Advice//Guinea Pig is too nervous.

[Ellsie1]

Hello!
I really need some advice as I am starting to think my guinea pig will never like me or any humans he ever meets .
I have had my guinea pig (Gus) for nearly a year now, I have owned so many but this guy has a very weird personality. Good news, he loves his big brother Arnold, and is rather vocal and wheeks at everything.
However, he is really nervous around humans and is rather difficult to pick up, he runs very fast. Once I have him on my leg, he doesn't obviously want to cuddle but he sits very still sometimes. What is concerning me the most is that he has laboured breathing as if he is panicking when I touch him or get him out, he calms down when he is back into his cage. He flees at any movement and I really feel bad for him, I have tried so much and have even saw a vet.
My methods include trying to reduce as much stress put onto him because I know this may or will cause problems to his health.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello!
I really need some advice as I am starting to think my guinea pig will never like me or any humans he ever meets .
I have had my guinea pig (Gus) for nearly a year now, I have owned so many but this guy has a very weird personality. Good news, he loves his big brother Arnold, and is rather vocal and wheeks at everything.
However, he is really nervous around humans and is rather difficult to pick up, he runs very fast. Once I have him on my leg, he doesn't obviously want to cuddle but he sits very still sometimes. What is concerning me the most is that he has laboured breathing as if he is panicking when I touch him or get him out, he calms down when he is back into his cage. He flees at any movement and I really feel bad for him, I have tried so much and have even saw a vet.
My methods include trying to reduce as much stress put onto him because I know this may or will cause problems to his health.

Hi!

Some piggies born to stressed mothers unfortunately take on this setting as their default 'normal' while still in the womb.
All you can do is to give them a stable home and love them as they are.

Use our piggy whispering tips for interaction (they are very effective as you are making total sense to them), avoid any predatory behaviours, stick to a firm routine and don't insist on cuddles beyond what they are willing to give during regular care. If you try to see the world from their eyes, then you will perhaps rather aim at giving them a stable environment than expecting them to conform to human expectations of what a pet piggy should be. And understand their behaviour better, especially where prey animal instincts come into it.

Tell him repeatedly in piggy social interactive body language that he is a loved and welcome member of your group; that gives him an identity and place he can feel safe. It also removes you from the category of a potentially deadly predator. You will always remain somewhat scary, as will anything new or unusual be; but it goes a long way of reassuring him in the most basic and important way you can reassure a piggy.

You may find these guides here interesting and helpful; they try to look at the problem from a guinea pig perspective and try to tackle the issue within their social frame:
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
Who is the boss - your guinea pig or you? (part one applies)
Arrival in a home from the perspective of pet shop guinea pigs

I would however recommend to have his heart vet checked once things are normalising again.

 

[Ellsie1]

Thank you so much!