Brand New Owner - Need Reassurance

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Also I forgot to add, I am being fairly quiet but now and again calling their name. Now and again when I speak, they someTimes make a low single purr/rumble. I've heard they make this sound if they hear a noise that scares them or are not happy?
 
Chloe B said:
Thank you! Is it really bad to pick up a hidey when they are in it? The problem I have at the minute is they they literally won't come out of them at all. They don't seem to have been out whilst I've left them alone either, all is very quiet and they are taking less and less veg off me, totally not interested. Perhaps yesterday's events have caused them to loose any trust they built up for me?
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When I was really struggle with mine, I have moved their hidey to pick them up. I don't do it too often but if I need to clean them out and they aren't being helpful, then everything gets taken out anyway. I tend to change the bedding with them in there, so I spend the time chatting to them and then hide around me. I think it helped me bond with them because I'm safe! Just be careful to not stress them. And be really patient for the first few weeks. It's all new and they are very timid.

I've taken my piggies on holiday and to my parents. I just chatted to them in the car, stopped a couple of times to check on them and make sure they had plenty of hay left. They are much less bothered about travel now.

Rufus rumbles at some sounds but I've only had him a couple of months. My other two don't care about very much do long as they get fed fresh food twice a day!
 
Try not to panic too much! Much easier said than done I know. I still over think everything I do with the pigs and worry over silly things after 5 years of keeping them.

The number one thing to consider here is time. They will take weeks if not months to fully settle down and get used to your routine, smells, and sounds.

When I first had my two guinea pigs they were very nervous for a long time. They only settled down fully after a couple of months.

Just keep doing what you're doing. It sounds like you're doing a brilliant job! With picking them up it's almost a case of being cruel to be kind. It will probably make them nervous for a while but once they start to learn that being picked up isn't something tragic or terrible it should get easier!

I also started picking up one of my particularly feisty girls in a cosy.

I know you're probably frustrated and feeling a little deflated but don't give up! It does get better I promise and you're doing a really good job! :D x
 
Thank you everyone. I guess I've been feeling like a terrible owner having not officially handled them yet. I guess we are only just into week 2, I has no idea they needed so much time. Would it be terrible if I put off trying to handle for longer? I feel awful but if I try it now, it will be a case of lifting their hidey off them which will make the situation more stressful? I feel like I need to see them comfortable "out and about" before we handle.
 
Chloe B said:
Thank you everyone. I guess I've been feeling like a terrible owner having not officially handled them yet. I guess we are only just into week 2, I has no idea they needed so much time. Would it be terrible if I put off trying to handle for longer? I feel awful but if I try it now, it will be a case of lifting their hidey off them which will make the situation more stressful? I feel like I need to see them comfortable "out and about" before we handle.
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I can't remember when I first picked mine up. I think they were happily taking food from me, it may have even been after they started coming to the side of the cage to collect it. I was cleaning out their toilet corner every day and spent a lot of time with my had in the cage. It took a while. Definitely don't stress them out, you want them to associate you with good things (like food). I move their hidey now, I can't remember when I first did that either...

If you have a tea cosy, you could try that as a cosy sack?
 
Chloe B said:
Thank you everyone. I guess I've been feeling like a terrible owner having not officially handled them yet. I guess we are only just into week 2, I has no idea they needed so much time. Would it be terrible if I put off trying to handle for longer? I feel awful but if I try it now, it will be a case of lifting their hidey off them which will make the situation more stressful? I feel like I need to see them comfortable "out and about" before we handle.
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Definitely let them settle tonight . Perhaps it's time to "go back to the start".

Reading this thread ..

How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?

... perhaps leave them for 48 hours and just talk to them and offer them food by hand .

This is a good thread too ..

How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language
 
PiggyOwner said:
Definitely let them settle tonight . Perhaps it's time to "go back to the start".

Reading this thread ..

How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?

... perhaps leave them for 48 hours and just talk to them and offer them food by hand .

This is a good thread too ..

How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language
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Thank you! Yes I was thinking of going back to the start. They were more lively yesterday late evening and were ravenous for veg! My little Chester still won't venture from his house when we are there though, but sticks his nose out to grab veg. Logan was running about and popcorning and was just a pleasure to watch! I put veg inside the cosy, but I don't think they can climb into it by the looks of things.
 
A few thoughts:

Why don't you take the hiddys out and leave the cozys as a place to hide and then when they are in them you come up from behind and scoop them up? I would just switch them over to cozys full time. You don't need to have two things for two actions being for sleep and pick up. It would help them tame quicker if they knew their only place also moves because then nothing is in their control. Then when you get them tamed add new places of cover, and/or fun for them later on. You keep hitting reset when you have to pull the huts up, because starting out their safety place is taken up right away. Then they run and you can't grab them.

Also, something to keep in mind about pigs is that while they are prey animals, and we have emotions that make us feel that being delicate with them is the best way to handle them, it actually is beneficial to make them have to deal and live with you. A lot of times you'll read on forums about how, like a light switch people's pigs suddenly liked them after months of hand feeding. Eventually all pigs surrender and give up fighting their owners, as if the owner is named top pig. Your top pig> top pig > second pig is the hierarchy lol. So you have to treat the situation as normal and that they need to live in your world, and not catering to them. You wrote that your talking resulted in mad purring from them as if you were interfering, when they need to deal with the sounds to learn how to live with you. If their hiding spot is a cozy which also lifts up, and they have to hear and see you non stop, eventually they say ok, I surrender. I have to deal with this human and food comes from them. There's a difference between intentional stress harming them, and simple stress of them having to accept to live with humans. So I think your doing a good job and don't be afraid to be in their space.
 
Chloe B said:
I am based in North Yorkshire in the uk. That sounds interesting.
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Oo you are probably just down't road or possibly up't road from me. Waving:)

Sounds like you are enjoying watching your boys which is great. If you keep chatting to them they will get used to the sound of your voice. The boys may not explore the cosy without encouragement yet - I do herd mine into them when they are little. See how you get on!
 
scott1 said:
A few thoughts:

Why don't you take the hiddys out and leave the cozys as a place to hide and then when they are in them you come up from behind and scoop them up? I would just switch them over to cozys full time. You don't need to have two things for two actions being for sleep and pick up. It would help them tame quicker if they knew their only place also moves because then nothing is in their control. Then when you get them tamed add new places of cover, and/or fun for them later on. You keep hitting reset when you have to pull the huts up, because starting out their safety place is taken up right away. Then they run and you can't grab them.

Also, something to keep in mind about pigs is that while they are prey animals, and we have emotions that make us feel that being delicate with them is the best way to handle them, it actually is beneficial to make them have to deal and live with you. A lot of times you'll read on forums about how, like a light switch people's pigs suddenly liked them after months of hand feeding. Eventually all pigs surrender and give up fighting their owners, as if the owner is named top pig. Your top pig> top pig > second pig is the hierarchy lol. So you have to treat the situation as normal and that they need to live in your world, and not catering to them. You wrote that your talking resulted in mad purring from them as if you were interfering, when they need to deal with the sounds to learn how to live with you. If their hiding spot is a cozy which also lifts up, and they have to hear and see you non stop, eventually they say ok, I surrender. I have to deal with this human and food comes from them. There's a difference between intentional stress harming them, and simple stress of them having to accept to live with humans. So I think your doing a good job and don't be afraid to be in their space.
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Thank you, not thought of this, I will bear this in mind. Though I only have one cosy!
 
lauraboara said:
Oo you are probably just down't road or possibly up't road from me. Waving:)

Sounds like you are enjoying watching your boys which is great. If you keep chatting to them they will get used to the sound of your voice. The boys may not explore the cosy without encouragement yet - I do herd mine into them when they are little. See how you get on!
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I live in Harrogate Yes I find them facinating and I love it when Logan is all inquisitive and chatters away. Just hoping Chester will do the same soon, they are two very different little piggies!
 
Hi all. I would just like to update you on my piggies and again make sure I am doing the right thing. I've had my piggies just short of a month now. I was brave and started picking them up in my hands. It's not easy at all and my heart races like crazy as I can't bare having to chase them. But I am happy picking them up now.

My piggies won't come out of their hideys at all when I am nearby, therefore in order to get them, I have no option but to lift the hidey off (which I hate to do). My method is putting a cardboard frame around their hidey, then lifting hidey up, then picking them up from within the box frame. I thought this limits the space they have to run, but sometimes they do get out of it.

So far I have been holding for about two mins before they get too squirmy, just once a day. Once back in the cage, I give them veggies. They don't seem overly happy with me. They nibble (not bite) my hands when being held and just seem so scared. I hand feed veg in morning, one comes out for his, the other stays hidden only poking his head out. Then I do this again in an evening, after a quick cuddle.

I set a camera up in the room to watch them, they are pretty active when I am nowhere near, but dont come out hardly when I'm there or around.

Does any of this sound normal, and is there anything I'm doing that is wrong? Any advice would be much appreciated, thank you.
 
Hi

Don't give them the veggies in their cage give them the veg when you spend lap time with them. That way they will associate you with things they like and should be more at ease :)

Guinea pigs are all different like humans. Some are going to be more shy/nervous than others. I have 7 (2 boars 5 sows) and 2 of my sows are very timid compared to the others.

It just takes a little time

Also move slowly when going to pick them up and speak gently to them. This should help too :)

Good luck
 
Hello! Thank you.

I have tried this, however they won't take it. And also when people say lap time, I'm not sure how to go about this.

Basically I pick them up, bring them close to my chest, but then I'm unsure what to do because I need both hands to hold them. The last couple of times, I lowered them into my lap, but still holding. I don't want to let go of them as I don't want them loose running away in the room. It is also since putting them on my lap that they have started nibbling my hand. I can't seem to go more than two minutes with them. One hides his face from me or puffs it up, the other just struggles and constantly has his head turned looking into his cage. They don't want me!
 
Awwww just keep at it and I'm sure they'll get used to you :) I usually let one of my piggies sit in her snuggle sack so she feels safe and put that on my lap. That way she's safe and she gets used to me stroking her / being away from her cage.

Maybe try getting them out 1 at a time and let them hide in a snuggle sack and try hand feeding some kale (favourite of my piggies). Eventually you'll notice them get more confident and poke their heads out etc! :)
 
I have an igloo style cosy which is in the cage. They never get it it when I am there. When I return them to the cage, I return them to the cosy for a safer landing in case they jump. But if I put my hand anywhere near it while they are in it for a stroke, they jump out.

I guess I could try this on my lap? I'm just too afraid of them jumping out of it as they're in quite a big spare room and I fear id never catch them again. I put them in a tiny pen when I clean them out and one of them head butted my hand away after I had stroked him a bit.

They both take veg from my hand in their cage, they stick their heads out of their hideys. My dominant pig is much shyer and more unsure than the other. I would have thought it would be the opposite.

Thanks for the advice, I will keep persevering. I keep seeing posts and pics of others with their friendly relaxed pigs and I feel I've got a long way to go to get mine to love me!
 
Rest assured that their actions as described thus far shows that they are aware of your role with them. They seem to be letting you know that they want back to their cage and view it as their safe zone. Your at halfway in the battle, so keep going and don't worry.
 
scott1 said:
Rest assured that their actions as described thus far shows that they are aware of your role with them. They seem to be letting you know that they want back to their cage and view it as their safe zone. Your at halfway in the battle, so keep going and don't worry.
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Thank you :-) one of my boys seems to be getting less and less happy about being handled though... From the moment I've picked him up, he struggles like CRAZY to get out of my grip. He's SO strong and I'm worried that I have hurt him by restraining him.

His claws are mega sharp and my hands and wrists are a mess after holding him. How soon should I clip a baby's claws? (my piggies are 3 months old). I don't know how I'm going to do this when he's so desperate to escape.

I have read about pigs becoming permanently afraid of someone if they have been mishandled... At first, I probably wasn't handling in the best way as I was learning.

I apologise for all the questions on this thread! I am just worried and I find this forum extremely helpful :-)
 
I feel your pain. My two boys are 4 months old and as brand New Guinea pig owners who are only a week in, trying to pick them up is a bit stressful. One of my piggies nipped my boyfriend the other day when he tried to pick him up. We are thinking now of trying a new approach of getting them out their cage using a pouch or basket then having lots of stroking and lap time. They have been fine once we have them out the cage, it's just the getting them in and out which has been tricky!
 
Chloe B said:
This is all very reassuring, thank you. I will keep doing what I'm doing and I am less nervous about getting them out for cleaning after seeing that video. Thank you


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So adorable! I find it with my sister's female piggies (one a bit older than the other) that picking them up regularly is helpful. Both are calm once I put them in my lap. I pet them and feed them hay and veg. They love it and aren't as skittish as they once more. Good luck!
 
I know its late but you should start by placing your hand in their cage to let them get used to your scent. Hold treats in your hand and build up trust. For this week, just gently place them in a cardboard box not to worry them. They should be fine :)
 
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