very nervous little girls

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Jennifer

Jennifer

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A week ago I brought home two lovely little girls from my local rescue to keep my boar Cecil company (once several weeks have passed after his neutering!) These two are the most nervous piggies I have ever had and cling together, shake and make little nervous noises at everything. It has only been a week and they are exploring their cages when they think nobody is about and they're eating well but I would like to help them feel safe and secure and comfortable being handled. I know the key is lots of safe places in their cage, lots of quiet gentle handling with treats etc but if anyone has any really good tips that worked for them with nervous piggies, I'd love to learn from your experience. I think I've just been lucky in the past as I seem to have picked extraordinarily well adjusted (or downright bolshy) pigs in the past!

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Oh they are beautifulx) You are doing all you can except for being patient! It has only been a week. My girls took a year before they were confident. All guinea pigs are different and I think boyd seem more confident and you are used to boys. Just hold them each day maybe at the same time so they are together and speak softly to them. Offer them a treat to help too. :)
 
Thanks so much for your post, you're absolutely right, I am the least patient person I know! I just so desperately want them to be happy! I think you're also right about boys, I've only ever had a couple of girls, all the rest of my piggies have been boars and bolshy ones too! Thanks for the reassurance that this is not abnormal! As I type, Pippin (the littler one) is snuggled in my sleeve and Poppy is chomping determinedly on a big chunk of chicory! I adore them already, glad you think they're cute. I've never had piggies this colour before. Isn't that one of the wonderful things about piggies - the range of colours, shapes, sizes and personalities!
 
Oh and Poppy has just licked my hand for ages and then sat up and had a wash and is now chatting away! Gorgeous! It feels like a breakthrough!:)
 
See? Look how wonderful that is. Poppy is giving you piggy kisses. :) I agree. Guinea pigs are just amazing. I had two and now I have five!
 
Lovely colours :)

One of my boys who we have had for a year is still quite nervous but he's the most affectionate one so it evens itself out :))
 
I'm in exactly the same boat - 2 nervous little girlies who have been with us for 2 weeks now. The only difference is that I'm a first-time guinea pig owner, so it's good to read that my experience is similar to yours! How long do you cuddle them for? I'm trying to give them little cuddles each day, but I don't want to stress them out, and I'm not sure what's the right balance - I'm not yet able to recognise all the signs of how they're feeling. Incidentally - mine haven't made any noises yet - is that common?
 
Awwwww... super cute! One of my pigs, Sundae, was really shy when we first got her. I just persisted with picking her up and patting her and giving her treats, and you would never know now that she was once a terrified little thing. In fact, she's gotten downright moochy and assertive! LOL!
 
kajazy said:
I'm in exactly the same boat - 2 nervous little girlies who have been with us for 2 weeks now. The only difference is that I'm a first-time guinea pig owner, so it's good to read that my experience is similar to yours! How long do you cuddle them for? I'm trying to give them little cuddles each day, but I don't want to stress them out, and I'm not sure what's the right balance - I'm not yet able to recognise all the signs of how they're feeling. Incidentally - mine haven't made any noises yet - is that common?
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Well we can go through it together - keep me posted on how you get on, won't you? Got any pics? I started off by cuddling them for fairly short periods and now I try and have them on my lap together for a good half an hour at a time, because whilst they spend the first 5 minutes looking terrified and catatonic, after that they do start to relax a bit and Poppy (the larger one) has even started nattering away to me and licking my fingers eventually! Pippin is more timid and likes to snuggle underneath Poppy but she usually perks up when food appears! In my experience the amount and type of noises a piggie makes varies quite a lot - my Boar Cecil is very outgoing and friendly but has always been extremely vocal, whereas Jack, who I lost recently, used to squeak at the top of his voice as soon as he heard a bag rustle and you could hear him from up the road! He also chirped like a bird in the early hours of the morning, which is the first and only time I've ever heard that noise! Good luck with yours, hope it goes well and I'm sure you'll get a good lot of helpful advice from the lovely people on here.
 
They are gorgeous! and Cecil is just yummy, he is lovely!

You'll probably notice a big difference when they are bonded with cecil and learns how relaxed he is around you.
 
Aw, thanks Toffeewoffee, I fell in love with them the minute I laid eyes on them, but if I'm honest, I do recall wondering whether the lady who runs the rescue would let me take all of the 20 or so girls home x)

Oh I do hope you're right - Cecil is really relaxed being handled and just climbs up onto my hand for a cuddle, so I hope that shows them I'm not really a big scary monster! I can't wait to put them all together, I'm dying for Cecil to have his little girls to keep him company. :rose
 
Aw, they're lovely :) I have two girls, and I've had them for three months, and they're still quite skittish of being picked up :( Oh well, just got to be patient, I guess!
 
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