Am I Doing Something Wrong?

[Avalon]

I have had my gorgeous boys 3 weeks now and I love them both more and more each day but they really don't seem to like me at all!

They are VERY skittish and spend all their time when I'm around huddled together in one corner under their loft. I done some research on skittish GPs and how to tame them so I have been spending lots of time talking to them, approaching their cage quietly, offering food and their favourite leaves (spinach!) But they don't seem to want to interact with me whatsoever. They either ping around the cage to get away or ignore food even if I hold it right in front of them. I sat there for 3 hrs talking to them, offering food and they just seemed to go into a trance and ignored me.

I know getting used to me and their new environment IS going to take time and patience and I'm more than willing to give that to them. They have a forever home with me no matter what, I just don't know if I'm doing the right things to make them happy.

The first cage I had them in was far too small so they now have a 150x60 c&c with a huge loft which has made them much happier. They have plenty of hides and beds so they feel secure and warm, they have lots of ad-lib hay, they get veg treats hidden in toilet rolls for enrichment which they seem to have fun rummaging in.

Reading up there are conflicting views on handling skittish GPs until they trust you completely. I do pick them up daily as I feel I need to make sure they are well in themselves which you can't always see when they are huddled under their loft, but should I be picking them up if they are still so skittish? Is this counter effective to trying to tame them? This is a really difficult issue for me as a new GP owner as having rats previously it was always better to handle them to get them more used to you.

They have a mad half hour sometimes when I'm there, bouncing about the cage with each other, chattering away so I know they are in some way happy but most of the time they just look scared hidden away under their loft.

I want so much for them to lead a happy and fulfilling life. I just need to know I'm doing all I can to make it so.

Any tips or suggestions much appreciated x

 

[gizzy]

Hi there , try holding them in your lap and hand feed them letice , and at the same time
Gentaly stroke the back of there ears,
They sholud soon identife you as a place of safty and food

 

[Caron's Cavies]

Don't worry. It just takes time. I always prefer at the beginning to hand feed them their veges so that they begin to associate coming out with food and lap-time.

Now that they have been with you a few weeks they should be fine for you to take out and cuddle and play with as much as you want.

They may always appear to be a bit skittish as it is a survival instinct in them. My avatar boy Jasper who loves his Mummy the best still to this day panics when I go to pick him up even though I speak to him. I need to make sure he smells my hand and then he is ok. I'm not sure who he thinks is getting him out for lap-time if not me

Perhaps sit down on the floor with them at floortime and get them used to you being there with them too.

Good luck and keep persevering

 

[Shades]

I can vouch for what the other posters have said. It takes time. Stick at it. Our pigs have been with us six to seven weeks and they're still scampering away to hide at noises they hear every day. I talk to them, I clean out their cage, they know who I am but their instinct is always to be wary of danger. I think that when you have many people interacting with them, then they are a little more nervous than if there is only one person. There's four of us and sometimes they'll just run away and hide for no apparent reason.

 

[flintstones]

My boy Fred who I have had 6 years still scampers when I want him out. It's just who he is, he will however hang out his cage to get his veggies from me. He even takes syringes from me willing but I'm still not allowed to pat his head or hold him everything is very much on his terms.

The only time he's snoozed on my lap is when he had valium at the vets for his dental. I've never seen him so relaxed.

 

[7squeakers.]

For Heavens sake, you've only had them three weeks! I can only agree with the previous posts. It's going to take time. My boy Clyde, was always a "runner" right up to his passing at almost 5 years old. Some piggies never stop running, some become confiding very quickly.

 

[sport_billy]

It does take a while, they will get used to you. Keep at it. It took us 6 months to tame Vimto.

try feeding them at the bars it is a great way to build up trust.

Try using these method to pick them up if you have difficulty catching them, sometimes picking them up stresses them out and puts them in scared frames of mind

 

[paulalovespiggies]

You're not doing anything wrong, your pigs don't hate You! I had the same feelings with my 2 boys but I've learned to just enjoy them without always lifting them up. My pigs just aren't cuddly boys, they will tolerate being held up to a point but will tug on my clothes sharpish when they get fed up. I've just accepted their personalities and I know they don't hate me, they just don't like being affectionate in that way.

 

[Tewdric]

As everyone else has said, they just need time. Bribery also works a treat!

 

[piggieminder]

We've had our boars 10 months now and they still run away if we approach the cage, they both hate lap and floor time, Peanut shakes visibly when being stroked. Spike (avatar) will stay put sometimes if he is eating hay but Peanut dives into hiding if we so much as reposition ourselves in our seat (boys are in our sitting room). There have been improvements they will come to the cage door for veggies and take from our hands and they have stopped teeth chattering at the slightest rattle of the scrabble letters. You are doing well, gaining their confidence really does take time.

 

[adelhide]

it takes much time, wicca was very skittish when we got her, i think she was traumatised at the pet store (yes i got them from pet stores, the RSPCA didn't have any at the time) but now more then a year later she is coming out of her shell, she actually wheeks for food now. i held her almost everyday, oh to get them to eat try scritching their back where the tail would be if they had one, always works on wicca, course now she gets huffy if you don't scritch her but when she out and eating but what can you do?

 

[gizzy]

Hi, perhaps she is frightend of you !Have you tried sitting her on you knee sorounded by lettice and letting her get to know you ways and smells

 

[Hayley86]

Guinea pigs are prey animals so their instincts from the wild are to RUN!
Mine are still weirdo`s sometimes they will trot over and say hi. Particualrly when
I am trying to clean them out other times they just run away.

 

[Freela]

You're not doing anything wrong. Guinea pigs are naturally skittish. They are prey animals in the wild, so they are hard-wired to run from anything trying to scoop them up. Even some guinea pigs who are very comfortable being held dislike the sensation of being caught or cornered. Sport billy already posted a good video on how to pick them up with minimal trauma. My advice would definitely be to handle daily, while trying to make the actual pick-up as stress-free as possible.

If it's any consolation, the two pigs that I have now both started out very skittish. Both have settled into wonderful, really affectionate pets. Sundae is 5.5 years old, has been through a ton of unpleasant stuff medically, and still gives us kisses every time we hold her and 'chats' to us all the time. And Hadley we have only had for 9 months, and she has gone from terrified to a lap pig who will even let my 8 year old play with her feet.