Nervous piggies...

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jane28

Can i ask who on here has nervous guinea pigs? Ones that are extremely hand shy other than a sniff of the fingers and taking food from you?

Do you leave them to it and only handle them if needed or do you handle them as much as possible?

My piggies are getting on fine and i can get quite close to two of them and even stroke them a bit when they are not noticing (long story!)

Mum is still extremely hand shy and is getting there but will always be like that...

when two of them stand on their back legs waiting for food i can see their nails and if they need clipping (they dont) but i am just wondering where to go from here?

It is more difficult to pick them up intheir cage as they wont let you near them unless you swoop in from above and give a chase... I wouldnt have thought they would be comfortable being held and stroked for a while because of their being hand shy...

It has been over 2 months now since they have come to me...
 
pickle, was like that for nearly a year, now she accepts a chin tickle and a milk drop, she doesn't struggle when picked up, but she still grumbles when being held.
Howard demands attention, climbs up the cage for it!
Gus slinks out of you hand and avoids being picked up whatever it takes, but falls asleep on your lap :confused:
the babies;-
maggie is nosey, but runs away, and won;t sit still on you.... that is one adventerous pig!
nanny ogg, hides but once caught is a brilliant lap pig

you've got years ahead with them, i wouldn't worry to much. With time they'll come around.
 
Don't worry Jane, they will get used to your hand but it takes time. Also try to introduce your hand from the front so that they can see, not from above as it will scare them. I would try to handle them rather than avoid it, find somewhere quiet to sit with them and give them a stroke on your lap. Most piggies don't like being picked up but do enjoy a cuddle once you have them on your knee, esp if you have a nice treat for them to nibble! Good luck!
 
One of my two sows is like that and generally, I let her get on with it. I give her equal attention as the other one and encourage her to come to see me rather than the other way round. I think she'll always be a little shy but she has got better with time. Especially as she mimics her sisters very bold behaviour. Part of it is being patient and the other part is just her personality.
 
I do introduce my hand s they can see it but for picking up jobs i just cannot get near them that way... I find it less stressful to just get them from the top as there is less chasing... I completely understand about being picked up from above but at the moment there is no other way! lol

To be honest i am just letting them get on with it and be their food slave... but it would be nice to know that at some point they may allow a little stroke!
 
One of my two sows was extremely nervous up until this last week (I've had them for nearly 2 months now). I've found being patient, persevering and plying with parsley (which is these two's favourite!) has helped, but also going on tiptoes to pick her up seemed to make her more nervous than just picking her straight up as she'd spend more time running away and getting frightened about that. I tend to get down on her level rather than loom above, and when she runs into a corner, put a hand underneath then a hand over the top of her to scoop her up. Once she's on my lap and has parsley she settles, and now she's leaning into tickles, purring, and is fast becoming a fuss monster of a piggy :)

The other one has gone from loving fuss to being rather "I don't need no stinkin human!" and doesn't settle so much as often as she first did. I think piggies go through phases and have moods as much as any creature!
 
It is quite difficult picking up one pig when all threee are bombing around the cage! It is usually just a case of pick up which ever one you can get at the moment which is why i am leaving them to it for a bit longer...

But they will be picked up next week when they get their new hutch so i will try the cornering and scooping... Without hesitation as that is when they scarper... :))
 
scared piggies

perhaps catch the girls as you have been doing and then wrap in a towel to cuddle and whilst cuddling offer treats and cuddles. whilst in their cage if inside talk to them and let them get use to you. it took us over 12 months to get jessie use to us. guinea pigs are on the bottom of the food chain so their first instinct is to run. hoping things work out with you and your girls, try offering treats and make them feel secure when holding them. good luck and hugs :rose:rose:rosexoxoxoxoxoxo
 
My 4 year old boar still likes to run and squeal when you initially pick him up but once on you he is a cuddle monster who purrs and even falls asleep on your chest, my little boar just sits still and lets us pick him up but once up he's fidgety and runs up to your shoulder and tries to burrow in your hair or licks and nibbles. Both my sows run into igloos when they know i'm coming but i just slip my hand inside and scoop them up and once up they do settle and enjoy lap time. I think you just have to be confident and let them know you are going to get them up have bribes on hand and persevere. If you make a point of handling them everyday if and when you need to check them over or do something to them they will be easier to handle.
 
My two boars are piggies that aren't keen on snuggles or petting! I asked for advice on the old forum, and I got a bunch of ideas to help ease picking them up. Someone suggested a towel, which I haven't tried yet, but what I did invest in recently was a nice fluffy tunnel.

Now when I open the cage (they dissapear even when you approach!) they run into the tunnel, and I can scoop that up and carry them in that. I also sneak a wee cuddle and a stroke then as well, and try bribing them with danelion leaves and parsley on their way out to the outside run. I think it's made all three of our lives a little more enjoyable!

I've also had to start spot cleaning their house three times a day, so they're getting used to my hand being in their hutch and not actually touching them! They're getting a little blaze about it, so I might start stroking them inside the hutch.

Good luck with your piggies! I'm sure they'll warm to you eventually, just keep trying!
 
Well i have managed to stroke Squeekys feet when she had them on the bars and i went to touch Bigbum when he was eating some celery and just got to his fur when he hopped off... he didnt scarper liek a bat out of hell but he just hopped off... then hopped back on after i removed my hand...:))

Very slow progress with these lot...
 
LOL~ Sugar and Coffee they are like that too.. They doesn't like people to pick them up from the cage.. so they go running about.. prevent me from catching them >.<
But once i took them out from the cage, they will sit there and let me pat and play with them =)
Only Coffee is a little weird... always making funnie noises whenever i stroke her. lol.. i already got them for about 6months =)
 
3 out the 4 of our girls are shy to being picked up, Pheobe's the worst, she bites and everything! Maggie and Bethany will sometimes let you, depends on how they're feeling I guess. Saying that, Pheobe loves being stroked in the cage and all 4 absolutely love cuddles once they're out. Ruby is so tame, I can pick her up easily, but she doesn't like being stroked in the cage!

They all have very different personalities, with respect for this and giving lots of strokes in the cage and lots of time and patience, I'm sure they'll all be tame for you! x
 
Well!

I was cleaning them out today nd had my gardening gloves on so i thought... Better now than never and decided they were going to be picked up...
Needless to say the minute i put both myhands in there big bum scarpered into the house with his mum and sister...

I then took my glove off and tickled his forehead... He didnt really move so i took my hand away and he blinked... So i said "youknow you will be stroked whether you like it or not bigbum" and went back to stroking his forehead...

Softly softly catchy monkey...;)
 
Hi

Loads of really good advice already - I use the Tellington Ttouch method on lots of different animals and find it really useful for rescue/nervous pets. My advice would be to definitely interact with them as much as possible, even if it is just talking to them in a nice calm, gentle voice. Use a paintbrush or long make up brush and stroke in line with their coats, this teaches them that having people/a person close to them is ok. Once they are happy with being touched with the brush, stroke with the back of the hand/fingers as animals find this less threatening, plus there is less heat felt through the back of the fingers, rather than the palm. Patient is definitely a virtue, you can never rush them into being handled as this will cause them to panic. Oh and remember to breath! It might sound daft, but if you are anxious and holding your breath, your piggies will pick up on this and will make them anxious.

Hope this helps
Jo
 
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