Grumpy boys

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KingBoris&HisFollowers

KingBoris&HisFollowers

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hi i read the sticky but it doesnt help me because i am not having many of those signs,my problem is i have two 3 month old boars who were brought at the same time ,they have been together for around 2 weeks but in the last few days have started squeeking at eachother and it sounds quite like they are mabey playing a little to rough.the worst thing is that whenever i even move near there room they run into there little house so i cant observe there behaviour,and both piggys have become anti social towards me and any other human they were great when i first got them now they scartch me,run from me,cry if i even put my hands near them or even nip quite hard at my hands can anyone help

p.s these 2 piggys are smokey and bandit
 
i'm going through this at the minute, only it's with my sow ruby which is very confusing =S
baxter my boar has always been relatively grouchy so i expect that now lol, but ruby's been fine up until now. she's suddenly become incredibly nervous, bolting a lot and taking a long time to settle and have a snack when i take her out. she's started to bolt in the hutch as well which i find quite strange
i'm hoping that ruby's just going through her terrible teens. i've often found that guinea pigs who are quite fidgety with human contact settle down once they reach a certain age, and will become a lot more laid back. i'm also hoping to take them outside on harnesses once the weather gets warmer so hopefully she'll get back to being comfortable around humans
have you tried not moving near them but sitting a little way away so they don't notice you're there? mine will go inside when a stranger goes near the hutch but will happily bumble about when i'm near them, i can sit on the floor in front of the hutch and they're fine
try handling them using towels and put another nest box in there if you only have one. get them out together, give them lots of veggies, and maybe disinfect the cage and eliminate any territory they may have marked as their own
hope this helps
 
hi thanx for the advise but i have already disinfected the cage given them seperate areas to sleep and hide and even scarier is that if i so much as poke my head quietly in the door or walk past they bolt i just dont understand i have had them out 3 times a day with no success hmmmmmm mabey they need to go seperate a while?
 
have you put them out in a run or on the floor and sat with them like that? if they're obviously getting upset and you can see they're not getting on then yeah maybe seperate them for a little while and build up their trust with you again
you might find once they're not aggravating each other they're perfectly happy to be handled again, maybe you trying to pick them up is just stressing them out more?
try seperating them, but i'd still get them out to play together on occasion. otherwise you may find they get used to being apart and fight more if you just put them back together after a few days or so.
 
gracie said:
i'm also hoping to take them outside on harnesses once the weather gets warmer so hopefully she'll get back to being comfortable around humans
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Surely a harness will surely do the opposite of helping? I know that manufacturers market harnesses as safe for guinea pigs but they can be extremely dangerous and frightening for the animal. Piggies should not use harnesses, rolling balls, and running wheels etc as they can injure their spines severely. Their spines do not bend "backward" and one small tug on that harness from you could really cause some damage. They are also prey animals and naturally 'dart' for cover, therefore risking extreme spinal damage and even death for your piggie. Please don't use them.
 
i've used harnesses on them while handling them normally, and they're totally calm wearing them.
i have never, ever, yanked or pulled on the lead while they're wearing them; my old guinea pig tigger wore hers and was perfectly happy after getting used to it. she never bolted or pulled on it and i'm hoping that once all my three are old enough they will be happy in it as well.
i will also provide shelter for them in case they do get scared, rather than just plonking them in the middle of the lawn on their own and dragging them around like dogs. if it turns out they weren't comfortable in them while in the garden, i would look into buying a run.
thanks for your advice, but i'd never put the health of my pigs in danger, or treat them in any way other than with care and their happiness/best interests at heart.
 
harnesses are not suitable for guinea pigs, one false move, even if not meant could mean in serious damage being caused or worse.
 
well i guess it's another issue in which it depends on the pig and the owner
i know my guinea pigs, i can tell when they're comfortable with something and a certain situation
like many things, people will have mixed results with them
yes, if you drag a guinea pig around on a harness while it's terrified and trying to run away, it will do it serious harm; i don't think anyone would argue that
however if you put a harness on that is neither too loose nor hurting it, and the guinea pig is relaxed, in a safe environment, there is no reason why the harness would cause damage. yes, if it bolted that would again do damage, but as i have already stated they will be provided with boxes and shelter; if they did bolt they would do it into the box as the garden is small and there's nowhere for them to get lost/escape, and i would be close enough to the box to prevent the lead from pulling them.
these leads would not be on the market in leading pet shops and on websites if they weren't safe; you will always have the exception where someone who does not know the correct way to use it and keep them calm will find they injure their pig due to it bolting, but i think to say they are, as a whole, not suitable, is not true.
in the correct environment, with a tame guinea pig and an owner who knows that they're doing, there is nothing wrong with it.
 
Totally agree with all that has been said about harnesses. Buy a run.

Boris, just a thought, rather than quietly go into the room to avoid startling them, talk quietly on the way in so that they are expecting you. Mine jump like mad if I just walk into the room, and they run for cover. Yet if I start talking to them just before entering the room, they know who it is and are generally better. xx
 
Sorry we are hi jacking your thread Boris, Gracie, I have no doubt that you are an extremely caring piggy owner, and you love your piggies to bits, but I must take you to task on the idea that everything that is sold in petshops and websites are good/safe for pigs. Sorry. xx
 
^ i'm not saying that at all. you've taken that entirely out of context.
i don't just go out and buy everything i possibly can from a pet shop because "oh yeah it must be okay for all guinea pigs because it's in a pet shop."
i'm trying to say, it's already been tested before it's been put up for sale to a certain extent, after that it's up the the owner to test it for their own guinea pigs. i've spent a lot of time trying my pigs with various food/toys/runs/hutches and yeah harnesses. if they don't like them or aren't comfortable with them, i get rid of them.
i was trying to give advice like everyone else on here. my pigs have always been happy in them and they've never suffered even slightly. i have taken the utmost care to make sure they weren't uncomfortable- i know how they look, not the most comfy looking contraptions- but they graze happier on harnesses than they do in runs and i find it helps them to get used to being around humans too.
i won't carry on with this debate because it's irrelavant to the thread- i'm sorry for going offtopic. however all pet owners should be open minded that what works for one person may not work for someone else, and vice versa
so i won't say any more on it. if anyone wants to take up how i treat my guinea pigs/how much care i take with them etc they can PM me and i'd be happy to discuss it =]
 
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gracie said:
however all pet owners should be open minded that what works for one person may not work for someone else, and vice versa
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But don't you see guinea pigs are all made the same, as are harnesses so with all the love in the world you put a harness on a guinea pig something could happen, why take that risk?

It isn't about being open minded it is about providing a1 care and harnesses just don't provide that.
 
Quote: "all pet owners should be open minded that what works for one person may not work for someone else, and vice versa"

Very open minded about everything safe and for the good of my piggies. In addition to safety issues, I fail to see how being tied to a harness beats running free on the grass in a large run. Freedom? Harness? No contest. We should be thinking what works for the piggies not what works for people.
 
Although I have no personal experience of harnesses I would never get one because of what is said about them on this forum. Even if my vet told me it was ok (and I trust him very much) I would still not get one as it is not worth the risk to my piggies. There is no need for them when you can build a cheap run yourself or a playpen out of cooling racks etc..
 
i'm not going to argue this anymore. i've already made my point several times about my personal experiences with harnesses, how i use them on my pigs and how my pigs feel about them. yes, i am aware that generally they're not a very good idea, thanks for repeating that several times. please do me the same consideration and read said parts of my posts properly.
as i said if anyone has a problem please PM me as i don't want to keep clogging up this thread with the same argument going round and round in circles.
 
I haven't got a problem with you Gracie, I don't know why you are getting all anti. Nobody is having a go at you just trying to point out that harnesses are in no way safe. And the problem being if a new member comes here reads that they are it sends out all kinds of wrong messages.
 
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