Impossible To Tame Guinea Pigs

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nsshaas

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Hi.

I recently got two male boars ~ 4 months ago.
They have been just as friendly as the week I got them.
I have tried with no success picking them up, putting them on my laptop and feeding them. The only time they seem interactive is when I come to the cage and give them food. It is so bad I have NEVER seen one of them week (the other does it crazy when I bring food, but not this one).
I've seen and heard of so much success with other owners that have female pets which are much more friendlier and appreciative of their human companion.

What should I do? Will these two ever come around to being handled and interact with humans? I've heard of horror stories of people that have had pets that NEVER liked being touched no matter what they did and frankly I would rather have pets that did (don't mean for this to sound condescending, part of the reason I got them was because of mild depression). I got them when they were ~3-4 weeks old. Are males generally like this? I need all the advice I can get.

Thanks.
 
The sex doesn't have anything to do with it. Boys are just as friendly. My advice is to just be patient. Something that worked for me was floortime. Stick them on the floor with some toys and tunnels. Sit in on the floor with veg and they might come to you. Do this several times a week. Don't put houses in, though they usually just stay in the houses. Sing or talk to them, too to get them used to your voice. There are alot of other threads on this topic. Those will be helpful.
 
nsshaas said:
Hi.

I recently got two male boars ~ 4 months ago.
They have been just as friendly as the week I got them.
I have tried with no success picking them up, putting them on my laptop and feeding them. The only time they seem interactive is when I come to the cage and give them food. It is so bad I have NEVER seen one of them week (the other does it crazy when I bring food, but not this one).
I've seen and heard of so much success with other owners that have female pets which are much more friendlier and appreciative of their human companion.

What should I do? Will these two ever come around to being handled and interact with humans? I've heard of horror stories of people that have had pets that NEVER liked being touched no matter what they did and frankly I would rather have pets that did (don't mean for this to sound condescending, part of the reason I got them was because of mild depression). I got them when they were ~3-4 weeks old. Are males generally like this? I need all the advice I can get.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Hi and welcome!

The gender has nothing to do with whether a piggy is very skittish or not, but the background generally has. Guinea pigs are prey animals. Shop and most breeder piggies do not have much in the way of friendly human interaction before they are being ripped off from their family, and sold as pets into a completely new and very frightening world where they are expected to function as animated cuddly toys. Depending on the conditions at a breeder's mums can be very stressed during pregnancy and the nursing period, and that is transmitting to the babies who internalise it, some more than others. I can always tell which of my rescue adoptees come from a bad/unhappy background and which have been born to relaxed and confident mothers, but I usually adopt piggies that are stuck or need an experienced home. Yours have been bascially sold as soon as they were weaned, so they have been feeling very lost and exposed.

Key to making friends with skittish piggies running on prey animal instincts is to see things from their side. Avoid exhibiting any predatory behaviours and anything that can trigger their prey animal instincts. Give them a feeling of security first. Use guinea pig interactive body language to make friends with them in ways that they instinctively understand. Only handle them once they have started to trust you and take food from your hands. It is a slow process, kind of one step forward and one back, but well worth it. Push them as far as they will go, but step back, give them time to collect themselves and then start two steps back again if you have gone too far.
Also be aware that confident youngsters are not usually able to sit still for long cuddling sessions. Concentrate on getting to know them as personalities first and make sure that you listen when they tell you they do not like something or that they have had enough. It takes longer that way, but it is the way to build up trust and confidence. Assert your authority, but in a friendly way when they become naughty and push the boundaries once they the teenage months.

It is sadly a widely perpetuated myth that piggies are instant easy and cuddly pets. They aren't! But with an understanding approach, patience and persistence, lots of praise you will get there. Not every piggy is a natural cuddler, but most will come to be OK with being handled and be relaxed in your company.

Please take the time to read these guides here. They are very detailed with lots of practical tips that really work and that you may find very helpful in bringing your piggies out. It is very early days anyway.
How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?
How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig

Illustrated Bonding / Dominance Behaviours And Dynamics
Boars: A guide to successful companionship.
 
I think some Guinea Pig can take longer to tame then others.

Don't give up! Some of mine were friendly from the beginning and some *Cough* Baby *Cough* took almost a year to fully tame!
It's sometimes personalities!
 
I've owned boars and sows and I've found sex has less to to with how 'tameable' they are and more to do with individual personality.

In the past I've had some very tame guinea pigs. They didn't mind being picked up and you could sit and cuddle them for hours (they'd even let you know when they needed a wee, and were happy to be put back in the cage for five minutes to prevent a mess and then be picked up again), but my current herd? They're just not cuddly. Perfectly tame though.

Syllabub used to hate being handled in anyway and would nibble; now (at three years old) she's much better, although I think she tolerates lap time rather than liking it! She's now one of the better piggies for cuddles.
Poglet doesn't mind being handled and she's the least agitated when it comes to nail trimming/medication/handling for health needs. But she's not a lap piggy; she's far too restless. She's perfectly happy to be around humans and be touched, but she hates sitting still. She's friendly, just not cuddly.
Posset, well, she's an anomaly for ALL piggies I have ever owned. Posset hates people, she hates guinea pigs, she hates everything. She doesn't like being handled and will struggle and nip; she's such a pain in the backside for nail trimming. When it comes to lap time she will nip/wee in hopes of being put back home and for floor time she will literally climb two flights of stairs from our living room to go hang out in the office by herself. When the rest of the herd shouts to try and find her, she goes and hides. She's also pretty much mute (ironically, because the reason I chose her was because she came right up to side of the cage and was shouting at me); she can make noise, and will scream when she thinks she's in danger (usually during nail trims!) but otherwise? She won't squeak at the others, won't squeak for food, doesn't squeak as she potters about... Silence!
Toggle is both the best and worst guinea pig for cuddles. 90% of the time she's fine and will sit on your lap (and occasionally even lay down and get comfy on your tummy!); however, she's also the only one who has bitten hard enough to draw blood. She's lovely, but she will let you know when she's p***ed off.
Sticklebrick is quite timid; she'll always run when you try to catch her (well, they ALL do, but her in particular) but she'll sit still on your lap and be stroked and fussed without issue.
The baby... Well, we've not even had her a week yet, so I don't know about her! =P

Despite all these differences in personality and each piggies' preferences, I'd say they're all still tame. They'll all come up to the bars to be hand fed (although Posset is either reluctant or will run off and hide the second she's got food rather than stay at the bars to be fed) and they'll all approach me and my partner during floor time. Actually, I've had the jump on and off our laps/legs/backs (depending on how we're sat) and push between our feet or arms during floor time and use us as a climbing frame/toy!

It can take quite a while to tame piggies though; Poglet and Syllabub (our eldest) still wouldn't be handed at over a year old. Sometimes they do mellow out with age, though. It is gutting when a piggy isn't a lap piggy when that's what you want, but try to enjoy the other ways in which they're being friendly and interacting with you; being tame is a lot more than just being cuddly. =) Best of luck with your piggies!
 
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