New piggy hiding

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Sethhaughton56

New Born Pup
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I just got a piggy yesterday and she has been hiding the whole time. I have hay, a water bottle, pellets, and I have even given her carrots. She has not came out of the igloo and everytime I go to check on her she seems to freeze. I can tell she’s scared so I even put a blanket over her cage and put one of my cozy shirts in the igloo to rest on and get my scent. She has not drank out of the bottle and will only eat when I put hay/ carrots into her igloo. Is she ok? Will she come around eventually?
 
It is perfectly normal for a new piggy to be anxious. They are prey animals and to them everything is scary. As long as she is eating plenty of hay (it’s the most Important part of their diet. Carrots should not be fed regularly), then she will settle in time. It is fine to put her hay near to her so she can eat without having to come out until she settles. You may well find she comes out overnight, when you arent there

Can I ask, you mention piggy not piggies - is she alone? If so, then that is likely to make her anxiousness worse. Guinea pigs are highly social creatures and must be kept in pairs for companionship and security. A lone piggy will be more frightened.
 
Oh my. she's just scared as all piggies and prey animals.
It's a BIG scary world
She needs time and YES she will be ok.
They are guides all about New piggies etc on this forum Cage size etc.
I once had three piggies and 1st 2 days all I saw were bums as they hid . . .
Hello and :wel:
 
Piggies&buns said:
It is perfectly normal for a new piggy to be anxious. They are prey animals and to them everything is scary. As long as she is eating plenty of hay (it’s the most Important part of their diet. Carrots should not be fed regularly), then she will settle in time. It is fine to put her hay near to her so she can eat without having to come out until she settles. You may well find she comes out overnight, when you arent there

Can I ask, you mention piggy not piggies - is she alone? If so, then that is likely to make her anxiousness worse. Guinea pigs are highly social creatures and must be kept in pairs for companionship and security. A lone piggy will be more frightened.
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Great advise. x
 
Piggies&buns said:
It is perfectly normal for a new piggy to be anxious. They are prey animals and to them everything is scary. As long as she is eating plenty of hay (it’s the most Important part of their diet. Carrots should not be fed regularly), then she will settle in time. It is fine to put her hay near to her so she can eat without having to come out until she settles. You may well find she comes out overnight, when you arent there

Can I ask, you mention piggy not piggies - is she alone? If so, then that is likely to make her anxiousness worse. Guinea pigs are highly social creatures and must be kept in pairs for companionship and security. A lone piggy will be more frightened.
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yes she is alone, I am currently looking into getting another cage in order to get another one. I am gonna work on making sure they will be friendly and not territorial. I don’t leave the room at night she lives in my bedroom, is that ok? I hope she starts to drink l, it doesn’t seem like she even knows where her bottle is.
 
Sethhaughton56 said:
yes she is alone, I am currently looking into getting another cage in order to get another one. I am gonna work on making sure they will be friendly and not territorial. I don’t leave the room at night she lives in my bedroom, is that ok? I hope she starts to drink l, it doesn’t seem like she even knows where her bottle is.
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Don't panic . . . It's a lot for her to take in..
 
Sethhaughton56 said:
yes she is alone, I am currently looking into getting another cage in order to get another one. I am gonna work on making sure they will be friendly and not territorial. I don’t leave the room at night she lives in my bedroom, is that ok? I hope she starts to drink l, it doesn’t seem like she even knows where her bottle is.
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Things are very new for her. It can take weeks to months for them to fully settle in. Its best if you give her several days to settle a little more though, Don’t try to handle her etc. Just ensure she has enough hay, cover her cage and leave her to find her own way. She will find her bottle When she feels confident enough to come out and explore

I afraid you can’t work on making them friendly and not territorial though. Guinea pigs have their own hierarchy and there is nothing you can do to change the dynamics of any guinea pig relationship. They will be territorial if you don’t correctly character match two piggies or introduce them in the wrong way - character compatibiity is key to a successful relationship, two piggies have to like each other, I’m afraid you can’t just get another pig, put them together and assume everything will be ok.
 
Hi and welcome

Is she an only piggy? Please get her a same sex friend; guinea pigs are group animals and not wired to be on their own.

Please take the time to read these guides here. You will find them very interesting and helpful in understanding how it looks to guinea pigs, how you can work around their prey animal instincts and communicate with them in their own body language instead of waiting for them to figure out humans.
Give your little one time to get her bearings and don't crowd her. Take the time she needs to find her bearings to learn about a good diet and care; and what is normal and not. Unfortunately for you, guinea pigs are not animated cuddly toys. The picture you get from all the 'cute' videos on social media does not reflect the reality but what humans want to see. Sadly that includes frightened arrivals that feel totally lost and are in fear of their lives... - have you come across a video about that even though it is extremely common? :(
Arrival in a home from the perspective of pet shop guinea pigs
How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?

Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering And Cuddling Tips
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pig Safely

All the about the most common problems with pet shop piggies and what to look out for:
New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites

Companionship
Single Guinea Pigs - Challenges and Responsibilities

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

You can find all the above guides and more that specifically address all the most common issue new owners come up against in very practical and step-by-step detail. It is worth bookmarking and using as a resource:
 
guineapiggies123 said:
Can I try and hand feed my new piggies?
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this is an old thread. It’s better to start your own new thread with a bit more background information on your piggies such as how long you’ve had them. It’s best to leave them to settle in for a week before trying to do anything with them. After that week, starting to try to hand feed is the next step but it can take some time before they will do it (took the more confident of mine six weeks before he would hand feed, but it took the other one a year and a half)
 
Piggies&buns said:
this is an old thread. It’s better to start your own new thread with a bit more background information on your piggies such as how long you’ve had them. It’s best to leave them to settle in for a week before trying to do anything with them. After that week, starting to try to hand feed is the next step but it can take some time before they will do it (took the more confident of mine six weeks before he would hand feed, but it took the other one a year and a half)
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Ok, will start a new thread
 
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