Minnou
Teenage Guinea Pig
I just got a couple of female guinea-pigs (8-10 weeks old) on Sunday and I'm not sure if I'm doing wrong or right with them.
As soon as I got them home, I got their big indoor cage all nice for them with soft bedding, lots of hay, some calcium enriched dry food pellets and fresh water. I put the cage in a quiet room in the house. There's a den/sleeping space in the cage which I'd filled with hay and they both fled in there and I just left them to settle in. I kept creeping to the room and standing in the doorway just to peek and see if they'd gotten brave enough to explore. They didn't emerge from their hiding spot for a good 6-7 hours but they found their food and water straight away and I've seen and heard them both at it so I know they're eating and drinking. But they flee whenever I enter the room.
I'd read that you probably should pick them up for at least a couple of days so I haven't tried to. But I also read that it's a good idea to do spot cleaning every day and since they have been in the same spot 99% of the time since I brought them home and I've seen how much they poop and pee, I thought their den/sleeping space might need cleaning up a bit, so I did that today. I didn't attempt to pick the piggies up or stroke them or put my hands near them; I just spoke to them gently whilst slowly tidying that spot up and they were both doing panic? laps around the cage the entire time. One just ran quietly, the other was making a noise non-stop, I searched on youtube and the closest vocalization to what I think she was doing was called 'chutting'? Any way, once the den was back in place, they fled back in there and haven't been out again since. Have I traumatized them? Should I not do cleaning at all for a few days? How should I bond with them if I induce fear in them? :c
As soon as I got them home, I got their big indoor cage all nice for them with soft bedding, lots of hay, some calcium enriched dry food pellets and fresh water. I put the cage in a quiet room in the house. There's a den/sleeping space in the cage which I'd filled with hay and they both fled in there and I just left them to settle in. I kept creeping to the room and standing in the doorway just to peek and see if they'd gotten brave enough to explore. They didn't emerge from their hiding spot for a good 6-7 hours but they found their food and water straight away and I've seen and heard them both at it so I know they're eating and drinking. But they flee whenever I enter the room.
I'd read that you probably should pick them up for at least a couple of days so I haven't tried to. But I also read that it's a good idea to do spot cleaning every day and since they have been in the same spot 99% of the time since I brought them home and I've seen how much they poop and pee, I thought their den/sleeping space might need cleaning up a bit, so I did that today. I didn't attempt to pick the piggies up or stroke them or put my hands near them; I just spoke to them gently whilst slowly tidying that spot up and they were both doing panic? laps around the cage the entire time. One just ran quietly, the other was making a noise non-stop, I searched on youtube and the closest vocalization to what I think she was doing was called 'chutting'? Any way, once the den was back in place, they fled back in there and haven't been out again since. Have I traumatized them? Should I not do cleaning at all for a few days? How should I bond with them if I induce fear in them? :c