Skittish guinea pigs

LynB

LynB

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Hi, help or advice needed please.
I've had my piggies 7 weeks now, they are 15 weeks old and I'm not bonding with them due them being skittish.
They greet me in the morning, take food from me and nibble my fingers if I'm near the cage.
Very vocal when I walk in the room but neither of them let me stroke them. I have trouble getting them out to clean the cage, I've tried a tubular hideout and even that's a task, as for getting them back in the cage that is worse. I have sat in the run with them and they take food and climb on the bottom half of my legs but I only have to move and all hell starts. Am I being impatient and what do I do to make it more enjoyable for us all pkease
 
It's in their nature, they're 1st instinct is to flee.

My girls are still skittish but they do let me stroke them, only for about 30 seconds though. They still hate being handled so I only do it when necessary health check, cage clean and floor time.

I think they'll always be this way and I'm fine with that because it's just how they are.
 
It's all the time, I can't get near them to pick them up and move them to the run. I sit for ages talking to them and giving them treats, they're OK with that. Once in the run no matter how long they have been in there, I can't get them out its a nightmare lol. 1 of them screams if I go near him. I just feel like they don't like me
 
You actually sound like you are in a very good position with them - greeting you, taking food, coming to you when they are in the run are very good signs of trust. It does take time for anything more than that to build - it can be months to years but you also need to accept that it may never be any other than how it currently is. Most piggies will never like being picked up, some will never like to be held or touched - it cuts close to their prey instinct.
What you are experiencing is totally normal and it doesnt mean they don’t like you.

I can herd my two oldest boys (5 years old) into a carrier to pick them up.
My two youngest (9 months) are harder than my two oldest, and of the two youngest one is very difficult. To catch them I have two c&c grids which are connected together to make a short ’wall’. I then have to use it to get them to go into the corner and then I can pick them up from inside the triangle the grids and the side of the run form. It’s much less stressful than it sounds and much easier than hoping they will go into a carrier like my older two do.
They both struggle when I’ve got hold of them so I then put them in the carrier and take them back to their cages.

Honestly though, the fact they shout and struggle when they are being held is also a good sign - it means they feel safe and confident enough to make their feelings clear. A piggy who sits stock still when held is often the most terrified, simply too afraid to move - that is not a comfortable situation to be in.

My two eldest hate being touched. I might be able to get the odd chin scratch or head stroke but it’s not something they willingly tolerate.
My two youngest, one loves to be stroked and will properly pancake and just lap it up! The other likes a stroke but he doesn’t ‘ask’ for them like the other does
 
It is however important to find a way that works for you and for them because they need to be weighed every week.
As i say my eldest two in particular don’t like being handled but they simply have to put up with it for their weekly weight and health checks!

I would actually use an enclosed hide rather than a tube hide because to me, a tube, poses a risk of them backing out of it

How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pigs Safely (videos)
 
Thank you both for your response, I feel a little better about them. I think as they are babies going into teenage years I get anxious about their behaviour. I had GP's about 20 years ago and they were older, I could pick them up anytime and they would just lie on my lap or sofa so this is all new to me.
 
Comet would freak out if you tried to pick him up, but once you had him he was actually quite content and your biggest risk was him falling asleep on you. Blitzen on the other hand would allow you to pick him up, then immediately start tweaking on your t-shirt/hoodie to get you to put him down. Trying to get them both into a carrier was fun because one would go in, but only one. When the other went in, the first went out. Trips were fun.

As for Bann and Camowen, they hate me picking up and handling them. I've got cold hand and they're skinnies so I don't blame them, but they're not afraid of me. They'll demand I handfeed them their first piece of food at mealtimes or pellet rations at night, I get shrieked at because apparently they're starving to death and I forgot the food, they'll run around me if I'm sitting in the cage. They're just the "no touchy" kind.

That they'll take food from you is something to be proud of/happy with, even if it may not seem that way. There's a lot of trust involved in what's basically a simple act. You and they are doing fine :)
 
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