Doesn't seem to like being picked up anymore

[ddc08]

Hi all.

I'm a little confused and concerned about Harry and his behaviour recently. When we first got him he was always happy(ish) when it came to picking him up. When we went to get him he wouldn't struggle and we'd get him with relative ease.

But over the last few weeks it has got harder when trying to pick him up. Today when trying to put him in the run he wasn't having any of it. He was squeeking, running and even tried biting at me I think. Couldn't get him at all and had to get the spare house and carry him in that in the end.

Other than that he is fine with us. Once we have him he'll sit happily and eat from our hands. He'll approach us when we are about and is generally quite happy. But just won't let us pick him up. The other half thinks most of the time he is playing with us, but I'm not so sure.

Any thoughts? Do some pigs just not like being picked up?

 

[Tracyxx]

I think some pigs just hate being picked up. If I was a guinea pig and a giant pair of hands came towards me, I'd probably run away too. Especially as they're prey animals, they sometimes see us as 'predators' even when we're their loving owners. I have some pigs who are little terrors to pick up. Shavings and hay fly everywhere and I'm completely bedraggled by the time I've finished! My only advice would be to check him over and ensure there's no site of pain that's causing him to nip you, and if there's not, then to keep on picking him up regularly (twice a day, maybe) and eventually he'll come around. And if he doesn't, at least you'll have the fun of catching him and you can give him snuggles when you finally do!

 

[Goldie]

Yes, some pigs just don't like being picked up. They are happy to have their chins tickled and their heads stroked but when it comes to the big hand trying to pick them up ... then they flee for their lives!

Guinea pigs are naturally timid and run for cover. It takes lots of patience with some to overcome this ... it is rewarding when it happens but unfortunately it doesn't always happen, they just learn not to run quite so fast!

 

[thatsbec]

I'm glad this question was asked, because i have the same problem with 2 of my sows, when they were babies they were fine with being picked up, etc but now (they're only about 9 months old) they HATE being picked up, they squeal really loud and run for their lives and shake their heads and kick their legs really hard and it takes forever to actually catch them as their cage is quite large - and they try and hide under anything and everything in their cage, so i have to take everything out and then try and catch them as they run laps of the cage at full speed behind each other - my baby sister thinks its hilarious when they do this, but i feel terrible, like some big ogre trying to catch them...lol. When i finally do catch them i put them on a soft towel and cuddle them and just talk softly to them, sometimes Socks will be calm down and want to explore everything but Bows is always very timid and can't wait to get back in the cage...and then we're back to square one the next time i try and take them out. Sometimes i don't want to take them out *** i don't want to distress them too much, but then a part of me wants to *** i want to bond with them, but it's like they just don't want to....maybe i'm doing something wrong?

I think i take it a bit too personal sometimes too, which is silly, but my piggy Buttons (dec) was so different and very cuddly and vibrant and loved being held and now i have two that don't want a bar of me.

 

[frank]

Sometimes my piggy is playing hard to get. Then I empty all of the stuff out of its cage and gently coax it into a corner. When I pick it up its slow and firm with one hand under the pig for support. If this is not OK with the pig it squeals after all what defense do they really have......... Keep on with it the pig will get used to it