Off to a bad start with new pig?

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dahlia

I just brought Madeline home yesterday. She seemed pretty chill yesterday at PetsMart (yes, I know I should've gone to a rescue but they want proof of home ownership or letter from our landlord who lives 12 hours away and can barely get back to us with sink issues. But I digress..) but has been frightened ever since she came home.

I have taken to removing her little house from the cage because I am afraid that she will deprive herself of food/water out of fear. When her house is gone, she stays in the farthest corner of her cage.

When I go to pet her, she usually lets me although she seems frozen with fear. I was able to pick her up and hold her twice but she really tried to dodge me when I went to pick her up.

She takes whatever food I have to offer (lettuce, carrots, etc.) but then runs and backs into her corner.

I admit, I have been a bit overzealous in trying to get to know her but it is only because she is SO cute and I am so excited to have her!

What am I doing wrong? Yes, I know I need to back off. Do I give her space, spend time with her, try to pick her up, not try to pick her up, etc.?

HELP! I love my new guinea pig and want to find the best way to be friends and not scare her.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Dahlia
 
Hi,

She just needs time - how old is she? Do you know her background - has she been handled regularly. Try enticing her over the next few days with some veggies - lots of soothing piggy talk will help her. She is obviously just frightened and needs to know that you love her - this will happen - its natural for the first few days with piggies to be timid - especially if she hasn't been handled very much at all.

Just persevere with her - she will soon realise you are her very best friend. Its very tempting to keep picking up and cuddling - I am terrible myself for that with a new piggy - but see it from her little world and take it slowly. You will soon be reaping the rewards with lots of piggy cuddles and kisses. She just needs to feel safe.

Hope this helps.

Helen, Daisy, Tom, Chaz, dave and poorly Stig.
 
I agree with Hels, just give her time to settle in. I wouldn't hold her for a couple of days, just talk to her nicely and she will soon come round.

:)
 
Hi Dahila and welcome to the best forum ever!

all piggies take time to settle into a new home so don't worry.

they will all hide in a home given a chance, we use the flexible sticks and bend then into a tunnel, so they have somewhere to run into and jump on but don't hide in it.

perhaps don't pick her up for a few day, just lots of talking to and hand feeding and she will come around.

most people would recommend that you have more than one pig as they need company of there own kind. we started off with just one, but she is much happer now she has a friend. 2 are not more work then 1 and you will get twice the love, so it worth thinking about.

good luck and i an sure she will be fine :)
 
Leave her to it for a few days. She will be terrified, she has been seperated from the piggies she was with in the shop, into a new home, different cage, someone trying to pick her up (I doubt she's been handled much if at all), new people, new smells etc.

Leave the hidey house in her cage, it will make her feel safer. Don't worry, she will come out at night or when she thinks it's safe (so don't keep walking past the cage etc. because she will still be too scared to come out).

I recommend getting her a friend though. Piggies should really live in atleast pairs and are never truely happy on their own. Please go get a friend for her O0 If you do get her a friend, make sure she is DEFINATELY 100% a girl, and also check the new one loads to make sure she is definately a girl too. Petshops are pretty useless at sexing.
 
Thanks for the advice!

She was alone in the PetsMart so I couldn't get her a friend to start off with anyway since I didn't want to put two strange piggies together in a new, scary situation. I would like to get her a friend but I would like to get her a little less frightened of me and I have to find an adequate cage for two that doesn't take up too much space in a fairly small condo. Maybe sometime after the New Year?

Dahlia
 
Hi i agree with all of the above, just give her time. If you get her a friend she'll settle in much quicker because she'll have someone to talk to and cuddle up with when she's scared. I'd also recommend getting her a friend when she's a baby because its much easier to introduce them, they just accept eachother, it will be trickier when shes a few months x
 
I agree with all of the above, a friend will make all the difference and they won`t need a bigger cage until well after the new year anyway!
 
Hiya and welcome to the forum. I agree with all of the above. I got 2 new piggies in August and it took them a couple of months to get used to me (and thats with their cage being in the livingroom). Now they don't always run away when I go near the cage/run but you can see they're still a bit unsure - except when I have a bit of food in my hand then they're both my very best friends. :smitten:
 
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