I need help in taming my guinea pigs

Status
Not open for further replies.
G

Guineapigsarethebest

New Born Pup
Joined
Jul 23, 2012
Messages
27
Reaction score
0
Points
0
I have two 7 month old guinea pigs and have had them for 5 or 6 months now and they are still not one bit tamedi try to tame them but no luck pleas help
Any advise would be great
Thanks
 
well I am certainly not the best person to advise you here as I am just starting out myself really with 2 baby piggies but they are really friendly already (think I was lucky with the personalities of them!)

I can however pass a bit of advice from the lady my pigs came from:

we have our piggies in the house in a c and c cage and she said that will definitely make them friendlier quicker. Also she said don't provide any hidey boxes initially til the pigs get to know you as the natural instinct is to hide and they will learn that they are safe and no harm is coming to them if they aren't allowed to hide away.

(what happened with us is that we went and put 2 shoe boxes in the cage and the piggies (boars) decided they both liked the same box and suddenly it was like WW2 in the cage!) so I emailed the woman for advice and she said take out anything that they can be dominant over - problem solved straight away and we have really calm piggies now that don't flinch at any noise at all.



We spend about an hour or so a day with the pigs on our knees stroking and grooming and they seem to love it.



I am sure someone will post that is an expert in these things but hopefully the tips here are ok to try as well
 
I think it may be different for everyone. Whats your definition of "tame"? It seems it can be different for some people. I will also say I'm new to piggie ownership. However...

Ive had my new pigs for a month. They are, in my opinion, "tame". They just dont like being picked up...but then again if i was as small as they are i doubt id enjoy the process of being picked up either.

I take the lids of their cage. I sweep poos twice a day and let them stay in their cage while i do so. At first they seemed scared but now they either dont move out of my way or they follow my hands around wheeking as if to say "wheres my veggies?!"

I feed them their bfast and dinner veggies by hand. I take the lid off their cage to do so. They know their names now because i say good morning/good night and i also will randomly talk to them while saying their names. Now they (esp my pikachu) will wheek and whistle when i talk to them <3

Getting them out of their cage is HARD and i always worry of stressing them out so i dont do it often...mostly when its floortime or when its time for their meds or when I'm really wanting cuddles once theyre OUT and in my arms they are wheeking happily and seem content. Its GETTING them thats hard lol.
 
Hello! My three top suggestions would be hand feeding, snuggle sacks and patience!

Hand feeding the piggies their veggies can really help increase the bond with your piggies and they begin to realise that your hands bring good things.
Picking up piggies in snuggle sacks or a towel really reduces the stress of picking them up - my boys just walk into their sacks now. But that took a while! Have veg ready when you pick them up as a reward.
Patience - it doesn't happen quickly and your piggies are still young and learning.

Also remember that it is worth trying different ideas as piggies are all different - I have 8 boys (4 pairs) and they are all different in tastes and personalities - some braver than others.

Good luck and let us know how you get on:)
 
Hi

I am a very new Piggie owner and I am having the same issue - so thanks for the replies above - as I was beginning to think I may be doing something wrong! I have two females, Coco and Milly: Coco rumblestruts all the time and tries to be dominant but they are both very scared, skittish Piggies. My son and I handle them in the evening for about 10/15 mintues (maybe this isn't long enough?) and after three weeks they will now occasionaly come to our hands to take food. But now I've read about C&C cages and how having places to hide doesn't help them become tame, I need to re-think their home. I would love a C&C cage - although at the moment I use a standard shop bought cage and also have an outdoor converted chicken run so they can play outside too! They don't seem overly inquisitive about being out either though - tending to stay in the indoor part mainly - but it's still new so I will wait to see what happens! Any other advise gratefully received!
 
Also, if you can put the cage somewhere where they get used to you being around a lot... Mine used to be in a spare bedroom so only saw me when I specifically went in there. It took me about 5-6 months to tame my first pair that way.

I have a new baby now though, and my two boys are in the front room under the stairs. Seeing me walk past the cage and everything constantly seems to help; the new one is still very skittish after a week here, but he's definitely acclimating to me faster than my first pair did.
 
Lots of interaction helps but all pigs are different. I have 4, two of which I got last august and they immediately let me pick them up and hand feed, no trouble. I have another who I have had since he was 6 weeks since last june and he's as inquisitive as anything and will hand feed yet will NOT let me touch him rolleyes
Abd my eldest thinks he's a dog, lies down in front of the fire and everything lol :))
Just shows it's all about the pigsonality ;)
 
Hi every one
Thank you so very much for all your advis
I didn't mention that I have 3 boars oreo , teddy and peanut ..teddy and peanut are not tame yet and won't let me touch them but I have realised over the last couple if days that they only let me touch them if I give them food I have tried to put my hand in the cage very slowly and pet one and they are okay with it (sonetimes) I still have a lot of work ...
My guinea pigs are house in a cage my dad mad which is 3x4 C&C cage and they all still bicker any advis in that
Thanks everyone
 
It kind of depends on what you mean by 'tame.' Lots of guinea pigs are comfortable being handled, but will try to run from the hand when they see it coming. In this case you might want to scoop them up in a container or in a blanket/sack instead. Or with time they will likely get used to your hand. I know it took a LONG time for my pigs to be comfortable with the hand coming into the cage to pat them, and I think they only got used to it because my kids are so persistant in wanting to pat them while they are in the cage (the younger ones aren't allowed to get them out without an adult present.) I find that hand-feeding helps a lot too- they will eventually come to associate you with food and will come running rather than trying to avoid you. I would also try to keep them in an area where they will see and hear you frequently- they will adapt better to the household noise and be less skittish if they are used to people in the vicinity. HTH a bit!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top