Am I distressing them?

[custardcream]

Hi,

I have had my piggies for just over a week now, they are 8 weeks old. They are still terrified of everything, but they are slowly getting better.

Today I put them out in the run, and only one would pop her head out and eat the grass around the door of their house as far as her neck would stretch! How long did it take yours to be bounding around the run?!

Also after they had their "run" in the run I took them out and brought them inside with a fleece and handful of grass, for their first proper hold since I got them. Custard was fine, and sat chopping a little bit of grass. She didnt try to hide. Cream on the otherhand was trying to bury into my armpit! She was vibrating and chattering on.

They just seem so scared, but I need to hold them to get them used to it. I am just worried that I am distressing them, I don't want to freak them out. How often should I put them through the "torture" of me handling them?!

Thank you in advance.

Alex

 

[Carly and co]

Hi.
I had 2 new piggies just over a month ago, they also were terrified of everything and would only come out when no one was around. They are a little better now and i handle them every day, i find they they relax when you talk to them and they have started to talk back to me now. maybe you could brush them on your lap mine like this. i think they have to build up trust in you, food always helps! x

 

[flips]

They're still very young and new. Give them time to settle. It can take weeks/ months for pigs to feel secure and comfortable.
Definitely carry on handling them. A few minutes each time is fine. You can use a cosy or make a pocket out of a fleece or towel for laptime. You can still stroke your pigs but they'll feel hidden at the same time.
Perhaps in the run you can use a towel to make cover the area in front of the house so that it feels less exposed.

You'll get there.

 

[Wiebke]

I would try and turn pick up and handling into a ritual with certain phrases in the same tone, so they will know what to expect. Feeding time with bag rustling or, in my case, loud tsk tsking, is usually the ritual they pick up quickest.

When handling, talk to your piggy constantly, in a calming voice. Praise it for every little thing, like you would a little doggie. I have an Owww in a diasppointed tone when a piggy loses courage. It's more the tone than the word a piggy is picking up on.

Make sure that you have a cover or towel over at leat a good part of the run in order to encourage the piggies to come out. It can take two or three visits until a piggy plucks up the courage to come into the open - remember that all their instincts are screaming "danger!".

It is a matter of patience and persistence; settling in fully can take weeks, little by little step. Your bolder piggy is coming on nicely and there is always a timid one that will hopefully take its cues from the bold one eventually.

 

[Baby's Mom]

It sounds perfectly normal to me. As the others have already said that they'll come around in time.

Food was the biggest thing that helped with my guinea pigs.

Good luck!

 

[Romily]

Some of mine settled in really quickly and ate as soon as their feet hit grass and we have others that have no idea what to do with grass and are taking their time to relax outside. Time works wonders with piggies and I am sure they will come round when they realise that no one is going to eat them!

 

[custardcream]

Thanks a lot for all your comments. I will make a cosy for them, I was using an old fleece blanket, so I will cut that up tonight and use my sewing skills!

I will holding them each day for a little while at a time with some greens, and hopefully they'll learn to like it!

Thanks again, I will let you know how I get on!