Will I Ever Be Able To Handle Them ?

[Lorraine 2911]

i have had my 2 boys, Eric & Ernie for about 3months. I rehomed them and was told they were about 14 months old. I don't think they have ever been handled as they are so nervous and skittish. I have read many things on this forum and other places and have been taking it really slowly. Ernie has become less nervous. He will take food from me, and will shout to me in the morning when he sees me. He jumps up at the doors of the hutch and the last few days I have been able to gently stroke him on the nose and top of the head. Eric on the other hand will run and hide all the time, if he takes food he then runs backwards away from me.
Yesterday I started to stroke Ernie and just very gently picked him up . I held him for about a minute then put him back in the hutch, offered him a treat and left him. I thought, at last I've done it, little and often. Since then we are back to square one. As soon as I even go near the hutch they both run, hay and wood shavings flying everywhere, he will not take anything from me and even when doing the daily clean and food routine they are both hiding in the corner.
They are in a double storey hutch and are kept inside as I thought this would help them get used to our voices etc. I'm worried as I have noticed there nails are getting long and need trimming.
Where am I going wrong ?

 

[Reenie]

You're not @Lorraine 2911 They're just shy. Take it easy and I'm sure they will come round a bit. I used to foster piggies which had never been handled, and most, although not all, got more comfortable with being held as time went on. Don't worry if they don't get easier to catch though - that's just a guinea pig thing. The three I have now are really confident little guys, but I still have to be clever (and quick) to catch them - the littlest one I can only get if I catch him in a cardboard tube. Little and often and always involve food would be my advice. If Ernie actually let you pick him up you're well on your way. Good luck!

 

[Wiebke]

i have had my 2 boys, Eric & Ernie for about 3months. I rehomed them and was told they were about 14 months old. I don't think they have ever been handled as they are so nervous and skittish. I have read many things on this forum and other places and have been taking it really slowly. Ernie has become less nervous. He will take food from me, and will shout to me in the morning when he sees me. He jumps up at the doors of the hutch and the last few days I have been able to gently stroke him on the nose and top of the head. Eric on the other hand will run and hide all the time, if he takes food he then runs backwards away from me.
Yesterday I started to stroke Ernie and just very gently picked him up . I held him for about a minute then put him back in the hutch, offered him a treat and left him. I thought, at last I've done it, little and often. Since then we are back to square one. As soon as I even go near the hutch they both run, hay and wood shavings flying everywhere, he will not take anything from me and even when doing the daily clean and food routine they are both hiding in the corner.
They are in a double storey hutch and are kept inside as I thought this would help them get used to our voices etc. I'm worried as I have noticed there nails are getting long and need trimming.
Where am I going wrong ?

Take a deep breath and calm down. Ernie will come round again, and much more quickly than before. Bring truly skittish piggies round often feels like 1 step forward and 2 steps back. Take the gas off the accelerator and start back in square one. Once Ernie feels sure that you are not going to do unspeakable things to him, he will go back to where you had him. You will notice that with every panic, the boys will come round again more quickly and a little bit further along.

When picking your boys up for nail trimming, do so by chivvying them into a coveyance. Do not not pick them up with your hands. Talk the whole time you cut the nails and praise them lavishly for every nail you can cut. Project your pride and encouragement to the boys and make a big fuss with your voice. Use piggy whispering tricks to convey how much you care, but also to make them behave in piggy language.
Don't human cuddle them, but give them a "piggy kiss" by stroking the area around eyes, put them straight back into the hutch and serve a big treat straight afterwards, which you can watch from afar where they they cannot see you.
Groom the top boar first and stop whenever they panic or struggle, even if you are not finished yet. It is more important that they realise that you listen to them.

Learning to trust is a slow process. I have a fair number of piggies that will come to pick up their veg from my hand (and with some that has taken a goodly while to get there), and then they run off with their choice morsel to eat it in a safe place. That is normal group behaviour and not a sign of distrust. By far not every piggy will allow me to touch them off the lap, but it doesn't bother me - I enjoy my cuddly piggies and make sure that the others have a happy piggy live. When I look back over their lives, most have come a long way anyway, sloly but surely. You can see with strangers that they are actually a lot more relaxed and confident a few years on. It is just not a quick thing. However, those special moments and then the glorious one when you realise that Ernie finally trusts you implicitly, are so worth it!

How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig
How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language

 

[Lorraine 2911]

Thanks for the replies. Is it ok for me to 'get them cornered' then pick them up. I think I'm waiting for them to come to me, I don't want to scare them by chasing them round the hutch to 'capture'them. I was going to try wrapping them in a towel to cut their nails. If all else fails I will take them to the vet......just got to get them first haha

 

[Reenie]

It's better to use a hidey or a cardboard tube if you can. If you get them inside that, put your hand over both entrances and pick them up that way, especially if they are really skittish.

 

[flowerfairy]

Jingle just flatly refuses to go into any hidies now at catching time. She leaps in the air and whizzes away from me!

I have to corner her and gently grab. She soon settles. Mistletoe screams and Caramel races round and round his cagenlike a deer (he is a baby).

I always pick them up once in the morning (although not every morning) so that they know once thatbsession is over there wont be any more that day.

 

[Lorraine 2911]

Just to let you know with the help of my husband we managed to catch both boys, trim their nails and give them a quick once over. Straight back in the hutch with lots of fresh hay for them to eat and hide !. Feeling proud

 

[VickiA]

Just to let you know with the help of my husband we managed to catch both boys, trim their nails and give them a quick once over. Straight back in the hutch with lots of fresh hay for them to eat and hide !. Feeling proud

Well done. Nail clipping can be just as stressful for us owners as it is for the piggies. And for the record, none of my piggies volunteers to be picked up: all have to be chased and caught either in a corner or in a hidey and then lifted out. Over time they struggle less and come to enjoy being handled but none of them ever welcomes my attempts to pick them up from their cage.