New Piggie Owner! some Q's please?

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MummyD

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Hi everyone, :)p
I am a new piggie owner (well my 4 year old thinks they are hers but they are obviously my responsibility! plus I have fallen in love with them lol) and I have a few questions as you lovely lot seem to know what you are talking about here.

I have two boars one Lilac (6 weeks) and one Rex (3 months) they both seem to get on well and have settled in nicely but I am a little uncertain about getting them used to being handled and getting them used to us. I have just been picking them up and placing them on daughters lap (with towel) and they did sit nicely for the first few days, now they seem to have 'found their feet' and are resisting being picked up (very skittish) and are being very fidgety when on daughters lap (the Rex aka Sunshine especially).
As I am new to this and the lady who sold them to me we very confident handling them I just assumed it would be straight forward but it I am getting a bit cautious about trying to pick them up and upsetting them now :( I have taken them out of the cage every day to try and get them used to us but it seems to be getting worse rather than better.... is this normal?

I will mention that they are indoor piggies and in the corner of the living room in a Nero 3 cage, with two seperate log homes and plenty of food, hay, water and tomatoes (they LOVE them!) and have actually dealt with the noise etc very well, I was very catious to make sure my girls know not to upset them and use quiet voices near the cage but I have watched them and even if my little daughter (2 years) makes a loud noise they will sleep through it.

What can I do to get these piggies to like us more? I know it will take time and patience but I want it to be the right way of going about it if possible?

Thanks for your time :) x
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. Guinea pigs are prey animals and naturally very shy and nervous. It takes a lot of time and patience to get them to know you. You are doing the right thing by picking them up everyday as this will help them get used to you. You can try offering them a piece of vegetable while they are on your lap so they know being with you is something nice. All you can do is be patient,hold them everyday and speak softly to them. I have had Peronel for four years and she stills runs away when I try to pick her up even though she enjoys cuddles!
 
Hi and welcome!

Your boys behaviour is totally normal for piggies gaining their confidence in their new home. The majority of guinea pigs don't like being picked up; it cuts too close to their prey animal instincts, but most are perfectly happy to be cuddled once they get used to it.

You can bypass this problem by training your piggies to come into some kind of conveyance, like a tunnel (cardboard or fleece), a cuddle bag or cosy (which several forum members make in aid of rescues), a padded show box with one short end cut off, an upturned pigloo etc. I am currently using a woven oval waistpaper basket with an old bathroom mat lining as a walk in shuttle, but then I have 16 piggies to shift to the lawn and back! Place a small bit of veg or grass at the back to entice the piggies in. Start lifting them up once they are happy and comfy with their shuttle and have ideally had a nap in there.

Please be aware that your boys will grow quickly and will need more space, latest when they hit the big hormones between 4-14 months old and are all of a sudden no longer happy little fluffballs. The minimum space recommendation by the RSPCA is 2x4 ft, but we'd prefer boars to have a minimum of 2x5 ft space, so they can really get away from others if necessary. Lack of space is a major trigger for bloody fights and permanent fall outs. If you wish, you can always get the low down on the latest cage deals in our housing section.
You may find our boar guide helpful:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=76162
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=28949
 
Thank you Piggyfan! I am a big wimp when it comes to animal bites/stings I have a stupid irrational fear, and I know they don't bite very often I just wanted to make sure I don't upset them (and get bitten!) I am going to keep on picking them up and giving them a bit more free time, I just need to piggie proof the living room so they don't hide under cabinets or sofa when wandering around lol.

I just gave them fresh water (was half empty) and Sunshine is wheaking like crazy! haha I thought it was a distressed sound but seems like it's a happy sound then..... funny things!
Anything else you think I might be missing I'd be grateful of the hints/tips :)
 
Thanks Wiebke. That may be a problem then, sigh. Can't keep them outdoors as have a family of foxes living in the next garden and only have room for the cage they are in. I did check with the lady I got them from and the local pet rescue and they both recommended this cage! also I asked about males fighting and was told if they are introduced young then they wouldn't fight! (unless females are near, but there aren't). The cage is no smaller than a normal outdoor hutch size and they will be getting plenty of time on the grass in a run.
Typical that something like that should come up :(

I'll have to have a think then.
Thanks x
 
Some piggies will at some stage try to tweak your finger, sometimes quite hard, when they are trying to find out how much they can get away with. Stay firm, but calm and they will stop again.

Sometimes, they will bite if the mistake your finger for a piece of veg or if you have a scent on them that they very much dislike.
 
Great info given so far and you seem as if your on the right track, one thing i picked up on that hasn't been mentioned is the tomato's mine go mad for them too, more cherry toms that full size, but they must only be given as a treat once or twice a week as they are acidic and can cause mouth sores.

Dark green veggies are all good, savoy cabbage, broccoli - leaves, florets and stalk, kale, spring greens, spinach - in moderation as high calcium content, peppers of any colour, deseeded and white bits cut out, cucumber, celery chopped up, herbs such as parsly again in moderation due to calcium content, mint, corriander, dill, carrots to be given 2 - 3 times a week, cress. Fruit to be given only as a treat due to high sugar and acid levels, blueberrys, stawberries, grapes, melon, pineapple, banana and skin, apple, orange. Avoid iceburg lettuce, but all others ok.

If i think of anything else will update. xx
 
Thanks ToffeeWoffee :)

I'll be keeping a note of that, I have been giving cucumber a lot as well, just about to do my tesco online shop so good timing :)) *adds piggie greens to shopping list*

x
 
MummyD said:
Thanks Wiebke. That may be a problem then, sigh. Can't keep them outdoors as have a family of foxes living in the next garden and only have room for the cage they are in. I did check with the lady I got them from and the local pet rescue and they both recommended this cage! also I asked about males fighting and was told if they are introduced young then they wouldn't fight! (unless females are near, but there aren't). The cage is no smaller than a normal outdoor hutch size and they will be getting plenty of time on the grass in a run.
Typical that something like that should come up :(

I'll have to have a think then.
Thanks x
Click to expand...

It is sadly a myth that siblings or boars that have been bonded when very young won't have fall outs and therefore don't need much space (the new measures sadly haven't made their way to all rescues, either!). The key is whether their characters mesh enough to get on even when the relationship is under strain. All you can do is remove as many extraneous stress factors as possible.

PS: Have you had a look at our C&C mesh grid cages? They are adaptable to all kinds of situations and can be extended upwards if ground space is an issue; and they are fairly cheap, too. Your situation is not so dire that you won;t have time to do your research and have a good (creative) think!
 
I've had a look at those cages now but they confuse me! lol How does it work out price wise? does someone make it to your spec? and.... they have no lids... don't they jump out? lol sorry I am a bit naive, I thought I'd done a lot of research but obviously not!

Thanks for your help :)
 
C&C are most popular, shop bought cages are often too small especially for boars, the C&C grids literally clip together, you can make it as big as you want, whatever shape you want and they are soooooo much cheaper than cages, you can get a box of grids for about £25.00, then if you wanted to you could make a base for it out of correx which again is cheap. Pig's cant jump or climb so dont worry, if you have dogs or young children you could make a lid using a wooden frame and chicken wire/mesh to fit the size of the set up.

Fleece bedding is also a good cheap, cleaner option as it can be used time and time again, so you dont have to keep buying shavings, straw etc. Just sweep up their poo's 2 - 3 times a day and change the fleece every 3 - 4 days. Using newspaper and twels underneath.
 
The grids usually come in packs, so you are free to stick them together in any combination you like; if necessay with cable ties. And no, piggies don't jump out! Some members with cats have made grid lids.

I use them myself with my two groups of piggies; my grids have been through quite a few transformations over time to accommodate changing numbers and configurations. I'm not exactly a do-it-yourselfer, but C&C grids were doable for even people like me!

As a tray you can use correx (available online or from a sign shop) or lino offcuts.
 
where do you buy the cheap boxes off the cube's from in the uk:-) thank you
 
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