Guinea pig questions!

[abcdefarah]

Hi, I’m a new guinea pig mummy and have some questions please!

I have had Albie (grey) for 6 weeks and Zeb for 5, they are brothers - both around 4 months old. Some days they will let me and my partner pick them up (when they are in their beds) and put them on us whilst stroking / feeding them. Other times they squirm and are restless? Will they just need taming or have we handled them too early?

In terms of floor time, we have got them a large pen which they play in for at least 3-4 hours a day, at the weekends more! We have started noticing that after a while, Zeb stops playing, and Albie stops too as a result. Is there such thing as too much floor time?

They are both from the same breeder and we feel like Zeb might have been neglected a bit as when he came to us he was so skinny and used to get runny poo any time he ate veggies. We have been patient and trained him up slowly to integrate fresh veggies into his diet. But I can’t help but feel he is far more frightened of us than Albie is?

Thanks for reading! Xx

 

[Wiebke]

Hi, I’m a new guinea pig mummy and have some questions please!

I have had Albie (grey) for 6 weeks and Zeb for 5, they are brothers - both around 4 months old. Some days they will let me and my partner pick them up (when they are in their beds) and put them on us whilst stroking / feeding them. Other times they squirm and are restless? Will they just need taming or have we handled them too early?

In terms of floor time, we have got them a large pen which they play in for at least 3-4 hours a day, at the weekends more! We have started noticing that after a while, Zeb stops playing, and Albie stops too as a result. Is there such thing as too much floor time?

They are both from the same breeder and we feel like Zeb might have been neglected a bit as when he came to us he was so skinny and used to get runny poo any time he ate veggies. We have been patient and trained him up slowly to integrate fresh veggies into his diet. But I can’t help but feel he is far more frightened of us than Albie is?

Thanks for reading! Xx

Hi and welcome

Please accept that guinea pigs are prey animals and not naturally born pets. They won't have had anything in the way of friendly human interaction nor have they (by the sound of it) had a decent diet or any veg at the backyard breeder's you got them from.
It is a good sign that they are starting to squirm - it actually means that they are starting to trust you and are becoming confident enough to tell you of their true feelings. Most piggies are eventually fine with a short cuddle but only a minority with a long one.
Sadly all the videos on social media give you a very distorted - human centric - idea of a reality as people want to see cute and cuddly piggy videos and not what actually happens.

It is also perfectly normal to have a mad start to roaming time and then to then plonk down; the latter happens the more the older piggies get. Also keep in mind that guinea pigs are most active in the mornings and evenings.

Please take the time to read the guides in our new owners collection. We have lots of information and tips for human-cavy interaction (including on prey animal instincts, piggy whispering and other way to work around them), all aspects of diet, enrichment, boar care and behaviour etc.: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

 

[AMMAH]

Welcome to the forum.
My guinea pig Henry is really easy to pick up; I just scoop him up, he doesn't run away at all. The 2 ladies he lives with are not keen at all and will run and hide! To be honest, I am just happy watching them and chatting with them so I don't try to catch them unless I'm doing weekly health checks, nail clipping etc. Once they're caught, they're quite happy to sit still for a while!