Sassy Piggy

[Tashamaria]

I have two guinea pigs currently , MoMo (white brown and ginger) and Chunk (solid brown fluffy ball of fur) , I got them both at around 3 months old and they are now around a year and 3 months , at the beginning, chunk was actually the dominant of the two, hence his name , from being cheeky getting to all the food first, MoMo was originally shy and hid a lot! But as time went on the tables have turned , After a few bouts of grumbling, but no serious fights or anything , MoMo started to become the sassy diva piggy he is today. He only has to hear us in the kitchen and he wheeks his little head off for some food, he does the same when we are anywhere near the cage but the second we go to put food in he makes a run for it, usually startling chunk at the same time and they both leg it up their ramp and hide until I walk away, they are in a two story hutch with a ramp, lots of space.

The problem I'm having is no matter how much I've tried for the past year neither of them are interested in floor or lap time. I've tried putting hiding places for floor time etc but MoMo will chatter on a bad day, or just squeak back towards his cage, the whole situation seems to just distress him, chunk just freezes once you have a hold of him. I've tried having them out together for reassurance , separately , treats, veggies, the most I can get is MoMo will snatch the veggies out my hand as if I'm going to steal them and takes a couple steps back being protective over his food. He doesn't bite you or anything he just acts like he's never going to get food again.

Which leads me to his other sassy nature, he is always hungry! There's always hay and nuggets in the cage and they get a variation of veggies daily too but MoMo will devour anything you put in the cage and wheek for more! I have to separate him and chunk sometimes to make sure MoMo doesn't eat two piggies worth of veggies even though I have two separate bowls ! Is this something abnormal of piggies? He also has a habit of head butting things in his cage flying, I got one of those big plastic hiding houses , but MoMo just flips it instantly and uses it like a litter tray instead! Both piggies seem comfortable enough to sleep outside their hiding sections though! They just run for the hills when they realise someones in the room and certainly do not want to be held or leave their cage. I'm not sure what to do to make them feel more comfortable around humans! Has anybody else had a similar piggy to my MoMo?

Health wise he also seems ok, he has spurs on his front feet which were only small and came off recently, I got him some special cream for his feet just to be on the safe side , but handling him to apply it or trim his nails is a mission in itself!

Apologies for the big post! Any thoughts /ideas or stories similar to my piggys would be great ! Thanks!

 

[Critter]

Some of them are little destroyers of their homes and hidey-flipping is not uncommon. I think it's just his character and he probably enjoys doing this.
I also have one who is unsure of anyone approaching the cage and hates to be on the lap or being touched at all. She doesn't want to be near hands unless they hold veggies. Like MoMo, she snatches and takes steps back, protectively.

Can you attach a run to the cage to let them come and go?

They are very cute piggies

 

[Jesse's pigs]

Awww adorable. My Mo is a little hesitant when it comes to floor time. I prepared a whole room for him to run in with a towel on the floor,tunnels etc and sat there with him but once I put him down he just ran back to me. Outside he starts of looking miserable and looking at me but then when he realises he's sitting on food he'll perk up and then it's hard to get him back in lol. He also snatches food sometimes and then will run a few steps away as though I can't see him and eat it. Think he thinks he's a hamster.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! have you considered covering the run with a blanket and using furniture and fleece that carries their scent, so it smells right? Dot the run with plenty of hideys about a foot apart which they can use to explore the run safely.

Guinea pigs are prey animals, they are not born cuddlers; some will never go past tolerating it for a short while while others will come to enjoy it.
Here are our tips on how you can work around their prey animal instincts and use guinea pig behaviour to your advantage:
How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?
How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig

PS: Please do not have unlimited pellets in their cage all the time. The guinea pig diet should be unlimited heaps of hay, hay, hay for good health and longevity - up to and over 80% of the daily food intake. It really makes a huge difference in how long they live. Veg should make about 15% in adult piggies and pellets only about 5% or less. That is about a tablespoon to half a handful (ca. 10g) per piggy per day. Guinea pigs have evolved on a nutritionally rather poor diet; giving them too much goodness is not good for them. As long as he is not running out of hay, he will not be hungry, but he is also not in an danger of becoming fat and at a higher risk of dying during an operation or living shorter. Some piggies just have a very enthusiastic approach to food!
Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet

 

[Tashamaria]

Hi! have you considered covering the run with a blanket and using furniture and fleece that carries their scent, so it smells right? Dot the run with plenty of hideys about a foot apart which they can use to explore the run safely.

Guinea pigs are prey animals, they are not born cuddlers; some will never go past tolerating it for a short while while others will come to enjoy it.
Here are our tips on how you can work around their prey animal instincts and use guinea pig behaviour to your advantage:
How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?
How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig

PS: Please do not have unlimited pellets in their cage all the time. The guinea pig diet should be unlimited heaps of hay, hay, hay for good health and longevity - up to and over 80% of the daily food intake. It really makes a huge difference in how long they live. Veg should make about 15% in adult piggies and pellets only about 5% or less. That is about a tablespoon to half a handful (ca. 10g) per piggy per day. Guinea pigs have evolved on a nutritionally rather poor diet; giving them too much goodness is not good for them. As long as he is not running out of hay, he will not be hungry, but he is also not in an danger of becoming fat and at a higher risk of dying during an operation or living shorter. Some piggies just have a very enthusiastic approach to food!
Recommendations For A Balanced General Guinea Pig Diet

I think I'm going to try the blanket idea asap! It's getting into warmer weather so I'm hoping we can sort out their run outside when the family is out enjoying the good weather, but with them being skittish indoors I want to ease them into that the best way possible so I'll give this a go thanks!

What I meant by them having nuggets etc all the time is that I don't forget to feed them! I measure out a set amount of nuggets each morning specific to having two piggies and do not top that up once it's gone! But the hay is always topped up! the division of their diet percentages is very useful for me Thankyou!

 

[Tashamaria]

Some of them are little destroyers of their homes and hidey-flipping is not uncommon. I think it's just his character and he probably enjoys doing this.
I also have one who is unsure of anyone approaching the cage and hates to be on the lap or being touched at all. She doesn't want to be near hands unless they hold veggies. Like MoMo, she snatches and takes steps back, protectively.

Can you attach a run to the cage to let them come and go?

They are very cute piggies

Unfortunately their hutch already takes up a substantial amount of space indoors to attach the run permenantly, but with the good weather I'm considering of doing this outside soon instead, and bringing them indoors when It's colder/night times, I already have a cover etc for the hutch I'm just worried that they're not comfortable with floor time indoors let alone out!

 

[Wiebke]

I think I'm going to try the blanket idea asap! It's getting into warmer weather so I'm hoping we can sort out their run outside when the family is out enjoying the good weather, but with them being skittish indoors I want to ease them into that the best way possible so I'll give this a go thanks!

What I meant by them having nuggets etc all the time is that I don't forget to feed them! I measure out a set amount of nuggets each morning specific to having two piggies and do not top that up once it's gone! But the hay is always topped up! the division of their diet percentages is very useful for me Thankyou!

Please be aware that the recommendations on the pellet packs are designed for a mostly pellet based diet with few veg; they are too high for a healthy diet.

You will find that it likely takes half the summer to get your boys used to the outside, but covering the run with a large fleece is giving them a sense of protection. Aerial predators and a fear of open spaces are very deeply wired into a guinea pig's instincts, as is being picked up. It is finding a way to work around them that is ultimately successful, even if it is not quick.

 

[Tashamaria]

Please be aware that the recommendations on the pellet packs are designed for a mostly pellet based diet with few veg; they are too high for a healthy diet.

You will find that it likely takes half the summer to get your boys used to the outside, but covering the run with a large fleece is giving them a sense of protection. Aerial predators and a fear of open spaces are very deeply wired into a guinea pig's instincts, as is being picked up. It is finding a way to work around them that is ultimately successful, even if it is not quick.

I'll definitely be more mindful of their nuggets for sure thanks And I am sure it's going to take a long time preparing them for outside! But I want them to experience it so I'll try my best , and won't take MoMo's chattering at me to heart! This informations been very helpful so thanks again.

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

Sounds like a rough time for all involved! It's always hard settling in pigs, even if you've been at it for a while!

I found the best way to get pigs to explore is make toys out of cardboard rolls with readigrass stuffed in them and folded over or paper bag with hay in, all tasty enrichment techniques to encourage them to explore and it's positive reinforcement too

Do you stay with them all the time when they're in the run or do you leave them to it? Sometimes they're more active when we're not around. I also found it useful to sit in the run with them but ignore them, take a good book or something and let them explore you with no interaction on your part.

It's hard when you love them so much but they're so hesitant, hope they improve a little and become braver