Should I still handle my guinea pigs if they refuse?

t3ss4_m

t3ss4_m

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hello, I am a new guinea pig owner, I have a 2 year old guinea pig, Terra and a 2 month old guinea pig, Nora. I've had them for nearly a month and Terra doesn't mind when I pet and hang around her, But Nora is very skittish and I cannot even move around her without her hiding away, The lady I got them off says I should handle them daily no matter what, to get them used to me, But terra just tries to escape the entire time and Nora freezes up, so I've stopped doing that and tried to get them to trust me, is this the right approach? or should I take the lady's advice and continue holding them even if they hate it?
 
Hello and welcome to the forum. Not many piggies like being handled. I’d just concentrate on gaining their trust. Hand feed them some veggies, talk to them and stroke them if you can. You will need to handle them weekly for a quick weigh in and check over though.

Feel free to post pictures as we love to drool over piggy pics.
 
I would not advise holding them first up.
Getting them used to you by feeding them by hand and getting them to except pats from you is a good starting point. You could also try floor time, getting them to feel safe to come over to you and take treats is great for bonding.
Hope this helps. 🙂
 
:wel:

I never handle my piggies for anything other than the essential weekly weight checks, health checks and nail clipping.
I have four piggies. One really likes being stroked in the cage, one doesn’t mind a little head or chin scratch, one will have a head scratch but only on his terms and one who does not like to be touched. The thing they have in common is that none of them like to be held. That is why I keep handling just to the essential reasons to handle them. I don’t and won’t ever force them to sit and have a cuddle if they don’t want it. Instead, I sit on the floor and let them come to me if they choose to do so. As they trust that I’m not suddenly going to grab at them and try to pick them up, and more often than not they will come to me for a treat or quick head scratch.

It’s important that they do tolerate some handling though as you do need to weigh them once a week (daily if they are unwell) and to know you are able to medicate or syringe feed them if necessary.

The guides below will help further

Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips
How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pigs Safely (videos)
 
Terra is so cute! I only handle mine for their weekly health checks but they're less anxious now because they're used to me hand feeding them bits of veggies and the odd treat (pea flakes are always a hit!). They all love head and chin scratches now but it took over a year to build up their trust. It's also a good idea every several months or so to feed them a very small amount of mushed up pellets in a 1ml syringe. I do this so they get used to eating from a syringe if I ever have to do this if they get poorly.
 
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