Untamed sows being extremely difficult

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tsiktsak151

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I've had my pigs for well over a year now. They're super timid and skittish, and i've been trying to tame them using all kinds of tutorials and methods but it's just not working.

I got them from a breeder who kept them outside in cages, who also didn't handle them much or interact with them when they were babies.

It sucks because nothing about owning them feels rewarding and I just worry I'm spending money on something that will just make me miserable. I have made my research before getting them and I'm well aware skittishness is natural behaviour from them, but I'm seriously considering replacing them with ones that have been handled since babies because they're making me mentally tired.

And I don't mean this in "I only want guinea pigs who love cuddles and love being held" kind of way, but more so I want guinea pigs who can just be comfortable having me around, they don't need to like being picked up or anything, just not be so immensely difficult.
Ones I can actually clip the nails off without having them vigirously bite my hands until they bleed and almost fall off my lap because they're trying to escape. Ones I can take out of the cage and have roaming around my room not having them run off and get stuck inside the tiny gap between my closet and the wall, which is something that happened once and it was horrible because I could have easily hurt her trying to get her out of there. I seriously don't want that to happen again because I really thought I had screwed up BIG time.

I feel terrible to be saying all of this because I love my girls, it's just that they've been so much more pain than necessary. I just worry one day their difficult behaviour will actually get them hurt, like they almost have a couple of times. I don't know what to do.
 
Hello, they are not being difficult they are just scared of everything. I adopted Lexi and Thea over 4 years ago and they were terrified of everything! Lexi even ran away from grass when I put it in the hutch! Lexi was the most terrified. I mean you could see the whites of her eyes almost permanently, she was impossible to pick up so I had to herd her in the carrier to move her anywhere. When I did actually manage to hold her she didn't even have the instinct to keep still and hope that interest was lost in her. It was all bucking violently to get away. I have never had such a scared and terrified guinea pig. Thea at least let me hold her for a bit.

I took it at their pace. I sat on a cold garage floor and handfed them their veggies for 6 months every night, I would just sit and talk any old rubbish to them so that they would get used to my voice. I used the piggy whispering techniques from the guides linked below. The most important one is to make a noise when approaching them because a predator is silent. Even now when I go into the garage I say "Hello Piggies how are you?" or something like that.

After about a year of taking it at their pace, they slowly, very slowly, started to trust me. After about 2 years, I could give Lexi a cuddle for a few minutes before she'd had enough.

To a prey animal everything is scary. You know you aren't going to eat them but they don't know that so they run for their lives. You have to teach them that and sometimes that can take a very long time, sometimes they never get over the fear. What you need to do is take it at their pace. Be gentle around them, be patient, cover up their run if it's open so they feel safe provide lots of hideys for them to be in. Take them to the vet for a nail trim if you find it too traumatic. A lot of us members do. My piggie boarder cuts my piggies nails as I wimp out. I can do it, but prefer not to and I've had piggies for over 14 years in total, 9 years now and 5 years when the boys were little.

Settling In And Making Friends With Guinea Pigs - A Guide
 
Biting, refusing anything that would do her good (nail trimmings etc. she is long-haired too, so 2x the drama), saying no to cuddles and getting stuck in things are all things my Gaia excels at! She's a boss-pig and a lot of people on here find her charming.

You could look at it the way I do; whilst Gaia doesn't appreciate that I care, I know she's lucky because plenty of other people wouldn't tolerate her attitude and would be disappointed in her not being a cuddly pig and would get rid of her - which could easily mean being offered online as 'free to a good home' and ending up being a free meal for someone's pet snake.

Betsy has given you lots of good advice, like finding someone else who will cut their nails for you if you/they are finding it too difficult or traumatic. And if they're having floor time, provide them with tunnels and boxes they can hide under and block up the spaces you don't want them squeezing their way into. That can make it easier to put them back in their cage as well; when Gaia wants to go back in her bed, she gives me 'the look' then marches into her red tunnel and waits for me to pick that up with her (and sometimes Minerva) inside and place it back in the cage. We call it the 'magic elevator.'

One thing with Gaia is, whilst she doesn't like to be held or stroked, she doesn't mind kisses. That's because as well as hand-feeding them, I've often given them treats by mouth. :xd: I'll have a piece of carrot or apple in my mouth and let them waddle over and take it from me so they're not afraid of me being up close. I'll lean into the cage and plant kisses on their head, cheek, back and they don't jump or run because they're used to their lunatic Slave doing it.
 
I’m sorry to hear you feel this way.

I can only agree with what the others have said.
I have had a range of piggies - of the two I have now, one mostly enjoys a bit of a cuddle and is pretty easy to do most things with but he equally isnt going to put up with it if he doesn’t want to. The other hates everything and isn’t afraid to tell me. I will be honest though. I find it very endearing and comforting to know that him struggling to get away is actually a good sign - he isn’t scared to tell me that he doesn’t want to be held.
The two who passed away last year - one was ok, didn’t enjoy it but has a short amount of tolerance. But he was very friendly with me as long as I didn’t overstay my welcome! The other was terrified for a good 18 months. He was with me for almost 7 years before he passed away and he certainly did improve over the years but it did take a good 5 years before he started to like a head stroke (still hates being held).

I get what you are saying about not being rewarding, but equally they are comfortable with each other. I know that as as their owners want a relationship with them but to them, all they need is each other. We are just spare parts who serve their needs!
A lot of the enjoyment of my animals does come from watching them interact and display normal behaviours

It’s not them being difficult, it’s just their nature. And I will also say that getting some who have been handled as babies doesn’t necessarily translate to easier.
Both the two I have now were well handled as babies but as soon as they got to their teens, they became confident and comfortable with me they haven’t been afraid to set their boundaries and tell me when they don’t want something.
Some piggies just don’t like floor time either - no matter how confident they are. Any open space is scary for them and some just do better without floor time and instead prefer the safety of their cage or a playpen
 
Tervetuloa :)

Pigwigs come with all kinds of temperaments. One of my girls right now is a massive cuddle buddy and very much a mummy's girl, while the other one is a rather independent piggy. One of my previous girls was also extremely skittish and I grew to find it very cute in a way. Small victories in gaining trust became that much more meaningful. But she remained extremely stubborn and cautious, it was kind of funny in the end. She made the shots, and she was happy.

I'd say let your little ones go about it at their own pace. Spend time with them when you can, talk to them, give them the option of coming out of their cage and onto the floor (you can entice them with fresh yummies), while clipping nails it helps to have another person hold the piggy. Distractions with veg also help. My cuddle buddy of a piggy also hates nail clipping and nibbles on me when I do decide it's time.

Lots of helpful tips and thoughts above, I hope you find encouragement from here.
 
Piggies are like the little guys who will stand up for themselves, but with a bit of humour. The fact that your girls are cool with each other means you must be doing alot of things right. Even very tame piggies struggle during nail clipping and Saskia (Los Angeles Guinea Pig Rescue on You Tube - excellent source of piggies info and inspiration) says that it is the confident piggies, not the shy ones, who are really the biters. So your piggies have lots of hope.
Using a play pen helps alot. Songmics plastic panels off Amazon make good indoor playpens which can easily and quickly folded up if they are fastened together with cable ties. Fleece blankets make a good floor for the play pen.
It is lovely having piggies who get on, a few imperfections can be forgiven or worked on just for the sake of them being mates.
They will come round, guaranteed. Piggies live food and will trade some of that independence for a nice feed. Carrying them in a big plastic tube really helps, my piggies hop right in when it's play pen time. I am very proud of how they have trained me to give them affection on their terms, it has been a win win result. All piggies are nervous when new so even if someone says their piggies are tame, they will still need a lot of work, but they do get tame. They are very communicative animals with body language and facial expressions ❤️ lap time with gentle grooming with a wide tooth comb also helps as both you and the piggy get endorphins from this, bliss. Wrapping piggy in a pet blanket might help with the nails, or asking your local vet nurse for an appointment in the early stages will help. Persist gently but if they get very anti, give them a rest and try again later. Good luck 👍
 
Lots of good advice given already. I see it as making friends rather than taming. Hand feeding treats while chatting to them is always worth trying, especially with fresh herbs as most piggies find the smell irresistible.
When mine were younger I would sit on the floor with a blanket on my lap and some bribes. It didn't take long before they decided I could be investigated as I probably wouldn't eat them. IMG20230619191017.webp
 
Minnou said:
Biting, refusing anything that would do her good (nail trimmings etc. she is long-haired too, so 2x the drama), saying no to cuddles and getting stuck in things are all things my Gaia excels at! She's a boss-pig and a lot of people on here find her charming.

You could look at it the way I do; whilst Gaia doesn't appreciate that I care, I know she's lucky because plenty of other people wouldn't tolerate her attitude and would be disappointed in her not being a cuddly pig and would get rid of her - which could easily mean being offered online as 'free to a good home' and ending up being a free meal for someone's pet snake.

Betsy has given you lots of good advice, like finding someone else who will cut their nails for you if you/they are finding it too difficult or traumatic. And if they're having floor time, provide them with tunnels and boxes they can hide under and block up the spaces you don't want them squeezing their way into. That can make it easier to put them back in their cage as well; when Gaia wants to go back in her bed, she gives me 'the look' then marches into her red tunnel and waits for me to pick that up with her (and sometimes Minerva) inside and place it back in the cage. We call it the 'magic elevator.'

One thing with Gaia is, whilst she doesn't like to be held or stroked, she doesn't mind kisses. That's because as well as hand-feeding them, I've often given them treats by mouth. :xd: I'll have a piece of carrot or apple in my mouth and let them waddle over and take it from me so they're not afraid of me being up close. I'll lean into the cage and plant kisses on their head, cheek, back and they don't jump or run because they're used to their lunatic Slave doing it.
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I feel like Misa and Gaia would be good friends. Misa is also a long-haired boss pig who is above such tedious maintenance as hair and nail trims and anything that is required to keep her from turning into a giant mass of matted, pee-covered hair. Any kind of maintenance with Misa requires at least two people, one to hold her and one to clip whatever needs clipping. Every time I see a nice video of someone brushing their sheltie pig while it just sits there passively, I throw up my hands and say, "Why won't mine do that?" I have been consistently telling my kids that Misa's attitude was bound to improve when she was two, based on a past pig who was a bit of a handful as a youngster but mellowed out by two. Well, Misa just turned two and her attitude has NOT improved! We just say she has 'a lot of personality,' bearing in mind that 'personality' is a neutral term that doesn't imply goodness. All this said, Misa is truly one of my favorite pigs I've ever had, she is so confident and sassy and smart and I love her SO much. And she, in turn, really lavishes affection on my husband, who truly doesn't even like animals that much, but she is determined to win him over by leaping onto his lap and kissing his hands. There's something weirdly charming about a little meat potato who still somehow thinks she's better than you! LOL!
 
Is there a place that you can let them roam with nowhere to get stuck? We actually do a lot of our free play time in a hallway with the doors shut and the ends blocked off with baby gates. We scatter food and either me or my kids (or both) will sit at the end of the hall to just supervise. You can put hideys around to make them feel safer, and bear in mind that it might take them some time to feel confident enough to do anything other than hide.

As far as holding goes, my philosophy (maybe controversial) is that I need to be able to handle them at least enough to do basic maintenance. I need to be able to trim nails. If they need to go to the vet, they need to be manageable enough that the vet can examine them without them biting or freaking out completely. So, even if they're initially scared, I will warm them up to being handled by picking them up for a short time every day, even if they are initially freaked out. I will let scared new pigs hide in a blanket to feel more confident, but I will try to hold newcomers or nervous pigs for a short time a couple of times a day, offer food, talk softly and pat them, and then put them back. My experience is that after you don't eat them for a week or so, they will be better about being picked up and handled. This doesn't mean every pig is going to be a lap pig, and I don't make them sit with me for long periods of time if they aren't into it- they get taken home as soon as they're really fidgety and Misa will just run off down the couch when she's done with people (takes her about three minutes to decide she's done most days!) So maybe try picking them up however you would get them for nail trims, but just hold them and offer them food and pat them and see if over time they get more tolerant of being handled.
 
My opinion may be a little controversial but.. its my experience so 🫣 some guinea pigs are not built to live in a pair, they are herd animals and one friend is not enough to make some feel secure. I have found that building a little herd around these individuals, especially already tame adults, can make an almost immediate difference to their temperaments. Theyre not being difficult on purpose, they have evolved to expect to be eaten at any moment.

I have a little girl called Lily, I barely saw her for the first few weeks, I started to wonder if she was even still in the room 🤣 3 years on, she will let me scratch her nose and stroke her head in the cage, she had a little trio (now a pair after my almost 9 year old piggy died) but is in a room filled with other piggies, lots of yees and ears to look out for danger.

Another of my girls, Bella, was sent to a rescue for attacking her sister, she then went to 2 other homes where she again, attacked the pig she went to live with. Fear aggression does seem to be quite common in piggies and she was the most severe ive had. But in a herd, she is as happy as Larry and has made great friendships now.

I also took in 2 stunted little babies, absolutely terrified, had no idea what veggies were, didn't eat a single piece of veg during quarantine. But once placed with others who showed them how to behave they immediately started accepting fuss, and ate everything the others did.

Most people don't want to take on older piggies but generally, they have already passed the skitty first couple of years, realised people aren't scary and are great role models for youngsters. My advice, if possible space and finance wise, would be rather than replace the original 2, get them another friend or 2 who are maybe 2-3 years old and already tame to form a little herd for them.
 
Awww they're not being difficult. They're just scared! They're prey animals, it's in their nature to be wary.
They may be able to sense how you're feeling which could make them worse.
Be kind, confident and sure footed and they will learn to trust you - it takes some piggies longer than others, they're all individuals just like us.
 
They are pre programmed to take off quickly. In humans, running away like that would be a clear indication of strong or extreme fear. In piggies, though, that is how they are designed physically and mentally, and aren't really freaked out or suffering when they stampede. They are designed to do it without spending huge amounts of energy reflecting on their emotions. Wild relatives bolt into the undergrowth off and on all the time. Once they gain confidence, though they bolt alot less and get much more casual about the things that used to send them running into their hides.
 
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