Shy in the cage but happy and outgoing outside the cage

Claire W

Claire W

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So Elizabeth has been with me for nearly two months now. She’s the shyest guinea pig I’ve ever had but I’ve noticed that she’s a lot shyer in the cage than she is out of it. When she’s out, she enjoys a cuddle and a stroke an will even fall asleep but she won’t let me near her when she’s in the cage and hides when I enter the room 🤔

This is in no a way a problem but I just want her to feel comfortable and not so tense. Elizabeth came from a horrendous background where she was sharing a dog crate with 47 other guinea pigs so I’m wondering if that’s the reason why? (Thankfully all the piggies were rescued)
 
Some piggies take longer to come out of their shell, it took 5 years until we gained Putt's trust mate, just keep working at it. She has a perfect home with you buddy x
 
Claire W said:
So Elizabeth has been with me for nearly two months now. She’s the shyest guinea pig I’ve ever had but I’ve noticed that she’s a lot shyer in the cage than she is out of it. When she’s out, she enjoys a cuddle and a stroke an will even fall asleep but she won’t let me near her when she’s in the cage and hides when I enter the room 🤔

This is in no a way a problem but I just want her to feel comfortable and not so tense. Elizabeth came from a horrendous background where she was sharing a dog crate with 47 other guinea pigs so I’m wondering if that’s the reason why? (Thankfully all the piggies were rescued)
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That is perfectly normal behaviour for a piggy from not the best background. You only have had her for a very short time.
Many of my piggies don't want to be touched when in the cage.
 
Dot doesn't want to be touched in the cage, and my now passed away boar sky, never wanted to be touched in the cage, one was from a bad background but dot wasn't really. Out on your lap they were fine. I think it's a bit like, if they can run and hide they will, but if they can't, then sod it just cuddle up
 
Hello Claire.
Funny things piggies do.
Elizabeth being a madam and at times loves the open.
Mrs Dougal always hides when I enter the room everytime. . ok if i suprise them but I don't I make a noise talk etc but she runs off and hides I feel guilty sometimes as she's asleep in hay.
She then comes out and we fine. . . this is a year now lol. love her tho
Hope you ok lass.xx
 
Claire W said:
Yes that’s true. I think that Elizabeth May have taken higher than him in the hierarchy so maybe he’s licking his wounds?
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Well Bernie used to tip toe around dot, but now he's adult and been with her since December last year, he stands his ground, and Dot whimpers away. It's funny to watch, and he needed to be like this, she was a bossy cow
 
Piggies are definitely all very individual! Our Blodwen pig (also from a bad breeder background) is the opposite, a very feisty madam in the cage with her friends but if I take off the access panel to go in the cage and poop scoop she's still a scaredy pig! She's ok out of the cage if you have her at face level and talk directly to her but otherwise she still does her unnerving but adorable playing dead fear response (makes her super easy to weigh and for the vet and vet nurse to check her teeth and cut her nails, but I'd rather she didnt fake her own death at every health check!).
Hope Edward is ok, I think boars take herd hierarchy reshuffles quite hard, our Theo lost no weight at all during his neutering op but dropped 60g the first couple of weeks sorting out where he stood with his ladies (he ranks bottom usually, he's mostly ok with that but it took a while for his little boar ego to adjust) :)
 
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