Help New Piggie Owner!

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kbarton0221

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Ok! so i have two new piggies. got one a week ago and added his little brother 2 days ago.Their names are Darryl and Rick, like from the walking dead :) they are extremely skiddish. I built them a big c&c cage to which they love! they eat and run around all night and i guess day too but I'm not home during the day :) they seem very happy they even popcorn sometimes! Heres my issue, the one i got a week ago will eat from my hand, the new one wont come near me. Super afraid. Now their cage is so big i had to put it on the floor in my bedroom. i sit on the floor and talk to them while they eat and squeak around. I put them in my bedroom so they could get used to my presence. I cannot for the life of me catch them to get them out or hold them. I'm starting to worry that they will get used to not being handled and will never let me handle them. I'm not sure what to do. Any ideas?
 
Wiebke recommends letting them settle for 48 hours . Try hand feeding them 1st . If they come to you , I think you should start to pick them up - maybe once a day for a few minutes - so they get used to being handled.
 
I feel like i set my first piggie back because he would let me pick him up, now he follows the newer one and runs away and wont let me pick him up. But i also changed his cage on sat to the bigger one and added his brother. i just wanna love them they are so cute! hahahah I'm trying to be patient
 
It can take time... pigs are prey animals and are naturally nervous. A pig with a companion may be bolder and may actually be confident enough to run away- sometimes in a very new pig, what looks like tolerance of being picked up is actually a 'freeze' fear reaction where the pig is essentially standing still in a bid to avoid being spotted. If it's any consolation, the two pigs that I have right now both started out very skittish and are now very friendly, and one of my past pigs I almost didn't choose as she seemed so skittish, but she ended up being so docile that she was almost like a hot water bottle that breathed and turned around on your lap every once in awhile! LOL! So it will come.

I always gave new pigs a couple days to settle, and then would begin spending time picking them up a couple of times a day (if they don't like being caught, it may help to put down a box with a bottom or a cozy or something else to make it less stressful for them.) I would pat them, talk softly to them, maybe offer a snack, and then put them back. It didn't take them long to warm up, although some pigs still dislike the idea of being 'caught' and will initially run away even when they are accustomed to being held.
 
Freela said:
It can take time... pigs are prey animals and are naturally nervous. A pig with a companion may be bolder and may actually be confident enough to run away- sometimes in a very new pig, what looks like tolerance of being picked up is actually a 'freeze' fear reaction where the pig is essentially standing still in a bid to avoid being spotted. If it's any consolation, the two pigs that I have right now both started out very skittish and are now very friendly, and one of my past pigs I almost didn't choose as she seemed so skittish, but she ended up being so docile that she was almost like a hot water bottle that breathed and turned around on your lap every once in awhile! LOL! So it will come.

I always gave new pigs a couple days to settle, and then would begin spending time picking them up a couple of times a day (if they don't like being caught, it may help to put down a box with a bottom or a cozy or something else to make it less stressful for them.) I would pat them, talk softly to them, maybe offer a snack, and then put them back. It didn't take them long to warm up, although some pigs still dislike the idea of being 'caught' and will initially run away even when they are accustomed to being held.
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thank you so much for your input! i have literally owned almost every pet possible but these are my first guinea pigs. i even owned a bearded dragon for 6 years! he loved me believe it or not :) i just want my piggies to be happy :) thanks to all of you!
 
kbarton0221 said:
thank you so much for your input! i have literally owned almost every pet possible but these are my first guinea pigs. i even owned a bearded dragon for 6 years! he loved me believe it or not :) i just want my piggies to be happy :) thanks to all of you!
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Bearded dragons are sweet! A friend had one named Bugsy, and he was a great little guy! I've also owned a lot of pets over the years... turtles, African dwarf frogs, newts, mice, rats, African pygmy hedgehogs, and now guinea pigs. Out of the rodents, I did find that guinea pigs take longer to settle in. They seem to be naturally cautious, whereas my mice and rats were naturally very curious. I can say that once that trust is there, I have been honestly surprised at how bright, interactive, and skilled at communicating my guinea pigs really have been. They have great, distinct little personalities that come out with time. It may take time, but it will be well worth the investment when that bond develops!
 
they are literally the cutest things ever. they are so afraid of me but i absolutely love them already. there cute little squeaking when walking/running around their cage! so precious. my beardie was named bill! hahaha he was great. i also have owned a snake,a hamster,cockatiel,parakeets,dogs,cats,fish,gerbils (who had cute babies!),a crawfish hahaha and frogs i just love all animals! :)
 
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