now. They will still run away from me if they think there is any risk of pick ups. I will not pick them up when they are eating, if they aren't already on my knee they are left alone (although Barney likes to be stroked while he is eating). I don't want them to associate food with something scary happening.
 
Are you in the UK? If so it may still be a little cold to move them outside yet - especially with all the terrible weather we've been having. If posibble I'd wait until the weather heats up a bit and we're out of the main dangers of this volatile weather.

Also, I've heard that once they're out they pretty much need to stay out as the sudden temperature changes are too much for them.
 
They shouldn't be going out until May time-ish - once the weather has got warmer. And make sure you have adequate provisions for them and a plan in place for next winter.
 
They are just really young and skittish. They will most likely settle down with continued handling after some months. If you put them outside, they wont get as tame as they would be if they stayed inside but obviously thats your decision :)

You do need to wait until Spring to put them outside though - we woke up to a frost this morning and sudden temperature changes from inside a house to outside can cause respiratory problems.

I dont think you need to worry. My 3 boars who are coming up to 7 months old are very skittish and hard to pick up. Boo is the tamest.

My teddy girls who are older girlies are so lovely and tame and cuddly :) But they have been persistently handled over time and are generally more placid characters.

You will get there! Dont give up! x
 
Yeah, they are quite skittish when young, but of course that is normal. :-) But its real important you don't rush it all, if they are very very shy and really scared, you could add on some more days to each part of the process. If nothing happens, don't give up, just keep on continuing with the process. And as the others said, you need to wait until spring until you can take them outside, as guinea pigs can get many health problems due to the weather outside. Keep on going, until you are happy with the progress! Good luck :-)
 
Ellie99 said:
Yes I know I'm not happy with the size of the actual green thingy but they have an enclosure which is about 20METRES by 20metres so they will have plenty of space to roam and forage and popcorn!
Click to expand...
Do they live outside? If they are not in the run the actual hutch is too small for two guinea pigs. I really think you should get a refund. It is a waste of money.
 
I'm sure over time they will get more used to you, maybe when you can sit near them and try hand feeding some veggies to let them bond with you. They won't hate you they wil just be getting used to you :) xx
 
Hi there

I dont want to appear critical, but you may run into problems with that hutch as its very small and two piggies may begin fighting if confined to such a small space. I know you have a large omlet run which is great but when the weather is bad, and at night, you will want to shut the away in the hutch big and it will be too small. The set up is great as a run and hidey house though! If you have another larger (120 cm long as minimum) hutch for them to actually live in.

I looked at the omlet houses for chickens as I am considering keeping some in my garden and was disappointed at how small they were for the money.
 
piggyfan said:
Aww your piggies do not hate you. They are prey animals so to them we are predators....
Click to expand...

Just an add on to the first part of your quote piggyfan - hope you don't mind and also hope it may be beneficial to others too.

As all piggies are prey animals and they see all humans as predators, I think it's really important to understand that they don't hate us, just because they run away from us. It is their instinct to do this - they do it because they are scared that we will catch them and eat them for dinner! It's their way of surviving - as they see it! All prey animals are afraid of predators - they literally fear for their lives. I find it helps if we understand this concept so we can take however long it takes and let them get used to us. They will always be a prey animal, no matter how long we own them for, or how much they get used to us. However we can help them to get over some of their fear - if we are patient, not too loud, don't make sudden movements and reward them often with something they love, which is often food! :)
 
My guinea pig likes me a lot because
1. When I first got him he was not abused in any way.
2. When I decided he should try carrots, I put them in his food bowl where he would eat them.
3. Lots of treats makes guinea pigs greedy, but they become more fond of you (and somewhat protective.)
4. When he broke his paw, I rested him on a blanket when I wanted to take him out.

And helpful tips are:
1. LOTS OF TREATS!
2. Try to find their favorite spot to be rubbed.
3. Make sure they weren't abused before you got them.
4. Try putting them in cardboard houses.

Hope this helps!
 
GuineaPig24 said:
My guinea pig likes me a lot because
1. When I first got him he was not abused in any way.
2. When I decided he should try carrots, I put them in his food bowl where he would eat them.
3. Lots of treats makes guinea pigs greedy, but they become more fond of you (and somewhat protective.)
4. When he broke his paw, I rested him on a blanket when I wanted to take him out.

And helpful tips are:
1. LOTS OF TREATS!
2. Try to find their favorite spot to be rubbed.
3. Make sure they weren't abused before you got them.
4. Try putting them in cardboard houses.

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...
It would be very sad not to get a guinea pig because they were abused. They deserve love too. Yes it will take longer to earn their trust but it is so worth it.
 
If they live outside you can't bring them in and out as they can't cope with the temperature change and I agree that the hutch part is too small and will cause them to fight.Dearer is not always best.There will be times when they need to.be shut in (at night and bad weather).Could you have them inside on that hutch and run then they could have the run of all of it all the time.
 
piggyfan said:
It would be very sad not to get a guinea pig because they were abused. They deserve love too. Yes it will take longer to earn their trust but it is so worth it.
Click to expand...

I wanna get a sad, unhappy little piggy so that Sprite could maybe cheer him up and make him happy. :3
 
I got my girls in November, Spook (the one with the ginger face) has been quite friendly for a while, but still isn't too fond on being picked up, Smaug usually hides when she hears me come in the room, but today let me fuss her whilst sitting in her cage (her not me :D).
I've never had piggy pets before so I'm still learning myself, but it would seem patience is the key. And food. Find something they REALLY like and while they eat it, talk to them. They associate the sound of your voice with tasty food and end up liking you! (Mine enjoy carrots and couch grass rhizomes.)
 
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