Handling New Piggies

[Madam Patti]

hello everyone, first post here,

Got our new piggies last weekend. 2 girls, both 9 weeks old and sisters, absolutely gorgeous.

They were very nervous for the first couple of days, but things have come on a bit. Haven't been able to touch either of them yet let alone pick them up. One is definitely more confident than the other, but they are both pretty skittish.

My question is that I know that come tomorrow I'm going to have to give the cage a proper clean out and that involves moving them. I'm insure how to go about moving them without scaring them half to death. Also, I have heard it said that baby piggies need to be handled daily and I'm just a bit unsure of how to start this process.

Would appreciate any comments and tips that anyone can offer.

Thanks
Heather

 

[Wiebke]

hello everyone, first post here,

Got our new piggies last weekend. 2 girls, both 9 weeks old and sisters, absolutely gorgeous.

They were very nervous for the first couple of days, but things have come on a bit. Haven't been able to touch either of them yet let alone pick them up. One is definitely more confident than the other, but they are both pretty skittish.

My question is that I know that come tomorrow I'm going to have to give the cage a proper clean out and that involves moving them. I'm insure how to go about moving them without scaring them half to death. Also, I have heard it said that baby piggies need to be handled daily and I'm just a bit unsure of how to start this process.

Would appreciate any comments and tips that anyone can offer.

Thanks
Heather

Hi and welcome!

You may find these tips here helpful in picking up your piggies and making friends with them:
How To Pick Up Your Guinea Pig
How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language

By the way, we have got lots of information at the top of our various Care sections, which you may find interesting.

 

[Elbie]

I was just going to post a similar thread then found this!

I'm having similar issues. I've had my baby pigs a week. They are 7 week old sisters. I gave them a few days to settle in but have tried to handle them daily but have been unable to pick them up. The one time I moved them to clean them out they were already in a big tube so I was able to just lift them out in that.

They are happy with me sitting next to the cage if I'm quiet but really struggle with picking up.

I have watched various videos on you tube. I have tried to herd them into a tube but find they move so flipping quick! They manage to run away or make a swift move around the tube.

I give up after a couple of tries as don't want to cause stress chasing them around the cage.

Any hints?

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

I've had my piggies 2 weeks today, I herd my piggies into a tube one by one (even though they sometimes go in each end together, sigh) and they're getting more used to it (I think, who knows what's going on in their fuzzy heads lol).

I usually have to slowly take out their other cage bits to get them into the tube though, or they trick mummy and run around, in and behind things. I think they make a game out of it and they don't get stressed anymore like they did in the first week because they don't hide.

They seem to know what to expect as a few times they've gone in to be picked up but it depends what mood they're in it seems!

 

[Madam Patti]

Well it's all going better than expected. I watched a video which showed how to get them into the tube and move them and it's worked well. We've not actually handled them properly yet but we're moving in the right direction, and I'm not stressed about it. Next I think I'm going to get a couple of Guinea pig pouches and see if they work as well........

 

[Elbie]

I had to move the pigs tonight as wanted to hoover next to the cage. Managed to get them into carry box and have a little hold of each and brush them before putting them back. Yay! Used a tube to transfer them but struggled as I don't have man size hands to sufficiently block both ends! Will try and get a little fleece snuggle bed as think it will be easier.

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

Glad you had good transfers! I had bad catch and cuddle times tonight

Cissy head butted me after about a minute or two of holding and Bella nipped me (not hard though) about a minute in. Took me a long time to herd them into something to pick them up too. They were fed up with me quickly.

It's kinda hard not to take it personally sometimes, trying not to be too disappointed but we'd made some nice progress and kinda feel like it was a big step back tonight. I'll have to find a way to block off the areas of their cage I can't reach when I herd them, any suggestions?

Sorry for the moan, just gutted aha.

 

[Elbie]

Back on here for more advice! As I've said before I've been trying to handle the pigs daily but am really struggling with the dominant pig. It takes ages to herd her into a transport object as she flat out refuses to go in. If I try to pick her up she bites. I'm trying to get them used to being held as eventually there will come a time when I need to clip their nails. If I manage to get her onto my lap she just squirms about. If I try to pick her up to move her from lap to cage she runs backwards! Seems that she is getting worse and worse with time, not more used to me. Does anyone have any suggestions? I've had the pigs nearly a month now. Her sister isn't particularly impressed with handling but will sit to be brushed and isn't so squirmy when lifting back into the cage.

I feel like I am just causing her stress but on the other hand know that she needs to get used to handling as there will be times when it is necessary.

Had pigs a long time ago and they were a dream to handle so this is new territory for me!

 

[sport_billy]

Back on here for more advice! As I've said before I've been trying to handle the pigs daily but am really struggling with the dominant pig. It takes ages to herd her into a transport object as she flat out refuses to go in. If I try to pick her up she bites. I'm trying to get them used to being held as eventually there will come a time when I need to clip their nails. If I manage to get her onto my lap she just squirms about. If I try to pick her up to move her from lap to cage she runs backwards! Seems that she is getting worse and worse with time, not more used to me. Does anyone have any suggestions? I've had the pigs nearly a month now. Her sister isn't particularly impressed with handling but will sit to be brushed and isn't so squirmy when lifting back into the cage.

I feel like I am just causing her stress but on the other hand know that she needs to get used to handling as there will be times when it is necessary.

Had pigs a long time ago and they were a dream to handle so this is new territory for me!

We had a biter called Vimto, she is now nearly reformed and does not always try to taste zeeee blood or zeeee flesh now... She doesn't like been herded too and will kick

Some piggies while fine in the cage and interacting on their terms with you but when on laps feel a little vulnerable, the nibbles are her way of telling you she does not like it. I used to get actual snaps off Vimto and she would draw blood too
She was just a very scared piggie and felt vulnerable on laps, she didn't appear frightened (but obviously was) but she was confident enough with me not just to freeze and squirm around and it was here way of saying 'please put me home i don't like this'. We worked at it and would take her out for 30 seconds then pop here home, we did this 3 times a week for around a month weeks, then slowly increased it up to 5 mins via 30 second increments slowly
Each lap session she'd have a sprig of coriander. It took us 6-8 months but she doesn't bite now and will happily chill on laps for a while but not for too long We would never let anyone else have Vimto on there lap in case she wanted to taste the forbidden flesh once more

You will get there I promise it just takes a while with some of them...

 

[Elbie]

We had a biter called Vimto, she is now nearly reformed and does not always try to taste zeeee blood or zeeee flesh now... She doesn't like been herded too and will kick

Some piggies while fine in the cage and interacting on their terms with you but when on laps feel a little vulnerable, the nibbles are her way of telling you she does not like it. I used to get actual snaps off Vimto and she would draw blood too
She was just a very scared piggie and felt vulnerable on laps, she didn't appear frightened (but obviously was) but she was confident enough with me not just to freeze and squirm around and it was here way of saying 'please put me home i don't like this'. We worked at it and would take her out for 30 seconds then pop here home, we did this 3 times a week for around a month weeks, then slowly increased it up to 5 mins via 30 second increments slowly
Each lap session she'd have a sprig of coriander. It took us 6-8 months but she doesn't bite now and will happily chill on laps for a while but not for too long We would never let anyone else have Vimto on there lap in case she wanted to taste the forbidden flesh once more

You will get there I promise it just takes a while with some of them...

Thanks! I was just getting a bit upset as she's been getting worse with time instead of better so feel a bit at wits end! Luckily the times she has nipped it's just been a warning bite so nothing too bad but this was when I tried to pick her up when she refused to go in the "transporter". Have tried different transport methods but she doesn't really like any vessel!

I shall persevere and just every couple of days pick her up briefly then put her back so she gets used to it like you suggest.

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

Don't lose hope! I have the same trouble with both my piggies, I think we just have to be patient and persistent.

If she's feeling vulnerable on your lap, try putting her in a snuggle sack and just talk to her softly. Luckily mine aren't biters, but I get head butted when I'm being told off lol.

Some days are better than others, and herding them is a problem I have all the time, they're doing my back in!

Good job they're cute and I love them

 

[Elbie]

Don't lose hope! I have the same trouble with both my piggies, I think we just have to be patient and persistent.

If she's feeling vulnerable on your lap, try putting her in a snuggle sack and just talk to her softly. Luckily mine aren't biters, but I get head butted when I'm being told off lol.

Some days are better than others, and herding them is a problem I have all the time, they're doing my back in!

Good job they're cute and I love them

I have a chair next to the cage and love sitting watching them or I let them out on the floor for a proper burn up run around. I can sit and watch them for hours! They're currently in their hay box munching away!

I didn't expect to get snuggly pigs but would like to be able to pick them up without getting a chomp out of it! Shall persevere.

These are my first proper baby pigs. They are only about 2 and a half months old now. Got them at 6 weeks. I think our last lot were about 4 months and had been handled regularly. Guess we were a bit spoilt as someone else had done the hard work

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

Haha yes mine are 10 weeks old now, I know what you mean. Kinda hard to train babies to accept you and I'm always a worrying mummy.

It's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel but I just try to dream about a time they run up to greet me for cuddles... So far they run to greet me for piggy kisses and food (often trying to eat my finger if they think it's food!) so I guess that's a start

They just hate to be picked up and they now know that I'm trying to herd them into things to pick them out so they outsmart me by running near them and then away... Cheeky buggers!

 

[sport_billy]

Haha yes mine are 10 weeks old now, I know what you mean. Kinda hard to train babies to accept you and I'm always a worrying mummy.

It's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel but I just try to dream about a time they run up to greet me for cuddles... So far they run to greet me for piggy kisses and food (often trying to eat my finger if they think it's food!) so I guess that's a start

They just hate to be picked up and they now know that I'm trying to herd them into things to pick them out so they outsmart me by running near them and then away... Cheeky buggers!

They will do, baby piggies are the worst for being tame. As they get older they will calm down. Ours never run over for cuddles, but all like fuss on their own terms in the cage and are mainly fine once settled. It can help to have two out at a time so they are next to each other on your lap. Being with a cage-mate often allays any fears they have, My wife and I used to have one each when with had pairs

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

They will do, baby piggies are the worst for being tame. As they get older they will calm down. Ours never run over for cuddles, but all like fuss on their own terms in the cage and are mainly fine once settled. It can help to have two out at a time so they are next to each other on your lap. Being with a cage-mate often allays any fears they have, My wife and I used to have one each when with had pairs

Yes I always have them out together with someone else holding one of them, I don't have them both on my lap at the same time though, Cissy is still being very dominant to Bella and if something went down and they got agitated I'd be worried that I wouldn't be able to control them both. Last thing I want is to lose them behind the sofa or something.

 

[Elbie]

This morning I decided to sit with my hand next to the bowl when I gave morning veg. I would normally leave them to it and they would come out to investigate pretty much as soon as I'd started to wall away. Today it only took couple of minutes for them to come out and both had a good sniff. Trying a bit of pig psychology that my hand is a good thing not the hand of doom. Only mistake I made was also holding a piece of dwarf bean (Astrids favourite) to see if they'd take from my hand. Positive is Astrid did come bowling over. Unfortunately she tried to eat my thumb instead of the bean! Guessing my thumb also smelt of bean and greedy pig could see it was the bigger one

 

[Mairi M]

I was just going to post a similar thread then found this!

I'm having similar issues. I've had my baby pigs a week. They are 7 week old sisters. I gave them a few days to settle in but have tried to handle them daily but have been unable to pick them up. The one time I moved them to clean them out they were already in a big tube so I was able to just lift them out in that.

They are happy with me sitting next to the cage if I'm quiet but really struggle with picking up.

I have watched various videos on you tube. I have tried to herd them into a tube but find they move so flipping quick! They manage to run away or make a swift move around the tube.

I give up after a couple of tries as don't want to cause stress chasing them around the cage.

Any hints?

When I got my adopted piggies (already adults) they were really hard to pick up and they quickly learned that going into a tube meant possibly being picked up so avoided going into anything! Eventually I figured out my piggy catcher method. It is 4 grids linked together into a 1x1 pen that I can place over the pig I want to catch. It means I don't have a big chase. They seem much less stressed by it and for one pig I don't even need to use it any more as he will step onto my hand deliberately...when I have food of course!

 

[Elbie]

When I got my adopted piggies (already adults) they were really hard to pick up and they quickly learned that going into a tube meant possibly being picked up so avoided going into anything! Eventually I figured out my piggy catcher method. It is 4 grids linked together into a 1x1 pen that I can place over the pig I want to catch. It means I don't have a big chase. They seem much less stressed by it and for one pig I don't even need to use it any more as he will step onto my hand deliberately...when I have food of course!

See I did wonder if they thought tube was holding time. I've just been trying to hold them when I put then back in so the first tube is 'yay you're having run around time!'

 

[Elbie]

Had the pigs out on the floor while I cleaned them out. Got the biter to come and take a bean from me. Maybe they know its Christmas eve and Santa is watching

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

When I got my adopted piggies (already adults) they were really hard to pick up and they quickly learned that going into a tube meant possibly being picked up so avoided going into anything! Eventually I figured out my piggy catcher method. It is 4 grids linked together into a 1x1 pen that I can place over the pig I want to catch. It means I don't have a big chase. They seem much less stressed by it and for one pig I don't even need to use it any more as he will step onto my hand deliberately...when I have food of course!

I'm going to try this tonight! Sounds like a good idea, gunna construct a holding area right now for pick up and hope it makes things easier! The chase is the worst part every time.

 

[Mairi M]

Had the pigs out on the floor while I cleaned them out. Got the biter to come and take a bean from me. Maybe they know its Christmas eve and Santa is watching

I'm going to try this tonight! Sounds like a good idea, gunna construct a holding area right now for pick up and hope it makes things easier! The chase is the worst part every time.

Oh cool! Do let us know how you get on! It seriously made things so much easier for me. On enclosing them they tended to naturally want to climb the sides so picking them up from that position was soooo easy....even with the most skittish of the two. It may have been briefly stressful for them at first but a hundred times less stressful for them than a chase and they have become easier to handle more quickly as a result.

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

Well epic fail for me, I have a lid on my cage as I have a cat, and the grid holding area wouldn't fit in

I shall have to rethink the design... Maybe get some half size grids or something in the new year. Or a sturdy cardboard box with no top or bottom. I just got them out by shooing them into an upturned shoe box hidey I had made for them which wasn't too bad. But they will figure out that I tricked them eventually and I'll have to rethink!

 

[Tashasaurus]

I've had my two Piggies a week now and we did our first big cage clean last night. We ushered both piggies into a wicker basket to get them out the cage. They both don't like being picked up yet and we wanted to stress them out as little as possible to make the process easier. We also bribed them with brochli and Spring greens which helped. Everything went smoothly and cage is now lovely and clean!

 

[Mairi M]

Well epic fail for me, I have a lid on my cage as I have a cat, and the grid holding area wouldn't fit in

I shall have to rethink the design... Maybe get some half size grids or something in the new year. Or a sturdy cardboard box with no top or bottom. I just got them out by shooing them into an upturned shoe box hidey I had made for them which wasn't too bad. But they will figure out that I tricked them eventually and I'll have to rethink!

Awww that's a shame. I think a good sturdy cardboard box might work. Makes it awkward for you having to fit it under a lid. Hope they don't figure out the shoe box hidey too quickly!

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

Awww that's a shame. I think a good sturdy cardboard box might work. Makes it awkward for you having to fit it under a lid. Hope they don't figure out the shoe box hidey too quickly!

Haha thanks! Still searching for a suitable holding pen, but atm I'm putting in another tunnel (2 in total) turning their two hidies upside down and opening the snuggle sacks better and trying to watch where they run to and act fast! It's exhausting!

Good thing I love them

 

[Charlotte01]

Leaving them in their housing while cleaning them out will help them get used to you. Also, it will be more convenient as you won't have to move them. When you clean out, you touch hay with their scent on it so you will have a familiar smell when cleaning them out. This will build trust between you and the guinea pigs because they recognise the scent.

 

[Cavy Kung-Fu]

Leaving them in their housing while cleaning them out will help them get used to you. Also, it will be more convenient as you won't have to move them. When you clean out, you touch hay with their scent on it so you will have a familiar smell when cleaning them out. This will build trust between you and the guinea pigs because they recognise the scent.

Yes, I've found that the spot cleaning (I'm the Poo Picking Fairy!) has really helped the girlies get used to me, now they just get in my way, follow my hand around (cautiously) and try to see if I'm edible! Also Bella is too worried that I'll mess with her house arrangement, so she rearranges everything like a little house wife

However the big clean they can't be in there for, I do that while they have their floor time in their indoor run.