New guinea pigs
- Thread starter Dorota
- Start date
Nassala
Junior Guinea Pig
Very normal. Please be aware that in the shyest piggies, it could be years before they really accept you. However there are pigs that are naturally friendly who will warm up to you very quickly!
Please read the new owners guides, which I'm sure someone will be kind enough to link for you (my phone will not cooperate) for an idea of how to settle your piggies in and tame them. Leave them alone for a few days to settle in and then try to hand feed them some veggies. Don't worry if it takes weeks or longer for them to trust you enough to take food from your hand, everypig is different and discovering your pig's personality is part of the fun. Realistically with daily handling following the tips given in the guides here you are looking at a few months before they are not scared. It also depends on their age. Babies I've always found very skittish, until they get older and bigger, older pigs learn to trust faster. Again this is dependant on personality. Don't worry if they run away when you try to pick them up, some pigs will always do that
Please read the new owners guides, which I'm sure someone will be kind enough to link for you (my phone will not cooperate) for an idea of how to settle your piggies in and tame them. Leave them alone for a few days to settle in and then try to hand feed them some veggies. Don't worry if it takes weeks or longer for them to trust you enough to take food from your hand, everypig is different and discovering your pig's personality is part of the fun. Realistically with daily handling following the tips given in the guides here you are looking at a few months before they are not scared. It also depends on their age. Babies I've always found very skittish, until they get older and bigger, older pigs learn to trust faster. Again this is dependant on personality. Don't worry if they run away when you try to pick them up, some pigs will always do that
Hi and welcome
Guinea pigs are prey animals. They are not instant animated cuddly toys, especially if they haven't come from a background that involved anything in the way of friendly human interaction or anything in getting them used to the totally foreign and very frightening home environment with lots of strange smells and noises.
Place a towel over the top of cage to allow your piggies to get their bearings, avoid any predatory hunting behaviours and create daily rituals, each with its own melody that allow the guinea pigs to find order in their confusing new world. Make friends through feeding, through assuring them that you are not out to kill them and through inviting them into the group you are leading.
Please take the time to read the guides via this link here; they include settling in tips, information on prey animal instincts and how to work around them, how you can use guinea pig whispering tricks to make friends with your guinea pigs in way that they instinctively understand. It also contains a guide that tells you how arrival and interaction in a home looks from the perspective of the average pet shop guinea pig.
Click here: Settling In And Making Friends With Guinea Pigs - A Guide
These guides are all part of our practical and very helpful New Owners guide collection, which specifically addresses all the areas we get the most questions and concerns about and which you may hopefully find both helpful and interesting.
We cover understanding behaviours, care, diet, housing (including extremes of weather), learning what is normal and what not, how to spot illness early on, how soon to see a vet and recommended vets in several countries. The guide contains also things you need to check and have an eye out for upon arrival as well as your customer rights in case of illness, ringworm, parasites, mis-sexing and unplanned pregnancies. Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
You are welcome to ask any questions you have along