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Need help bonding with my guinea pigs.

chelseafila

New Born Pup
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Hello everyone! I'm currently new to the forum with my guineas Hershey and Mini and I need some tips on bonding with my guinea pigs and having lap time and playtime with them. No matter what I do they just don't seem to like me. Just today I took them out for lap time and nothing its like they despise me(unless its dinner time :)) I just need tips on what I can buy and how to get them to like me. Any help is appreciated! <3
 
Welcome to the forum

As prey animals, most guinea pigs don’t like being touched or held. They simply aren’t cuddly creatures. The only time I have physical contact with my two is for their weekly health checks (weighing them, clipping nails etc). They don’t like being picked up and held so we don’t do laptime.
The way I have bonded with my two is to simply sit with them in their shed and offer food to them by hand, chatting to them etc

Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?
 
:yahoo: :wel::yahoo:
Some piggies just don’t like touching and handling, it doesn’t mean they hate you! It can take different amounts of time to bind fully with guinea pigs, and some will just be comfortable with eating from your hand and despise any amount of handling, whereas some will be much more bold.
I don’t take my piggies out of their cage for lap time, they just come out onto my lap if I tempt them with a treat. I also do ‘hand time’ which is the same thing but with my hand. Flossy now climbs up onto my hand when I need to pick them up and Poppy doesn’t mind me stroking her in the cage.
All guinea pigs are different, most HATE handling but some will put up with it :).
Do your guinea pigs eat from your hand yet?
 
:yahoo: :wel::yahoo:
Some piggies just don’t like touching and handling, it doesn’t mean they hate you! It can take different amounts of time to bind fully with guinea pigs, and some will just be comfortable with eating from your hand and despise any amount of handling, whereas some will be much more bold.
I don’t take my piggies out of their cage for lap time, they just come out onto my lap if I tempt them with a treat. I also do ‘hand time’ which is the same thing but with my hand. Flossy now climbs up onto my hand when I need to pick them up and Poppy doesn’t mind me stroking her in the cage.
All guinea pigs are different, most HATE handling but some will put up with it :).
Do your guinea pigs eat from your hand yet?
Yes they do eat from my hand! Lol thats the one thing they are pros at. And thank you sm for the replies
 
If they’re eating from your hand, then they trust you and you have bonded!
 
If they’re eating from your hand, then they trust you and you have bonded!
Omg wait really? Sometimes they climb on top of my hand and each out of the other hand! So basically this means they kind of like me and trust me in a way?
 
Yes they do. Go at their pace and if they don’t like it, don’t force it.:wel: And we’d love to see some photos.
 
That’s great, you’ve bonded with your guinea pigs! 😊
 
Hello everyone! I'm currently new to the forum with my guineas Hershey and Mini and I need some tips on bonding with my guinea pigs and having lap time and playtime with them. No matter what I do they just don't seem to like me. Just today I took them out for lap time and nothing its like they despise me(unless its dinner time :)) I just need tips on what I can buy and how to get them to like me. Any help is appreciated! <3

Hi and welcome!

Please have a read through the guide links in @Piggies&buns post above. You will find them very helpful in understanding where your guinea pigs come from and how you can work around guinea pig prey animal instincts. Please be aware that trust is a root that needs to make deep roots first before it can grow. If you are at the stage where your piggies feel confident enough to tell you when they don't like something, then you have already taken the first big hurdle.

Please also be aware that it is human interest that drives the video and picture selection on social media; it is not guinea pigs that choose what they find cute. Who wants to post about the majority of piggies who at the best want a short cuddle - but that is the reality! The result is a very misleading image and expectations that are rather unrealistic to outright inappropriate. :(

Here is some more information on understanding how guinea pigs that have never had any friendly personal interaction with humans experience their arrival in a pet home and more ways you can make your time with your piggies fun for both sides; especially meal time, which is the fastest way to bond and also to keep the need for treats down. Enrichment is such a vast field on so many levels, and a way you can build up a relationship in which your piggies can give you more freely, being their own selves than you will ever get from human-centric cuddle sessions.

Arrival in a home from the perspective of pet shop guinea pigs
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig Safely

Enrichment Ideas for Guinea Pigs
 
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