Hi everyone!

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Bay

I am new here.
I just got my girls last wednesday evening.
I was just wondering how I get them to bond with me?
As for now I take them up in my lap everyday and cuddle them, but they are still scared of me..8...

Their names are Wilma&Betty. Betty is very calm and nervous. Wilma is scetchy and every time I pick her up she tries to claw, kick and God knows what.

I used to have guinea pigs about 5-7 years ago, two boys and they were so sweet.

Wilma and Betty does not seem to like veggies. My boys used to love lettuce and cucumber but Wilma and Betty wont have it and it makes me sad.

I want them to be more comftorable with me. I get so sad when they hide and run away.

Betty is pretty content in my lap. Wilma is wild and tries to bite me..

Hubby tells me I take things too personal and that I should give them a month or two to get seattled.

Also, I don't know how old they are. In the pet store they were referred to as babies. They also think Betty might be pregnant..
 
Also..Wilma is so sketchy! I try to take a look at her nails and she bites me!

And she almost also purrs and I read that, that is something bad, that she doesnt like when I pet her.

I don't think she likes me at all and it makes me sad...
 
Also they both like to talk when I pet them..I don't know if that's good or bad...Wilma is getting on my nerves a little.
 
Hi :)

I'm a new owner and my two are still skatty (got them 3rd Aug).

Have a read of this http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36239, it has some useful info in it.

It just takes time. One of your piggies might take longer to get used to you (thats what it looks like with mine) but then one just might not like being petted. Time will tell :)

I LOVE the names you've chosen! They are great x)


Welcome to the forum, everyone is lovely and friendly and helpful!

:)p
 
It does take a while for them to accept us. However, I wonder if wilma has mites; that would make petting hurt her, which might be why she is biting. Hopefully someone with more knowlege of mites will reply...

Purring is an anxiety noise, BUT it is good because it means they are feeling safe enough to make a noise. Try purring back, and then saying 'bk-bk, bk-bk, bk-bk...' which is a more confident noise and may help them feel less anxious.

They should eat veg, but maybe they aren't confident enough to eat it on your lap yet. Just leave it in the cage, they should get the idea that it's food then.
 
Naturally they're prey animals so we have to think what goes through their minds when this great big human comes towering over them! It takes a while for them to trust us, they're so small and defenceless and we're so big it's no wonder they're terrified when we try to pick them up and pet them.

For me, little and often has worked best, my Heidi was a nightmare to start with, she hated all human contact but she's now the most affectionate out of all of them. Runs up to the bars when she hears my voice and gives me piggy kisses whenever I get her out! So cute xoxo

Have a few treats handy when you get them out, grass is a good bet if they're not eating anything else, I've yet to see a guinea pig who doesn't go nuts for it. They probably won't eat it to start with but keep going and have patience, it's so worth all the effort in the end.
 
Thank you everyone! Also..are they senstive for smoke? I am a smoker but I do not want to hurt them.

And they talk when I have them on me. Is that good or bad?

And Wilma bites everything she could possible bite. My clothes, the towel she sits in, the cage, you name it. I have chew sticks for her. What else can I do?

And I tried to cut up cucumbers and lettuce in every possible way..still wont touch it..
 
Yes they are sensitive to smoke and will not enjoy it, it will take time for your guinea pigs to learn to trust you, being patient and quiet with them helps. I would definately get wilma checked out for mites to see if she has a good reason for her behaviour. You should also take betty for a pregnancy check. You need to offer a bigger range of vegetables and the only safe lettuce for guinea pigs is Romaine try tomatos, bell peppers, rocket, spinach, carrot, etc there is a very good list of good veggies by CC4 in the food section.
 
Hi

Give your guinea pigs time to settle. Remember, they are animals of prey and need a LOT of time to build up trust. But when they do, it will be forever!

Usually, it takes weeks to several months for them to feel completely at home, so don't try to push it too hard, too quickly at first.

Quite a few guinea pigs are very skittish about being handled, especially at first. They go either "I have nothing to do with this body" or they fight! In Willa, you've got a fighter who tells you what she doesn't like. Respect that and just have her on your lap, talking to her gently, but not petting her, but try and makes friends with little treats (like tiny bits of cucumber or carrot or what ever she likes). When she takes them, start "accidentially" touching her until she's fine with being petted. It will take a few weeks/months, but I had good success with another fighter that way! In the end, it didn't matter whether I petted her on my lap or in the middle of my lawn with her running free.

And please, don't smoke in the piggy room!
 
Thanks girls!
Oh no I don't smoke in the piggy room, never. I smokes outside.
Also, why do you think Wilma has mites? It's not like she is itching herself like crazy or biting herself just other things.
 
Our two pigs were scared of us for ages. It's hard not to get discouraged but you'll get there. We picked our piggies up daily for lap-time, always with fresh veg on our laps. Eventually, they took it and now it's a twice daily ritual. It has been 4 months since we got them - they still run when we try to pick them up but once we have them they seem quite happy to cuddle. Good luck.
 
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