Petrified Guinea!

[PeanutPickle]

I wonder if anyone can help me.

I had a Guinea pig die and left one on its own so I rescued two new babies to put with her.

They loved each other immediately, followed the adult one around. But they were both a little scared of humans.
We get them out regularly, talk to them while they are in their cage and hand feed them.

6 months on, one of the babies is still petrified of us whereas the other one is fine.
She will run around her cage avoiding us trying to pick her up. When we do get her she refuses to eat out of our hands even though it's her favourite food. She has seen a vet so has had plenty of human contact.
I just don't know what else I can do to accustom her to our presence, when the other two are perfectly happy and rush up to the cage to greet us.

 

[lawz]

she may settle down eventually, it can just take longer then others.
Maybe get little fleece cozy and scoop her out in that while petting, that way she will feel secure in cosy while at same time allowing you to pet her.
My girl Beau used to be the same but now 4 months on she allows me to pick her up and hold her with no attempts to run from me while petting

 

[span]

I have a girl like that too. Don't worry about it, I think it is just in the personality of some guins to be shy, just like humans.

We just let our girl be, she is very, very slowly getting more confident and will stick her head out of her house now when we have food rather than cowering! It just takes some guins more time than others to get used to humans, just carry on doing what you're doing and try and handle her as much as you can and reward her with food when she's brave or having a cuddle.

 

[PeanutPickle]

Thanks guys it took my other two 2 years to calm down completely, she is just so much more scared and skittish than the other two were but I will keep persevering!

 

[sport_billy]

Try this technique to pick them up. It is totally normal.

Our only lap piggy we had was the most timid pig ever and in the end ( it took 3 years ) She would climb onto us for cuddles so you will get there. Keep going with the hand feeding in the cage, it is a great way to build a bond up

 

[Galaxy&nibbles]

My newest piggy is like this! Though he is fine when having a cuddle, happily wheeling away. I'm sure I've read somewhere that it can take many months for some piggies to settle and be confident with a human

 

[7squeakers.]

Just keep doing what you are doing, and she will tame down eventually. You are doing all the right things.

 

[Freela]

A lot of pigs hate the feeling of being picked up- as a prey animal, it's a natural fear for them because in the wild, nothing is picking you up for a cuddle! Some pigs are more anxious than others (I had one who was very highly strung and really never 'settled' in the way my other pigs did.) I would just keep on interacting with her and hope that she will eventually come out of her shell a bit more, though she may never be a pig who loves being held. Some just don't.

 

[PeanutPickle]

Thanks everyone I'm going to keep on persevering and hopefully she will come around one day

I'm hoping her sisters will tell her it's lovely being cuddled and hand fed