Adopted Guinea Pig Dislikes Me/floor Time

[heynatalie]

Hey everyone! I came here looking for advice (I am new to the guinea pig world).
I adopted a guinea pig from my local shelter all little over two months ago. He is a full grown male and the people at the shelter were unable to tell me how old he is. They did however tell me that he does not get along with other guinea pigs so he would be best kept in a cage without roommates.
After two months of living with me, he still seems extremely... untrusting.
He doesn't like to be petted inside or outside of his cage. He runs away when I want to take him from his cage. He doesn't have any interest in exploring outside of his cage despite me placing a large fleece blanket on the floor of my living room, with a hidey house, tubes, hay, water and dish bowls, toys, etc...
He appears to like me only when I feed him and give him fresh hay, but does not like to be petted even though I am very gentle with him! My main concern is the lack of exercise he is receiving despite me dedicating my evenings to providing seemingly fun floor time for him.

I want him to live the rest of his life happy especially since he could be a senior for all I know and I was told he was brought back to the shelter multiple times.

Any advice?!

 

[Wiebke]

Poor boy! It sounds like he's had quite a traumatic life! It is great that you have made the courageous step to give him a loving home!

Piggies that have been separated and kept alone at too young an age can struggle with interaction with their own kind later in life; this is happening more often the in the US and countries where keeping guinea pigs as single pets is sadly still widespread. In your boy's case this has likely coincided with not much attention/not much gentle interaction from his human family.
Could you please clear with your shelter whether he just cannot live together with other piggies or whether he is simply not interested in other piggies at all? In the first case, you could consider adopting another difficult to bond piggy of either gender and have them living next to each other for mutual stimulation, even if it consists mostly of winding each other up and hurling abuse through the bars.

It takes a lot of time and patience to build up trust with a piggy that has never learned to trust before. Older piggies don't learn as quickly as young ones. Your boy has obviously never encountered run time and simply doesn't know what to do. Give him lots of praise and encouragement and talk to him as much and as often as you can. Interact with him without the need of petting or expecting him to do things he hasn't got a concept for. The way to his heart is obviously through his stomach! Use little veg and herb treats for him to come to you in the cage and later in the run. Older piggies don't have the same need to exercise and to popcorn like young ones. They often just like to sit in their favourite corner. Treat him as a personality instead of a cuddly pet.

Turn laptime into a little feeding session, so he slowly connects it with enjoyment. We have got tips on how to best pick up a piggy in out tutorial video section on the top bar. Touch him "accidentally" when he is absorbed with food and very slowly take it from there. All is not lost, but it will take a lot of time, patience and persistence! He'll probably never become a cuddly pet, but that doesn't mean that you cannot create a bond with him that is equally satisfying in other respects.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/videos/
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/faq-how-do-i-settle-shy-new-guinea-pigs.36239/

 

[maxdawn]

For floor time you could put lots of hidey dotted about and leave a trail of he's fav veg just outside the hidey he's in. Keep the veg close to the hidey to start with. It will take time.

 

[VickiA]

Poor chap sounds like he's had a traumatic start to his life. It's lucky for him that you are giving him a chance of a better life.
It is possible that he is a bit depressed at living alone with no other guinea pig interaction. As Wiebke says it may be worth finding out what happened with other piggies as he may be happier with his own species for company even if he can't share a cage with another piggy. perhaps he could have a companion in another cage?
Sometimes it can take months or years for a piggy to trust you, so you just have to be patient and kind. Some piggies never like to be handled but can still be lovely pets.
Floor time can also be traumatic if a piggy feels too exposed. As max dawn suggests a series of hideys can help.
Thank you for taking the time with your piggy to try to help him. I hope that he settles in with you but it may take time.

 

[heynatalie]

Thanks everyone for your advice!
Sometimes I go on YouTube and play guinea pig sounds for him and he seems very curious about them, so maybe I will adopt another pig similar to him and cage them side by side. For now I will continue to bond with him and add more hideys for him during floor time. I will remain patient and optimistic!