Guinea Pig lying down at floor time

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Adawn96

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Hi, new to the piggie parenting. I have had my guinea pig for 5 days now. He is a year and a half old black Abyssinian. The past 4 days I’ve given him food by hand (carrots, salads, pepper, hay) and he comes back to the cage door for more from me and I’ve done floor time. I take the wire part of the cage off and leave the door open and set it on the floor and put cage parts around the area to block the rest of the room. The first day of floor time he was so happy popcorning and eating his hay. The second day, he was jumping around for a few minutes then continued to eat and explore. The past two days, he has not been excited about it. He will wander around for a couple mins then go back to his cage on the floor and lie down unless I bring out his hay bag (which he starts wheeking). I am afraid he is getting depressed.
Another note: he is still skittish and will only sometimes let me pet the side of his face. I have picked him up three times in the past two days and he whines for most of it but he stays still then starts wiggling and after he stops I put him back. I give him lettuce while he’s in my arms and he’s okay.
Any advice or is this depression or normal resting trying to get use to everything? Please help!
 
Are you able to get him a friend? Guinea pigs love company! Maybe put new thing for him to explore each time.
 
Adawn96 said:
Hi, new to the piggie parenting. I have had my guinea pig for 5 days now. He is a year and a half old black Abyssinian. The past 4 days I’ve given him food by hand (carrots, salads, pepper, hay) and he comes back to the cage door for more from me and I’ve done floor time. I take the wire part of the cage off and leave the door open and set it on the floor and put cage parts around the area to block the rest of the room. The first day of floor time he was so happy popcorning and eating his hay. The second day, he was jumping around for a few minutes then continued to eat and explore. The past two days, he has not been excited about it. He will wander around for a couple mins then go back to his cage on the floor and lie down unless I bring out his hay bag (which he starts wheeking). I am afraid he is getting depressed.
Another note: he is still skittish and will only sometimes let me pet the side of his face. I have picked him up three times in the past two days and he whines for most of it but he stays still then starts wiggling and after he stops I put him back. I give him lettuce while he’s in my arms and he’s okay.
Any advice or is this depression or normal resting trying to get use to everything? Please help!
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Hi! Guinea pigs are group animals and not wired to be on their own. For long term health (including mental health) and increased longevity, a same sex companion is vital. Please make sure that you double-check the gender of your own and of any new piggies before introducing. If possible, adopt from a good standard rescue with mandatory quarantine that will pair up your boy with a character compatible boar for a stable companionship.
Sadly Switzerland is still the only country where it is forbidden to keep any group animals (including guinea pigs and rabbits) as single pets. :(
Companionship
What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)

Boars: A guide to successful companionship.
Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics

Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig

Youngsters are very vocal and very wiggly by nature; they have a pretty short attention span and struggle to sit still for any length of time.

The listed links, which you will hopefully find both very helpful and interesting, are part of our new owners guide collection, which addresses all the issues that new owners have the most questions and worries about. It is well worth to have a read through for a smooth start.
Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
 
Wiebke said:
Hi! Guinea pigs are group animals and not wired to be on their own. For long term health (including mental health) and increased longevity, a same sex companion is vital. Please make sure that you double-check the gender of your own and of any new piggies before introducing. If possible, adopt from a good standard rescue with mandatory quarantine that will pair up your boy with a character compatible boar for a stable companionship.
Sadly Switzerland is still the only country where it is forbidden to keep any group animals (including guinea pigs and rabbits) as single pets. :(
Companionship
What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)

Boars: A guide to successful companionship.
Bonding: Illustrated Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics

Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig

Youngsters are very vocal and very wiggly by nature; they have a pretty short attention span and struggle to sit still for any length of time.

The listed links, which you will hopefully find both very helpful and interesting, are part of our new owners guide collection, which addresses all the issues that new owners have the most questions and worries about. It is well worth to have a read through for a smooth start.
Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides
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I’ve heard that two male are not always the best decision as they are territorial. I’m talking to someone about a cagemate boy who is very friendly for him. I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea or not but I do not have the money to get my boy neutered if I get a girl
 
I have two boys. It depends on their personalities. You need a lot of space for the boys and two of everything. I have a dominant pig and submissive pig. They work well together. You just need to find the right match!
 
I have 2 boars, I’ve always had boars actually. They are brilliant (as are all piggy’s). It does depend on their personalities, one thing you could do is adopt one that is very young then your (almost) adult piggy can be the father figure. You’re kind of setting out the hierarchy by doing this. Or do the boar dating thing through a rescue local to you.
 
Livia Rabideau said:
I have two boys. It depends on their personalities. You need a lot of space for the boys and two of everything. I have a dominant pig and submissive pig. They work well together. You just need to find the right match!
Click to expand...
My boy is still kind of shy except when I have food or giving him hay. The male I’m thinking about is very friendly and is half a year younger than him.
 
As has been said, whether any Guinea pig will become friends is down to personality. That is why boar dating at a rescue is so great because the piggies can choose their own friends rather than a person choosing another pig and the two pigs then being put together and you won’t have any idea whether they are compatible.

I have two boys. They have a 25 square foot cage with constant sccess to a further 8 square foot upstairs area, two food bowls, water bottles and plenty of open ended hidey houses. There is the odd bit of bickering but they have so much space to get away from each other that any little spats are short lived and they get back on with being friends again!
 
I have 5 boys, a pair and a trio. The trio bicker (I'm very lucky they don't fight, which would be the usual outcome for 3 boys), the pair are very happy and settled and, apart from the occasional half hearted hump, they don't show any dominance behaviours. Finding a friend he can get on with is the trick, and the best way to do that is through a rescue. Good luck x
 
5 days is no time. It will take a fair time generally for your new piggy to properly trust you and feel comfortable in his new surroundings. I have 2 boars that get on wonderfully so you don't have to worry about that providing you give them the space, etc as mentioned above. I am new to guinea pigs and had the same issue as you at floor time. I started off with 1 as he was being sold on his own due to his previous owner giving him up. I provided piggie igloos and a tunnel but still he was uninterested. After getting him a friend and turning floor time into food time they both love it. They have a pile of meadow hay to rummage in and a free standing hay rack with oat hay (which they only get at floor time) and I hand feed them some veggies. It now has become so much more fun!
 
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