New home

[VickyMidlands]

Hi everyone

I have two guineas that are 3 years old. I moved house yesterday and have a new hutch for them which is virtually identical to their "old" hutch. The journey in the car was fine but they will not go up and down the ladder between the top and bottom levels of their hutch. The ladder is virtually identical to their old hutch in terms of height.

Rooney has been down it but more like slid down it and Rio got to the top, poked his head around but the slid back don without jumping up to the level. Today I've put their food at the top in the normal place but they wont go up to it. I'm going to have to move them to the top tonight as their water bottle is up there!

Is it just moving nerves?

Thanks.

 

[Mother Hubbard]

Hi,

I'd say it's also smell. They have acute hearing and smell so that's bound to phase them. Whenever I clean out my lot, I always keep one item from the previous clean out with there scent on, because I tend to move there housing around to keep them interested etc. and the familiarity seems to works then half way through the week, swop it out for something else... So if it's a cozy I replace it with another cozy.

Might be worth putting water up and down, even if it's a bowl if a bottle isn't possible.

 

[Guinea pig slave]

It's traumatic for humans to move so imagine how our little friends must feel rolleyes
Give them lots of attention and time to settle - even a new hutch to them is scary |)

 

[VickyMidlands]

Thank you :-) I thought it would be smell that was confusing them. Hopefully in a few days they'll be ok and have braved the ladder!