First Day

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Kevanova

Kevanova

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Hey all,

We got our first ever Guinea Pig today and we know they are nervous but so are we ! We bought the Nero cage and put in a shoebox for now (they were out of houses) and he's sitting in it very still. We are able to pet his back and when we did this earlier on he actually started to purr.

How long do the generally stay nervous ? Should he be at least moving around the cage ? I know i'm just paranoid but thought it's best to ask !

PS. If this is normal when should we expect to see him moving around ? And when is it best to start trying to handle him ?
 
He will need at least a couple of days before he settles in, it is very normal for them to hide away until they feel comfortable to venture out and investigate their new surroundings.
He will probably come out of his house when it is quiet and no one around (Probably when you are in bed).

Guinea Pigs do not purr, but I know the sound you are trying to describe. They usually make this noise as a warning when they nervous and not happy.
He is probably very nervous still and does not associate being touched as a good thing at the moment.

Where did you get him from, was he handled with his previous owner?

He will soon learn to trust you, but it will take abit of time for him to settle in.

Cant wait to see a photo of him.
 
Guinea pigs are very sociable animals and do best in pairs or groups, how old is your boar?

As for settling in, they are timid creatures and it does take some time so be patient and talk to him loads, feed him by hand and pick him up regularly so he gets used to you :)

They are rodents and not many are what I would call "cuddley" but they are wonderful and so entertaining to watch and once they trust you, they are even better!
 
Oh he's only 8 weeks old ! Fresh from the pet shop this afternoon - i'm thinking we are just so excited about him after reading everything on here about them :)

We are going to leave him tonight to settle into his cage and then tomorrow try and give him some carrott just to get him to walk around a little.
 
Ok i feel better now i've heard him scurrying about in his cage when we switched the light off and closed the door ! :) Paranoia over.
 
I'm sure he'll be fine! With all my piggies, I've handled them straightaway - they've been on my lap while their cages were got ready! How he'll be also depends a lot on his personality - I've got two cocky piggies who will just sprawl about anywhere in the cage, one 'normal' one who will come to talk to you, but will also scurry off on occasion and then my nervous wee boy who scurries away into his pigloo at the first sight of you unless you move very slowly and talk to him in a calm voice! Even then, he makes no promises! Funny thing is, he's the easiest of them all to pick up...rolleyes
 
Ok i've been reading more and i'm really worried about just having one on it's own. Is it ok or not ? I can get another one but i was just worried about space - would a Nero 4 cage be big enough for 2 ? And i could get one from the same batch in the store so it wouldn't be a complete stranger (or does that not matter ?)
 
I had my two piggies in a Nero 4; most piggies do prefer to be in the company of another - in the wild they are group animals, so if you were able to go back and get one of his pals it would be nice, but do make sure they don't give you a girl by mistake!
 
Thanks ! I think we've decided to do it. I'm sorry for pestering so much on my first day i just want to get off to a good start.

Should i take any special precautions in putting the 2nd into the cage or is it ok as it's only been a day since they were together :S
 
Try cleaning out the cage and then having them in a neutral area first and with some treats, then pop in cage but have a towel ready to separate if they get a bit testy with each other, best of luck xx>>>xx>>>
 
Meant to add.......don't every worry about asking questions on here, we all do it, only way to find out -c
I also to help the piggie get on floor and let them sniff you and then you let them potter around you and get used to you.....another thing is try to greet your little one the same way, they get used to your voice that way x)
 
I echo all that has been said above. Give him time and he will learn not to be frightened and trust you.
If you think about things from his point of view, it has been a big day for him. Moving house and family! :))

Guinea pigs are social animals, although naturally timid, and enjoy company. Although some will always run away if you try to pick them up, although they are perfectly at ease when stroking them in their house.

Funny little things! ^)
 
Hi and welcome.. this is a great site and no question is ever to silly. I've had my 2 boys now for 4 weeks and handle them every day. They are let out to run around in the living room and as long as they have a hidey hole to go in they are happy to run about and have a good smell. They too where as skittish as your sounds but now they will come out and eat from my hands. We still keep them in a blanket on our knees when cuddle time is just to keep them from wanting to run away. You will be suprised how quickly they come round to us humans :)p
 
Well guys i'm not officially happy ! We have given them a day or two to settle so today we picked them up for the first time and it went really well, they are just the cutest things when they just snuggle into you and let you pet them. When Obama (the newest addition) eat a cucumber from my hand i couldn't believe how happy it made me !

So we are going to clean up the living room so there's no loose wires they can nibble on etc so we can let them out for a run. I also have a back garden - is it ok to let them run around if i make a run ?

Thanks for everything guys !
 
WHERE ARE THE PICTURES? LOL
This is lovely news, and I'm glad it's working out so well already. And it's fine to give them a run in the back garden, provided it's not too cold or the grass too damp. Also be sure you've not treated the grass (or any other plants they might get near) with any chemicals, fertiliser, or whatever. When I put mine out in their run, I always made sure to keep an eye, just in case any visiting cat might want to get too close.
Anyway, looking forward to regular updates (please) and pigtures.
 
Hiya I am Gomez and Obama's mummy! (Kevanova is my husband) I have to say I am extremely nervous about our wee piggies! I love them so greatly and certainly had fun watching them this afternoon! I feel have bonded slightly more than Kev has - I managed to get both piggies to eat bits of carrots on my hands. When they are being active they still dont like to be stroked much is this normal?
 
Every pig is different so there's no fixed timescale for them to settle but just keep interacting with them and I'm sure they'll come around
 
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