New To Having Guinea Pigs!

Will guinea pigs one day stop being so scared? Its been a week and can be very shy indeed... :)

  • yes

    Votes: 6 100.0%

  • no

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    6
W

william hipkin

New Born Pup
Joined
Jan 24, 2018
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Location
Kings Lynn, Norfolk
Hi guys, got my guinea pigs last week now. So rewarding! yet so many questions and thoughts about them. Such as what is the loud low pitch purring one keeps doing at another? (2 females) like growling in a way.

Yet they seem to be fine as they run around jumping together (which i believe is pop corning?).

Just want them to be happy !

Question 2 ; I'm feeding them by hand and on allows me to stroke the top of its head. However thats one piggy! My other piggy is extremely shy compared, do you think as time goes on this will improve, again - i want them to be so happy!

Thanks Will!
(new to guinea pigs and the forum)
 
Hi Will, welcome to the forum. You might find a number of your answers and useful information in the forum guides. This one in particular Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

Piggies are all very individual and some may never want to be pet while in the cage. You just have to keep doing what you are doing and build up the trust. I'm still hard at work on my latest who is very skittish, very shy and isn't embarrassed about squealing the house down! In the first 15 weeks of her life she was only handled to medicate and whilst she was coming round to me slowly we had an outbreak of ringworm which has put me back to square one. I don't know if she will ever be completely comfortable being handled but we are again making slow and steady progress. That said I always find the ones that are harder to bond with tend to be the most rewarding and you really feel privileged when they finally trust you
 
Yes 100% so rewarding. One bite of a snack is all it takes for me to feel accomplished! One more concern i have is that ive heard i need to complete health checks. I have tried numerous times to do these checks and pick them up. They wriggle like crazy which actually makes it impossible to hold them (dont like holding them too tight). Not sure if you have experienced this and if you have a solution, as its obvious very important to check them!

Thank you so much for your response.
This forum is awesome!

Will.
 
Hello Will! :wel: to the forum! I'm so glad to hear that you have learned about health checks! I have a few questions for you before I can answer yours. Do you know how to cut nails? What diet are you feeding? What kind of cage do you have? Thank you!
 
william hipkin said:
I have tried numerous times to do these checks and pick them up. They wriggle like crazy which actually makes it impossible to hold them
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Guinea pigs are first and foremost a prey animal, so at this point their main assumption is that you are going to eat them! After 18 months I sometimes still have to remind mine this isn't the case.
Picking up is easier if you get them to go into something like a big cardboard tube, blocking both ends with your hands while they are inside. Then you can pick up the whole thing and gently tip them out onto your lap, and use the "piggy whispering tips" you can find on this site to tell them (1) you are not going to eat them (2) you love them (3) you speak Piggy and are actually part of the herd. Ten minutes per piggy per day to begin with should be enough to see a difference. Health checks & nail clips can probably wait a few weeks unless there's anything urgent.
 
Hi Will and welcome to the forum. The low growling sound (usually accompanied by slow bum wiggling) is called rumblestrutting. Boys do it a LOT, but sows also do it sometimes. It's a mild dominance behaviour, and nothing to worry about.
 
Hello, welcome to the forum, glad you have found the above replies all helpful

Could you add your location to your profile as it helps us tailor any advice if ever needed to your geographical location

Welcome again
Lee
 
Hello and welcome! Lots of time, patience and food and they will soon be your best friend!
 
Hello and welcome. Be patient and get to know each piggy’s character. I have one who hates being picked up and cuddled but is happy to let me stroke her when she sits on the floor beside me.
Enjoy your piggies- they are wonderful creatures.
 
wow thank you all for the responses over whelmed by it :) I will post pictures of house etc change location once i get back from work. Proud to be apart of the community!
 
william hipkin said:
Yes 100% so rewarding. One bite of a snack is all it takes for me to feel accomplished! One more concern i have is that ive heard i need to complete health checks. I have tried numerous times to do these checks and pick them up. They wriggle like crazy which actually makes it impossible to hold them (dont like holding them too tight). Not sure if you have experienced this and if you have a solution, as its obvious very important to check them!

Thank you so much for your response.
This forum is awesome!

Will.
Click to expand...

Sorry only just seen this, working crazy hours at the moment and by the time I'm home I'm not fit for much. Younger pigs are more wiggly but hopefully they will soon calm down. Piggies don't generally enjoy health checks and you do have to have a firm handle on them.bas you get more used to handling them you will get a feel for being firm enough to check them
 
Hi and welcome. I would just put in a big bundle, and top it up as you go. They should have access to hay 24/7, so you don't really need to measure it out. Sorry that's not really what you were looking for as an answer, but I don't really know exactly how much they would eat. Better too much than not enough. You can't overfeed hay.
 
Just wondering- i use wood chippings or what ever its called from the pet shop! It is safe! I have a plastic liner underneath my CC. With the saw dust on top it kind of slips around and the piggies slip when they are running really fast. Any solutions or alternate surfaces i could use? Thanks again.
Piggies are getting more confident now can stroke them if approached slowly, health checks are a lot easier. Both coming out of there little hidey house to eat when i am in the room (this used to be nightime only). Definitely growing in confidence :) When piggies are on lap they don't move and seem relaxed. I hope its not just because they are scared. How would i know if they are scared or actually enjoying it! As i don't want them not enjoying it haha!1

Thank you:P

ps)love this forum!
 
One more worry my water bottle they use has broken already! Sent back but new one is coming wed. Is water in a bowl okay while this is coming? Sorry for all the questions! I just want to make sure i am doing everything correct.
 
william hipkin said:
One more worry my water bottle they use has broken already! Sent back but new one is coming wed. Is water in a bowl okay while this is coming? Sorry for all the questions! I just want to make sure i am doing everything correct.
Click to expand...
A bowl of water should be ok for now but keep an eye to check if it gets knocked over.
 
Also you could offer some cucumber at the moment as this has a high water content.
 
I don't put anything under the wood shavings in my C & C cage - this seems to work well.
Glad they are settling in well. Keep on as you're doing, they are clearly learning to trust you.
 
I use hay trays in my c and c cage with hemp bedding under the hey. They love sitting in the trays munching away!

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