3 month olds skittish--Help!

[babycatcher]

I'm new here, thanks for any perspectives.

We just adopted two 3 month old females. Unfortunately, we had to travel with them right away, and they have only been in their permanent home for the last 2 days out of 5. So, I am prepared for a little more time than usual for them to settle in.

They both (though one more than other) seem fairly skittish. They run away when we try to pick them up and sometimes even run and hide when we move around the room. We may have picked them up a bit too much in that first day or two, or the travel has stressed them out a lot, I don't know. But they even seem to occasionally bother each other when vying for space in their little cave.

We have them in a 2x4 C&C (which they ran around and popcorned in when first placed!), feed them plenty of greens, timothy hay.

I'm hoping it's just a matter of time for them to settle in as they seem to show some signs of happiness and good-nature, but I'm concerned that they are so skittish and slightly aggressive with each other.

Should we persist in trying to handle them daily, or leave them settle for a few more day and then touch them more?

Thanks!

 

[babycatcher]

I should add that the more skittish one did nip me when holding her on the third day we had them. And she seems to make some kind of puffing sound very occasionally, when bothered or nervous. She seems to trail the other one around, seems more stressed than the other one.

And I have a hard time knowing their stressful sounds yet. They do seem to make happy sounds.

 

[Connie]

I really wouldnt worry. As guinea pigs are prey animals it can take weeks (even months) for them to become tame. If they popcorned your doing really well!

Because of the stress of moving I would keep and eye out for lice/mites as this can occur at times of stress (dont worry they are easily treated when caught early) signs include itching, flakey skin/missing hair.

Hope that helps.

 

[justagrrl]

That's a relief! Ginger was 'tasting' me yesterday, she seems really distraught since the babies were born to Coco. We put them all in the new 2x6 C&C cage on Friday night. I was petting Ginger yesterday and scratching her chin, when she gave me a warning nibble, and then chomped down a bit harder. She left a mark, but I didn't do anything other than say 'ouch' a bit louder. I pet her a bit more (keeping away from her mouth) and then put her back in the cage. Coco has been really snotty to her lately, and I think Ginger's feeling out of place. They're both rescues as of the beginning of October, so I don't know their relationship before that, nor do I know how old they are. Ginger is the queen of popcorning though, so there must be something going on right. Coco is the weeker!

Jessica

 

[brillmini]

We worried about truffle and fudge when we first got them back in August they are nearly 5months old now and yes they still run and hide when they feel like. They both come to us and take food from our hands and Fudge sits and lets you stroke her but truffle is still more nervous and you can just touch her head before she runs off. Stick with it though and they will definitely come round. We found cucumber worked well to start with and spent many an evening sitting on the floor with our arms outstretched lol!

 

[Goldie]

Hi there and welcome to the forum.

It is guinea pigs natural instinct to run and hide - that is what happens in the wild.

It will take time and patience to gain their confidence so please don't feel too alarmed about this at the moment. It is very early days for the piggies and you.

From my own perspective currently I have two rescue guinea pigs who, although adults when I adopted them back in May, are still nervous and just beginning to trust me. However, babies should adapt easier and quicker than adult piggies who may have been ill-trusted or just not handled very much.

I am sure after several weeks things will have settled down. Just don't expect too much too soon and you won't be disappointed. I find it so rewarding when a nervous piggy turns into an outgoing and confident one through patience and understanding.

A good tip is to log (on paper perhaps) their behaviour each day and soon you will see progress.

Hope this helps.

 

[babycatcher]

Thank you all so much!

I put some fleece in their cage today, and they love it. We use that when we try to pick them up and that seems to help a lot.

Appreciate the support!