Timid Guinea Pig

[Livy]

Hi! I adopted a guinea pig, Curtis the other day (close to 2 year old male) and him and Benny get along and interact very well, they hit it off almost immediately. The only concern I have ran across is how timid he is with human interaction. I don't know too much about his background other than what the rescue knew, that he was found abandoned with a few other guinea pigs in an apartment. He will come running up to the cage like Benny does when he hears a bag rustle, sees me playing with her, when I have food, etc., but when I go to pet him, he just runs. If I reach my hand in the cage to do anything such as move a toy he runs into the pigloo. When I manage to get him out of the cage he will sit in my lap fine, let me pet him, pick him up with no problem. I never really had this problem with Benny, after a few days of having her she warmed up and stopped any running, now she never does. I'm worried he may not have had good "owners" in the past and that may be why he is so nervous. Does anybody have any tips to help get him out of his shell? I try to give him lap/floor time, feed him, hold him, anything to try to show him he can be trusting but it doesn't seem to be working too great. Thanks for any help and suggestions

Also, here is little Curtis!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! I adopted a guinea pig, Curtis the other day (close to 2 year old male) and him and Benny get along and interact very well, they hit it off almost immediately. The only concern I have ran across is how timid he is with human interaction. I don't know too much about his background other than what the rescue knew, that he was found abandoned with a few other guinea pigs in an apartment. He will come running up to the cage like Benny does when he hears a bag rustle, sees me playing with her, when I have food, etc., but when I go to pet him, he just runs. If I reach my hand in the cage to do anything such as move a toy he runs into the pigloo. When I manage to get him out of the cage he will sit in my lap fine, let me pet him, pick him up with no problem. I never really had this problem with Benny, after a few days of having her she warmed up and stopped any running, now she never does. I'm worried he may not have had good "owners" in the past and that may be why he is so nervous. Does anybody have any tips to help get him out of his shell? I try to give him lap/floor time, feed him, hold him, anything to try to show him he can be trusting but it doesn't seem to be working too great. Thanks for any help and suggestions

Also, here is little Curtis!

View attachment 41084

Hi! Give him time and take it slowly. Guinea pigs are prey animals and not born as cuddly pets. it is very likely he never had much in the way of friendly human interaction.
You may find the tips in these threads here helpful to avoid looking like a predator and how to use guinea pig body language to make friends and eventually build up trust. With having a companion to teach him the ropes once they have settled the dominance, he is likely to come along more quickly than otherwise.
How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?
How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language
How To Pick Up Your Guinea Pig

PS: Curtis is a gorgeous boy!

 

[VickiA]

Not all piggies behave the same way so please be patient with Curtis. He is a gorgeous looking chap by the way! There is nothing that can't usually be overcome with patience and kindness and a bit of bribery. But some piggies are more "naturals" than others at human interaction and being handled. Just give him time.

 

[scott1]

Curtis will take Benny's lead with trusting you the more he sees the both of you interact. I assume that Benny is the dominate one? That maybe the hierarchy where Curtis let's Benny interact with you first. If Curtis comes over to you from what it sounds like, your already half way on your way in getting him to trust you. It sounds like there's a personality wall about to come down where you might have a character on your hands

 

[JCLee]

I have two rescue pigs, both adopted at about 3 years old. Porkchop (in profile pic) is submissive to Bacon. He is also very shy. After 6 months, I've gotten him a little more comfy through a lot of hand feeding and patience. I have also come to acknowledge that he will always be a bit distrustful of humans. I'm not sure what happened to him before, and I will never know, but that is ok. It has become part of his charm.

I suppose my point is to keep working with your timid little one through tasty veggies, work slowly, and love him, whoever he grows up to be.

 

[Wiebke]

I have two rescue pigs, both adopted at about 3 years old. Porkchop (in profile pic) is submissive to Bacon. He is also very shy. After 6 months, I've gotten him a little more comfy through a lot of hand feeding and patience. I have also come to acknowledge that he will always be a bit distrustful of humans. I'm not sure what happened to him before, and I will never know, but that is ok. It has become part of his charm.

I suppose my point is to keep working with your timid little one through tasty veggies, work slowly, and love him, whoever he grows up to be.

Well done!

Some piggies can be harder to bring round, depending on their personality and background, but most will do so. I am currently working on a severely traumatised ex-small children's pet with a total fear of hands and being handled in any way. She has now started to pick veg from my hand, which is an enormous step forward.

You may also find the tips in these threads here helpful in settling and making friends with skittish piggies:
How Do I Settle Shy New Guinea Pigs?
How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language
How To Pick Up Your Guinea Pig