Should I leave him in his house? urgent help needed as conflicting advice given

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naboosmummy

naboosmummy

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Hi Guys,

Sorry to bore you all with Naboo questions but i am a first time piggie mum:))

We got him Saturday and understand now its natural for him to be literally scared but yesterday we put a coke box in his cage (its a nice size like a tunnel - it was for a roll of coke cans)....anyway size doing that he just darts strait in whenever we go near.

Some websites, vets, pet shops say even though he is scared get him out every day to help him get used to you but i feel bad getting him out of the box.....arghhhhh what to do....

i dont want to leave him just for him to be worse and be more ferrell.:0
 
I have found a good thing to use is the fiddlestix. Have the open end facing you, so he can see you and you can see him, but he still has the security of cover. It does take time but he will gradually get more used to you. It will be small steps...coming out and eating when you are there, or coming to the edge of the hidey space. It really can take weeks though, so don't worry too much. xx
 
Naboo camping in his new found hide is the expected reaction!

It is up to you whether you want to pick him up for his regular cuddling session or whether you want to leave him until he's coming out to take thing from your hand, so you know that he is comfortable with you being around.

Both approaches are valid; it's up to you with which way you feel more comfy with.
 
well as we speak he has come to the edge i can see him you see from where i am even when he is in the back he has just come to the front...caught my eye and run back in lol bless him. Think I will leave him in there. Dont want to be selfish and cuddle him when he aint ready.....awwwwww he has just come to the edge and eaten hehehe but staring at me terffied lol
 
update he just got brave legged it from box to food bowl and took a piece of carrot and ran back in lol awwwwww bless he is too scared to eat by us lol
 
I've had my piggies for 4mths now, and they were so terrified of me, after a couple of days of settling in and talking to them and sitting next to their cage with the door open, I started to get them out in turn every night. They hid away from me then and still do 4mths later but I remove their hidey house and when I eventually catch them rolleyes they love having laptime. Me personally, others might say different, but continue with it and I'm sure they will love being out for cuddles. It's only now that one of my piggies (I have two) will come up to the cage and take a treat off me.

I'm sure though they sometimes do it now just to wind me up :{ I have to physically climb into their play run and they run round me in circles, then eventually give up back in a corner and look at me as if to say 'come on get me out' :)):))
 
Just keep asking questions, we don't mind :)

Conflicting advice is common in piggy care. We keep piggys so differently and there isn't just one right way to handle them, on right diet to feed them, one right cage to keep them in. Surf around on topics (this is what I did when I got piggies 6 months ago) and make up your own mind based on what you feel is right. Common sense goes a long way!

As for handling yes, you can "tame" a piggy by handling it loads. I got a very frightened piggy and was adviced to handle her lots but I felt awful pulling her out of houses and chasing her around (quick as lightning!) to have "cuddles" that were not plesant for any of us. I just spent time by the cage instead. It took a few weeks for her to accept veggies out of my hand while hiding in a house. From that we've gone to accepting veggies with bum still in hiding and so forth until now she will actually wheek for veggies and demand them at the pen fence :)) I'm not allowed to touch her yet, but I feel we've come such a long way. I've also perfected my catch technique so I don't have to scare her to death when picking her up to check on her.

Naboo sounds like he has done in a few days what it took Mette-Marit MONTHS to do :)). Love the name too!
 
In all honesty my Fred hid all the time he only actually came out of himself when he got his piggy friends, he is still a shy boy, but hes had such wonderful progress, I find competition for food sure does make them come to your hand :))!
 
He really needs a friend. When I took on a solo girl and had her quarantined for a week I ended up getting another from the same place to keep her company in quarantine as she was literally petrified and never came out of her house. They do relax and perk up alot when they have another to keep them company.

Guineas like to have someone on 'watch' all of the time and when there is only one of them they feel like they are the one on watch constantly. Very exhausting.

Naboo is gorgeous by the way and I LOVE his name. Long live the Boosh!
 
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