How do I stop Ginger from scrambling/scratching when I put her down?

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aussiegirl

Hi,

We have had Ginger for about two months. We got her from my mum's friend, and she had been sitting in a medium-sized cage on her own for six weeks :( She is still not very tame. She is hard to catch and scares quite easily, however once you pick her up she seems OK. When you put her down, however, it's a fight! She starts scrambling and scratching (I've got scratches on my hands and wrists from this) to get away from you.

So, I read that a good way to stop this is to lower her down, and when she starts scrambling, to stop until she calms down, then to put her on the floor/ground at which point she will no doubt start scrambling again, and to hold onto her until she stops scrambling, then let her go. (Hope that made sense!) I have been trying to do this, but she is a large guinea pig and I find it difficult as she really hurts when she scratches (her claws don't look like they need trimming) and I feel like I'm hurting her! I don't want to squish her organs, so I usually end up just letting her go even if she is scrambling.

Help! What do I do? My five year old sister holds her too, and although she doesn't put her down, she will one day and I don't want her to get hurt. And, I don't want to hurt Ginger! Will I just need to wait until she gets tamer? Should I perservere with this method I read about?

Thanks in advance :)
 
hi I have this problem with my piggy smokey but i have only had him a few weeks and he is still nervous,i have heard of this problem lasting months so i would jut persevere with patting and cuddles i think thats the best way ,you need to earn her trust.Also i found the best thing was to have a friend for them it makes them generally calmer,happier and more at peace with everything.Mabey try taking her to quieter rooms when you take her out of the cage loud tv's or lots of different noises might be making her want to retreat to her cage sorry i couldnt help more I'm sure someone else will be along to help more xxxxxxxxx
 
Thanks! Yes, I think she definitely needs lots of cuddles! She has friends so that's a good thing :) but she needs to learn to trust us more I guess! It will come with time I hope, just not sure if I should keep trying the method I described.
 
When you take her out, have her sit on a towel or something similar. Then, when you go to take her back to her cage, wrap her up in the towel and talk to her gently. Then, when you go to put her down, if she scrambles she won't hurt you and she may also feel more secure in a towel for that moment of mid air suspension! Minty and Ben are my biggest culprits...they like to jump down from a great height and it's a job trying to stop them sometimes. I'm sure with time Ginger will get better.:)
 
I use a upturned igloo filled with hay and a towel pegged over the top. Over the course of a few weeks I train my pigs to go in and get used to be carried around in. Once they realise that it is a lot less stressful, they are quite cooperative. Praise them a lot like you would with a dog!

That way, I can work around the flight refex and the scrambles. It even works outside in the run or on a ramble in my enclosed garden. A shoebox with one short side taken off does work as well.

Or you can train her to have a "pick-up" corner. It helps if you always say the same words with the same melody, so the pig knows what you want of it and it's not random chasing any more. Same goes for the scrambling.
 
I have read in a Peter Gurney book that putting a guinea pig down should be done putting bottom first - backwards because they can try to jump from your hands and even get injured - broken teeth and mouth damage, so try putting her in this way - bottom first, she may be calmer as she could be tying to jump from your hands.
 
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I spoke to the vet about Pinky and Perky who were difficult to catch and getting stressed when we tried to pick them up and she told us to get a hand towel, put it over the piggie and then pick them up in the towel, it stops them running away as they don't see you coming and the towel makes them feel safer. If you picked Ginger up like this you could put her down in the towel too which would stop her scrambling to get down so much. Mine still wriggle when I put them down but not so much and it would stop you getting scratched to bits.
 
one of ours scratches my husband all over his arms! an we have had her for 2 years. I tend to put her back in her cage using her bed, she just jumps out of it into her cage. we also leave the cage door open so she jumps back in when she wants.
 
Putting them down backwards does work. Put them in the palm of your hand with bum on your fingers, just put your other hand gently over their head/shoulders and lower them down.
 
is your cage on a floor or table? if so the thing that worked wonders with george was to carry him over to the cage then put him down outside with his bum facing it still holding him but very loosely then picking him up again (but not too quick) and popping him in bum first. I can now put him in normally but I do get the occasional scrabble.

The problem I have is that now the cage is on a stand so can't do it this way and my new boy tiger scrabbles too so now I use a fleece which I place on my knee and we have lap time and I just scoop it up loosely and lower tiger into the cage with it when I've finished!
 
Thanks for the replies. This morning I wrapped her in a towel before I put her down and...no scrambling and no scratching! She looked a bit shocked that she was on the cage floor without all the scary flying through the air :P And, I didn't get scratched! I will try the bum first approach too, and the other methods suggested. I'll see what works best :)
 
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