shy guinea pig

[wheek!guinea]

I have 2 boars, both almost the same age by a few weeks. I got Glacier when he was 3 months and Koji when he was 5 months. Glacier has always been outgoing and not afraid of loud noises or people approaching him, he's curious and gets a lot of zoomies.

Koji is the opposite. Even if I approach the cage slowly and make myself known before entering the room, he runs and hides. I know this is their natural instinct and he's very naturally shy, but am I doing something wrong? He doesn't run away if he's under his fleece pocket, and I go to pick him up, he turns in to dead weight and does really well being held. Sometimes he will come out for a peaflake, and also turns into brave piggy when it's breakfast time.

He also doesn't run around during floor time even if I bring peaflakes or a bit of veggie. I provide a lot of places to hide too.

We went to the vet yesterday just for a wellness visit as a new patient and nail trim, and he made himself into a pancake in the kennel he's quite the silly pig.

 

[Piggies&buns]

You aren’t doing anything wrong. It’s just his character.

My two boys are a few weeks apart in age. The submissive piggy is confident, happy to run around me, doesn’t run off wen I approach them, loves a chin tickle, takes food from my hand, hates being picked up. The dominant piggy has come a long long way in the 2.5 years he’s been with me but he will still run off when I approach, hates being touched and definitely won’t be picked up, takes food from me now (not every time though) but it took 18 months before he was brave enough to do it. He is however more confident to tell me that he doesn’t like being picked up. He will now struggle and squeal and want to be put down.

The fact you say he turns into a dead weight....that could be construed as him being scared - often a scared piggy who sits still when picked up is more scared than the piggy who struggles.

 

[wheek!guinea]

You aren’t doing anything wrong. It’s just his character.

My two boys are a few weeks apart in age. The submissive piggy is confident, happy to run around me, doesn’t run off wen I approach them, loves a chin tickle, takes food from my hand, hates being picked up. The dominant piggy has come a long long way in the 2.5 years he’s been with me but he will still run off when I approach, hates being touched and definitely won’t be picked up, takes food from me now (not every time though) but it took 18 months before he was brave enough to do it. He is however more confident to tell me that he doesn’t like being picked up. He will now struggle and squeal and want to be put down.

The fact you say he turns into a dead weight....that could be construed as him being scared - often a scared piggy who sits still when picked up is more scared than the piggy who struggles.

sounds just like Glacier and Koji! Does your shy one explore during floor time?

 

[Piggies&buns]

sounds just like Glacier and Koji! Does your shy one explore during floor time?

Mine live in my shed so floor time isnt really a thing for them in the way it is for your piggies, they are shut in their hutch at night and then the hutch door is opened in the morning and they free roam the entire shed during day light hours, so are still within their own territory and they feel safe in the shed. But, yes the shy one does run around, he’ll potter about even when I am in the shed but he is always more ‘on the look out’ and prepared to bolt than the other piggy is .