New to pigs and seeking some advice please :)

[elvislives]

Hello We have had our 2 boars almost 5 weeks now. I am new to guineas and have been reading about them voraciously ever since because I would like them to be happy and tame and well cared for To my other half's bemusement, I have moved the guineas to an inside cage 5 days ago. They were very quiet for a couple of days and didn't explore much so I left them to settle. The day they woke us up rushing around their cage, I started to go in their room more often to say hi and get them used to the cage being opened etc... They are now moving around all of their cage and are happy to eat by their bowl on a shelf and be seen if we stand still in the doorway. They will also take food cautiously from my hand. However, they are now much much harder to get hold of! I cleaned their cage out today and had to do it with them still in there cos there was no way I could get hold of them! When they were in their hutch I could partition it off so they were in a small place where I could corner them easily and stroke them before picking them up, though they weren't keen to be picked up. It's not as easy to partition their cage off, so I am a, looking for advice on how I can handle them and get them used to being handled, and b, advice on how long it will take to tame such skittish pigs? I have brought them inside in order to keep them warm over winter and hoping to be able to tame them better if they are insude with us, but I am now wondering if I have taken a backwards step in the handling side of things? I am not even able to stroke them at the moment now they are in their cage. I have a R5A cage. I would like to be able to give them floor time but as I am currently unable to catch them I can't take them out, or be confident that we could put them back in! I tried suggestions such as using a pet carrier or a box for picking them up from the run before, but they are awful smart and now they know what happens there they won't get in it or come near it lol Also, I wasn't expecting them to be quite so jumpy, as in literally, jumping! Are they likely to hurt themselves doing this? I have seen them launch themselves off the shelf in their cage, off the top of their house, and out of the plastic storage box I was using to move them from hutch to run My rabbit is also an exceptional jumper(she scared the builders next door by poking her head over the top of the 6ft fence!)...am I just destined to have animals descended from zebedee?! lol. Apologies for the long post, any and all help very gratefully received

 

[piggyfan]

You did the right thing bringing your pigs indoors. This will help to make them tamer. The best way to pick up a piggy is using a tunnel or something to coach them into. There is no time as to when they will be tame as they are all different. Them jumping means they are happy. Just ensure there is nothing too high so if they jumped they would not hurt themselves.

 

[Goth Mummy]

Hello! That all sounds normal please dont worry. Your piggies are just adjusting to their new situation, being in a house is strange to them. You definately did the right thing bringing them inside because the reports are saying there will be snow next month! A work colleague told me last year her outdoor guinea pigs froze to death over night when we had unexpected snow. She was crying all day I guess they didnt have adequate bedding.

I would also use a tunnel to pick them up, - and then wrap them in a fleece/blanket so they cant wriggle away from you. I'm sure they will soon be tame

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! You did right by bringing them indoors for the winter, and with a bit of patience, you will reap ample awards in the months to come!

Just give your boys time to get used to the different noises and the increased interaction. They are behaving as you'd expect at this stage, but are already showing signs of coming round.

The easiest way of picking up piggies (something that the majority doesn't like because it is cutting a bit too close to their prey animal instincts) is by training them to come into some kind of pick up conveyance, like a tunnel, a padded cardboard box with one side cut off or an upturned hidey with a little rag for the floor. Ideally, you place a little veg treat at the far end let them get comfy with any new arrangement first. Always use the same words with the same cadence, and give lots of praise and encouragement!

 

[elvislives]

Thank you peeps I saw them jump ON to their shelf today lol. And there was me worrying about them being able to do the ramps when they first came inside rolleyes. We keep popping in to say hello, I hope they come round soon!