need some help please

[mollie79]

hi there peeps i bought two 3month old male guinea pigs 48hrs ago the chap in the pet shop told me to leave them for half hour and then start taming them I'm not sure that I'm helping at all cos every time i go to touch them they both run round there cage how long should i leave them before i attempt to touch them and how long does it take to tame them

 

[mojules]

its probably best to let them come to you in their own time maybe try some bribes with veggies we let ours loose in a room the day we got them and they hurtled around and did come up to us every so often but took them a wee while to let us clap them without running a mile

 

[Gems]

I'm not sure if it was the right thing to do or not but when we got our girls we left them for the first couple of days to get settled in. Guinea pigs in general will always run away from you when you try to pick them up so don't be too concerned about that, we've had Athena for 3 years now and she still runs but is happy enough once we have her out. We had our piggies out every day but some, no matter how hard you try, just do not like to be held, others love it and will happily curl up and go to sleep on you.

I'll just take time for you to get to know them and them to get to know you x

 

[Guinea-pigGaga]

Your new cavies would not have settled within thirty minutes. However, would have required a minimum of twenty-four hours. Regardless, as mentioned above, bonding with your new cavies is done over a period of time. Talking to them regularly, offering treats and letting them approach you are advisable when establishing bonds.

Do not grab them! Employees in my local pet shop are often overheard telling new owners simply to grab the animals. However, you should progress from stroking to handling when you are confident and your cavies are comfortable in your presence.

 

[Wiebke]

I have collected tips on how to settle shy new guinea pigs:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36239

It takes usually about at least two days for new guinea pigs to get their bearings on where they are, and much longer to settle into their new home and cuddles - especially unhandled shop piggies!