New to Guinea Pig - Am I handling them correctly

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starangel27

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Hi

We bought 2 male guinea pigs 3 weeks ago they are approx 16 weeks old we bought a large 1.2 metre cage for them they seem quite
settled and happy and eating plenty. The first week was a nightmare getting them out of the cage mainly George who is super super fast
the other Peppa is not so fast but nibbles my fingers quite a lot I'm a little on edge with them as I am new to this myself.
So the second week I thought it may be easier to wear gloves to handle them as they are easier to catch but Peppa bit right through the glove & drew blood.
I'm worried I'm handling this all wrong.

So far I'm letting them out on a nightime for free run of the kitchen and I sit and hand them food etc but I feel like I cant pick them up to pet or anything as they are terrified and claw to get away from me
when they are on the floor they come over to sniff round me etc but I'm wondering if I should be doing this differently I feel like they should be used to me a little by now but I only handle them to get them in and out of the
cage.

Any advise would be great
 
Hello! Welcome to the forum :)

Congratulations on your piggies! Don't worry this is normal, piggies are prey creatures so are naturally hard to catch and pick up! Peppa is nibbling because she is scarred, we have a piggie that draws blood too unfortunately - as she gets very stressed at times when been handled, but she is getting better, however she is getting better.

The best thing to do to make life less stressful for you and your piggies when trying to pick them up, is to herd them into something to pick them up in. We use a chube http://www.amazon.co.uk/Giant-Chube...?ie=UTF8&qid=1381329266&sr=8-1&keywords=chube and herd our piggies into that, then carefully covering both ends pick it up and tip them gently onto our lap for laptime. During laptime gives lots of food to gain their trust. Food is a great bribery :))
You could use a upside down pigloo or a fleece tunnel or cosy also. Anything you can herd them into safely and move them in...

It's early days yet, but it will get easier I promise. One of our first girls Putt would run away like mad bumping into stuff to avoid being picked up and until we found the herding technique she was a very skittish piggie as it was stressing her and us out.

Give the herding technique a try, lots of people on here use it. We use it with nearly all our girls.
 
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thanks a lot for your reply its a big help i cant beleive how fast they are they can really kick with those back legs.
I will invest in one of the chubes
 
starangel27 said:
thanks a lot for your reply its a big help i cant beleive how fast they are they can really kick with those back legs.
I will invest in one of the chubes
Click to expand...

Yes, they are really fast! :)) You need to make sure they cant squirm out so never lift it very high if that makes sense and make sure ends are firmly covered - they can be wriggly

Have a look at http://www.cavycouture.co.uk/ She posts on here and the items are great. Piggies love cosies and they are also good to collect them in too as opposed to using a chube as they are quite small at the moment aren't they.

As an aside here are a few stickies you may find useful

Food & Diet - http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?42-Vegetables-Shopping-List

Settling new piggies - http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?36239-FAQ-How-do-I-settle-shy-new-guinea-pigs

It would be helpful if you could update for profile with a locaion, this just allows us to tailor any advice to your location if needed like vets etc....

Also it would be lovely to see photos of your piggies, for this you would need a free photobucket account at www.photobucket.com and follow instructions on this thread on how to post http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/...ial-Posting-Pictures-In-Threads-(Photobucket)

Any questions, just ask :)
 
You can use anything - tunnels or a cardboard box with one end cut off and a rag for padding. Put a little veg treat at the back and let them get comfy with the new piece first before you use it.

Turn the whole procedure into a ritual with you using the same words with the same melody all the time. Praise lavishly. It may take some days or even weeks, but it is well worth it, as it saves you a whole lot of bother!

Here is a (facebook) video of me picking up my 12 piggies strong group from the lawn. I am using a waste paper basket turned sideways for the job, so I can ferry 2-3 piggies at the same time if necessary, but even halfway through the first summer (when the video was taken), things were already working out pretty well!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=657772700917655&set=vb.250671101630422&type=3&theater
 
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I know it's tempting when you have a nibbly (or down right bitey!) pig but wearing gloves is probably more stressful for them as it confuses the smell of you and could make them more nervous. Like the others have said using food as bribes, spend time sitting with your hands in the cage and some nice snacks..... Let them come up to you and sniff you, get them used to you being there and talking to them. Picking them up using a cosy or tube is great and least stressful as being grabbed round your middle is a bit stressful for most people!

Sit with them quietly on your lap with some yummy treats and just take it slowly. It's taken two years nearly for my Angus to be happy to sit for cuddles as he's a real action hero and prefers to be on the go all the time. Some piggies never really take to laptime but will love a head scratch or chin rub in theirt cage, it's all very individual. Invest in an old towel or lap pad to avoid warm,wet accidents during lap time.

It just needs patience. Your piggies are quite new to their new home and still very young. It's a lot of changes for a young animal to leave it's mum, move house a few times and then get used to new people. They will come round with time:)
 
my four girls hate beeing picked up but will walk round me investigating me when i am in their cage. they take food out of my hand but of o try to lift them they run. I can wait. My long haired two are my snuggle bunnies as they will run but once you get hold of them they are fine. I have to pick these two up as they need groomed and trimmed and bathed now and then
 
I'm a newbie guinea pig owner too so i know how you feel, 2 of mine are skittish and run a mile but once i have hold of them they are fine, i just heard them to a corner of their cage and get them fast the longer it takes the more stressed they get so ive had to teach myself to be quicker at getting hold of them. my other 2 love being held but just dont like the being picked up bit so its the same situation for them too. they will eventually all learn i reckon itll just take time
 
I'm a New Guinea pig owner and my boy has never tried to bite me all I do is a a few strokes in a corner then get my hand around him just under his shoulders and one hand under his bum then have him in a small fleece blanket as this makes him feel safe and when he grumbles I will put him back x
 
An old tea cosy is also good, as they'll get in it and you pick it up with them inside. I find if you're picking up a struggling guinea pig, try with your fore finger in front of their front leg, thumb over the top & the other 3 fingers round the chest/belly area. This worked well with the 4 foster boars I've been looking after recently. They were very difficult to catch until I used this method.
 
Wiebke said:
You can use anything - tunnels or a cardboard box with one end cut off and a rag for padding. Put a little veg treat at the back and let them get comfy with the new piece first before you use it.

Turn the whole procedure into a ritual with you using the same words with the same melody all the time. Praise lavishly. It may take some days or even weeks, but it is well worth it, as it saves you a whole lot of bother!

Here is a (facebook) video of me picking up my 12 piggies strong group from the lawn. I am using a waste paper basket turned sideways for the job, so I can ferry 2-3 piggies at the same time if necessary, but even halfway through the first summer (when the video was taken), things were already working out pretty well!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=657772700917655&set=vb.250671101630422&type=3&theater
Click to expand...

That is amazing! Can't wait to try it! :-) also stewybus I have several old tea cosies so wish me luck!
 
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