New Guinea Pig Owner - Need Some Advice

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ash231421

Junior Guinea Pig
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hi all, on sunday i got 2 male 12 week old guinea pigs from my pet shop. It's been over 2 days since i got them and i was wondering when i'll be able to touch them. I left them alone on the first day and on the second, i sat in their room, did my homework and read some things out loud so they would know what i sounded like. They're very nervous because everytime i come into the room they both run and hide and a few minutes later they do come out while i'm in the room. However if i move or get up they run away immediately. Also today I left a little bit of parsley, carrot, apple and tomato for a few hours but they haven't even touched it yet. However they are eating the hay and nuggets. My questions are is this normal behaviour? how long would it take for them to trust me? and also how do i do this?

thanks
 
Yep that's normal behaviour it takes a while for piggies to settle in to a new place. Piggies are prey animals and to them you are a big scary predator who could eat them! They need to get used to their new home first before they get used to you. Bribe them with food and they will start to trust you. When you give them veg, see if they will take it from your hand first so that they associate you with food. Take things at your Piggies pace. Be patient and you will be rewarded. It can take a while.
 
Betsy said:
Yep that's normal behaviour it takes a while for piggies to settle in to a new place. Piggies are prey animals and to them you are a big scary predator who could eat them! They need to get used to their new home first before they get used to you. Bribe them with food and they will start to trust you. When you give them veg, see if they will take it from your hand first so that they associate you with food. Take things at your Piggies pace. Be patient and you will be rewarded. It can take a while.
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so if my guinea pigs are hiding, should I take the thing thats covering them out of the cage and try and offer them food? or should i just sit and wait with a piece of food in my hand in the cage waiting for them to come out?
 
Hello, at first and it is really early days put the food by their hideys they will come out and take it and probably take it back where they feel safe. This is not a reflection on you but merely they are prey animals so it takes a while for them to get used to their new surroundings. Please don't take their covers out that wil make them feel more scared and they still won't eat

We always start off after a few weeks 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. Just go slowly as they are prey animal patience is needed to build up the bond, younger piggies are especially skittish

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 read of this thread here How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig
 
Hi and welcome!

Please take it easy. This is totally normal behaviour for shop piggies that have never had much in the way of human interaction and that have been ripped away from their family and are feeling very exposed. Give them time to settle in; it will take weeks rather than days, but it is worth doing it right. Trust is a fragile plant and needs time to grow, but you will reap the rewards later on hundredfold.
We have got a whole section in our new owners guide collection devoted on how you can avoid predator behaviour, understand how prey animals work (so you can work around them) and use guinea pig body language to make friends with them in ways that they instinctively understand. it really makes a difference in how they will trust you. The guides cover the different stages of settling piggies, making friends, picking them up and eventually introducing them to lap time.

As long as your piggies are eating hay (which makes over 80% of the daily food intake) and pellets, they will be find. Fresh food only makes about 10% of the daily food intake. Take it slowly to not cause diarrhea; it looks like they have never had any so their guts are likely not used to them anyway. Guinea pigs learn from their elders what is safe to eat. It is always so much more difficult when that has not happened. Stick at it with preferably little bits of green stuff. Pellets are usually enriched with vitamin C, so you do not need to worry on that score. Create a little feeding ritual and they will enventually catch on. Leave the veg lying for several hours, so they can get used to the smell and the texture.
You can find our detailed feeding guide which has got a sample diet in it also in our new owners' collection.
New Owners' Online Starter " Booklet" For Really Helpful Advice
 
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