My Guineapigs Hate Cuddling Or Being Touched...

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Sid and Henry

Sid and Henry

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So I have 2 boars that I got on November the 16th as a surprise the day my previous boar had died. Ever since I got them, they have HATED being held, if I hold them, they will literally twist themselves out of the run. It's gotten to the point where I am scared of taking them out of the hutch incase they get hurt or hate me even more! I love them to bits but I realllyyy wish I could cuddle and pet them! If I have them on my lap, they sit still for what, 10 seconds before they try to run away. Henry is the dominant one and he comes up to me and greets me and is very happy when he sees me but when I open the door, they go mental as if I'm going to kill them. they run away from me and multiple times have jumped out from the second story of the hutch, or the 1st floor as British say, I think? But yeah, Sid is the smaller one and he is probably the worst and most annoying pet I have ever had, I'm sorry but it is true! Even if I just pet him, he tries to run away. I feel like I'm a terrible person and it stresses me out that I don't know what to do... How do I get them to enjoy cuddles or atleast being picked up or stroked?
 
I can't help, sorry. Its late at night. So I'm sure someone will give you advice tomorrow morning or afternoon.
 
Guinea pigs are not born to be cuddly pets; they are prey animals that will learn to trust only slowly. Not every piggy will necessarily enjoy being cuddled, sorry! Some will accept to be handled with patience, but they won't like long cuddles.

Go back to basics. Try to interact with them in the cage and during run time and take your cues from them, so they learn to trust you first. Don't hover over them and make yourself as small as possible, give them lots of praise and the occasional herb treat. Use piggy body like looking at them sideways and mimic washing your face with your hands. that is piggy language for "I want to be your friend". You may find that you will get a lot out of learning from them and that you will understand them better if you let them tell you.

Here is our guide for avoiding the dreaded pick up chase: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/videos/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/faq-how-do-i-settle-shy-new-guinea-pigs.36239/

If you really feel the need to cuddle, just let them sit underneath a blanket on your body and learn to relax in the cosy, safe warmth. Only when they do that, start touching them "accidentally", but withdraw if they are uncomfy. This is a very slow process, which is likely to take weeks or months and not days. Don't rush, or you will make two steps back instead of forward! Give them a treat (never a sweet shop treat) and lots of praise afterwards.
 
Thankyou Wiebke, I will try to do that and I 'll try just putting my hand in the cage and letting them smell my hand.
 
Hand feed them bits of veg, so they associate you with nice things and start relaxing around you.
 
I have 4 girls and 3 love me and will sit on my lap and let me pet them and hand feed them but I have one who hates me. Sad but true.

She will not let me pet her, screams if I pick her up, runs away, hides and If I do pick her up and place her on my lap she flinces if I touch her and spins around to try and bite me and kicks me with her back feet. She just hates any contact at all!

Glad I have 3 others that love me though. Maybe just start over with your two and try with food and holding them in a blanket so they feel safe!

Hope it works out for you, I know how awful it is to have a pet not like you!
 
I've sadly lots some of the trust with my boys so I know how upsetting this can be, in my case they were really happy to be cuddled and fussed in the first week then I had to start a daily routine of treatments and this has really knocked their confidence. I have been sitting sideways next to their hutch for about 5mins as many times during the day as I can to get them used to me (sadly I can not handle them much at the mo until were all well again I miss lap times and hand feeding :( ) they seem to carry on eating and talking with me sat there but if I move at all they dart for cover they do seem to understand my voice because I will chat away to them and they will come out of hiding until I move :doh: . Keep us posted how your getting on with this I hope you can get them I hope they gain the confidence so you can handle them.
 
Wiebke said:
Guinea pigs are not born to be cuddly pets; they are prey animals that will learn to trust only slowly. Not every piggy will necessarily enjoy being cuddled, sorry! Some will accept to be handled with patience, but they won't like long cuddles.

Go back to basics. Try to interact with them in the cage and during run time and take your cues from them, so they learn to trust you first. Don't hover over them and make yourself as small as possible, give them lots of praise and the occasional herb treat. Use piggy body like looking at them sideways and mimic washing your face with your hands. that is piggy language for "I want to be your friend". You may find that you will get a lot out of learning from them and that you will understand them better if you let them tell you.

Here is our guide for avoiding the dreaded pick up chase: https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/videos/
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/faq-how-do-i-settle-shy-new-guinea-pigs.36239/

If you really feel the need to cuddle, just let them sit underneath a blanket on your body and learn to relax in the cosy, safe warmth. Only when they do that, start touching them "accidentally", but withdraw if they are uncomfy. This is a very slow process, which is likely to take weeks or months and not days. Don't rush, or you will make two steps back instead of forward! Give them a treat (never a sweet shop treat) and lots of praise afterwards.
Click to expand...

Oh my word....i sat with my boys this morning whilst they were in their 'cleaning out box' they seemed settled so I sat sideway chatting to them for a bit and as were not made to look sideways out of one eye I had to turn to face them and thought I would try this tip from wiebke.....so there I was chatting away to them and mimicking the way they wash their face...as wiebke said 'hello I want to be friends' my fudge only copied me! :)
 
Good news! Give them time to make friends with you without the cuddling stress. As you can see, they do not hate you. ;)
 
I've had the same problem with Bella who I've had 4 months now. She is just now slowly liking being handled a bit more but we don't push it on her. We just stroke her a lot when she's in her cage and she now seems to be a bit more friendly and not so bad at being picked up. They don't hate you, I used to think that she did, they just need lots of time. Keep going, it will happen. Good luck
 
It does take time , Rio and Vader are still hard to catch (just turned 1yr) but when caught they will now sit and be cuddled, without struggling
 
I am going to try the mimicking grooming the face with my youngest piggy Pea. She has always been so timid which has been a godsend as we bought her as a companion to Petal who was very nervous and had been bullied by her previous cagemates. However, even now she is so timid and when i get her out for playtime she looks terrified and hides behind Petal! I guess patience is the key and to remember they are prey animals so naturally nervous. However, aren't the rewards so totally worth it when they trust you! :-)
 
I tried the face washing again just before fudges second daily treatment today and yet again it worked (he didn't copy me though this time much to my disappointment lol)
I spent time with each of my boys talking to them cuddling/fussing them, hand feeding them grass etc then soaked them with their spray the other two seemed ok ish with their treatment but fudge watched me mimic the face washing and when it came to spraying him he was very settled and just sat there :)
Yep the key most defiantly is patience and perseverance.
Kell x
 
Patience and perseverance is definitely the way to go. This last week my Bella has been a totally different piggie and is happy to be picked up and/or stroked and is also now enjoying her time in the garden, in fact, she squeaks like mad to go out now. hard work has paid off and is well worth it.
 
I adopted two very nervous piggies, and have to foster piggies who's confidence needed boosting, so one tip I'd give alongside the information above is getting down to their level even if you are just saying hello as you walk passed - it is really important. For my adopted boys this meant that I actually changed their cage from an on the floor C&C set up to a large cage on a stand. Since I did that, and put the cage top on top my boys grew in confidence as they felt that nothing would suddenly appear over the top.

When we go to say hello we make sure we kneel down so that we don't have a bottom in the air either and this helps them get confident to get close to us as we don't appear as large. All my piggies therefore have confidence to come up to myself and my partner before we've developed to the stroking stage.
 
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