Taming Success!

[JaseChase]

I just want to celebrate! I adopted my two boys Noodle and Tofu back in May, so I’ve had them almost seven months now. Following all the tips on this forum has helped me with taming them and bonding, and they’re thriving - super happy to take food from my hand, they come running up to say hello when I come in, they enjoy floor time and lap time and they’ve been happy for me to stroke them on my lap for a couple of months now

But today I levelled up to being allowed to pet them in the cage! Normally they’re a bit hesitant, and I know some guinea pigs just aren’t cuddly, but my two do love a chin scritch during lap time and the weekly health check so I persevered (carefully, taking things at their pace) and it’s paid off!

Noodle enjoyed a good long chin and head scritch, and Tofu (my shyer boy) came to investigate and let me do a quick stroke as well. I feel like a proud parent Months of building trust and taking things slowly and at their pace really does work!

 

[piggieminder]

Congratulations, it's lovely when they let you do that, they really trust you.

 

[alpacasqueak]

 

[Wiebke]

Well done!

It is worth taking your time to win their trust and not rush it. Trust is only given once...

 

[Gradie and the pigs]

Congratulations I have too recently successfully tamed my boy Norman and slowing building up trust with his new cage mate Chewie

 

[Deleted member 146752]

Congrats!

 

[My Piggies]

Congrats It's so rewarding when they trust you.

 

[Betsy]

I am slowly build up trust between my new adoptees Thea and Lexi. They have been here 10 days now and are very keen to take food out of my hand already. Both of them sniff my fingers when I put my hands in the hutch, Thea already is quite happy for me to play with her ears and give her a cheek rub. Lexi is more jumpy but will let me occasionally give her a cheek rub and this morning we progressed further in that she let me play with one ear just very quickly while she was distracted by food. I have left it there for today and will try again tomorrow. They already know what "breakfast" is and are getting to know what "Oat hay? who wants some oat hay?" (forage) means.

 

[T-Rex]

Aww amazing, well done you! Beautiful photos

 

[weepweeps]

That’s wonderful news.

 

[JaseChase]

Thanks everyone! I’m so proud, it’s really rewarding to see how happy these little guys are now and how much they trust me. They popcorn all day every day now as well

Congratulations I have too recently successfully tamed my boy Norman and slowing building up trust with his new cage mate Chewie

Congratulations to you too! I hope Chewie is settling in well

I am slowly build up trust between my new adoptees Thea and Lexi. They have been here 10 days now and are very keen to take food out of my hand already. Both of them sniff my fingers when I put my hands in the hutch, Thea already is quite happy for me to play with her ears and give her a cheek rub. Lexi is more jumpy but will let me occasionally give her a cheek rub and this morning we progressed further in that she let me play with one ear just very quickly while she was distracted by food. I have left it there for today and will try again tomorrow. They already know what "breakfast" is and are getting to know what "Oat hay? who wants some oat hay?" (forage) means.

Aww, welcome home Thea and Lexi! That sounds like wonderful progress for 10 days, I’m so pleased they’re settling in and allowing some cheek rubs already. My boys were hand feeding from me in the first week I brought them home too, but they’d usually take the piece of veg and run off to eat it in a hidey - it’s taken time and patience for them to feel confident to eat out in the open in front of me and now they’ll have a chin scratch and cheek rub at the same time, which is the best feeling

 

[sport_billy]

well done! When you have time, please come and tame Chickpea, she is convinced the past 5 years with us has been a ploy to fatten her up for lunch

 

[Wiebke]

Personally, I don't like calling this process taming; just winning their trust.

Taming implies human centred dominance (forcing your pets to do what you want them to do) whereas winning the trust emphasises the autonomy of your pet as a personality in their own right, which is much more adequate for the process and also respects the free will of your pet. You can never demand trust; it can only ever be freely given.

 

[Scooter Pie]

well done! When you have time, please come and tame Chickpea, she is convinced the past 5 years with us has been a ploy to fatten her up for lunch

We joke here that right now ALL of our pigs refer to our hands as the "bird claws" and when one pig needs to be picked up, their cage mate will say "well, the bird claw got her. She's never coming back"

 

[sport_billy]

We joke here that right now ALL of our pigs refer to our hands as the "bird claws" and when one pig needs to be picked up, their cage mate will say "well, the bird claw got her. She's never coming back"

that is so true!

 

[Scooter Pie]

This thread makes me so happy!

I have a little 3 month old who's been with us just under 2 weeks. She's so tiny there's not even enough surface area to pet yet anyway (according to my 17 year old!) I really hope to gain her trust eventually.

Being able to pet them in the cage is such a gift. We recently lost our most pettable pig...you could just pet her head to butt and she'd keep grazing like nothing was happening

She just was that way when she and her sister were adopted, both of them were. So maybe sometimes it's inborn. I hope my new girl will agree to be pettable!

 

[Bill & Ted]

This thread makes me so happy!

I have a little 3 month old who's been with us just under 2 weeks. She's so tiny there's not even enough surface area to pet yet anyway (according to my 17 year old!) I really hope to gain her trust eventually.

Being able to pet them in the cage is such a gift. We recently lost our most pettable pig...you could just pet her head to butt and she'd keep grazing like nothing was happening

She just was that way when she and her sister were adopted, both of them were. So maybe sometimes it's inborn. I hope my new girl will agree to be pettable!

Given time I’m sure she will x

 

[Bill & Ted]

Well done you for being patient and gaining their trust, it’s so lovely to see them enjoying a love

 

[JaseChase]

Personally, I don't like calling this process taming; just winning their trust.

Taming implies human centred dominance (forcing your pets to do what you want them to do) whereas winning the trust emphasises the autonomy of your pet as a personality in their own right, which is much more adequate for the process and also respects the free will of your pet. You can never demand trust; it can only ever be freely given.

This is actually a really good point - I’m going to switch to calling it gaining their trust now. I have one friend who was impatient and wanted to cuddle them straight away but I (a bit sternly ) told her to wait and now she understands why - I’d much rather they come to me on their own terms, and if they never wanted to cuddle/be pet that would be fine too

This thread makes me so happy!

I have a little 3 month old who's been with us just under 2 weeks. She's so tiny there's not even enough surface area to pet yet anyway (according to my 17 year old!) I really hope to gain her trust eventually.

Being able to pet them in the cage is such a gift. We recently lost our most pettable pig...you could just pet her head to butt and she'd keep grazing like nothing was happening

She just was that way when she and her sister were adopted, both of them were. So maybe sometimes it's inborn. I hope my new girl will agree to be pettable!

Aww, congrats on your new girl! I’m sure with time and patience she will learn you are safe (and the bringer of food) it’s taken almost seven months for my boys to be okay with the occasional chin scratch in the cage, but I’m still taking my time and if they pull away I don’t chase them. It’s the most rewarding when Noodle comes running up to me looking for a pet (happened this morning!)

 

[Merab]

Congratulations.
It’s so lovely when your patience pays off.
It really is worth taking it slowly with the piggies.

 

[Tigermoth]

well done! When you have time, please come and tame Chickpea, she is convinced the past 5 years with us has been a ploy to fatten her up for lunch

Yes! I keep telling Jenny that if we were going to eat her we would have done it by now but she refuses to listen. Now she doesn’t have Timmy to help her be brave she is even less inclined to let us stroke her. Thing is once she is brave enough to let us start then she loves it!