Will my guinea pigs ever like me?

[FiaFlora]

I have had my two, 1 year old, female, guinea pigs for four months now and I still feel like they don’t like me. They will occasionally come say hi when I walk in, but not that often. They will sometimes sleep in the open, but like to spend most of their time in their cage. They will usually come up to get food out of my hand (I hand feed them their veggies) but then will run away as far as they can. And sometimes they are even to scared to come get the veggies from me. During floor time they stay as far away from me as possible. They will walk past me if they have to, but just tend to ignore me and treat me as just another thing in their way lol. They hate being petted or held. Granted once I’m holding them they are fine, they just don’t like being picked up. They do get excited when I do things like rearrange their cage or refill their hay. They are not hesitant to explore their cage while I am around, but if I make the littlest noise or look at them too much, they will go back into their hidey. I don’t know if this is all signs that they just don’t like me and aren’t going to, or if I just need to give it more time. I don’t really know.

 

[Wiebke]

I have had my two, 1 year old, female, guinea pigs for four months now and I still feel like they don’t like me. They will occasionally come say hi when I walk in, but not that often. They will sometimes sleep in the open, but like to spend most of their time in their cage. They will usually come up to get food out of my hand (I hand feed them their veggies) but then will run away as far as they can. And sometimes they are even to scared to come get the veggies from me. During floor time they stay as far away from me as possible. They will walk past me if they have to, but just tend to ignore me and treat me as just another thing in their way lol. They hate being petted or held. Granted once I’m holding them they are fine, they just don’t like being picked up. They do get excited when I do things like rearrange their cage or refill their hay. They are not hesitant to explore their cage while I am around, but if I make the littlest noise or look at them too much, they will go back into their hidey. I don’t know if this is all signs that they just don’t like me and aren’t going to, or if I just need to give it more time. I don’t really know.

Hi! Try our our piggy whispering tips and otherwise be patient; some piggies are more skittish than others. A lot depends on what conditions their mother has been kept in and how stressed she has been, and how much the pups have internalised that. I can always tell with my adoptees as some have panic mode as their default setting and it can take years to work beyond that, long after their mothers have settled down and become friendly and relaxed themselves.
Commercial breeder piggies (whether that is a shop supplier or a private backyard/farm breeder) do not interact with their stock and by far not all have welfare at the forefront of their concerns.

Most piggies will never like being picked up because that is cutting too close to their prey animal instincts. Our picking up guide shows how you can work around that.

Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig