On Monday we bought two girl guinea pigs from a pet shop. We were advised to leave them settle in to their new outdoor hutch for a couple of days before handling them, which we have. We have been sitting by their hutch talking to them and feeding them veggies through the hutch wire so that they begin to recognise us however we are not sure when to start handling them. We don’t want to leave it too late but also don’t want to scare them. We put a plastic igloo in the top of the hutch which they like to hide under and today, Peach, who is really jumpy and seems really scared, was sitting behind Pumpkin while we were there and chattered her teeth. Could this be because of us or because of Pumpkin?
New owner, need advice about recognising behaviour and building trust with my guinea pigs
- Thread starter mhanna
- Start date
Hi and welcome
Please click on this link to our New Owners guide collection. It has a full section on settling in and making friends with your piggies as well as as information on understanding behaviour. It also contains a thread that explains how arrival in a home looks from the view of barely handled shop and breeder piggies.
In addition, there is information on what to check in new arrivals, how to protect your babies against the extremes of weather (heat stroke in hutches is not at all uncommon as is illness as a result of dampness and temperatures swings from day to day as well as day to night), a minimal cage size guide, comprehensive diet and care information; tips on getting your piggies used to fresh grass and the lawn without risking illness; learning what is normal and what not as well as weight and health monitoring, spotting illness early and when to see a vet. We have included links to recommended vets and good standard rescues for several countries.
There is also a family guide that adresses many of the common problems.
In short, the guide addresses all the issues that we get the most questions and worries about and provides help to get you on a good and sustainable path for the next 5-7 years.
Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
Please make sure that any outdoors hutch is in a safe location out of full sun and harsh weather; that it is protected at night from cold (your babies'immune system is still under construction) and safe from fence climbing foxes as well as mice and rats.
Please also double check the gender and keep an eye out especially for ringworm and respiratory or urinary tract infections, which are very common in outdoors piggies at this time of the year because many people underestimate the difference between warm sunny air and a damp/cold ground and also that the digestive tract needs to be accustomed to fresh grass, especially as the mother will have never seen grass at a commercial mass breeder's.
Please also take the time to read our diet guide. A good diet really influences general health and longevity. Also save up for vet care, which can quickly run into the hundreds of pounds or dollars in an emergency or serious illness on a weekly/monthly basis right from the start. There are no cheap pets, there are only pets that are being sold very cheaply to lure future repeat customers into buying.
I hope that you will find the guide collection both useful and interesting. You can access our full guide collection on a wide range of topics via the guides shortcut on the top bar, but you are always welcome to ask any questions in our various Care sections.
If you can please add your UK county to your details, you would help us enormously as it allows us to tailor any recommendations straight away to what is of most use for the area you are in. We have members and enquiries from all over the world with very different climates, backgrounds, vet and rescue access as well as brand names. Thank you!