Teejay
Adult Guinea Pig
Hi all, my two boars are about 5 months old now; I've had them since they were about 8 weeks old at Xmas. They are very different in character; Squeak is cheeky, confident, and in your face....Pudding is quiet, cautious and timid.
When I first had the boys, I spent a lot of time with them and they came on in leaps and bounds......we quickly reached the point where they were happy to be stroked in the cage, would willingly take food from me and would literally climb all over me when they were having floor time.
But then, about a month ago, Pudding seemed to go backwards......he will now barely even let me touch him; I can only just about manage to touch his nose before he scarpers. He'll still take food from me, but it's very much a 'grab and run away' arrangement!
Neither of them has ever really been happy about being handled and they're a nightmare to catch (but that doesn't worry me, cos I know lots of piggies are). They quickly get wise to my tricks to catch them, like when I put in a pigloo or a tunnel to shepherd them into.
When I do finally manage to catch them, Pudding completely freezes up and barely moves a muscle til I put him down. He certainly doesn't seem to enjoy being held and stroked, no matter how often I do it and how nice I try to make the experience for him.
Squeak, however, is a different matter.....he wriggles like an eel, tries to run off at every opportunity, squeals like a banshee and repeatedly tries to bite any bit of exposed flesh he can reach with his teeth. I don't think he's scared (he's the bold one of the two), I think he's just peed off with being held and letting me know in no uncertain terms! :o
Squeak is a strange one, really.......he's normally happy to be stroked and stroked in the cage, and actually wheeks for attention and fuss.......the other day, while I was stroking him, he gave a massive yawn, snuggled down in the vetbed, legs akimbo and closed his eyes! But then, other times he massively overreacts to being stroked and you'd think my fingers were giving him electric shocks!
I've never been able to bath the boys due to this handling problem (not that they need it, they don't smell and they are both smooth coated). I also worry that, when the time comes to have their nails clipped, I won't be able to handle them well enough to do it.
So what would you experienced piggie owners do with Squeak, my little reprobate? Is this rebellion a common behaviour trait in young boars, or is he just a naughty little man! Could this biting be a symptom of an illness? I've checked his coat as closely as I can, and I can't see any symptoms of mites or anything other type of infestation.
And what about Pudding? Will I just have to accept he's not a 'people piggy'?
Sorry for the massive post....that seems to be my speciailty!
Tracey
When I first had the boys, I spent a lot of time with them and they came on in leaps and bounds......we quickly reached the point where they were happy to be stroked in the cage, would willingly take food from me and would literally climb all over me when they were having floor time.
But then, about a month ago, Pudding seemed to go backwards......he will now barely even let me touch him; I can only just about manage to touch his nose before he scarpers. He'll still take food from me, but it's very much a 'grab and run away' arrangement!
Neither of them has ever really been happy about being handled and they're a nightmare to catch (but that doesn't worry me, cos I know lots of piggies are). They quickly get wise to my tricks to catch them, like when I put in a pigloo or a tunnel to shepherd them into.
When I do finally manage to catch them, Pudding completely freezes up and barely moves a muscle til I put him down. He certainly doesn't seem to enjoy being held and stroked, no matter how often I do it and how nice I try to make the experience for him.
Squeak, however, is a different matter.....he wriggles like an eel, tries to run off at every opportunity, squeals like a banshee and repeatedly tries to bite any bit of exposed flesh he can reach with his teeth. I don't think he's scared (he's the bold one of the two), I think he's just peed off with being held and letting me know in no uncertain terms! :o
Squeak is a strange one, really.......he's normally happy to be stroked and stroked in the cage, and actually wheeks for attention and fuss.......the other day, while I was stroking him, he gave a massive yawn, snuggled down in the vetbed, legs akimbo and closed his eyes! But then, other times he massively overreacts to being stroked and you'd think my fingers were giving him electric shocks!
I've never been able to bath the boys due to this handling problem (not that they need it, they don't smell and they are both smooth coated). I also worry that, when the time comes to have their nails clipped, I won't be able to handle them well enough to do it.
So what would you experienced piggie owners do with Squeak, my little reprobate? Is this rebellion a common behaviour trait in young boars, or is he just a naughty little man! Could this biting be a symptom of an illness? I've checked his coat as closely as I can, and I can't see any symptoms of mites or anything other type of infestation.
And what about Pudding? Will I just have to accept he's not a 'people piggy'?
Sorry for the massive post....that seems to be my speciailty!
Tracey
Did you ?
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