Tricky Time Bonding With Children

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ScratchyBee

ScratchyBee

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Hi all, VERY new to this and new to pets in general but in the summer we decided guinea pigs would be a good idea...Husband thinks I'm mad and has nothing to do with them. I have children who adore them but the two pigs are extremely nervous and not much fun for them. We have them outdoors in a super duper hutch, within a big, enclosed run with a roof and is well sheltered - I've done all the right things there. Even I can barely stroke them, they just want the food and then run in to their out of reach places. When they don't know we are looking they have such a nice time popcorning around and enjoying their run but they dart as soon as they hear a noise. We started by bringing them indoors to sit on a lap in a tea towel every day but they were so scared and kept scratching the children that we stopped bringing them in. Now I'm the one out there in the cold, wind and rain cleaning them out and making them warm (and they ARE warm, please don't think I am being ignorant about them being outdoors, they are just fine) and the children don't often go out there. The children desperately want them to be calmer.
Any (useful) tips on making them calmer? They are 2 males and are 7 months old now and get on superbly together, although one is definitely more dominant and he is the one we can *never* pick up. Do they need neutering? Thanks.
P.s. we are possibly buying a c&c cage to move them indoors for the winter, much to husband's disgust.
 
Hi and welcome to the forum. It is great you are going to make a c and c cage and bring them indoors. You will love being with them so much I suspect they will remain indoors!

Guinea pigs are prey animals and therefore very nervous. Handling them is the only way to get them used to you. They will not like it but in time they will. You need lots of patience and they will come round. Try having them on your lap under a fleece as they feel safer when hiding.
 
Welcome!

I'm the first to admit that I'm no expert on piggies (especially as my two are sows), but I do believe you do need to get them neutered. Hopefully someone who knows more will be along soon to advise further!
 
Thanks both, I too was under the impression neutering would calm them (like a dog say - then again, I've never had a dog!)...is it not the same for pigs?
 
I have never heard of neutering making boars easier to handle. It is usually only done when one boar is going to live with a sow.
 
piggyfan said:
Neutering will not make them easier to handle.
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Sorry piggyfan, I thought the neutering question was a separate question - not related to making them easier to handle.
 
It just takes time. The piggies don't understand that you want to love them and cuddle them, they think you want to eat them! You need to invest time in them. Spend time talking to them and hand feeding them. They will not like being picked up because they will see your hands as a predator coming to catch them. You could try ushering them into a cosy to enable you to pick them up. We shepherd ours into the hutch bedroom - I don't ever pick them up anywhere else, that way they know what is going on and it isn't so scary.

Unfortunately, at this time of year you cant bring them in for a cuddle and then put them back outside - the temperature change from warm house to cold outside could cause illness. What about bringing them indoors for the remainder of the winter and then moving them back outside when the weather gets warmer? That's what I am doing with my two. You would not believe the character and personality that comes out of the little furballs when they get to know you and get used to you. But be prepared - even then some piggies don't like cuddles. My Toby loves them and cuddles down for an hour at a time easily; Barney however doesn't like to cuddle, Barney and I grapple with me being desperate for a squeeze and him wanting to escape and go zooming! They freerange in the lounge - they are not scared in the slightest, loving to come and tug on my slippers when my feet are still in them. They will follow me around the lounge and clamber on my knee if food is on offer, but as soon as my hands get anywhere nearby they are off.

Keep going with them - your hard work will be all worth while!
 
Thanks AbiS that was lovely and really useful. I'd have thought I'd never catch them to put them back in the cage if I let them free roam the house! That'll take time I guess.
I think I'll do that, bring them in for winter. Been so lucky with the mild weather so far!
 
I have only had Toby and Barney since May when they were 8 weeks old. They were never meant to come indoors, MrS didn't want anything to do with them (sound familiar?). Anyway - he fell in love with them and they piggles guilted him into bringing them indoors when the weather got colder. I seem to have ended up with a 5foot double hutch in the lounge and not being able to use the front door! They had been indoors for about 6weeks before we let them freerange. They just put themselves back in the hutch when they are done. I have had to put puppypads under a chair because they use it as a hidey and they love zooming round the coffee table!

I cant even open a packet of biscuits without them wheeking their little heads off because they think it might be a bag of salad!
 
ScratchyBee said:
Thanks AbiS that was lovely and really useful. I'd have thought I'd never catch them to put them back in the cage if I let them free roam the house! That'll take time I guess.
I think I'll do that, bring them in for winter. Been so lucky with the mild weather so far!
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My boys come and go as they please in the house and spend most of their time in the C&C!
 
Something I am thinking of trying with my guys is to time their tea veg with cuddletime. I am going to find something which I can pick them up in (not sure what yet but maybe a plastic box?) I will then put veggies in box and when they are in the box pick it out of the cage.

I will let you know how I get on.
 
Another good thing to do is pick a phrase to say to them when you are feeding them. As soon as we got them we said 'whats this for you' in a high squeaky voice any time we were giving them food. Whenever we say that now they come running.
 
AbiS said:
Another good thing to do is pick a phrase to say to them when you are feeding them. As soon as we got them we said 'whats this for you' in a high squeaky voice any time we were giving them food. Whenever we say that now they come running.
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I must try this x
 
I have four does that hate being picked up.Cutting their nails is a nightmare but have a duo that are very calm once I actually get hold of them and they snuggle in.
 
Hi and welcome! Unfortunately, guinea pigs are prey animals and are not born as pets. The more you interact with them and the more they become a firm part of your life, the more they turn into pets. It takes time, persistence and patience.

Organise regular play time with them in an indoors run with lots of tunnels, little hurdles (rulers placed on something about an inch high), mazes etc. which the children can make and arrange. Give them lots of encouragement, and lure them over for a little herby or veg treat. It may take a bit of time for them to come out and explore at first, but they should soon get the hang of it, and you can take it from there. Praise them lots for every little step in the right direction ("good boy" works for piggies, too!, whereas "no" doesn't!).

PS: When they are out, don't loom over them like a predator! Keep a gentle stream of talking going and act as if they weren't there in the initial phase. Sprinkle some treats around. Place any hideys and covers like foot stool or cardboard boxes about one foot apart at first until they have got their bearings and their confidence.
Paper bags (any handles cut through) and toilet rolls are also always a big hit, as is a heap of soiled cosies and rags, or a towel with one or two chubes for an "entrance" into a cave.

Handle them together between two towels on your lap, so they can get used to it while feeling safe.

Janey said:
Welcome!

I'm the first to admit that I'm no expert on piggies (especially as my two are sows), but I do believe you do need to get them neutered. Hopefully someone who knows more will be along soon to advise further!
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Sorry, Janey, unlike rabbits, neutering will do nothing for guinea pigs, except remove the ability to make babies! mallethead
 
Hi there Scratchy Bee and welcome!

I also have small children and guinea pigs and I do understand what you are talking about.

Ours are indoor pigs, I have three boys and two girls (in separate rooms!).

The boys we have had since October so they are now about 5 months old. I do similar things to what Wiebke suggested, get the children to arrange their "play time" run and build obstacles, cut holes out of boxes to make hideys etc, any kind of thing to get them involved. I also have the children give them their veggies every day and they have started taking veggies from the kid's hands now :) One pig gets very over excited when he sees my daughter in particular and wheeks like mad whenever she walks by ;)

I really think that having them inside will really pay off. I know it can be inconvieniant to re-arrange the room and maybe even relocate furniture but having them in the middle of the family really helps them to get used to you, and they will soon be wheeking every time the fridge door opens.

Actually, when I walk downstairs in the morning I get ambused by the noise of five guinea pigs standing up at the bars of their cage wheeking, and a labrador bouncing up and down!
 
Thank you ALL of you for your useful tips and encouragement. It was just what I needed to hear and you'll be pleased to know I have ordered the C&C cage stuff (hopefully the right stuff) and the children will be involved in setting it up and planning the layout. Can't wait. We just have to shift a sofa and there's room on a wooden floor away from radiator/drafts, so it should be ok. Just worried about the smell but I'm sure it'll be fine.
 
Wiebke said:
Sorry, Janey, unlike rabbits, neutering will do nothing for guinea pigs, except remove the ability to make babies! mallethead
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Well, at least I know now! Not sure about 'mallethead'? Is it anything like 'dozy tart'?! Been called that before! ;)
 
Janey said:
Well, at least I know now! Not sure about 'mallethead'? Is it anything like 'dozy tart'?! Been called that before! ;)
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Lol - I think there must have been a glitch in wiebke's computer. It should have displayed this icon :mal: rather than saying 'mallethead'! Does that make it any better?....I'm not sure... haha!
 
You can sew up 2 sides of a folded towel/ piece of fleece to make a pocket for lap time. This will make the piggies more relaxed (as Wiebke suggested) but also your children as there's no risk of the piggy darting off their lap. :)
 
Hi,
Picked up on this thread as I was going to post a similar problem! My 3 sows (arrived at Christmas) are very scared of being picked up and run away SO fast I struggle to catch them and worry I'll hurt them! They are in a c and c cage. I am reassured reading through these posts as my gps will happily take treats from our hands and do lots of squeaking for food, particularly for me and my daughter as we do most of the feeding! I think a lot of this is down to them being happy in their big cage.
ScratchyBee...our cage is in the dining room (we usually eat in the kitchen). It is part fleece lined and part newspaper and hay. I tend to notice a smell when they have all just wee'd (dry wee on the paper/hay doesn't seem to smell as much). I am having to change the fleece liner every other day to keep on top of the smell. Good luck with getting some cuddles, I'm hoping it will happen for us soon too!
 
Hi everyone, I just wanted to update you as you were all so helpful. We did it. We moved the boys indoors in to a C&C cage. First day was hell though, they were so so scared and just hid in the big box I'd made in to a bedroom. Second day slightly better but still very scatty if we came anywhere in that room at all. I've lost track of days now but we are doing fab. They have been outside in their hutch/run (it's huge) if it has been a mild day (haven't we been lucky in the South East?!). They are easier to pick up to bring back indoors (about 4pm) and are starting to wheek at us more indoors and not scarper off if we go near them. I've had them both eating out of my hand for the first time ever. We're all thrilled!
 
It sounds like you are doing a fantastic job integrating them into family life. All of your efforts will pay off eventually (it sounds like they are already starting to make a difference!).

You may have to accept that they will never be cuddly like a dog or a cat. Their trust and love must be earned. I think you have to be a very special kind of person to be able to break through the flight response barrier that these tiny little animals are born with, and gain their trust. Don't forget that you are a giant scary monster to them! It's a challenge, and some guinea pigs will never learn to fully trust you, but they will definitely win you over with their unique personalities and quirks.

I think the biggest lesson your children will learn with your guinea pigs is that time, patience and kindness will bring out the best in these little animals. Get the kids involved with the guinea pigs as much as possible so they don't get bored of them - make homemade toys for the piggies, set up exciting floor time obstacle courses for them, teach them tricks, or just let them out for floor time and watch them go!

Please share some photos of your piggies and their new cage with us :)
 
Thanks. I'm scared of being ripped apart if I share pics...just a standard 4x2 C&C cage with a 2x1 loft and makeshift ramp... *runs and hides*....
 
You won't be ripped apart in the slightest! A 4x2 exceeds the minimum space requirements for two guinea pigs. And they have an upper level too? What spoilt little piggies! It sounds like they are living in luxury :)
 
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