Advice needed!!

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Rufusbaby

I have a long haired piggy called Rufus. Have had him for 4 weeks and am having major probs with him! Being new to keeping GP's i am in need of some advice.
Bought him from the local pet shop and was told he was a very sociable wee man but he's not settling in to our family life very well. I talk to him all day long, i pet him regularly but he is very reluctant to let me pick him up. I don't forcibly pick him up (on the very odd occasion he lets me). I put an old shoe box in his cage which he normally goes into to, this lets me take him out so he can run around the room. My 2 kids are constantly sitting by his cage talking to him, they are desperate for cuddles (as am i!)
The main problem i have is grooming him, i have a baby brush and i try to groom daily but he attacks the brush and myself every time (have even tried distracting with treats but to no avail!). With his reluctence for grooming his rear end has become matted with shavings and his coat feels greasy. He's normally ok with me being in his cage for cleaning but tonight he had a major bite at me (broke the skin!) I am at a loss at what to do, can anyone help?
 
Hi & Welcome :)
I have to say 4 weeks isn't a long time for a piggy as he is still settling into his home & getting used to you & his surroundings. Not all piggies enjoy being held/cuddled but some will be persuaded where others never will.

When you clean his cage can he be somewhere else ie in his run?

Shavings aren't great for piggies & esp not longhairs as they do stick to the hair. If you have a look here http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=9 there are member reviews on the different beddings available.

Regarding grooming him, you can cut the mats out of his hair & keep his rear end shorter & the only way i know to get them used to grooming is to keep at it, if you have him on your knee on a towel or blanket you could cover his head with it whilst you're brushing his body/bum as piggies do feel more secure if they are hidden & if they can't see you, you can't see them :))

Ideally Rufus should be with another piggy as they are sociable animals & do crave the company of their own kind. There are lots of piggies in rescue needing homes http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=19 or www.guineapigrehome.org.uk

How old is he & how big is the cage you have him in? The ideal indoor cage is for 2 is a Nero 4 or similar, if he's in a hutch then 4ft x 2ft is the minimum but boars generally do better in larger spaces.

Keep talking to him & handling him & in time he will get better. You can wrap him in a fleece blanket or similar to hold him, this may make him feel more secure or pop him into a cat igloo or the shoe box you have but give him something like a towel to sit on & let your children stroke him whilst he's in there.

Do let us know how he progresses & would love to see pics of the man in question :)
 
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Rufusbaby said:
I have a long haired piggy called Rufus. Have had him for 4 weeks and am having major probs with him! Being new to keeping GP's i am in need of some advice.
Bought him from the local pet shop and was told he was a very sociable wee man but he's not settling in to our family life very well. I talk to him all day long, i pet him regularly but he is very reluctant to let me pick him up. I don't forcibly pick him up (on the very odd occasion he lets me). I put an old shoe box in his cage which he normally goes into to, this lets me take him out so he can run around the room. My 2 kids are constantly sitting by his cage talking to him, they are desperate for cuddles (as am i!)
The main problem i have is grooming him, i have a baby brush and i try to groom daily but he attacks the brush and myself every time (have even tried distracting with treats but to no avail!). With his reluctence for grooming his rear end has become matted with shavings and his coat feels greasy. He's normally ok with me being in his cage for cleaning but tonight he had a major bite at me (broke the skin!) I am at a loss at what to do, can anyone help?
Click to expand...

I have 2 longhairs and they don't like grooming around the bottom half of their body. With longhairs the best way to do it is to bathe every 6 weeks with an appropriate shampoo (gorgeous guineas posh and go is brilliant). If you are blowdrying (I don't as mine HATE it) make sure it's a very cool setting. If you are going to leave them dry naturally then put the heating on and let them dry in the warm. Groom the top half or parts they let you with the brush and the rest with your fingers. Cut matted hair out and keep the hair around their bottoms quite short (not REALLY close to the skin, but quite clipped)

As already mentioned shavings aren't the best for any guineas but are really not the best for long hair guineas as they stick in the hair making it worse.

Also your guinea pigs behaviour is as it is because you only have 1. They don't display relaxed behaviour at all when there is only one of them. Being herd prey animals they rely on the other members of the herd to keep watch while they relax and a solo guinea pig feels they are always at risk and can't relax or get any rest. Guinea pigs really do manage much better in pairs or groups.
 
i agree with others,
I have a pig that i have had for at least 4-5 months and he still hates me,but i have had others who are great from day one,it is down to the individual piggy,
you have to give him time and let him know that he can trust you,
Getting him a friend of the same sex will also help to being him out of his shell as piggies are social creatures.
i recently noticed my pig was trying to bite us and we took him to the vet and he is sick,it also happened with our last sick gp so maybe a vet trip to rule that out would be good,
As guineas are prey animals it can take years to make them willingly want cuddles and sometimes it never happens its just a part of owning pigs.
I also agree about the woodshavings,i find the very best bedding for my long haired pigs is fleece as it cannot stick in there hair and is rewashable so doesnt cost much long term either.
 
I have never had a longhaired piggie so i haven't tried grooming - but can I just comment that if a piggie has sore skin or unhappy skin then they will get very upset indeed if you stroke them. Some skin problems are not obvious at first and it can take experience to spot them. Has your piggie had a general 'all clear' visit to a vet? The biting can simply be a reaction to 'my skin is sore and the human is dragging the hair about painfully with the brush'. It's just a thought and careful examination will very likely prove me wrong, but I felt it was worth saying.
 
Thanks for all your advice.... he seems a bit better today. Let me pick him up no problem to get him out for a run around. Wasn't easy to get him back in though!! (he loves to run round the room). I managed a small groom but not near his rear end. Bought new bedding today, Carefresh. Was recommended to me so i'll see how that goes.
I contacted my local animal rescue place today to ask if they had any advice on introducing a mate for him, they have no suitable piggies just now but do have a pregnant one so they'll let me know if she has any wee boys.
Thanks again for all your advice and i'll get some pics of my wee man on soon.
 
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