Kithri
New Born Pup
Hi, everyone. Sorry for the sudden rush of threads from me, but you'll probably have to get used to it!
I think I'm doing everything right for Eleanor and Lucy, whom we brought home yesterday from the shelter. They're in a 2x4 (well, a little larger) cage with fleece bedding, plenty of hay, two plastic hideouts from their cage at the shelter, and some toys. They're definitely eating, because they demolished the hay supply by the time I got home from work, and they (or one of them) ate a treat we left in front of the hideouts.
They're both extremely nervous. Their cage is in our office, and if we're in the room, they're hiding. Period. They won't eat anything from my hand; I tried some bits of apple just now and though Eleanor seemed tempted, she still refused. My fiancé and I set up our webcam so we could watch to see what they did when we left them alone, and not long after we did, it was like "Hey, party now that our parents are out of town!" They went straight to the hay, ran around, and did their normal, piggy thing. They're also poop monsters and seemed quite offended by me cleaning up after them. I didn't want to bring them out for floor time today out of fear of inducing heart attacks. I tried to get them to eat a bit of cucumber last night, but they refused, though the owner of the shelter said they had just eaten, so I wasn't too concerned. I set out some pellets this morning, but some is still left over.
Even though I know it's only been 24 hours, I do struggle with anxiety, and though it's been better as of late, and though I've done mounds of research and I keep telling myself that it will take a while for the girls to get used to us, I guess I just need some reassurance. Theo (my fiancé) and I have full-time jobs, so it's not like we can be here all day. I try to spend as much time as possible without overwhelming them, but I worry that us just being in the office is stressful for them. Is there anything I should do differently? Should I keep doing what I'm doing and wait for them to trust us?
I think I'm doing everything right for Eleanor and Lucy, whom we brought home yesterday from the shelter. They're in a 2x4 (well, a little larger) cage with fleece bedding, plenty of hay, two plastic hideouts from their cage at the shelter, and some toys. They're definitely eating, because they demolished the hay supply by the time I got home from work, and they (or one of them) ate a treat we left in front of the hideouts.
They're both extremely nervous. Their cage is in our office, and if we're in the room, they're hiding. Period. They won't eat anything from my hand; I tried some bits of apple just now and though Eleanor seemed tempted, she still refused. My fiancé and I set up our webcam so we could watch to see what they did when we left them alone, and not long after we did, it was like "Hey, party now that our parents are out of town!" They went straight to the hay, ran around, and did their normal, piggy thing. They're also poop monsters and seemed quite offended by me cleaning up after them. I didn't want to bring them out for floor time today out of fear of inducing heart attacks. I tried to get them to eat a bit of cucumber last night, but they refused, though the owner of the shelter said they had just eaten, so I wasn't too concerned. I set out some pellets this morning, but some is still left over.
Even though I know it's only been 24 hours, I do struggle with anxiety, and though it's been better as of late, and though I've done mounds of research and I keep telling myself that it will take a while for the girls to get used to us, I guess I just need some reassurance. Theo (my fiancé) and I have full-time jobs, so it's not like we can be here all day. I try to spend as much time as possible without overwhelming them, but I worry that us just being in the office is stressful for them. Is there anything I should do differently? Should I keep doing what I'm doing and wait for them to trust us?