New Guinea Pig Owner! Meet My Piggies

Little Fluffs

Little Fluffs

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Apr 19, 2017
Messages
27
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Location
Worcester, UK
Hiya! So earlier today I picked up my first ever Guinea Pigs, two sows :)
They were from someone who couldn’t care for them anymore, they just weren’t getting enough attention. When we went to collect them she said that they were from a rescue before she had them. I know nothing about them apart from the fact they are around 1 1/2 years old. Who knows what kind of owners they could’ve had.
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Obviously they are super scared. They’ve moved around a little but every time we enter the room they freeze. They’re probably quite hungry and thirsty, they’ve nibbled their veg a little but i should imagine they’ll eat it tonight. Taming will be quite hard, they are very timid but with patience I’m sure they’ll come around.

We aren’t sure about the names yet, my brother suggested Nellie and Nora but I’m not sure. I guess once we learn more about them, names will just spring to mind.

It would be great if you could offer any advice for taming or just in general :)
 
They're very cute! Look at the but on the grey&white one!

I'm not sure Nellie and Nora suit them either but as you get to know them I bet some name will just appear and stick!
 
I think you just need to leave them for about 2-3 days and see how they go.
 
Guineapigfeet said:
They're very cute! Look at the but on the grey&white one!

I'm not sure Nellie and Nora suit them either but as you get to know them I bet some name will just appear and stick!
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Yeah aha, that was my first thought! We quite like Mabel for the ginger one but as you said, I bet a name will just appear!
 
Hi
I'm a new piggie mum too and acquired my pigs in a similar way although mine are 6 & 3 months old.
Mine were very flighty (still are to a degree) but we've seen so much improvement in a short time. Ours have a pen in the home so we can sit and chat to them!
We haven't picked them up yet which has been frustrating but the best for our pigs as there's no pressure from us. We have trained them to go in a carrier to move about.
They are now taking carrot from our hands, squeaking happy squeaks when we enter the room, especially if adding new hay and coming up to us if we are in the pen cleaning.
This forum has been great for advice. Hopefully with a little patience I'm sure they'll settle in well.
 
Gorgeous! The grey and white one looks bigger than my Eva did when she was about to give birth! Hopefully it's just a fat bum and not babies.. :yikes:
 
Awwww, they are gorgeous :love:

We always start off after a few days by trying to hand feed a few veggie treats in the cage by offering some nice veggies to the new piggy when they are in their hidey, hopefully they will take it off you as you hold it in for them... after a while try offering it a little further from the hidey so they edge out and take it from you.
Food is the best way to bribe, use food when you get round to lap times also. Start lap time for a short amount of time at first and build up. We started off we laptimes for 1 minute with new piggies then pop them back, slowly increasing the time. They will soon associate you with food and good things but at first it takes a while to gain their trust.

Have a flick through of these threads here:

Settling in and interacting with your guinea pigs:
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

Hope to see lots more of your piggies!
 
Choccawocca said:
Hi
I'm a new piggie mum too and acquired my pigs in a similar way although mine are 6 & 3 months old.
Mine were very flighty (still are to a degree) but we've seen so much improvement in a short time. Ours have a pen in the home so we can sit and chat to them!
We haven't picked them up yet which has been frustrating but the best for our pigs as there's no pressure from us. We have trained them to go in a carrier to move about.
They are now taking carrot from our hands, squeaking happy squeaks when we enter the room, especially if adding new hay and coming up to us if we are in the pen cleaning.
This forum has been great for advice. Hopefully with a little patience I'm sure they'll settle in well.
Click to expand...
We’ve seen lots of improvement today! They both come out of hiding to eat their veg, it’s the first time we’ve seen them eat! Hopefully we will be able to handfeed soon too. Good luck with picking them up haha :) I don’t think we will be picking them up for a week or two at least!
 
sport_billy said:
Awwww, they are gorgeous :love:

We always start off after a few days by trying to hand feed a few veggie treats in the cage by offering some nice veggies to the new piggy when they are in their hidey, hopefully they will take it off you as you hold it in for them... after a while try offering it a little further from the hidey so they edge out and take it from you.
Food is the best way to bribe, use food when you get round to lap times also. Start lap time for a short amount of time at first and build up. We started off we laptimes for 1 minute with new piggies then pop them back, slowly increasing the time. They will soon associate you with food and good things but at first it takes a while to gain their trust.

Have a flick through of these threads here:

Settling in and interacting with your guinea pigs:
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

Hope to see lots more of your piggies!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice! I tried seeing if they would take a bit of lettuce from my hand, they definitely thought about it. I can’t wait to start lap time with them once they’ve settled in!
 
Hello and a warm welcome to you and your beautiful sows. Well done for taking them in. Patience, kindness and bribery with herbs, grass or other veggies will win them over. Piggies do love their veggies. Look forward to seeing more photos when they have settled in.
 
Eileen's Mum said:
Gorgeous! The grey and white one looks bigger than my Eva did when she was about to give birth! Hopefully it's just a fat bum and not babies.. :yikes:
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Janice C said:
Zoomed back to photo for another look at that butt! Hopefully they weren't around and boars Mind you, my Agoutis have huge butts!
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Hopefully it is just a huge butt! Looking at her now, I think she might have a bit of ridgeback in her, aren’t they meant to be slightly bigger than other piggies?
 
welcome to piggie world. I'm no expert and people here are better than I. But it seems your 2 are comin around slowly which is fantastic. . :clap: Keep up the belli TLC. x
 
When should see start picking them up? They are still very skittish, but they’ve started taking veggies from our hand and will eat in front of us now. We obviously need to start weighing them soon but I think I’ll use the tunnel method. I might start floor time tomorrow, but I’m scared that if try to catch them all the trust we’ve worked up will have gone.
 
Little Fluffs said:
When should see start picking them up? They are still very skittish, but they’ve started taking veggies from our hand and will eat in front of us now. We obviously need to start weighing them soon but I think I’ll use the tunnel method. I might start floor time tomorrow, but I’m scared that if try to catch them all the trust we’ve worked up will have gone.
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It's a good call that. I had a piggie and in 3 THREE years I never picked him up unless was the tunnel and helicopter movement. Kath his mum slave not a problem easy for cuddles lap time. Me I was a ALIEN. :hb:
 
IMG_0379.webp
Little Fluffs said:
When should see start picking them up? They are still very skittish, but they’ve started taking veggies from our hand and will eat in front of us now. We obviously need to start weighing them soon but I think I’ll use the tunnel method. I might start floor time tomorrow, but I’m scared that if try to catch them all the trust we’ve worked up will have gone.
Click to expand...
What do they sleep in? Would it be possible to put a nest or something similar down then they will get used to running into that then you'll be able to safely pick them up. I have these little nests that I'd put down then they'd run straight in.
 
Janice C said:
View attachment 71880
What do they sleep in? Would it be possible to put a nest or something similar down then they will get used to running into that then you'll be able to safely pick them up. I have these little nests that I'd put down then they'd run straight in.
Click to expand...
Great idea. well done. it never suprises me when another idea is so helpful. Tar :raz::clap:
 
I tried that thing of outting a hide in for them to run into but Jingle quickly caught on and now refuses to go into anything I offer her just in case!
 
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