Recently I bought my most recent guinea pig and named her Speckles. She's the fifth guinea pig I've ever had and like the rest of them has her own distinct personality.
I wasn't able to buy a friend for her with my income right now.
Overall, two of my previous four guinea pigs were friendly with me. One was a bit older with when I got her so she was a little agitated at times but she wasn't scared of me. Dolly was very friendly! She walked on my feet and some times would squeak until I picked her up and held.
The other two however were more timid. While one eventually didn't fear us anymore she never liked being picked up. However the youngest always feared me and I never really knew why.
So my question now is, how do I bond with Speckles. Now that I'm older I'm more interested in the proper way to bond with my new guinea pig. I've had her for one and a half weeks now. At first she was timid and never came out. Now she popcorns around her cage once in awhile and will eat an orange from my hand though it takes a little time for her to come to me.
I had to clean her cage and picked her up which at first scared her very much. But when I held her for about ten minutes she moved her nose around a bit and even rested her head on me. Not wanting to push my luck, I finished cleaning the cage and put her away.
A day later I tried petting her but she resisted. I didn't want to chase her so I withdrew my hand from the cage and while I left her door open and sat next to it she did relax and lay down with her eyes slowly closing.
I'm curious how long it may take for her to be okay that I pet her. I understand all guinea pigs are different and adjust at their own pace but am I doing thing right?
For the most part I have her ear from my hand, so she can see I'm not going to hurt her and become accustomed to my scent at the same time. I play classical music to soothe her and I'm constantly saying her name and talking to her so she'll get used to my voice.
Other than sudden movement or loud noise she doesn't ever appear too startled when I'm around but when I insert my hand in her home she appears scared.
Should I try holding more so she'll get used to that or wait until she's comfortable with me simply petting her?
Thank you for your time
I'm also aware that as I don't have money to provide her with a friend i try to spend as much time talking with her and being around her... I spend a lot of time in my room and since i have a habit of talking out loud it isn't too hard. lol
I wasn't able to buy a friend for her with my income right now.
Overall, two of my previous four guinea pigs were friendly with me. One was a bit older with when I got her so she was a little agitated at times but she wasn't scared of me. Dolly was very friendly! She walked on my feet and some times would squeak until I picked her up and held.
The other two however were more timid. While one eventually didn't fear us anymore she never liked being picked up. However the youngest always feared me and I never really knew why.
So my question now is, how do I bond with Speckles. Now that I'm older I'm more interested in the proper way to bond with my new guinea pig. I've had her for one and a half weeks now. At first she was timid and never came out. Now she popcorns around her cage once in awhile and will eat an orange from my hand though it takes a little time for her to come to me.
I had to clean her cage and picked her up which at first scared her very much. But when I held her for about ten minutes she moved her nose around a bit and even rested her head on me. Not wanting to push my luck, I finished cleaning the cage and put her away.
A day later I tried petting her but she resisted. I didn't want to chase her so I withdrew my hand from the cage and while I left her door open and sat next to it she did relax and lay down with her eyes slowly closing.
I'm curious how long it may take for her to be okay that I pet her. I understand all guinea pigs are different and adjust at their own pace but am I doing thing right?
For the most part I have her ear from my hand, so she can see I'm not going to hurt her and become accustomed to my scent at the same time. I play classical music to soothe her and I'm constantly saying her name and talking to her so she'll get used to my voice.
Other than sudden movement or loud noise she doesn't ever appear too startled when I'm around but when I insert my hand in her home she appears scared.
Should I try holding more so she'll get used to that or wait until she's comfortable with me simply petting her?
Thank you for your time
I'm also aware that as I don't have money to provide her with a friend i try to spend as much time talking with her and being around her... I spend a lot of time in my room and since i have a habit of talking out loud it isn't too hard. lol
