Why are my guinea pigs still scarred of me?

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Sazra

New Born Pup
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Hi.
I've had my to bucks since Feb last year but they are still scared of me. I have their cage set up next to my pc ( where I spend most of my time) other then me streaming programs at a reasonably quiet level there is no load sounds. They will happily come up and smell my fingers. Take treats from me. If I make a surten sound they know I'm putting green's in the cage.
But if I got to stroke or pick them up they run away. They will come almost immediately back to me but dont let me stoke or hold them. I'm so worried about freaking them out so I dont push my luck with it.

Any tips on how to get them more used to me?

Little add on. Any tips on really good boredom breakers as they dont seem to like the toys I get them lol

Thank you
 
Hello!

Keep in mind guinea pigs are prey animals that often don’t like being picked up as it interferes with their instincts. Most people find it easier to pick up their guinea pigs with a tube or hide so there’s less chasing/stress.

For now, I would work solely on getting them used to stroking and not trying to pick them up by hand (trying to associate a specific hide/tube with “up” helps to avoid confusion). If you happen to stroke before picking them up they may have made a poor connection between the two.

For boredom breakers, I don’t have too much experience—I’ve seen people stuff treat hay into cardboard tubes?
 
It’s great that they will take food from you, that shows that they trust you, but for most guinea pigs, that is as far as it will go. They are prey animals and most do not like being picked up, they are not the cuddly creatures a lot of people think they are.

As well as the useful guides that have been linked in above for enrichment, this is another helpful guide to tell you what toys to avoid due to safety concerns, Potentially Dangerous Cage Accessories And Toys
 
I have one pig who will run up to me and not be scared on floor time, and the other, she will run for the hills, funny because the one that comes to me, hates being picked up, and the other she won't moan about being handled. Its just the way it is, I've had one for 1.5 years and the other for 4 years almost.

I have two pets rats, and honestly these are the animals you want if you want a chance of a 100% friendly, purely trusting animal. Not all are like it still. Mine are, so I get the best of both worlds, guine apigs for obeserving mostly, and rats for playing with 👍
 
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