New Member! A Little Help Please Xoxo

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Mrsc1214

Mrsc1214

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I posted this on the introduction page but haven't gotten a response. No biggie :) I'll try here:
:love:Hey all! I'm here from NJ and just joined today.
I have finally gotten myself a gorgeous little Abyssinian guinea pig. He is a gift from my husband :)
When I met him he was extremely docile and let me hold him and kiss him, he kissed me a little and I decided he was the one (I had no intention of bringing one home today! I was just supposed to "look")
Anyway I held him for a bit when I first got home and had no problem<3 since I've put him in his home he's become very skittish. Completely terrified.
Is this normal to go from ok with me at first to terrified? What can I do to help him feel better about everything? I read to leave him alone for the first two days so I'll do that.
Any suggestions would be very helpful.
(Also I know they say to get two, but I'm a work from home And am going to be with him all day)
Thanks a bunch in advance
 
Hello, welcome to the world of piggies. This is an English mainly forum so a lot of members are asleep at this time. I'm a night owl so I'm usually up for another hour.

Guinea pigs are herd animals and supposed to be in pairs. Sadly most shops state this but some don't and the store, or breeder? you got your little piggy from should have told you this.

When they are first taken home guinea pigs are usually very nervous as they are prey animals and also because of the new scents, sounds and location can be scary. A good way to think of it is if you were adopted by some creature that didn't speak your language and you were all alone with no knowledge of what may happen and no friends who are around to be with. I know you say you will be alone with him at all times, but remember, you're an alien to him, something strange and for all he knows, you may try and eat him. It will be terrifying.

In the first few days its wise to leave a guinea pig alone to let him/her get used to the new surroundings, smells, cage etc. After that you can try and hand feed them through the bars and attempt to pick them up and bond with them. They will probably be quite hard to catch at this point, and it can depending on the piggy take many months or even years before they enjoy being picked up.

My best advice is to make sure the cage will be in a room you use a lot so whenever you walk in, just casually talk and he will grow to get used to your voice. When I got my first two guinea pigs, I sat by their cage and just sat their talking to them. I then let myself pretend to fall asleep there so they snuck out and felt brave enough to be by this big scary thing and because I didn't move, they didn't run.

My biggest advice is to get another piggie. This will ensure your piggie feels even braver as he has a friend to be with. I had one piggie who was a complete chicken by himself but he would follow my brave piggy around who would explore. When that piggie died, he returned to being the scared piggy he used to be until I got him a new friend.

Hope this helps somewhat. =) There really is no difference between 1 and 2 piggies other than you benefiting from braver piggies and tons of enjoyment watching them interact and play.
 
Thanks so much! Yeah i thought about getting two but my landlord has a strict policy on the number of pets. Perhaps I shall smuggle in a friend lol
Thank you so much for your help! Hopefully he will feel better about life after a few days. It's been over a decade since my last Piggie so I feel a little lost. I'll try your suggestions :)
 
No problem. I'm happy to help. ^_^

From what I hear about landlords, they are usually very strict on numbers of pets but when it comes to small pets that stay inside cages its a bit easier to get them to submit. Maybe mention to him that they are an animal that 'needs' to be in couples and then if he refuses try and link him to some basic guinea pig care guides to show you are telling the truth and its not an excuse to get two pets.
 
I will definitely try this! Hopefully he's willing to understand. If not though, until I move in the spring, I will take your advice and just keep talking to him. Do you think leaving a shirt with my scent would help anything?( I had to do that with my hedgehog when I first got him. )
 
Mrsc1214 said:
I will definitely try this! Hopefully he's willing to understand. If not though, until I move in the spring, I will take your advice and just keep talking to him. Do you think leaving a shirt with my scent would help anything?( I had to do that with my hedgehog when I first got him. )
Click to expand...

You're welcome. I hope so. =) At least it won't be too long until you move if he does say no. I'm sure your little man will be able to last that long if not.

As for the shirt, I have heard of people doing that so it might? I'm not sure. I'd let someone more experienced answer that question. Oh another bit of advice though, if you want him to feel he has a friend without actually having a real piggie, you could get him a little plushe toy. When I had a baby guinea pig I gave him one so he didn't feel alone.

Posted a photo of it. =)
 

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That's a great idea! I have a guinea pig plush too! How perfect! I actually did this with my dog when I first got him so he didn't feel alone.
I can't wait til "Piggy Smalls (the notorious P.I.G) feels at home <3 his cage is MASSIVE. It was my hedgies old critter nation cage. I made some alterations for Piggy Smalls.
(Before you go to sleep)Here's a pic! That white stuff isn't him it's just nesting stuff I wound up throwing out. I didn't want him to eat it lol)
 

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Awesome thank you so much!
Lol his name make me laugh. I love Biggie Smalls. It only seemed proper
 
Haha I've never named any of my piggies Eminem but I don't think they'd appreciate it. My old Ludwig (avatar) used to run away if I put Eminems songs on. xD

You're welcome. =)

Just a quick question, he does have hay in there right? I can't tell too well. Guinea pigs need nonstop hay 24/7 and veg twice a day.
 
Yup :) he has a metal ball that holds someTimothy hay for him. I hear him munching away and walking around now that it's quiet lol
 
Okay awesome. =)

Yeah you will see him do that a lot and dart inside once he hears you. :)) That's why I talk to them every time I walk in so they hear me coming and when I'm there get used to my voice. A predator isn't going to make tons of noise. ^_^
 
These little guys are so cute! I can't wait til my baby lets me hold him. I'm taking him to the vet this week even though the shop associate said they have the vets look At them you just never know.
 
Yeah thats a very wise thing to do. Guinea pigs are fantastic at hiding their illnesses. I hope you can find a cavy savy yet. =)

One of my boys is going to the vet tomorrow. He just lets me pick him up and he was absolutely terrified of any movement, interaction or people for the first year of his life. It took a long time to get him tame and now he's the tamest out of all of my piggies and lets me do anything with him. He really trusts me. I'm sure yours will one day too. :)
 
I have faith he will! He was super docile when I first held him. It was only After he was in his cage he got a little skittish.
:love::D
Well I'm off to sleep :) been a long day! Be back on tomorrow I'm sure. Again thank you a ton!
 
Congratulations on becoming a new piggie owner. You will soon be obsessed and there is no turning back!

A lot of guinea pigs appear "docile" when you hold them, when in actual fact they are frozen out of fear. They turn skittish in their cage because they have the opportunity to run away from you and hide. Don't worry though, it's completely normal. Since you bought him from a pet store and he is probably quite young, he hasn't had much socialisation and thus is afraid of humans.

I suggest giving him a few days to settle in. Still go about your daily routine with him (feeding, spot cleaning the cage etc) so he can get used to sights and sounds of his new home. However do not attempt to catch or hold him for a few days as this will cause unnecessary stress.

You can begin the taming process by spending a lot of time near the cage (eg. position a chair next to the cage and read a book), by talking to him, and by hand-feeding him some yummy vegetables! He will gradually begin to get used to your presence and will slowly begin to gain trust in you.

Despite the fact that you are still able to be with him often, guinea pigs do still need the company of their own kind. They enjoy having someone to play with and snuggle up to. And it may help him become braver around humans! If you had to venture into a scary new place, you would feel safer with a friend, would you not? I would recommend getting him a friend from a guinea pig rescue, as there are many little piggies out there looking for homes! :)
 
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