Taming Baby Guinea Pigs.

[MikeyandDonnie]

I adopted 2 male baby guinea pigs from a rescue and I have had them for about 3 weeks. They are now currently 6 weeks old and they are still shy and run from me. I usually hold them for about 20-30 minutes in the morning and evening. I have been feeding them a small snack in evening and feeding them from my hand to get them more use to me and my scent. Can anyone give me anymore suggestions on taming them and getting more used to me? I would like to handle them more but I don't want to make them even more scared of me and they are also small and squirm a bit so I'm scared of dropping them thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Janice C]

I adopted 2 male baby guinea pigs from a rescue and I have had them for about 3 weeks. They are now currently 6 weeks old and they are still shy and run from me. I usually hold them for about 20-30 minutes in the morning and evening. I have been feeding them a small snack in evening and feeding them from my hand to get them more use to me and my scent. Can anyone give me anymore suggestions on taming them and getting more used to me? I would like to handle them more but I don't want to make them even more scared of me and they are also small and squirm a bit so I'm scared of dropping them thanks in advance for your help!

Sounds like you are doing everything right! Being prey animals it is their natural instinct to run away! Do they seem content for the whole length of time that you are holding them? I’d be inclined to allow them back to their own areas a bit sooner but try and lift them more often? Lifting them while in their nest and just holding them in it on your knee for a while can often help them realise your a safe human! Pop a tasty treat in too! You’re obviously making good progress if they take food from your hand!

 

[Merab]

Babies take time and patience.
Some piggies never like being handled. My Keziah resists being picked up and any lap time never lasts more than a couple of minutes before she wants down to play.
Petting is strictly on her terms - me sitting on the floor, she’s beside me being stroked.
Each of your piggies will have their own character and likes and dislikes.
Carry on doing what you’re doing and allow time to discover what your babies will accept.

 

[Delitedcavy]

I’m on this same journey so far I’ve had a great time bonding

 

[Reenie]

You've got them early, so you'll probably do well. Because they are still so young, they want to run around and play. I don't think I've ever heard of a baby who wants to sit still to be petted, lol. I got mine around the same age as yours, and I hand fed them every morning, and again at night. (I use nuggets from their allowance, so that I'm not overfeeding). In a matter of days they started running to the bars when I came into the room, and now at nearly a year old, I sit in their cage to feed them and they jump up on my knee. That said, if I make any move to pick them up, they're off like a shot. They are only now getting easier to catch, but they don't much enjoy lap time. As said above, every piggy is different, so go with what they enjoy and they will grow to trust you over time. Good luck x

 

[MikeyandDonnie]

Thanks so much for all the advice Mikey(Black) is very calm when I hold him and we do very good together because he has a laid back personality but Donnie(brown) is a little more shy and standoffish but he is coming up to me more now and will take food out of my hand so we're making good progress. When it's holding time Donnie usually wants down after a few minutes and I put him down because I want to make him feel comfortable. This is my first time owning guinea pigs so I wanted to make sure I was on the right path, thanks so much for your help!

 

[Merab]

Gorgeous piggies.

 

[Wiebke]

I adopted 2 male baby guinea pigs from a rescue and I have had them for about 3 weeks. They are now currently 6 weeks old and they are still shy and run from me. I usually hold them for about 20-30 minutes in the morning and evening. I have been feeding them a small snack in evening and feeding them from my hand to get them more use to me and my scent. Can anyone give me anymore suggestions on taming them and getting more used to me? I would like to handle them more but I don't want to make them even more scared of me and they are also small and squirm a bit so I'm scared of dropping them thanks in advance for your help!

Hi and welcome

You may find these very detailed guides helpful; they explain exactly how you can avoid predator behaviours that trigger prey animal instincts, pick them up safely and make friends with them in their own body language, which they instinctively understand.
How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig

These guides are part of our new owners' helpful guides collection, which addresses all the most often encountered issues plus helps you to learn what is normal and what not.
New Owners' Problem Solver And Information Collection

 

[daisy bostock]

baby guineapigs take time to tame,but you can tame the baby guinea pigs by stroking them and being gentle with them, try gently picking them up too. try hand feeding them food too, if they do take it thats a really good sign! thats all i really know, but there is a guide on the forum here about taming, so read that and it will really help you! hope this helps!

 

[MikeyandDonnie]

baby guineapigs take time to tame,but you can tame the baby guinea pigs by stroking them and being gentle with them, try gently picking them up too. try hand feeding them food too, if they do take it thats a really good sign! thats all i really know, but there is a guide on the forum here about taming, so read that and it will really help you! hope this helps!

Thank you so much. This site has so much great information and I'm so glad I found it. I'm in the midst of reading it all. Again thanks so much for the responses, it's been a great help!