Guinea pig handling - advice please

[LisaTLGP]

Hi all, I hope I'm posting on the correct thread. I've only ever introduced myself here and spend most of the time reading all of the useful info but was hoping for some advice please. Lilly and Choccy were my original guinea pigs but sadly Choccy passed away in April Since then I have successfully introduced two baby girls, Alice and Molly. We bought a new C&C 5x2 cage. I've read lots of advice about bonding which says you should get them out daily, they didn't like this very much so we started using cuddle sacks. When we had Lilly and Choccy, we stopped getting them out for cuddles as they didn't really like it. Even when we got them out for play time they would tend to just hide and not run around. They seemed to be the most happy in their cage, eating. They would always eat from our hands and come to the front of the cage for food. Lilly had a couple of illnesses which meant she was handled more often and did get more comfortable with it. She seems to like being stroked.

We have had Alice and Molly for two months now and they come to the front of the cage to eat from us but really don't want to be taken out of the cage. We are still using cuddle sacks but we recently upgraded our cage to a 6x2 with a loft and added a kitchen to underneath the loft. Thankfully they all use the loft and seem to love the kitchen. Unfortunately this has made it even harder to get them out, even with the cuddle sacks. They hide under the loft and I'm short so I struggle to encourage them into the sacks. I don't want to stress them out by taking them out unnecessarily but am I neglecting them if we don't get them out for cuddles and floor time? There seems to be conflicting advice out there. When they have floor time, Molly explores the most, Alice a little before she hides and Lilly eats and then hides

Attaching some pictures of my girls (Molly, Alice and Lilly)

 

[Piggies&buns]

Gorgeous piggies!

No you certainly are not neglecting them for not giving daily cuddles and floor time.
I do not cuddle mine daily and living in my shed, other than in summer when they get on the lawn, they generally don’t get out their cages either.
I don’t feel the need for my animals to be held if they don’t want to! Of course you do need to be able to handle them for weight, health checks etc but cuddling them is a human concept and rarely what the animal wants.
Floor time can be scary, they don’t necessarily went to be on open large spaces and prefer the familiarity of their territory. With a big cage, there is plenty of opportunity to exercise. Don’t forget also that exercise is about mental stimulation not just physically running around.

 

[piggieminder]

What gorgeous piggies.
Mine walk into a fleece bed or cat carrier to be lifted out of the cage. They like the carriers as they know it's garden time and involves eating grass!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Mine do do same when it’s lawn time - I just put the carrier in and they walk in

 

[LisaTLGP]

Thank you both I've not tried lawn time with Alice and Molly yet (when I did it with Molly and Choccy) they just stayed hidden as I'm worried that there are a couple of cats that hang around in our garden. Although I'd never leave them unattended. I do have a pen that they could use but have always been a bit nervous about getting them back out of the pen and into the house.

 

[piggieminder]

I forgot to say I don't cuddle mine as they don't like it. I don't think cuddles come naturally to guinea pigs and why force them into something they don't like. I've only ever had one who is relaxed and seems to enjoy lap time, although I don't do it often now as at 6+ years old he has arthritis and I'm not confident he gets comfortable on me. Two of my cages are on the floor and a front section opens for them to wander in and out if they want to when I'm there to supervise, they rarely come out when given the opportunity. They will pop out have a look round and go straight back in! The two oldies love floor time have a little explore and go to sleep under the sofa! My other 2 hate coming out and freeze so I stopped trying with them, they have a 5x3 C&C cage so plenty of room to run around. I've had piggies in the past who love floor time but I would never force it on them if they are not happy with it.

 

[piggieminder]

To go in and out of the house mine hop into their cat carriers (except Bertie who likes to give me the run around! They are just as happy to go 'home' as go out because they get pellet time when they are back in the cages. The secret to getting guinea pigs to cooperate is food!
We have cats around, I clap my hands when ever I see them and they leave the garden. I'm always outside with the boys the cats are wary of me so keep out when I'm around.
I feel really mean when the carrier means the vets, they hop is so trustingly, I have give them grass for the trip.

 

[fluffysal]

Your girls are absolutely adorable. My boys used to be free roaming until we moved house. We now have the cage up high for physical health reasons. Part of the decision to do this was because they didn't choose to spend much time out of the cage when they had the option.

 

[Bertie & Jelly]

Mine have supervised floor time with their veggies. I have one C&C grid as a door that opens and I cut the correx liner down so they jump in and out to mooch around. None of my piggies have liked being cuddled and they don’t even venture off the floor mats when out of their cage.

 

[LisaTLGP]

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate your comments, they’ve been really helpful. I just want happy piggies. This was them yesterday at cage cleaning time - “we shall not be moved ”

 

[Truffolo]

Thank you both I've not tried lawn time with Alice and Molly yet (when I did it with Molly and Choccy) they just stayed hidden as I'm worried that there are a couple of cats that hang around in our garden. Although I'd never leave them unattended. I do have a pen that they could use but have always been a bit nervous about getting them back out of the pen and into the house.

There is a good guide on introducing grass into their diet on this forum. I think you have most likely read it though. It's gradually in case they get bloated, but I think you may know this already.