new guinea pigs today... is this normal?

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Terri

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good evening everyone. This is my first post. i'm sorry if it's in the wrong section! ")

I got 2 girl guinea pigs this afternoon (Rosie - a gorgeous little black one; and Fairy a cute white one with a black face. names are courtesy of my 4 year old daughter) and i'm in love with them already!

The lady told me they are only babies, approx 7 weeks old.

Ever since i brought them home, they've just stayed in the one spot, barely moving. They haven't made a single noise. They aren't interested in water or food. They don't even flinch when i move them or when i picked one up. It's as if they're playing dead. I'm really concerned they might dehydrate or starve!

They're also not interested in going inside their pigloo. they're just sitting on top of the bedding outside it, not even attempting to snuggle in to it. i'm worried they'll get cold during the night.

Can anyone tell me if this is normal 'settling in' behaviour, and when they might get a bit more confidence? Should i not handle them again for a few days?

Thank you,

Terri
 
Hi there terri! Piggies being scared is totally normal, although I'm not sure about the standing very still. Perhaps pop a pigloo over where they are stood, so they feel a little more secure.

You say about them being cold, by this I assume they are outside? Have they been living outside where they were previously?

Only at the moment it is very cold for such young piggies to be out, if you could pack the bedroom compartment of the hutch full of yummi hay, they can soon snuggle in there. If you leave food and water at the read I'm sure they will tuck in once they are left alone.

Giving them a day or so to settle in is a good idea, Different piggies take different amounts of time to settle in, Eventually over time they will become more confident.

Welcome to the forum and i hope that helped!

P.s you got it in the right section ;)
 
Hi Terri & welcome to the forum :)

They are probably very scared right now! Are they in a cage? I would make sure they have two hidies or tunnels, then cover that end of the cage with an old towel to provide a bit of darkness. Leave some dry food pellets in a bowl nearby & a little water in a small non-tip bowl as well as a water bottle attached to the cage side. Put a little bit of fresh veg like romaine lettuce in every evening, not too much to start with. Eventually you can introduce new foods gradually. Give them plenty of fresh hay every day, that's very important :)

Don't handle them for a few days, sit quietly next to the cage for half an hour or something & just talk quietly to them, gets them used to your voice! After that then I would handle them for a few minutes every other day, build up to every day. They may be easier to catch in an upturned box or cuddle cosy.

They will soon get used to you :)
 
Connie said:
Hi there terri! Piggies being scared is totally normal, although I'm not sure about the standing very still. Perhaps pop a pigloo over where they are stood, so they feel a little more secure.

You say about them being cold, by this I assume they are outside? Have they been living outside where they were previously?

Only at the moment it is very cold for such young piggies to be out, if you could pack the bedroom compartment of the hutch full of yummi hay, they can soon snuggle in there. If you leave food and water at the read I'm sure they will tuck in once they are left alone.

Giving them a day or so to settle in is a good idea, Different piggies take different amounts of time to settle in, Eventually over time they will become more confident.

Welcome to the forum and i hope that helped!

P.s you got it in the right section ;)
Click to expand...

Hello Connie. Thanks for replying.

My guinea pigs are indoors as i don't have a garden. I just meant i'm worried they might get a bit chilly without being snuggled into their bedding - probably just me being paranoid though. :)) i'll try popping their pigloo over them to keep them snug.

They've got hay in their haystack, but i've just put a big bundle in a corner for them too. Hopefully they'll head into it shortly.

I'm glad it's common for new piggies to be like this, i thought i'd done something wrong! You've put my mind at rest. Thanks again!
 
Sounds like they are quite literally scared stiff! It's normal for new pigs to be fearful. Standing perfectly still is a survival instinct for prey animals (the idea is to freeze so the predators overlook you.) I would give them space and privacy for now... even if you gently place the pigloo over top of them. They will most likely run out for food and water when you are not looking (one of my more anxious new pigs would only eat and drink at night for the first few days!) I would give them a couple days to settle before beginning to handle them.
 
mine did this, they froze to the spot, eyes bulging! i think it is playin dead!

id just put a iglo over and leave them quite and alone to settle in

it took a few days but i started by offerin them strands of hay from my hand then progressed to cucumber they slowly started to move their heads and relax and are still scared now n they are 15 weeks old but we are getting there just takes time to relax them in!
 
Please be aware it will probably take a week or two for then to not be scaredy cats, but it is ok to handle them in a day or so.

I wouldnt worry, as soon as they are left alone i expect they will begin to expore more. Popping a towel over the cage is a very good idea.

Can i just ask where you got them? Only some places are notorious for giving bad advice. :/

:)
 
Poppy'sMum said:
Hi Terri & welcome to the forum :)

They are probably very scared right now! Are they in a cage? I would make sure they have two hidies or tunnels, then cover that end of the cage with an old towel to provide a bit of darkness. Leave some dry food pellets in a bowl nearby & a little water in a small non-tip bowl as well as a water bottle attached to the cage side. Put a little bit of fresh veg like romaine lettuce in every evening, not too much to start with. Eventually you can introduce new foods gradually. Give them plenty of fresh hay every day, that's very important :)

Don't handle them for a few days, sit quietly next to the cage for half an hour or something & just talk quietly to them, gets them used to your voice! After that then I would handle them for a few minutes every other day, build up to every day. They may be easier to catch in an upturned box or cuddle cosy.

They will soon get used to you :)
Click to expand...

Hello,

Thanks for the tips :)

I have them in the big Ferplast 120 cage. I took off the feeding platform because i thought they might be too small for that just now. But that's also took away the little hidey bit beneath the platform. Maybe i should put it back on then? they might like to sleep under that better than their pigloos.

Great idea about the water in a bowl. i'll do that just now. We've been talking to them all day, and my daughter's been singing to them :)) We'll just keep doing this for a few days, and try picking them up again when they look ready.

Thanks!
 
Bless them, absolutly normal for new piggies to be worried. Make sure you spread plenty of hay around for them to have a munch on too, so they dont have to move to get it.

x.
 
Terri said:
Hello,

Thanks for the tips :)

I have them in the big Ferplast 120 cage. I took off the feeding platform because i thought they might be too small for that just now. But that's also took away the little hidey bit beneath the platform. Maybe i should put it back on then? they might like to sleep under that better than their pigloos.

Great idea about the water in a bowl. i'll do that just now. We've been talking to them all day, and my daughter's been singing to them :)) We'll just keep doing this for a few days, and try picking them up again when they look ready.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I had that cage & removed the platform, as one of mine got a bit possessive over the hidey bit & wouldn't let the other in rolleyes

They will probably enjoy hiding in their hay for now, so replace it fresh every morning. I know it's hard not to pick them up but resist until they feel calmer so they don't get too stressed.

I got one of these & set it up after a week & sat inside it with my piggies, letting them come up to me & have a good sniff etc, eventually I offered them little bits of food like cucumber, not too much to start with. Too much can upset their tummies.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fabric-Fold..._1_2?s=outdoors&ie=UTF8&qid=1326230387&sr=1-2

Your daughter can sit safely inside & handle the piggies without fear of them escaping or of them jumping out of her arms & hurting themselves, as baby piggies are very wriggly rolleyes

This is a brilliant site for all things piggy :

http://www.guinealynx.info/index.html

On there you will find lists of food they can have etc, & why hay is so important. What bedding are you using for them?
 
Mine did this too! Had my 2 boys for 3 weeks now, one of them was scared but would move around but the other just sat like a rock and never moved, their previous owner had told me they were really noisy but they didnt make a noise for about 5 days!

3 weeks on and they will both come and get veggies out of my hand, one of them stays and eats it with me, the other takes it and hides to eat, but just last night the more timid one came over to me for a good sniff and didnt run back into his igloo the minute I moved.

I think it takes time for them to get used to you, you'll get there..as will I I hope !
 
Hi! Here are tips for settling new shy guinea pigs. They will need a few days until they get the bearings in their new home and surroundings.

Please place food, hay and water close to their hide, so they can nip out to get it when nobody is around. You can shift it a bit further away with each passing day until you see them out and about. It will usually take 2-3 days.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36239
 
We've only had our 2 boys for about 6 weeks now & they are only just about settled although one is more shy/nervous than the other!
Ours were just the same at 1st, hardly moved, didnt eat or drink and we were really worried but now they have both grown loads and eat everything they are given :)
It was a lovely sunny morning here yesterday so they got to try out the outdoor run...it was lovely to see them running around..is that called 'popcorning'? Although again, the one did it far more than the other so I think we will just always have a timid one & a brave one :))
 
Mine were like this, it was adviced that wherever their new hutch/cage/home is, just leave them to it for about 2-3 days just to let them get use to their surrondings. My Daniel gave me the death look, where his eyes were so wide open you could see the white in them. He still gives me that look when I wake them up.
 
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