Impossible to Tame

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Feel like giving up with my two. Have posted on here before about them biting and not liking being touched.

I have taken them to the vet and he has said they are both healthy and no signs of mites etc but are unusually jumpy.

They are around 5 months old and both males. One of them when I try to touch his back to stroke him he will kick his back legs high into the air and leap up.

The other will tolorate me stroking him but will rumble loudly and brrrrrrr his body while I am touching him.

When I approach them in the hutch they both run to the front and squeak so they're not timid in that sense. To put them in the run I put them in their igloo so don't have to pick them up as they bite.

My two children have absolutely no interest in them as they are not the pets we thought they'd be. My husband hates them. I don't want to give them away as they are happy and well looked after.

But they are definately not like the guinea pigs I've seen on this forum.

Please, please help.
 
sounds like the second one is enjoying his stroke a bit more than you might think :))
 
are they both shorthaired? have you checked them for fungal? When the first one bites does he draw blood or just pinch the skin?
 
It takes a long time to tame guinea pigs, especially if they are outdoors, because it's harder to spend as much time with them, and they don't get used to people being around the house all day. You just have to keep giving them attention everyday, and they will get used to you. I've found that guinea pigs get more calm and mellow as they get older, so at 5 months, they'd still be a bit timid, but by a year they get much braver, and get friendlier every year. :)

But you don't have to rub them and cuddle them if they don't want. You can just give them veggies as treats and watch them and stuff. I found that they became a more interesting pet when I got a run and let them go out on grass, because you can watch them eating the grass, and running around, it's lovely. :) You or the kids could sit in the run and let them come to you, which makes them braver and get used to you in their own environment.

You could also try an indoor pen for them, or even just bringing them into a room they can run around. Get lots of veggies and just sit quietly and let them eat veggies and walk around and they'll get braver over time and eventually come up to you for veggies and you can tempt them into eating from your hand.

It just takes a lot of time and attention for them to become tame.

Like my guinea pigs are outdoors and are used to me and will run up for their food and all. But they still run away if I try to pick them up (though they don't mind it once I've caught them) and they run away usually if I try to pet them. So mostly I just watch them eating their food and interacting with each other and stuff, and that's waht I find interesting. I don't pick them up for cuddles, except for the boy I have who I raised since he was born. :)

But they still have become a lot more tame over time, before they'd run away from me, but now they'll run up to me, or just go about their business and not care that I'm there :))
But soon I'm moving and they'll be indoors, so I hope that they get really friendly and calm, because they'll be getting a lot more attention, because it's just easier, and they'll be used to me being there a lot more. :)
 
Please dont despair x I'm new to piggies so maybe not the right person to give advice, but I two have two piggies (sisters) who seam impossible to tame and all they do is fight and teeth chatter. Mine are 3 and half months old. Maybe you could start the taming process off again from the beginning. I've read loads of useful advice like putting a T shirt which smells of you in their cage so they get used to your smell, slowly start by backing off with handling/stroking and start by sitting near them talking softly, then after that slightly put hand in hutch, talking softly and holding fruit/veg they like and just get them used to you being around, then eventually stroking and finally picking up. I'm doing this with mine and still only on holding friut and slightly stroking for a second. Apparently wrapping piggies up in a towel is good and lightly petting them over the towel so they are less scared. Are they outdoor piggies? Mine are and I've just started bringing them in the house in a cage for an hour or so, so that they get more used to noise and people and I've been impressed with their confidence boost. Sorry if you've heard this all before but we've obviously got the rare sort of piggies that just need extra love and patience. Do they get along together? Hang in there, I'm sure they will improve with time. I've read that piggies about 4-5months go through adolescence and can get more aggressive and anti social, maybe with age they'll chill out in couple of months xx maybe someone more experienced has further ideas x
 
Great advice from Romeo :) About sitting near the cage talking to them, and then putting your hand in with veg, etc. Just take it really slowly, there's no need to pick them up and cuddle them until they get used to it. :)

And yes, they do seem to mellow out as they get a bit older :)
 
And the good news is, males are often calmer and more tame :) so after a while I'm sure they will be.
 
hmmm...I'm not sure the 'softly-softly' approach will work in this case. One of the boys is rumbling because he is enjoying being stroked, so there's no problem with him. But the other one I suspect has 'learnt' that if he reacts like this to being stroked or held then he won't get stroked or held. I have a sow exactly the same, if you try and pick her up she will kick out at you with her back legs and if you put your hands anywhere near her mouth she will nip you. When they're like that, they're pretty intelligent, and you have to make them realise that regardless of what they want you to do you're still going to pick them up and handle/stroke them - whipping your hand out of the cage or not picking them up, is in this case, reinforcing the behaviour they have learnt
 
It takes time - it may be that your boys have been very roughly handled where they came from.

Some piggies, you develop more of an interactive than a cuddle relationship, and that is rewarding in itself. Can you do things with them where you sit on the floor and they to things around you and come up to you for little treats, so they get used to you being around. Eventually, they will get used to just brushing against them "accidentally" which in time can develop into little pettings.

My first two girl were quite traumatised, too. Mischief would scream her head off for the first three months whether I touched her on my lap or not - after two years, she would lick my fingers and I would nuzzle her ear and we would have cuddles piggy style.

I have rehomed more difficult piggies since then, but it never mattered to me all that much whether they were cuddle monsters or not (most weren't), I concentrated more on seeing them lead, happy enriched lives and being part of it. Eventually, they have all got used to being handled, but with some it was a matter of months and months - but worth it because there will be that one magical moment when they finally show you their trust and their affection. It is the most special thing...

I would strongly advise not to touch a piggy where it doesn't want to be touched. Find the spots where he tolerates being touched, but don't try to push things. Building up trust is much more important at this point! The rest will follow. Let your boys tell you what they like and dislike, and by heeding what they communicate, you can win them over more quickly.
 
Thank you all for your replies. That is very encouraging. To answer some of your questions, yes they are housed outside in their hutch and also get attention every day as I feed them twice daily plus put in hay and also cover them up at night. Also on dry days they go in their run for several hours.

They got along very well together.

I am surprised to hear the rumbling is a good sign, I thought he was angry at me! They have never drawn blood but do nip and also if I am wearing clothes they will bite and hang on until I pull my t-shirt or whatever out of their mouths, so am very reluctant to give them a chance to do that to my skin!

They have no problem with me putting my hand in the hutch, they don't run and away and will happily eat from my hand.

The main problems are the biting/nipping and not tolorate being stroked.

I shall definately persevere though and also good to know they could get calmer as they get older.

Thanks again.
 
5 months isnt very old, my 5 month old is a little monkey but will come take food. He is too busy to be handled! He loves to run around the floor, but he doesnt much like being picked up! I dont see this as a problem as i know he will mellow with age, and i am happy that he will come and take treats and i like watching him play with his friend. He lets me stroke him now whilst he eats. I would have hands off for a while with the nervous one, but keep up with offering treats and gentle talking. Start again with him.
They will come round :)
 
Sat the calmer pig on my lap today and stroked him for around five minutes, he looked like he turned to bite a few times but I moved my hand quick. Should I be brave and test him to see if he does bite?

Tried the other guinea who hates being stroked but he was going proper crazy and wouldn't settle, kept rearing his head up sharp. He's so scary!
 
If someone put there finger in front of your mouth would you bite it :)), if he turns round to have a sniff don't pull it away mine often nibble or give me a lick.
 
He probably just wants a sniff, they are curious little creatures and your hands smell so exciting! He might have a gentle little nibble or a lick, my Teddy does this and its very sweet. If he does bite blow on his face to stop him.
My friend has 2 rescue guineas that were badly treated. She had to persevere with cuddles as they would squeal and kick, she said she was often in tears. I went to see them and they were gorgeous, sat cuddled on her lap. Her boys are proof that perseverance pays out :)
 
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Don't give up

My boys are outside and are about the same age, they tend to associate human contact with a trip to the run so are getting tamer.
Also when they had ringworm I was applying cream x 2a day so the frequent handling helped.
I would also suggest treats when being handled, I give mine carrot or dandelion as they love it it takes them a while to relax enough to eat but guinea pigs and food they don't stop for long.
You could also try a grooming brush mine all like that.
Also google guinea pig sounds and you will get doubtless with their associated meanings I found this very helpful when learning to understand guineaspeak
Hope this helps.
 
It has all been very interesting information. I bought two male guinea pigs for my six year old daughter about 2.5 months ago. I don't know how old they were, but they were tiny when I bought them, compared to how they are now. They are in a hutch outside, and they go into their run whenever possible. I transfer them from their hutch using their igloo, so I don't actually touch them. They were very nervous when we first got them, so I didn't attempt to pick them up for several weeks. I started to handle them last week, but I had to corner them in order to do this. Once I caught them, they were generally accepting, but not completely comfortable. In addition, I wasn't confident at picking them up, but am getting better. I don't like having to corner them or chase them around. After reading the various postings, it seems I should leave them, and let them come to me in their own time. Unfortunately, my piggies don't seem to like any fresh veg / fruit. I have tried them with carrots, broccoli, beetroot, cucumber, pepper, strawberries, and the only things they really like are fresh grass, hay, and pellets, so I am struggling with the treat thing! I would appreciate any tips and suggestions, as I don’t want my daughter to lose interest in them because she can’t pick them up yet.
 
Please please do not give up on them. Okay your children may have lost interest as children do not have the patience adults have. My little Amelia Jane took three years before she would allow me to pick her up and actually enjoy being held. I still tried every single day sometimes twice. Guinea pigs are so special and so worth time and love. I have only had Sophie a few months and she has never been handled. She goes to bite if you stroke her but I am getting her used to just lying on me and hearing me talk to her. Keep up with trying. if you can I would have them living indoors as they get used to you and your voice quicker and feel more part of the family. Good luck.
 
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